[Pitlove]

C4C- I just got back from PetSmart with my dog haha. Sometimes Petco doesn’t have everything I need or I can get it for cheaper somewhere else and thats even with my 20% discount at work!

Bdog- It’s awesome lol My cat who just passed away on Christmas Eve of last year was a picky eater and picky about his cat litter as well. He ended up with a UTI (probably from being on dry food) and stupidly (because I didn’t know any better) agreed with the vet to have him on Royal Canin’s Urinary SO Moderate Calorie dry food. He died at 5 years old. Now I don’t know if the food had anything to do with it (we have no idea why he died, seemed healthy, but he was overweight), but around the time we got our new kitten was the time I started looking into better food, mainly for my dog. The place I got my kitten from had her on Blue Buffalo dry, some kitten formula. She has only ever had that dry food and Nature’s Variety and when I started her on NV is when I found out she shouldn’t even be on dry at all. Switched her over to an all wet diet instantly. I got lucky that I found that info early in her life. I’m also lucky that she is a “teacup” as the vet called her and only weighs 5lbs at 7 mo so a 3oz can of wet fills her up. Tested that by giving her a second can one night that she barely touched. I completely understand your story as I lived it with all my other cats. After I lost Hugo this past Christmas I poured all my energy into my dog and vowed to give him a longer life than Hugo had. Hugo was my whole heart and I miss him greatly, but his death prompted a change in me to do better for my animals. So I thank him for that and all the joy he brought me.

oh and ya WEF makes cat food now! We just got their complete and full line in at work. The cans are .99$ at my work, but Petco is expensive. Though I doubt many other places are going to have it. Chewy.com doesn’t even carry it yet. I feed WEF canned in my rotation for my dog as well. Got lucky at the feed store I go to, they are going to stop selling WEF as it wasn’t a good seller for them and I got 22 cans for $1 each!

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

[Susan]

Hi here’s just a few Limited Ingredients foods in the “Dog Allergy International groups” files that may work for dogs with food sensitivities… also when on a limited ingredient diet no other foods are given, nothing, no treats, no peanut butter to give meds nothing just their limited ingredient diet for 3 months, then if dog is doing real well then add a new ingredient & see if there is any reaction with new food..
Petcurean GO Sensitivity limited ingredients Venison.. Michele Dixson from Petcurean is in group & helps dogs with allergies..
Farmina Vet Life Hypoallergenic Fish & Potato
Performatrin Ultra Limited ingredients
Lily’s Kitchen Recovery recipe wet food limited ingredients
Canidae Grain Free Dry & Wet
Rayne Maintenace Diets
Addiction Nutri-RX Allergy HS
Natural Balance limited ingredient Dry& Wet
Zignature limited ingredient formulas
Merrick limited ingredient Dry & Wet
California Natural Hypoallergenic limited ingredients dry & wet
Darwins Raw
Ziwi Peak

[Bobby dog]

Hey everybody!!!
Just popping in real quick, good to hear from everybody!!!

pitlove:
You’re welcome!

I am sooooo jealous of you, what’s it like not to have a finicky cat? I heard there were such creatures, but I began thinking it was just urban legend!!

The cats I have had throughout the years ate whatever I got at the grocery store or discount grocery outlet and it was mostly dry food. A few developed health problems that I feel a bad diet helped exacerbate. If I ever get another kitten or cat they will be started out right with wet food. Hopefully no dry, but I do understand the convenience factor. I have had allot of family emergencies over the past few years so I don’t know if I could rule out dry completely.

I will stop back later with my grocery store food list and others I have either tried or currently feed. I have to proof read the list to make sure I have it updated.

Jakes mom:
Yes, the outdoors are calling!!! Unfortunately, this year my garden will be scaled way back due to a family member with health issues. I am not sure what time I will have to devote to the garden and I don’t want to plant a bunch of stuff only to have it over grow with weeds. Bobby has been at my side most of the time for yard work. He does get bored easily and slips away to hang out on the porch. I am sure I will catch him peeing in the garden at some point or finding a bunny nest! lol

My hyper-t kitty had the best wellness check-up he’s ever had a few months ago. My Vet was thrilled with his weight and the condition of his coat! He does eat the best out of all of them though, he’s the only one that will eat most anything.

weezerweeks:
I’ll check out my list and see if any brands I feed or have tried come in larger cans. I get that whole budget thing.

C4C:
Didn’t know WEF made cat food. I’ll have to check out the pet store I go to that sells it. I will always try a new food, you never know what they will eat.

[Pitlove]

My little girl is only 7 months old and no health problems so I guess I have a lot less to worry about. I remember having my senior cat, but that was before I had a clue and he ate an all dry diet of probably bad food ( can’t remember what it was). The only food she has had stomach issues with was Nutro Natural Choice. The main ingredient that I noticed in all of them that she has never had was Pork Broth. Maybe the culprit? Other than that her poops stay good on any other canned food.

Edit: Just read your post about WEF. I tried it the minute we got them at work (Petco). I wasn’t that happy. The pate sticks to the top of the can and the “sauce” was completely hardened already. Could be a bad batch delivered to my work. Willing to try it again though.

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

[Pitlove]

Bdog- Thanks so much for sharing all the info. I have read through catinfo.org and I do agree with Dr. Pierson about wet vs dry (my cat is on all wet). My cat is my champion eater. She is not picky at all so thats not my problem. I have an odd work schedule and don’t have the time to feed all raw for both my dog and cat like I would love to, so for the kitty I do all wet to at least make an attempt at feeding her right. I change her canned food all the time. She’s eaten Merrick, Nutro, Nature’s Variety, Grandma Mae’s and I just got some clearance cans from PetSmart of Max Cat and Innova to tid her over til my shipment of Tiki Cat and Weruva come in for her. Just always looking for new brands to try her out on. I would love those lists if you want to share!

[Bobby dog]

Labs:
4 Health is a decent food for cats, however mine don’t care for the brand. My one senior female will eat the GF Whitefish and Chicken dinner occasionally, but I really don’t like feeding a fish based food wet or dry too often. If I do, I prefer smaller species because they are likely to contain less contaminates. Wellness and Tiki cat have recipes that use either sardines or menhaden that I prefer.

pitlove:
This is a long thread and you would have to have the time to read through our trials and tribulations of transitioning our cats to a more species appropriate diet. The regular posters on this thread have written about spending several years trying to transition to other foods. We mostly have dry food addicts; not a healthy form of food for kitties. My cats grew up eating grocery store foods and like what they like. They are 7, 10, 12, and two are 17 years old. It is very dangerous, even life threatening, for cats to go on hunger strikes. I for one am not willing to risk my cats life if it comes down to a hunger strike. So rather than dwelling on the negatives of Purina I keep my cats eating consistently for good health and keep searching for other foods to try. As far as Purina products go I have a list of a few recipes from different lines I feed that IMO have the least offensive ingredients for my cats. Some have little or no fish, none have glutens, most have no added colors, some no grains, all are under 11% carbs for UT health, and probably other things I have forgotten about. Since wet foods make up a majority of their diet any food I feed must be 12% DMB carbs or under for their UT health.

A quote from Dr. Pierson, DVM of catinfo.org:
“…I would much rather see a cat eat any canned food versus any dry food – regardless of quality level of the canned or dry food. This includes Friskies, 9-Lives, Fancy Feast, etc., canned options.”

Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition

My cats have transitioned to about 3/4 of their diets being canned foods. Wet foods are the healthiest for cats. My cats have passed all wellness visits (blood work included) over the last several years and the couple that were chubby have lost the extra weight. Paying attention to the recipes regardless of the quality of the brand has made a significant difference in their health.

I feed them a variety of commercial raw, canned, and dry foods. I only have one cat that is not finicky so my dog gets any leftovers from a new food that does not go over well with them. If you would like my list of what I call my cats’ “grocery store foods” just post and I will be happy to share. I also have a list of premium foods wet/dry/commercial raw if you are interested. And, welcome to the Cat Rec thread. The cat lovers on DFA post here about any cat topic!

Here’s my favorite cat sites:

Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition

Home

http://www.naturalcatcareblog.com/
http://www.felinecrf.org/
The last site is for a specific feline health issue; I have found the site helpful in regards to foods to try.

[zcRiley]

Just a heads up on Nutrisca, a recent recall on the chicken formula:

February 11, 2015 – Tuffy’s Pet Foods, Inc. of Perham, Minnesota, is voluntarily recalling specific lots of Nutrisca Chicken and Chick Pea Recipe Dry Dog Food because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

[wolff]

They may have been allergic to the grains etc. in NutriLife All Gold (Brown Rice, Pearled Barley, Oat Meal, White Rice, Brewers Dried Yeast, Alfalfa Meal).

Possibly so, though more likely than if they were from the same litter, they are from two completely different breeders and lines and 2 weeks apart in age, one is short coated and the other is long coated.
I’m not sure how I feel about the brown rice, I know I’ve read that rice in general is often contaminated with trace amounts of arsenic, and that brown rice has a higher level than white.
This might offer some insight into this issue:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/01/how-much-arsenic-is-in-your-rice/index.htm

“How much arsenic is in your rice?
Consumer Reports’ new data and guidelines are important for everyone but especially for gluten avoiders
Published: November 2014
We looked at data released by the Food and Drug Administration in 2013 on the inorganic arsenic content of 656 processed rice-containing products. We found that rice cereal and rice pasta can have much more inorganic arsenic—a carcinogen—than our 2012 data showed. According to the results of our new tests, one serving of either could put kids over the maximum amount of rice we recommend they should have in a week. Rice cakes supply close to a child’s weekly limit in one serving. Rice drinks can also be high in arsenic, and children younger than 5 shouldn’t drink them instead of milk.
Brown rice has 80 percent more inorganic arsenic on average than white rice of the same type. Arsenic accumulates in the grain’s outer layers, which are removed to make white rice.”

Wellness CORE Grain-Free Puppy Formula is a great choice. Orijen Puppy Large Breed Grain-Free Dry Dog Food is outstanding. But as I said, it’s all trial and error until A) you like what you’re buying & B) you see outstanding stools & weight formation that’s appropriate.

I saw the Orijen, but the price was out of my range, if I was feeding a Beagle or small dog it wouldn’t be bad, but the $79 price and the even smaller bag yet than I normally buy that’s a double hit- higher price for less in the bag.

If you’re not already, spread out the meals as evenly as you can during waking hours, small portions equal to the daily amount (or what they’ll consume) 3 to 4 times per day. It’s easier on their tummies.

Jiggs came when he was 6-1/2 weeks old, I fed him 4 times a day until he was 8 weeks and then Hachi came shortly after and he was 8 weeks, and by then both are on 3 feedings a day

[Sherrie J]

I spoke to a trusted pet store owner, who had more knowledge seemingly than my vet. We are currently giving our dog the following mix twice per day, in leu of the prescription c/d food.

1/8 tsp of pro mas (probiotic)
1 tsp Wysong PH-
1 1/2 tbsp of triumph grain free wet food
1/2 cup triumph grain free dry food
1/4 cup water

We are letting her potty as much as she wants and making sure her water bowl is always full. I will also be adding Cranimals to the mix after I receive it and will test her urine with ph strips to see if this combination is getting us in the proper level.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by Sherrie J.

[Reed R]

I need some suggestions on a good nutritional quality dry food to use as a 10% supplement to the 90% of a Veterinary prescribed dry food(Royal Canin Calm) I am feeding her which supplements her meds. She is about a 5-6 year old Spitz/Border Collie mix that was a feral dog living on the streets. We have had her for 5 years. Ultra smart but also can get pretty wild. She eats all types of raw fruits and vegetables that are suitable for dogs and during gardening season right form our organic garden (sometimes when she not supposed to she just helps herself). I have been looking at Fromm’s & Taste of the Wild. When we first got her we were feeding her Canidae until her attitude issues made the shift to her current food. Our Vet/Behaviorist is letting us try supplementing to start 10% of her current food with another brand. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Dotsy M]

I would be most interested in an in-depth analysis of the Victor Grain Free dry dog food. You have rated it 5-star, but I would like to see sourcing & manufacturing information.
Thanks

[D D]

My 2 Shelties are not related, and the only thing they have in common is their food (dry, Nature’s Variety Prairie, Duck and Oatmeal). Suspecting a UTI, I had their urine checked. There was no infection, no crystals, but a PH of 9. I switched to their current food because I had this same issue about a year ago on a Potato and Duck LID food. I have read that a diet high in carbohydrates (potatoes? oatmeal? rice? barley?) can cause this, and a high PH can also lead to kidney issues. Does anyone know if there is a relationship between plant based dog foods and urine PH? They are 2-1/2 and 4-1/2, and they are “house dogs” – not much daily activity, so too much protein would not be good. Foods with the higher protein have a lower carbohydrate value, but they really do not need a higher protein food.

[D D]

My 2 Shelties are not related, and the only thing they have in common is their food (dry, Nature’s Variety Prairie, Duck and Oatmeal). Suspecting a UTI, I had their urine checked. There was no infection, no crystals, but a PH of 9. I switched to their current food because I had this same issue about a year ago on a Potato and Duck LID food. I have read that a diet high in carbohydrates (potatoes? oatmeal? rice? barley?) can cause this, and a high PH can also lead to kidney issues. Does anyone know if there is a relationship between plant based dog foods and urine PH? They are 2-1/2 and 4-1/2, and they are “house dogs” – not much daily activity, so too much protein would not be good. Foods with the higher protein have a lower carbohydrate value, but they really do not need a higher protein food.

[zcRiley]

All puppies’ digestive tracts are a bit different & dietary changes will occur as they age. If you’re able to, give them food for “puppies” (very different nutrient levels from adult food). Then take them off of it after they’re 1 yr. old (since they’re big breed). They may have been allergic to the grains etc. in NutriLife All Gold (Brown Rice, Pearled Barley, Oat Meal, White Rice, Brewers Dried Yeast, Alfalfa Meal). Also ask your vet if a full thyroid panel test would be a good idea (increased metabolism with concurrent weight loss issue).

Wellness CORE Grain-Free Puppy Formula is a great choice. Orijen Puppy Large Breed Grain-Free Dry Dog Food is outstanding. But as I said, it’s all trial and error until A) you like what you’re buying & B) you see outstanding stools & weight formation that’s appropriate.

If you’re not already, spread out the meals as evenly as you can during waking hours, small portions equal to the daily amount (or what they’ll consume) 3 to 4 times per day. It’s easier on their tummies.

[wolff]

I ordered it today, it supposedly would ship to-morrow, so I’m hoping it arrives Monday/Tuesday.
It’s very similar in it has chicken etc so I don’t see any issue with switching it over quickly. Oddly enough when I have changed premium brands over the years I never did the gradual change over and never had a digestive upset. I think that mostly happens in the cheaper feeds when people switch from one feed to a drastically different type that has mostly corn and the like in it.
I see Wellness also has an adult formula so I will probably change my 2 adults to that.
Yeah chewy is where I went, can’t beat the free shipping and shipping 30# bags of dogfood across the country is NOT cheap!
I’m amazed my Minn supplier can ship to me as low as $17 for the normal 2 bags (66#) of feed I order, it used to be $12 but it’s increased recently, and now with 2 puppied I have doubled the amount I need to order at a time to 4 bags.
I used to feed Canine Caviar dry but then I had one of my boys age 3 develop a fibrocartilagenous embolism in the spine which cased complete paralysis in the rear half of his body. He soon lost interest in eating so that was when I switched to Nutri Life in the hopes the change might do something on that (it didn’t)

[Mike Sagman]

Here’s a link to a coupon for Merrick Grain Free dry and canned dog foods. The coupons expire on December 31, 2015.

http://www.merrickpetcare.com/coupon-files/gf-coupon-2-PDF.pdf

[Amber C]

I’m a vet tech and I have a 11 year old poodle named Molly who has Diabetes. Her vet prescribed Purina’s Prescription DCO (Diabetes/Colitis) Dry Formula food for her, and it works great. She loves it. I allow her to free feed and then she gets her insulin twice a day. She is recovering from an exploratory laparotomy to remove an obstruction and her 3rd case of pancreatitis in her life. (The first case damaged her pancreas so severely that it caused the diabetes) The 2nd and 3rd cases of pancreatitis were secondary to an obstruction. The DCO is very high in fiber and low in carbs that would convert to glucose. She is able to maintain a fairly low dose of insulin. She is about 9lbs and normally gets 6.5 units BID. I would definitely recommend it!

[Mike Sagman]

Hi Dave,

Sure. A Dog Treats Advisor would be a great idea. It’s been under study for a while. Yet there are many challenges unique to treats. For example, and unlike dog food, there are no AAFCO nutritional profiles (standards) for dog treats. So, we’d have to establish our own. We’d also need some important parameters and guidelines for rating treats fairly.

That is why we launched these treats forums and topics over this last year. We’re using what our readers are asking for along with other articles we’ve collected from around the Internet to help guide us on our plans.

We’re also having an adapted version of our nutrient dashboard (the yellow box with the gauges found inside every dog food review we write. This tool would allow us to highlight controversial ingredients and analyze the dry matter nutrient in each product.

We continue to study how we would roll out this new service. In any case, this would most probably be added later this year.

Thanks again for the suggestion.

Mike Sagman, Editor
The Dog Food Advisor

[Sue H]

I have found a “budget friendly” dog food for my 3 dogs that has worked out very well. I don’t have problems with diarrhea or fussy eating and the label makes me feel pretty sure that it is a good choice. Walmart puts out “Pure Balance” dry dog food in several different recipes. To the very best of my knowledge, there have been no complaints or recalls.
Please let me know if I have been in error in recommending this label to people in my neighborhood and to my friends.

[Katie G]

My little family is getting a sweet little Goldendoodle puppy in a couple weeks. He will be between 40-50 lbs full grown, not sure how big he is now at almost 6.5 weeks (still with breeder and mama). I have heard Doodle mixes have sensitive tummy’s? Anyway, I have been looking at grain free dry and wet dog foods, pouring over reviews on dogadviors.com and other websites. I think the breeder has the pups on Kirkland brand puppy food but I plan to switch our pup as soon as he comes home, just because I have heard doodles do better with grain free? There are great reviews for Nulo, Merrick, Canidae, Pawtree etc. But any recommendations for Goldendoodles specifically?

[InkedMarie]

Sherrie,
I had a dog with struvite crystals, not stones. I didn’t put him on a special diet. I would not use the food your vet recommended, I’d find a holistic vet to work on a diet with. If you don’t have one close enough to you (do a google search, the website will come up), there are many who will do phone consultations.
I do know that moisture is very important for your dog. Raw, pre made raw, canned are much better than dry.

good luck!

[zcRiley]

“Zignature Zssential Multi-Protein Formula Dry Dog Food” is the closest I’ve found with a lot of controversial ingredients deleted. Only 3 proteins and grain-free, gluten-free, no potato, chicken or eggs, no guar gum or carrageenan, etc. HOWEVER, chickpeas are listed as the 5th ingredient, which is already a very small amount but if your dog is allergic…..

Primal Freeze Dried Formula is great. Portions can be mixed with your cooking, etc.

MY DREAM DOG FOOD would be Zignature Zssential (dry) without the chickpeas. Or any dry dog food with zero fillers like various Potatoes, Legumes, certain Peas, Tapioca, Clay, Whole Ground Brown Rice, Whole Ground Barley, Oatmeal……..it’s just not what dogs would eat in the wild. And the amount of yeast disorders they can produce is disconcerting.

[zcRiley]

On Chewy.com, you can test a small 4 lb. bag of “Zignature Zssential Multi-Protein Formula Dry Dog Food” for $11.99. Only 3 proteins and grain-free, gluten-free, no potato, chicken or eggs, no guar gum or carrageenan. Quality without all the “certain” ingredients that can be controversial. I sometimes mix in a little limited ingredient food (bland but super crunchy) and use our meaty leftovers (but rinse off the oils/sauces/spices 1st then finely chop). It’s less expensive, than say, crumbling a freeze dried as a topper. And the pups love the variety. Good luck!

[Sherrie J]

My 3 year old puggle just had surgery on Thursday to remove Struvite stones. They said they extracted close to 100, which made me feel terrible. She really never showed any indication until she started throwing up a week ago. She has three more days of antibiotics and then the vet wants to put her on prescription food (hill’s cd). When I inquired if there were any other more natural means, I was met with a great deal of resistance and was flat out told “no”. Even though the food is more expensive, I do not want my pup to ever have to go through this again. My issue is that after looking at the ingredients, I see very little nutritional value. My dog has never been fed corn, soy or animal by product. All she has ever eaten Diamond Naturals dry food. I’m having a hard time conceiving paying almost triple for nothing but fillers. In the past few days I have been doing much research on alternative treatments. Just wondering if anyone else has had issues with stones and what they did after removal to prevent them from reoccurring.

[Sherrie J]

My 3 year old puggle just had surgery on Thursday to remove bladder stones. They said they extracted close to 100, which made me feel terrible. It wasn’t until she was throwing up that there was any indication that she was ill. Now the vet wants to put her on the Hill’s CD prescription food. When I inquired if there were any other more natural means, I was met with a great deal of contention and was flat out told “no”. While the food is a great deal more expensive, I obviously do not want my pup to ever have to go through this again. My issue is that the i see little nutrition listed on the ingredient list. She has been eating dry Diamond Naturals brand since she was a puppy. In the past couple days I have been doing much research on alternative treatments. Just wondering if anyone else has had issues with stones and how they may have homeopathly treated. My dog has never been fed corn, soy or animal by product and I just can’t conceive paying triple for fillers.

[karen k]

My dog, a basset and hound mix has been on Royal Canine SO for about a year. We live in Mexico and have excellent vet care, but they did not find any evidence of infection, crystals or stones after doing all tests, excepting exploratory surgery. He does fine on the food, then starts the symptoms…pain, wanting to go pee constantly, pacing and whining when I try to wean him off the food. The food is very costly in Mexico, as it is imported and is twice the cost. Can anyone recommend a home made recipe I could try? The food cost about $50 a month here, but I want to avoid surgery. He eats about 2 cups dry food daily, and is around 60 pounds. Gracias!

[Andrea H]

She liked the Backcountry dry, I mixed probably about 1/8 cup in with her regular and of course she picked that out first but ate the rest as an after thought. Silly dog. So, for now I’ll mix the small bag I got in with the big bag and we’ll go from there. If I do go with canned added it will only be a couple tablespoons at a time, I’m frugal, lol! I’m thinking what she really enjoyed in the backcountry food is it has soft bits in it (that must be the “raw” they are talking about). Wish it wasn’t so expensive…we’ll see! 🙂 And yes, I’ll share pics of the cartwheel if it happens! 🙂

[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, 8 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, 8 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 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.