[Bobby dog]

If he were my dog I would have him checked again. I test a few times a year regularly. However, I would test at any time if there were symptoms.

Hopefully, someone will pop in with more knowledge, but I believe detecting parasites also depends on what life stage they are in when you test for them; sometimes they aren’t detected. It’s been a few years since I have had a puppy and I have never had one with a serious parasite problem.

Something else to consider is something in his environment, cleaners, laundry soap, lawn fertilizer, is causing these issues. It could also be a protein common in both of these foods that are causing him issues. Proteins found in meat, grains, vegetables, fruits etc.

Healthy table food is fine for dogs as long as it is no more than 10% of his daily caloric intake; you want to keep his meals balanced.

[Nate D]

Thought I’d give an update on my dogs.

I’ve had the one with crystals on Science Diet per the vet for 1 week now. ph is down from 8.0 to 6.5 and holding. I am testing daily. I won’t know if crystals still exist or not until I have her retested next week.
I do not have her just on the Science Diet though. I am mixing in a small amount of the dry with it along with water.
I have been giving the Solid Gold Berry Balance supplement that I bought to my other dog with his food and have been adding water to the dry food. His ph is dropping so it is working. I plan to have both dogs on it once my female is off of the Science Diet.
I’ve been mixing a 50/50 of distilled water and filtered water I get which already has a neutral ph of 6.0.

I contacted a nutritionist with Fromm who said their food’s ph is 5.6-5.8, which is lower then most high quality dry foods, but the actual output will vary. A lower protein, lower carb diet is good. As I had mine on their weight management food I was suggested to try their 4 star whitefish and potato food as it has lower protein and the carbs are within the same range as the weight management. The food also has a different protein source.
I mentioned trying the new gold coast weight management food as it is grain free and was told I could try it, but was suggested the whitefish food due to the lower protein. 23% vs. 25%.
I was told a cranberry supplement like I am now using is a good thing.
In reality the food should be grain free with no starch/potatoes, but just eliminating it doesn’t mean it will help. I will give the whitefish food a shot and see what results I get from it.

Water consumption is the main key and if using dry food add water.
I was told even using wet food once a day can help a lot.

Unfortunately what will work for 1 dog may not work for the other so it’s a matter of finding what will. If one thing doesn’t work, try something else, but the best thing one can do for any pet is water, water, water. If one uses tap water which may have tons of minerals in it, testing it is a good idea. Water is very good, but it can also cause issues if the ph levels aren’t where they should be.

Ph test strips and testing regularly is a must.

[Nate D]

Lauren what brand food are you feeding your dog? Wet or dry? If dry are you adding water to it? Do you use filtered water or just regular tap? I’m going to post an update on my dogs in a few so you might find some tips in it.

[Anonymous]

http://www.homeovet.net/dynamic/php/downloads/dog-c8470f2c75dbe4b683205c3919ee2310/dog_diet_complete.pdf

I use this as a guide, for supplements I add a dog multi vitamin, fish oil supplement, and other things depending on the dogs individual needs
I also use a quality dry food as a base, tried to get away from it, but they seem to like a little kibble here and there.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Anonymous.

[MaggiesDad]

Hi, I am one of the owners of Allprovide, and would like to address some of the points made above!
All our foods meet or exceed the AAFCO guidelines for nutrition, and this is stated on the first page of our site. If you look at each page for our products, we give a full nutritional analysis, on an “as fed” basis. We feel this is a more accurate way to understand what you are feeding your dogs.
The Guaranteed Analysis for each product is clearly shown on our boxes. I have noted the comments about this being absent from our site and will ensure this is updated! We do however show a full nutritional breakdown for all products.
We only use human grade, USDA Grade A inspected or Select meats. We never use any intensively farmed animals, and frequently take home the chicken we buy for ourselves! We would never feed our four dogs anything that we wouldn’t eat. Our chicken comes from Koch Foods and Harrison Poultry Inc in case anyone would like to check them out.
We do offer free two day shipping across over 30 States. Our foods are frozen and shipped in polystyrene boxes inside cardboard boxes for extra insulation, and in the summer months we will also use dry ice where appropriate.
We include vegetables in our foods because of the excellent nutrients and minerals they supply, not for the carbohydrates. The veg is ground finely to enable the dogs to access all the goodness, as of course just like humans, they find it difficult to process cellulose without some help breaking it down!
Our products have been developed so that they can be cooked in their 1lb pouches where customers may have concerns about bacteria. The bone pieces are extremely small, and soften during the cooking process, thereby ensuring no hazard. Some people have an issue with the natural pathogens found in raw meat, so even though our food is fully tested to be as safe as possible, we thought this would overcome any concerns someone may have about feeding Allprovide if for example they have to be extra health conscious due to a compromised immune system or having a young family. Personally, here at Allprovide we all believe in the benefits of raw feeding, as opposed to cooked or processed foods, and our dogs won’t eat anything else! (Although our Chihuahua for some reason only known to herself demands that her food is cooked in the morning and raw in the evening!)
Regarding the cost of our product, we are firm believers that quality does not have to be expensive. We source only the best ingredients but keep our overheads to a minimum to keep our costs down. We also do Bulk Buy packs with minimal packaging to pass the savings to our customers who do not want to be deluged with cardboard to recycle! We also set up our factory in Georgia to be close to the source of our ingredients, because Gainsville is the chicken capital of the USA! We never cut corners, and insist that all our ingredients only come from the human food supply chain.
We are very proud of our product and what we do, and anyone is more than welcome to tour our new factory in Norcross, GA
If anyone has any further questions about our products, or ingredients, or simply would like to try some free samples, please feel free to call me, Michael, on 678-585-1606.

[tracy b]

I have a 5 year old pit mix that has constant tummy trouble. she is on famotidine with each meal (acid reducer) but still has ongoing issues. she is currently on taste of the wild grain free (no poultry) as she also has skin allergies (these seem to be ok at this time). I am looking for the best choice dry food choice for her – wonder if anyone has any suggestions…. otherwise, I may be having to go to homemade (and that is tough with 2 big dogs!!)

[Dori]

I’m a high protein, fairly high fat, low carb feeder but that’s just too much fat even for me and I feed a higher fat food than most people would be comfortable with unless we’re just reading something wrong. I have always said that it’s the quality of the fat and proteins in a food not the quantity but without truly knowing the quality of their proteins there’s no way to know the quality of their fats. I wish they gave us the dry matter equivalents also. Math and calculations have never been my strong suit so I don’t know how to do it on my own.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Dori.

[Jennifer H]

Wow I really love the ingredients in that food. I think it looks really good, but I’d like to know the dry matter % of fat to make sure they aren’t getting most of their meat from fatty cuttings.

I don’t like that it’s in 1lb pouches, as that could be a pain to portion for smaller dogs, but that probably cuts costs for them.

The site kind of sucks though, and I’m having difficulty estimating shipping (it keeps telling me free, which I know can’t be right. Also 50% off your first order holy smokes!)

I have no issue feeding vegetables to my dog so long as they are properly processed. Personally I think farmed meats lack some nutrition, and that it can be quite difficult to fully balance a diet with just meat/bone.

I feed my dog a homemade raw diet, but he’s so small (12lbs) it can be difficult to balance. I’m considering switching to a rotational commercial raw diet with a few RMBs a week.

Would love more info on this product 🙂

[Dori]

Hi John. Just saw your post here and I’d like to reply and help if I can.

Nope, it wasn’t me that suggested that you keep your dogs on the same protein. That’s totally against what I do or would recommend. I may not have explained things correctly. What I had said is that I would suggest that you find a few different (proteins) that your dogs do well on and rotate within the brand if, in fact, there are different proteins in that brand that you can feed. Also find other brands with proteins you dogs do well on and rotate within all the brands all the proteins that your dogs can eat. Rotate proteins and brands. It is never, in my opinion and the way I feed, a good idea to keep a dog long term on any one protein and on any one brand.

I can’t comment on the Acana line or any dry food as I’ve mentioned before. My allergy, intolerant girl can actually eat Nature’s Logic kibble but only the dry and only the sardine formula and only in my way of rotating which is often.

Other foods I thought you might want to consider to add into their diets are Nature’s Variety Instinct Freeze Dried Lamb (doesn’t contain any poultry, fowl, or beef)

Nature’s Variety Limited Instinct Kibble Rabbit or Lamb.

Stella and Chewy’s Freeze Dried. They have a rabbit, a lamb and also a venison formula. None of which contain beef or fowl of any sort.

I think adding freeze dried to their diets in rotation would be a little more cost effective with the kibbles you’ll be feeding because this way, at least, they’ll be getting some of the benefits of raw on occasion. The other is that if freeze dried is too expensive as their entire diet in rotation you might consider rotating through the freeze dried foods that I mentioned and use them just as their treats. You’ll be sure they’re getting healthy treats and they’ll benefit health wise and you don’t have to worry about what’s in the commercial “treats” which usually contain something dogs with food intolerances have issues with. I hope this has helped. Sorry, but I hadn’t realized that you were on the road 9 months of the year. Hopefully when you stationary from time to time if your room has a fridge with small freezer you may be able to just buy small bags of raw frozen to add into their diets. Nature’s Variety Instinct is sold in most, if not all, Petco and Petsmarts and they seem to be everywhere in the country. I love that you travel with your dogs and that they are a priority in our lives. Yes, we are all rather companion animal obsessed (or most of us are) and we like it that way. So, never fear, you’re not in the minority in the world of dogs and your wanting to do the very best you can for them. I’m pretty sure it would be a safe bet that most of us dog obsessed people on this site feed our dogs healthier diets that we do ourselves and our families. I’ve been known to do a McDonald’s drive thru from time to time for myself and my husband yet would rather die than feed my dogs any low quality garbage dog food. They become our children and, as such, we commit ourselves to their health and welfare. As typical parents, we usually put ourselves last. In my opinion that’s a good thing. They can’t choose what they eat, we do it for them so we should try to do the best for them. It’s the least we can do for them when you consider all they give us in return.

[Natalie O]

I just looked up the Victor food and there actually is a hardware store near me that sells it so I will have to look into that! The main stores around me I was planning on buying food were either Pet Supplies Plus or Petsmart, and there is also a Pet Depot in my area as well. Thank you so much everyone for all the input it has really helped! I get him in one week so I’m trying to decide very soon what to buy! I didn’t realize that feeding a rotational diet was the best thing… how often do you rotate? and do you just rotate types of the same brand, or do you rotate brands of food as well? And I also thought dry food was the best type to feed.. I’m learning so much here already!

[John P]

Update: First, I want to thank everyone again for your thorough, prompt, and caring responses. I’ve tried to browse the forum to see if I could help anyone as you’ve helped me. So far, I haven’t found any topic that I feel I am qualified to give an educated opinion, but I will check back regularly.

Back to Iggy and Bella – I have had the luxury of feeding a mostly raw diet in this “detox” or “transition” phase only because this is the off-season for my business. In a few weeks, my dogs and I will begin our regular business road trips across the country (I could fly, but I would never crate my dogs in the cargo bay unless absolutely necessary). I travel with my dogs because I don’t want to be without them for extended periods of time, and I know most boarders won’t (and often can’t) provide the love, care, and attention that my dogs get from me (and that I feel they need and deserve). I tell you all this only because our transient lifestyle for nine months out of the year necessitates a dry dog food/kibble. That is why I have taken all of your excellent advice and focused my research and attention on dry dog foods.

Right now, I have found three highly rated dry dog foods with three distinct proteins that I plan to begin introducing into their diets. Here they are:
• Acana Singles Pork and Butternut Squash Dry Dog Food
•. Acana Singles Lamb and Apple Dry Dog Food
•. Nature’s Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Rabbit Meal Dry Dog Food

Ideally, I would like to add at least one more food with at least one more single distinct protein to keep in the rotation, although I’m having trouble sorting through all the options to find anything suitable. I know both Iggy and Bella tolerate venison because they did well on the small bag of the Sweet Potato and Venison dog food I bought from that hack brand when I was desperate to switch and couldn’t find anything better at my local PetCo. They also do well with the raw venison that I get from my dad and brothers (they are hunters and have freezers full of the stuff). However, I can’t find any highly-rated venison food that isn’t fortified with fowl or beef (or both). If someone could give me a suggestion on a single-protein venison food, I would greatly appreciate it. Considering they will be getting this food in a rotation with other highly recommended foods, I think it would be acceptable for this venison food to have a lower protein count (correct me if I’m wrong – I’m just guessing). Alternatively, if you know of another protein that is not fowl, fish, beef, bison, or the proteins listed above, I could really use that help too. I’m afraid if one or more of these options don’t work out, which is quite possible, I’ll be going back to the drawing board and coming back begging for more help. Haha!

I believe it was Dori who suggested (or possibly impied) that I should at least consider using multiple foods with the same protein for the sake of variety if I am unable to find a suitable number of distinct proteins. If I must go that route, suggestions on single-protein dry dog foods (or, I suppose, dry dog foods with a mix of these proteins, although I find that highly doubtable) that I should try within these limits would also be very helpful, especially as I prepare logs and attempt to rule out sensitivities that might not be protein-related.

I have some excellent news, too! I have found a locally-owned pet store that is only an hour’s drive from my house. Their prices are significantly cheaper than sites like Chewy and Wag. Per 25-pound bag of premium dog food brands like Acana, I can save an average of $20 to $25. Also, they offered to order any food they don’t carry with no minimum quantities per order and no special order fee. They staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and extremely helpful. They even told me about this website before I had a chance to tell them that this is where I had done my research. I’ll never give PetCo or PetsMart my business again!

Thank you again. I am glad that I joined this online family of pet lovers. Among my friends and family, my dedication to my pets is often derided as obsessive, and my investment in their health is deemed wasteful. This community understands the relationship I have with Iggy and Bella, and I would go so far as to say that you encourage it. I look forward to hearing any additional help that any of you might have to offer, and I especially look forward to contributing my experiences to help others in the future.

[Akari_32]

She’ll need a lot, if not all, of her teeth pulled. We all ready add water to her (dry) food and let it sit for 15-20 minutes until it’s a soggy goop. Purina For Professionals doesn’t sell the canned version of her food, unfortunately (they don’t sell a lot of Purina foods, actually…. Lol).

I’ve never had a dog need a dental. Heck, I’m still working 2 out of three of my first dogs, and they’re 11 and 12, and in pretty darn good health if you ask me LOL Haley may chew on some questionable-type objects at times, but neither of them have ever needed dental attention :p

I hope Gingers blood work comes back good enough to get her teeth done. She really needs it. She’s been so miserable. You’d think I was trying to pull moms teeth with the resistance I’ve been getting on trying to convince her to just get it done!

[Dori]

Ginger getting her dental done!!! YES! YAY! Don’t forget to fast her from the night before. Fabulous news Akari. I’m sure Ginger will feel much better after her dental. Having a dental is not particularly big deal usually unless they have to have a lot of teeth removed which will alleviate any pain she’s been in and a good cleaning should help with bacteria going on in her mouth which can be going through her blood and into her kidneys. Bad news for you is that she may only be able to eat canned if she has too many teeth removed. The procedure itself is really not a big deal. You’ll drop her off in the a.m. and pick her up in the p.m. She may or may not be a bit groggy. A little bit of canned food in the evening. Her gums, of course, will be a little sore and she probably won’t want to chew on dry food. The vet or tech will give you all the instructions when you or your mom pick her up. Have you ever had a dental on any dog? Fingers crossed that her blood work comes back half way decent. So happy for Ginger.

[Dori]

Hi William. Glad you are going to change her diet to a grain free food. Most dogs do better with a high quality protein, modern to high quality fat, low carb diet. Also do your best to avoid high starch’s like white rice, white potatoes, etc. That will help with seizures. Please try to avoid any foods that have rosemary or rosemary extract in them as rosemary is known to trigger seizures in dogs that are prone to seizures. If you will type in Seizures on the forum search box there are a couple of forums on seizures.

Since she has been on one food all of her life, I would start very very slowly by removing a few of the old kibbles and add some of the new food. Typically you can start (some say) by switching out 1/4 of her old food with 1/4 of her new food. You can add some canned pumpkin (grocery store), not the pumpkin pie type, just plain pumpkin or some probiotics to help her get through the change. Keep an eye on her poops. If they seem to be okay (“normal”), then you can move to 1/2 cup old food 1/2 cup new food. All the while checking her stools. If they start to get loose or diarrhea then go back to the mix when her stools were normal. Keep her on that till she’s regular again and then continue with the transition. Every time her stools are too loose, back up, stop and wait. Typically dogs can transition in about 10 days but some dogs will take much longer. I fear that with a dog that has eaten the same low quality dry dog food all her life it may take a bit longer. Some dogs can take up to a month or even two to fully transition. Good Luck. Do the transition slowly and all will be fine.

The Honest Kitchen makes a product called Perfect Form that a lot of us have used while transitioning foods and have been very pleased. It’s a staple I keep in the pantry for my three girls. Eventually, when all is well with your dog…..no more yeasty ears and such hopefully you’ll be able to feed her 2 or 3 or even 4 different foods that she’ll do well with. A lot of us here at DFA are rotational feeders. The more often you are able to transition to a different protein and brand the easier your dog will be able to transition through the different foods. It all makes for a healthier gut and also any nutritional needs that may not be addressed by one brand will be balanced, over time, with other foods. Also, if a food has a recall or your local store has suddenly run out of what you’ve been feeding her, there’s always another food you can feed her without upsetting gut.

[Erin M]

Hi, I’m new to the forums here, though I’m at DFA almost every week.

I currently feed my hound mix rescues Victor and add about 4 oz. wet (pure balance in the morning and kirkland turkey wet in the evening). I’m wondering about the other victor grain free blends to give my dogs some variety. They love the all stages kibble (and so do I as a teacher on a budget who wants to feed my dogs well).

Any recs for other high-q dry foods that are in the $45-50 range for a 30lb bag? I go through about 2 bags per month, (my dogs are high activity!

Thanks,
t_t

[William M]

Hello! New member here. This has probably been answered on this forum before. I have an 8 year old Lab and she is almost constantly in some phase of an ear infection. We’ve fought it with ear medication but can’t seem to beat it. She also has seizures, but only an episode every 3-4 months or so. I would like to see if a diet change will help her. She has been fed Pedigree dry food all of her life. I am hopeful that I can find a new diet that will help with this. Thanks in advance for any help!

[Akari_32]

Psh, I don’t get any money from her. It all goes to mom for the extra water and electricity she uses up (good lord, this woman is laundry crazy and doesn’t turn ANYTHING OFF!!). Not looking forward to her living here again. She’s got to be one of the most stupid, ignorant people I’ve ever met. Thankfully mom said she’s only staying here until she finds another place to live. *Please* let that be soon!

I moved all the dog food to my closest (well over 100 pounds, I’d say), all the dog and cat treats and random etc type items to the stand under one of the reptile tanks (were I keep the canned dog and cat food), and the litter went out in the garage (or next to the liter box, in the case of two of the tubs lol probably about 100 pounds in all). Now I have to do some rearranging to make some space in my bedroom. Had to quickly move stuff out of the closet to fit all this dog food…. Let’s just say the place looks like a tornado went through.

….Multiple times…. Lol

I’ll get to you as soon as I can go through and get out all the ones I don’t want/can’t use 🙂 I’ll try and do it tonight. I’ve been meaning to get them all out cut out and organized anyways lol If you’ve been through this years calandar and know what’s in there, feel free to make requests!

[Tere G]

Hi, I feel bad because my dog often licks or scrapes her bowl with her teeth even after she eats, and in between meals. She seems like she’s still hungry but I don’t increase her food portion because I’m trying to manage her weight. She’s a 4yr old small mix (maybe Italian greyhound/ papillon ), 21-22lbs, and has had 2 luxating patellas, which she got pins in to hold her patella’s in place 3yrs ago. Vet suggests she should be 18-20lbs to keep her knees healthy. So most of her life she’s only been on weight management dry food, but she doesn’t seem to loss weight, which she still needs to.
Also, she runs hard and supper fast for abut 15mins a day, off leash while I bike ride, so she’s losing a lot energy that she needs to replenish. I think her food is not cutting her needs.
I have been giving her Wellness Complete Health (Healthy weight, small breed) half a cup in the morning and half in the evening for over a year. I want to keep her kibble small because she doesn’t chew much, she mostly swallows it. She gets tremendous joy from running fast so I don’t want to limit that.
Should I up her protein/fat/ and or carbs based food? Recommendations??

• This topic was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Tere G.

[Suzette A]

@akari_32 – I did see welleness on the list! That’s good, and I totally feel you on the florida heat we just moved from Miami, FL to south texas 7 months ago. We kept our dogfood bags in the laundry room because when we kept them outside every time we would let our late GSD sadie out she would find a way to break the bags and eat herself into a sugar coma. We even had to take her to the vet twice because she was such a glutton and hate too much then couldn’t even move…

@GSDsForever – Thank you! and we already had the puppy tested for genetic abnormalities 🙂 he came back right as rain. We are purchasing him from a very reputable breeder and my boy comes from champion bloodline if ever the hip dysplasia is a problem although I highly doubt it will be because he isn’t genetically predisposed, we would gold bead him like we did our late GSD who took amazingly well to it.

♥

[WhimsicalChaos]

The best dry food we have found is Acana ‘Grasslands’. Depending on your location it may be difficult to find, as it is more of a specialty pet shoppe product. But, all of our pups have loved it, and we have had no problems with Acana. Label wise is a very healthy, organic food. But, having issues of my own with ‘Blue’ canned food, so can’t help you with a can selection.

After using Blue Canned food, I am having to find another food today as the Blue has begun to give my dog serious ‘Gassy’ issues. We tried changing him over to Merrick last week because it seemed he had become bored with the Blue (even though we get him various flavors), but the Merrick Canned food gave him serious diarrhea and more gas. We could actually hear his tummy twisting noises. I felt so guilty…so we went back to Blue. Although he is eating the Blue, his ‘Gassy’ issue seems to have gotten worse. So, going to go find a different organic canned food. If you research, you will find a lot of people having gas issues that are using Blue. So, if you choose to try Blue, you’ll know rather quickly if your pups cannot tolerate it – for sure your nose will tell you.

He also began pacing all night, last night and the night before. My husband and I took him out 6-8 times both night, but he didn’t have to poop, and obviously no diarrhea – he would just urinate. But when being back inside, would continue the pacing. I hear no tummy noises, but there is definitely gas…no doubt about that! I just do not want him having any pains. I have a feeling his stomach has become intolerant to the ‘rich’ foods such as Merrick and Blue. Or possibly has acquired an allergic reaction to one of the main ingredients. So, gonna try yet another type of food.

[GSDsForever]

I was advised by my vet to give a dose with a bare minimum 1500 EPA mg for a 76 lb young dog for dry itchy skin/coat, degenerative joint disease.

I prefer to use Grizzly’s Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil, and that is about 5 pumps/day over food of a 16-32 Oz pump bottle in my fridge. I love this brand.

This is in addition to high Omega 3, low ratio Omega 3 to 6 food.

I tried another brand when it was donated to a dog as rescue foster, also wild Alaskan salmon, but the Omega 3 content was much lower as were the EPA & DHA. And it was smellier. My only *guess* for VERY different Omega 3 content was different varieties of wild salmon used.

[Sandra R]

My finicky cat’s favorite brands are Applaws and Weruva. My guy gets wet twice a day with dry food for an occasional snack. He is not speaking to me at the moment as I just did his monthly Advantage treatment.

[Hanna J]

Have you considered that it could be the lentils or peas in grain-free novel protein kibbles that are causing the issue? Try checking the foods for common allergens besides the meat meal, like potatoes, alfalfa, lentils, peas, or meals that aren’t listed on the front of the bag.

Also, if you haven’t tried fish or turkey, or if those dry foods have other ingredients in them that could be the trigger, consider trying the Freshpet lines of Vital grain free. They have a turkey and a salmon meal that have fish, but no lentils, peas, or other non-meat allergens, just some veggies. They’re here:

http://freshpet.com/products/vitalgrainfreeturkeyrecipe/
http://freshpet.com/products/vitalsalmonrecipe/

All dry kibbles have SOME binder, and even the “grain free” kind need a starch like potatoes, peas, lentils, chickpeas, etc. Some dogs can’t tolerate those, and they are a protein source, so they can be the problem. A canned, fresh, or freeze dried food with no binders may help you isolate whether it’s the meat causing issues or another protein source. That may open you up to non-kangaroo options in the future.

[Susan]

Hi, can you do home cooking & put him on an elimination diet? start with 1 protein & 1 carb then after 2 weeks as long it looks like he’s improving start to add another food, Like GSDs Forever said… it just took Patch 1 week & the redness under his white chin went away, the red front paws all cleared up & shaking his head stopped… I feed Turkey breast mince mixed in 1 egg & made into a turkey loaf & baked then I used sweet potatoes as the carb, but I knew Patch can eat eggs you can leave out the egg if you want, or feed a limited ingredient kibble with just 2-3 ingredients there’s a few around, “California Natural” has their Lamb & Rice with just 4 ingredients or Kangaroo & Red Lentils…Wellness has their “Simple” range or there’s “Natural Balance” has their Kangaroo & potatoes Rabbit & Potatoes or Duck & Potatoes these are the only N/B flavours that have the least ingredients…I’m pretty saw one of these diets will clear up your Bullys skin & ears, try to pick a kibble with ingredients that you haven’t feed before or do the elimination diet & you will find out what foods irritate his skin & ears, also keep a diary…..Have you tried Malaseb Medicated shampoo, it was the only shampoo that killed the bacteria on Patches skin & didn’t dry out his skin, leaving his fur so soft, I bath every 6- 7 days in the Summer/Spring… I also give Patch 1/2 a Yakult everyday to help his stomach….we share 1 everyday.. I was giving No Fat Greek Yogurt but I think it made him feel sick as he has stomach & bowel problems, Good luck with ur Bully love the breed..

[GSDsForever]

Allergy & Food: I would try a single novel protein/novel carb source diet, including restricting all treats (can only be that protein/carb).

This needs to be something your dog has never eaten before, ideally both the meat/protein source and the carb(s). You feed this a long while and other monitoring (you and your vet), then slowly add back in one protein at a time. You see what makes the symptoms disappear in your dog.

Heartworm Preventative: There are only so many active ingredients effective in heartworm prevention. Heartguard would have the same ingredient as Iverhart, Ivermectin. Your other option is the main active ingredient in the formerly made Interceptor, which now only is available with other anti-parastitics in the formula.

You do need to use one of them, as heartworm is very deadly & brutal on a dog.

You can also have the main active ingredient compounded for your dog at a compounding pharmacy, in whatever form and flavoring/inactive ingredients (in case of severe allergy to what you’ve already tried) and exactly custom to the weight of your dog.

Dry skin & shampoo/conditioner — Please see my thread I already started on that topic here, asking for help.

[AmBulldog29]

I have a 4 year old american bulldog. We are having allergy issues, I believe. I would love any feedback / what has helped with your bully baby!
He has now had a yeast infection in one ear twice, easily clears up with topical meds. Vet says can be from a food allergy.
Now has an infected anal gland, on abx from the vet.
Dry skin on the top of his back. We have tried everything in terms of shampoos.. Oatmeal, sensitive skin, baby shampoo.
He is intolerant to Trifexis or Iverhart. Within 7 – 10 days after giving this he can not pee when he wants to & when he needs to go he can’t control it. We’ve done urine samples, bloodwork, no temperature, xrays, & no findings.
I am not a fan of chemicals / toxins. We would like to be as natural / holistic as possible.
I would love recommendations on dry foods to try & other suggestions on heart worm preventatives.
Thank you in advance!

[Dorothy L]

Here you go!

http://www.cesar.ca/en-us/products/dry-food

[Laurel S]

Hello – Happy to have found this forum. We have a 5 year old Aussie Mix who is also seizure prone. No medication, and has had about 6 seizures over 5 years, but very serious grand mal variety. I have had good luck with removing Rosemary from his diet as well. As others have said, better safe than sorry. We have also added a supplement called Cholodine that was recommended by our vet. While he does still have seizures, I’m sure there are other triggers that we have not identified that are at work, but at least they are very infrequent since changing his diet.

As far as food, at the time (several years ago) one of the only dry foods I could find that didn’t include Rosemary was Natural Balance Ltd Ingredient Sweet Potato and Fish. Only available near us (Illinois) from Petco. We were sailing along until Del Monte purchased Natural Balance last summer. Since then I’ve been keeping an eye on them closely. Recently I’ve read about several issues with their foods, not necessarily the dry, but feel it’s only a matter of time.

I too, have been looking to make a change. Heard recently about American Natural Premium made in Mequon, WI. They make several grain free options (I don’t think potatoes are considered a grain). There’s also some question whether this food is actually a part of Fromm (also made in Mequon), but for legal reasons they won’t actually claim that, however ANP was a bit more vague about it so I’m curious for sure. Fromm is a very well respected company with no recalls and family owned and operated since i think 1949. American Natural Premium, I believe, is more of a private label, not advertised, etc., and therefore less expensive.

I’m curious if anyone has used either Fromm Grain Free dry or American Natural Premium Grain Free varieties for there seizure prone dogs. Appreciate any and all info. Reading this forum it’s helpful to know others are dealing with the same issues and just trying to look out for our doggies best interests 🙂

[GSDsForever]

I would appreciate suggestions & thoughts re shampoo and conditioner for very dry skin, with dry white scaling and non-greasy dandruff.

I’m dealing with a dog that has come through the kill shelter & breed rescue. She is also very itchy and will try to scratch and bite herself. Affected areas are neck, top of back, backs of ears mainly — some by shoulder divides and hips. No paws/legs involvement, behind/anal or top of rear or groin, no underside/belly, and no ear infections. When I part her fur, in some areas it is white skin with fine scales and dandruff.

We are ruling out atopic allergies (outdoors), food allergies soon via novel protein/carb diet & elimination trial, and treating another serious temporary medical condition that may be causing itchiness (or I suppose *could* deplete nutrients). No external parasites of any kind, no round/whip/tape worms etc. No bacterial or fungal infection signs.

She has been eating quality foods, with 1500 mg added of Omega 3 EPA/DHA via wild salmon oil and virgin organic coconut oil.

I’ve used coconut oil on her external body and fur, even parting longer fur and placing it directly on her skin. Unfortunately it does make her fur greasy & attract dirt, making her dirty (which I hate). And coconut oil is VERY hard to remove from fur. I have also applied avocado oil & olive oil, as coconut oil hardens & turns waxy in colder temperatures which I figured it could do in the fur.

She has had two generously donated “spa groomings” with special skin moisturizing and aloe treatments. She looked and felt to the touch fantastic afterward, glossiest dog on the planet lol! But after a few days she still itched.

Her dry scaling skin and dandruff have remained throughout all of this. So, since she has to be bathed regularly anyway, I would like to find a shampoo & conditioner that will help.

Ideally, I would like to find a moisturizing shampoo with an extremely MILD cleansing agent (like what I would pick for my own hair) that will NOT be DRYING or irritating + natural oils or moisturizing ingredients. And then I would like a VERY RICH moisturizing conditioner, perhaps that will some soothing and moisturizing residue behind to coat the skin — without making her fur greasy! Or if it rinses cleanly I could leave it on for a while maybe. I don’t know, as I am taking her to a self-wash place and would probably have to explain why I need to be there a long while or do a two part session!

I’m looking at trying this skin TREATMENT, in addition to shampooing and using conditioner to combat scales/dandruff & soothe the skin:

http://tropiclean.com/products/itchy-skin/oxymed-treatment/details/oxymed-treatment

Ingredients: Water, Colloidal Oatmeal, Beta-Hydroxy Salicylic Acid, Vitamin B5, Vitamin E, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Alpha-Hydroxy Malic Acid, Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids and Vitamin A

Since I know GSD show people, this was recommended to me also as a conditioner/shiner. The GSD show kennel that makes it also says it has been effective on skin sores and conditions. It is expensive though, especially with $15 added shipping cost:

http://www.nakedcare.com/

So does anyone have any suggestions or thoughts? Please help me to help her.

A groomer told me to avoid oatmeal containing shampoos & conditioners — which all of Tropiclean products have (I have their shampoos & conditioners) — as the colloidal oatmeal would disperse in the liquid and soak up/cling to all the oils, not allowing oils/moisturizing ingredients to moisturize or shine the fur. She also said it could be a problem in a dog allergic to oats, but I think that is less likely to be this dog’s issue or allergy even if she does have an allergy or allergies. In fact, perfumes and optical brighteners used in some grooming shop brands, I think are more likely to irritate or cause a reaction. I think they used Nature’s Specialties last time, with the owner recalling the Bluing one (which contains both).

• This topic was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by GSDsForever.

[InkedMarie]

Nate: two foods to look at are Wellness Core reduced fat and Annamaet Lean.

Derek: dogs generally don’t drink enough water, that is why a wet food is “best”. Adding water to dry with a little canned is an easy way. You can try a little of the lowest sodium chicken breath you can find to the water to entice drinking.

[Nate D]

Yes, lots of water is the most important thing from what I’m learning and being told. That and keeping the pH levels normal and not high. I’ve had 3 vets tell me there is absolutely nothing wrong with dry food as long as water is added and mixed with it.

[Bobby dog]

Hi again deja:
Although I recommended the above foods because some or all may not have rosemary in their recipes, I just read this statement on Precise’ website, “Natural Antioxidants
Vitamin C and E. Natural preservatives: never BHA, BHT or ethoxyquin. Protects food and assures freshness. Helps keep fat from becoming rancid.” I would still inquire further since you are addressing a health issue, but it’s a start.

http://precisepet.com/dog-formulas/precise-holistic-complete-grain-free/dry/

[Melissa M]

Agreed^^^^^There’s no such thing as spoiled pets! My neighbor’s dog has had many of dental exams-nothing was ever found. Like I said, everyone has their own preference to wet/dry and I just don’t care for it. I’m not saying by any means that’s it’s any worse than dry. I just don’t care for it and I know my two dogs wouldn’t eat it. I’ll try some of the homemade food at the end of this month if TOTW doesn’t work out. For now they’ll get broth or some protein on top for a mixer and give it a little time.

The good thing is it’s 1:30 here and I haven’t given in to Charlie yet

[crazy4cats]

It was one of my cats that had the crystals that caused a blockage and I am still feeding him a small amount of the RC urinary prescription dry food, along with mostly canned. I am being very cautious about letting his bladder completely heal after our ordeal. I will probably continue to feed mostly canned. And yes, it is soooo expensive. Believe it or not, canned cat food is even more expensive than dog. And I have four of them! Yikes! But, his emergency vet bill was over $2000 and we are still paying on it. I could have bought a lot of canned food for that. Not to mention some new furniture! LOL!

Again, a blockage is much less likely in a dog, especially in a female.

I’ve heard a lot of people recommend Wellness Core reduced fat with great results. I have fed my dogs Nutrisource Senior dog food as it is a little lower in fat and calories than than the norm. BTW, my dogs are only three years old, but I like the guaranteed analysis on a lot of senior foods. Right now I’m feeding California Natural grain free pork. It has a lot less ingredients and lower in fat than most foods. It is a little expensive though. I only feed it if it is on a good sale! I have lab mix brothers and one of them tends to get chubby. The are 80 and 85 pounds.

It sounds like your dogs are in good hands. Good luck!

[Barbara C S]

The dry food is easier to feed, but my 4 Yorkie’s will only eat it if it’s mixed with the can version….They love the Zignature Limited Ingredients Trout & Salmon, so I buy this in both the dry & wet. We put half their required amount using the (can)wet food in their bowl, add a little water, & stir. Then we microwave it to room temperature. Then we grind up the kebbles to very small pieces and sprinkle the other half of their required amount on top of the wet food…Do not mix in. We also mix 1/4 tsp. of coconut oil in their food once a day….And (YES) my Yorkies are (SPOILED) rotten!! 🙂

[Barbara C S]

I have 4 Yorkies and also had this problem. My 2 smallest Yorkies kept ear infections all the time and my 2 larger Yorkie’s were constantly throwing up the yellow foam stuff, as well as sometimes food. I always research brands and buy them the very best rated food. The last 3 brands I’ve tried are Fromm Gold Grain Free Duck (can & dry), Merrick Grain Free Duck & Sweet Potatoes ( can & dry) and Zignature Limited Ingredients Trout & Salmon (can & dry). All 3 brands are all #1 highly rated dog food….BUT, there’s something in the Fromm and the Merrick that doesn’t agree with all 4 of them! The Zignature is the only one that agrees with all of them 100%. No more ear infections and no more throwing up!! Another helpful hint is to add coconut oil once a day to their food!!

[Nate D]

Here’s a quick update after making some phone calls.
My dog will be going on the Science Diet for 2 weeks. I actually already started. Went and picked it up. After that if there are no crystals I was told I can go back on the dry food, I just need to add water to it……or I can mix wet and dry and add water. I’m told the solid gold supplement is also ok once off of the SD.
So I will still use dry food, but will mix it with wet. I just can’t afford all wet.
I’m also looking at switching the dry food to grain free. The big problem is with Doxies it’s not easy finding a food they won’t gain weight from no matter how little food you give them. Fromm Gold Weight Management has been the only food that keeps both of my dogs stable and where they should be. They do have a new weight management formula, but I don’t believe it’s grain free either. I have tried grain free in the past, but they just kept slowly putting on the weight. Even tried Wellness Core Reduced Fat. I kept lowering the amount I gave them, but anymore they wouldn’t have any. lol
I see Merrick has a grain free low cal dry food as well as canned. I’m also looking at Evo and Fromm for canned food. Natural Balance has a low cal food as well, but doesn’t look as good as the others, but it is more affordable. By Nature looks good as well.
The Evo dry looks good, but the protein is extremely high. I tried that route with Orijen and Acana before but that high just made their stools very soft and they farted all of the time. lol Not to mention my females anal glands were over active on very high protein.
What brands of foods are you all feeding your dogs that had crystals?

[Melissa M]

I just wrote a whole long post and I lost it! My female did eat this morning but my male refused. He is hungry though because he drooled while I ate my toast! Very stubborn little guy! My female has nice formed stools this morning which she hasn’t had in a while. That was nice. They both have some deadly gas though! It’s new to their tummy’s so it will pass–literally! My male will not get any treats today (crossing fingers here–one look and this mommy might cave) so hopefully he’ll eat his dinner.

I do know that dry food isn’t much better for their teeth but I just don’t like the wet. My neighbor’s dog is strictly on wet and boy, her breath could kill you!! I just don’t like the look of it and I can already see my two dog’s expressions on their little faces like, you expect me to eat that?? Remember, these two are unfortunately used to eating human food probably more that kibble so they need to be broke of that habit! Slowly, but we’ll get there I hope!

[InkedMarie]

Melissa, I just wanted to let you know that dry dog food does as much good for a dogs teeth as granola does for ours.

[Ryan K]

Does anyone know of a great dry food that has helped their dog with anal gland issues? My 5 year old terrier mix has suddenly become prone to his sacs filling up and bothering him and I want to get him on a diet that will help relieve some of those symptoms. I know Acana has a high fiber count but he really hasn’t liked any of their food as well as the price being a little steep. What other grain-free (he has allergies to chicken) dry foods have pretty high fiber count (over 4%)? Please help! 🙂

[Akari_32]

I judge the amount I have each brand and go from there. This, of course goes off the assumption that every pound of food, regardless of brand, has the same number of cups, but it works. For this particular mix, i did 3 scoops of Wellness, 2 scoops of Ideal Balance and one scoop of BilJac, all into the garbage can, and just did that over and over again, mixing with my scooper as I went. I ended up with a lot more BilJac than I thought I would, and a little extra Wellness, so the top two layers are their old mix, and then a layer of mostly BilJac and some of the other foods, and then it goes to an even mix of the three lol

I usually add water, especially to the Nutro Ultra tubs because they’d really dry for canned food, but I was lazy tonight and didn’t do it lol

[Akari_32]

*snort* girl, they’ll eat anything as long as they can chew it up LOL I did give them three scoops of dry food and three Nutro Ultra 3.5 oz topper tub things, though (one chicken, one turkey, and one salmon) and mixed it all into their dry. I then proceded to randomly scoop it into their bowls… Lol They get excited for any kind of canned food, and I bet the salmon smelled amazing to them. :p

[InkedMarie]

Nate,
I used to have a dog with struvite crystals. What worked for me was adding canned & water to his food, adding cranberry & one 500 mg Vitamin C. Do NOT do the last one without talking to your vet. Now, I’d feed just a wt food, no dry. It’s so important they get enough liquid.

[crazy4cats]

Nate-
I agree the kibble ingredients aren’t great. What little kibble I give him, I feed the Royal Canin dry urinary Rx food. I thought it was better than the Hill’s. I rotate between the hills c/d and the Purina c/d wet foods. Now I’m only feeding about half prescription and half regular canned with a small amount of Rx RC kibble. If his next urinalysis is good in about a month, I’ll even feed less of it.

I don’t agree that the vets are selling Hill’s just to make money. However, that is another subject! Lol! I have contacted two holistic vets and they both agreed that this is the one and only condition that they would recommend the hills c/d or s/d temporarily to dissolve the crystals. It may be different for a dog, though. And everything else I’ve read says to definitely keep any kibble to a minimum. The d-mannose supplement comes up quite a bit too. Im going to check that out when I get him off the Rx food. Good luck to you. Let us know what other info you come across. It could be helpful to all of us.

[Nate D]

crazy4cats thanks for the reply to my post. Although I do agree that the Science Diet works for most I can see why because of it’s ingredients which are just fillers. I just don’t believe this is the route to go nor the only solution like my vet said. I think of it more as a temp. solution since Dachshund’s are crystal prone. I haven’t decided if I want to use it for 2 weeks, but corn, wheat, soy, etc. that is in it is imo not healthy at all regardless of it if works or not and I feel I’ll be depriving my dog of other nutrients. I may try the supplements for 2 weeks then retest and go from there. I am however going to be switching to a holistic vet or at least one that doesn’t just push science diet as every solution is just for their profits. I have been to another non holistic vet in the past who didn’t believe in Science Diet at all and said they would never feed it to a pet, but they are a bit of a drive. I am looking into switching to wet food instead of dry, but of course wet food is much more expensive. I think highly of Fromm so I’ll have to look into their wet food selection.
I have been feeding them more frequently lately instead of just twice a day. As far as stress levels nothing different or changes….besides going to the vet. lol
I won’t totally rule out the S.D., but will look at other options before and the S.D. will be last.
We had the urinalysis done along with a blood profile because our male has been on and off of Rovera (Carprofin) for his back so for him it was to mainly to make sure he’s doing ok from having been on NSAID’s. My female didn’t do well on it for her back as she has back issues as well, but do give her aspirin rarely when needed.
Since I was having my male tested I thought I might as well have both tested. I’ve never had a blood profile done on her before anyways, just him so that was another reason to have it done. Over all though the vet said they are both very healthy and am amazed at how well their teeth are, etc…
Just the ph issue and crystals I have to work on which I will.

weezerweeks, also thanks for the reply. I will defiantly look into wet food.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Nate-
The good news is that Struvite crystals are dissolvable. The other types are not. The bad news is that Hill’s Science diet has been proven to dissolve them. The Hill’s s/d is to be fed only short term to dissolve them and the c/d can be fed long term to prevent them. My cat had Struvite crystals as well and I wish that I had fed the Hill’s when I suspected a problem. It may have saved him from a blockage.

While that is much less likely to happen to a dog, they still may be painful for him because they are sharp little suckers. You want to feed as much moisture as possible to flush them out, so getting the fountain was a great start. I would also try to feed as much canned or raw food as possible. Dry kibble is not the best option.
Another helpful bit advice that I’ve learned is that feeding smaller meals more often per day helps to keep the pH more steady. I now feed him 3 times per day. Also try to keep the dog’s stress level as low as possible. I think that was one of my cat’s biggest issues. We had a lot of changes in our household. Our son moved home, we stopped kenneling the dogs in the house, his litter boxes got moved and to top it off, I switched brands of litter! Does your dog have anxiety or had some changes lately? Did you have a urinalysis because you suspected something or was it routine?
After my episode, I would definitely follow the vet’s advice and use the Hill’s to dissolve the crystals and then go from there. After using it for a month, Casper’s crystals are gone, there is no blood or infection. It has been four months now and I am slowly weaning him off the prescription food. But I still feed mostly canned. His ordeal almost killed him so I’m being very careful!
So in conclusion, 1. Dissolve the crystals with the Rx food 2. Moisture, moisture, and more moisture, 3. Small frequent meals and 4. Reduce stress as much as possible. Then maybe you can start to use those supplements rather than the yucky food. And I do agree it seems yucky, but it did work for my cat who is lucky to be alive! Anyway, you will get other ideas as well. But that is my two cents. Good luck!

[Christine A]

In the budget category, the Kirkland Signature Nature’s Domain foods may be worth considering if they haven’t been ruled out as a contender in the past. Even with the cost of a $55 yearly membership to Costco factored in, most of the dry foods come out to be barely above or even below $1 a pound. I just bought a case of the canned version to use in a pinch (/dog-food-reviews/natures-domain-grain-free-canned/), it clocked in at $21 for 24 cans….in can food terms, that’s practically free!

[Christine A]

Our pup’s best buddy has been on a three year food challenge to rule out allergy triggers. Only recently has he started trying small amounts of Natural Balance limited ingredient foods; they have a venison option as well as a few fish options, I think.

We have it relatively easy, our pup has severe food allergies only to lamb and wheat. He has been doing very well (read: no hives or explosive diarrhea) on the Salmon and Sweet Potato based grain free formula from Taste of the Wild….until we figured out that he tests off the charts for storage mite allergies which means no more dry food for him….and that Yours Truly is learning the ins and outs of making his food at home. With a little luck, I’ll be able to stop telling people that he’s a “mix of stubborn and anxious held together with itch” when they ask about his breed. It’s an adventure!

Best of luck, fingers crossed that you find something

[Melissa M]

Yes, we’ve tried meats, eggs, fish, yogurt, gravy, wet dog food, almost everything as a topper to their dry. Some work once or twice and some don’t work at all. Or they will eat the human food and then spit out the kibble. Very stubborn and smart dogs! Doesn’t switching brands so often cause stomach upset? If Blue has switched formulas without telling people–ugh-so sick of dog food issues. I wish they were all regulated and safe!

[Melissa M]

I can switch, but to what? We’ve tried about 5 other 4-star food with no luck. I don’t know how WE know they’re “great tasting”! !! I’ve gotten samples before but with their history of not eating dry kibble, how long before we say “not this kind”? They started out with Fromm. Did good for a couple of months and then refused. Same with the others or there was recalls and we were forced to switch. Right now they’re eating homemade chicken, rice and veggies but they can’t stay on that forever, not balanced enough.