[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 11 years, 1 month 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.

[Melissa M]

I have 2 rescues–a male Mini Aussie/shetland ( 4 years) who could lose about 5 pounds and a female Kelpie mix (3 1/2 years) who’s at a healthy weight. They are now on Blue Basics Turkey and Potato (for about a year now) Neither one will consistently eat their food. We’ve tried wet over dry, homemade meat/broth/veggies over it, changing brands (about 5 in total)–everything. They just will not eat. Vet said to feed dry, pick up after 30 min. and try again with the next meal. Well, the longest I lasted (humor there!) was 5 days. Then they start vomiting bile and just look pathetic and mom gives in!!! Some days they’ll eat good all day (with meat/broth mixed in) then the next day they’ll snub their noses at it. It all started with my male–but then when we got our female, she was fine for about a year but then she see’s the other one snub his nose and then she does the same! I’ve never had a dog like this before, let alone two! It’s very frustrating and costly with all the kibble being thrown out untouched and also hard to plan your day when they haven’t eaten and gone outside to do their job yet. I will add though, they will eat ANY AND ALL human food at all times, just not dog food! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[dana i]

Hi! I’ve been reading this forum all day today, but am overwhelmed by all the choices. I’d really love to hear people’s actual experiences and thoughts– what is on paper does not always match what makes the dogs happy and healthy.

I have two lab mix dogs– both rescues.
Diesel is a 1 year old Lab/Shephard mix who has allergies. 65# dog
Dudley is a 1 1/2 year old lab/Greyhound mix who has gas issues when he eats ANYTHING other than the current food… (even treats) 83# dog

They were both given horrible diets before they came to me.
I have them on Science Diet Lamb and Rice Large Breed formula.

At the time, it’s the ONLY thing that I found that helped Diesel’s allergy symptoms (they are completely gone on this food but when I try anything else it comes back) and Dudley’s gas is now a very rare thing on this food.

However, reading it seems that people don’t like this one and that there may be better out there… And the fact that when I went to buy it today I found it went up in price AGAIN. uugh. Maybe now is a good time to switch…

I want what is best for them, with budget kinda on the mind at the same time.

Right now, it takes us 11 days to go through a 33 pound bag of Science Diet Lamb and Rice large breed formula dry food and used to cost us around $45 a bag but did just go up to about $50.

I’d really love to get them something better. Maybe something that also makes their poop a little smaller too? (I know–wishful thinking? LOL)

Any suggestions based on the gas/allergies?
I priced raw diet– which I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to do, but it’s way out of our price range from what I am reading.

I CAN and will supplement a little bit of our cooked food on top (If I can avoid the gas and allergy issues– that will take a little experimenting)….

I have a feed store 1 mile from my house that sells some food but he’s kinda expensive on some items. I also live near Petco, Petsmart and have Amazon prime… I live in Texas, suburb of Dallas if that helps.

Any thoughts or tips would be greatly appreciated!

[al r]

My pit ‘Spike” developed a spot on his neck that was an open sore. The vet said the cloth collar was holding the infection that was caused by-red dye in his food. I then checked and found it in most (dry) dog food. The dog’s “siblings” also had issues with it with ear infections. Once taken off it took like a few weeks and it cleared right up. He asked me to notify the maker- (Purina) that I did and for what? They continue to sell it and now real nasty food killing dogs.(Beniful)

[Melissaandcrew]

Hi John
.

Sadly welcome to the world of wheaties. Great dogs, lots of medical concerns. Be thankful yours has the skin issues from allergies and not the intestinsl. Ours had both. We feed high quality dry and raw foods to control his issues. He eats a lot of Acana, Orijen and Nature’s Variety products. Once you find a brand that is higher rated, look for any chicken in it. We started ours on the Acana Lamb/ apple with great success. We never feed him a food for long term, in the hopes that he will not develop an allergy due to exposure.

For example. Last week he ate Acana Pork/squash for two days, Nature’s Variety Rabbit (limited ingredient) for 2 days, and the lamb Acana for 2 days. Grandma Lucy dehydrated venison for one.

[GSDsForever]

But you started this with a concern for digestibility, good absorption of nutrients, stool size, and gas. So I wanted to comment on that.

“I don’t know if having more animal protein versus plant protein would help her digest the nutrients and poop/have gas less?”

In short, no. It is the quality of the individual ingredients, what they are and their grade, that affect digestibility as they go into a formula. You’re also playing a balancing game with some ingredients, between rich in nutrients and greater digestibility. From there, processing matters. It can affect overall digestibility and preservation of nutrients. Finally freshness of ingredients going into the formula and from date of manufacture to purchase and use are very important.

I would highly recommend calling the company of the the foods you’re considering, as well as the one you’ve been feeding (Infinia) and asking for Total Dry Matter Digestibility, plus digestibility of protein, fat, and carbs.

The Infinia is rather low in protein, lower than I personally would feel comfortable feeding. But that isn’t the problem when looking at nutrient absorption and digestibility. But when the protein IS very low, then it becomes even more critical to ensure that it is very high quality and highly digested.

Since Infinia Holistic Salmon & Sweet Potato’s primary ingredients are ones that look good and CAN be highly digestible . . .

Salmon, Menhaden fish meal, sweet potatoes, potatoes

it may the grade of ingredients and/or processing that is problematic.

Fish meal, for example, comes in MANY different grades at VERY different price points to pet food companies. It can be very high ash & bones, leftover carcass material or low ash/high protein & high digestibility and come from good cuts included or whole fish with most bone filtered out, which costs the company considerably more and is harder to source. It also, by AAFCO definition, can be stripped of its oil (which is sold separately at profit, rather than going into the food) or have those precious Omega 3s left in. This formula appears to be very low in Omega 3, particularly for a fish formula, and even though it has been already boosted by plant oil (Canola). Reasons for fish formulas to be low in Omega 3 tend to be the meal has been stripped of its oils and/or use of farmed salmon. Salmon varieties also range greatly in Omega 3 content!

Canola oil is not going to be as digestible and its nutrients absorbed well in order to be used by your dog vs., say, salmon oil or an animal fat. (I personally don’t like canola oil anyway, as it’s not a very clean ingredient. In commercial use, it is generally high heat and chemical processed, damaged, and and contaminated.) Potatoes, sweet potatoes can include skins or not, etc. affecting digestibility and stool volume.

Foods cooked for less time and at lower temperatures preserve more nutrients. And gentle cooking both increases digestibility and nutrient absorbability in ingredients and nutrients AND decreases them compared to raw, depending on the ingredient or nutrient.

Consider how fresh the ingredients are, how fresh from date of manufacture, how it was stored and transported prior to getting to you, and how properly sealed the bags are. (From there, you must also store foods properly.) Actually smell the food.

But just to give you an example of how you can never tell with things like digestibility from the price and marketing/popularity of a product or just looking at the ingredient list of a “better” brand — Orijen’s 6 Fish formula has a pretty poor overall dry matter digestibility for a premium brand and is in fact the lowest among their formulas. It’s also lower than the cheap bulk bags from Costco, Nature’s Domain (by Diamond).

[crazy4cats]

Hi Meghan-
I think all of the foods that you listed look good. However, I have not heard of the Sammy Snacks. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anyone say anything bad about Wellness. I have also heard good reviews on Earthborn and Horizon. I’ve not fed any of these to my dogs yet, but I regularly feed both dry and canned Wellness to my cats.

I have been feeding grain free California Natural with pork and peas to my dogs with touchy digestive systems. I know it is not a highly recommended food since the buy out. However, it is working very well for my dogs. It has limited ingredients and a little lower in fat than most while maintaining a decent protein level.

Sounds like you will have to transition very slowly when you first start feeding the new food. Good luck, it sounds like you’ve had quite a few obstacles to overcome. I hope you find something that works!

[Meghan M]

Hello all!

I have been to the Dog Food Advisor website many, many times over the last year or so, and recently decided to post a forum so I could get some personal insight regarding my issue. I have a 3 year-old Doberman who has been getting fed Infinia Holistic Salmon and Sweet Potato for quite some time. I also give her fish oil, yogurt, eggs, pumpkin, various fruits and veggies, and recently started adding wet food to the dry food based on many suggestions to vary a dog’s food.

When I first got my dog, she was the runt of the litter. She had horrible skin, recurring UTIs, recurring issues with digestive upset (vomiting, diarrhea, constipation), etc. I tried a lot of different foods to no avail before I realized she likely has an allergy to poultry. I switched her over to the Infinia dog food and she has done great ever since. People always talk about how beautiful and shiny her coat is, how healthy she looks, etc. But I’ve noticed that, for the amount of food she eats per day, her stools are REALLY big and I feel like she goes way too often, which makes me worried that she’s not getting all of the benefits from the food that she should be getting. She also has gas ALL THE TIME. I thought it may have been the yogurt, so I’ve been giving her probiotic chews, but it’s still horrible.

I’ve really been spending time the past few weeks researching, and I feel like the Infinia has too low of protein for her (22%) and does not have enough animal/fish protein. I don’t know if having more animal protein versus plant protein would help her digest the nutrients and poop/have gas less? Anywas, I thought Canidae Pure Sea would be a good first change-up, so I started to transition her EXTREMELY slowly, and she still ended up getting sick. I have her back on her normal food while I figure out what I want to switch her too. Candiae isn’t completely out (I could need to transition her even more slowly than I did, who knows).

So, after all of my research on this website I found 9 other dog foods that seem to be high-quality and offer higher protein contents. I also have to take cost into consideration, because I’m a college student and can’t afford food like Orijen. So, here is my list of foods that I’ve found and like. If anyone could give me advice or suggestions about what food(s) would be best or personal stories, I would really appreciate it. And I’m sorry for the long rant!

1) Sammy Snacks Ancestry Salmon and Sweet Potato
2) Wellness CORE Ocean Formula
3) Horizon Legacy Fish
4) Innova Nature’s Table Cold Water Salmon and Wild Herring
5) Zignature Trout and Salmon Meal
6) Earthborn Holistic Grain Free Coastal Catch
7) Horizon Pulsar Fish Formula

The Sammy Snacks Ancestry is my favorite so far that I’ve researched, but I wondered if ethoxyquin was present. Also, once I get her comfortable with a higher-protein fish food, I will start introducing different protein sources, like beef and possibly bison, as well as adding canned sardines, salmon, and other “raw” foods.

[Dog_Obsessed]

If you shop at Walmart, Pure Balance is a a 4 star rated, budget-friendly dry food. Remember to transition slowly to whatever you pick.

[theBCnut]

Gail
Seizures are threshold events. That means as long as your dog stays under threshold, it won’t have a seizure, but when it reaches it’s threshold it has one. All dogs are different and what causes your dog to go over threshold may be different than what affected mine, but here are the things that should be done for ALL dogs who seizure. Get your dog on a natural food. I would recommend Nature’s Logic or homemade. Remove chemicals from your dogs environment. These include, but are not limited to: air fresheners, scented candles, perfumes, dryer sheets, strong detergents, pesticides, cleaning products, herbicides, any unnecessary drugs, etc. Keep your house as stress free as possible. Some dogs react to particular things and you may have to do a bit of detective work to figure out what triggers a seizure in your dog.

[Donna W]

Hello. I am on a fixed income and was wondering if anyone could recommend a relatively cheap dry dog food that is also of good quality. She is a 13 year old mixed breed and I am concerned about continuing the Purina Light and Healthy. Thank you.

[Dorothy L]

It comes in a few different flavors, but I usually get the Roast Chicken flavor. I am wondering if someone could look into this one and give it a rating. It is what I feed my toy poodles and they seem to be doing very well on it, but I want to make sure they are getting good nutrition,

Thanks in advance,

[Naturella]

Hey, Crista, and welcome to DFA!

Yes, Beneful is not a good food at all, so I would definitely advise you to change your Yorkie to something else. However, changing directly to a high-quality food may seriously upset his tummy, so I would recommend switching him gradually to Nutro or some other medium-level brand, and after a little while, switching him over to a good-quality food.

Off the top of my head, Castor and Pollux Organix is a good-quality dry, organic meat-and-veggie-based food. Their other line, Ultramix, is also really, really good, but not quite all-organic. http://www.castorpolluxpet.com/our-products

Since you are an Editor’s Choice member on this site, I believe you have access to a list of GMO-free foods: /reports/gmo-free/
Just look through that, they are all quality foods to choose from. Good luck!

[Peggy P]

I’m considering Zignature dry (they have lamb, duck, turkey, trout and salmon), I’d like to know about all of them. On Chewy.com, this food does get good reviews. Thanks.

[Crista S]

I want the best for my 6yr old Yorkie the Price doesn’t matter to me. I am a juicing no preservatives nerd myself so I want the best for him as well. My heart just sinks when i hear that the dog food I have been giving him “beneful” has been recalled. I can’t imagine my life without him, even though I know one day it will come I want to help him be as healthy as I am now.

[neezerfan]

Check out this page. Pure Balance brand and Rachael Ray’s Nutrish are available at Walmart and are lower priced. Nutrisource is lower priced too
/best-dog-foods/best-puppy-foods/best-dry-puppy-foods-4-star/

[Missie]

Hello, I’ve been reading the reviews for quite a while now on the site and decided to join the forum. I have a one year old beagle named Maisie. I’m fairly new to the idea of rotational diet or changing up her food frequently. Currently, she is eating Merrick Healthy Weight dry food and occasionally, she will get some canned food mixed in. I have her on the Healthy Weight food primarily because I live in Iowa and we’ve had a very cold winter and I haven’t been able to get her out and exercise how as much as I would like and she’s gain some weight over the winter. According to the vet she should be about 25 pounds and she weighs 28 right now.

Anyway, I’ve noticed with trying different dry foods, she seems to do better during the transitional period (more energy, stools are healthy, non-stinky) than she seems to do once she has fully transitioned to a new food. For example with the Merrick, I’ve noticed her stools are well formed, but her poop is stinky. She hasn’t had any diarrhea on the Merrick, but she’s had a couple of loose stools that I believe was caused by something she picked up on our walks.

I was wondering if there would be any benefits of mixing two dry foods together for her meals? Instead of just sticking to one formula? Like 50 percent old food and 50 percent new food? Would there be any nutritional benefit to this? Or would this possibly cause an upset tummy?

[Liz S]

Okay thanks everyone.

Susan,
I don’t really have the time to cook for all of them. If it ended up being, like life or death, I could pull things together. All of the ferrets and the cats are on HQ grain free foods. I am a stay-at-home-mom to the furbabies and my 2 1/2 yr old who is weaning off of gtube feedings. So there are lots of dr appts , therapists that come to the house etc. Me and my mom have been talking about making our dogs food for years. She has 2 chihuahuas. Maybe someday. 🙂

I’ll check out the links ^ … still not sure what to look for besides grain free/potato free… Since it could be a number of things? :/ Confusing…. frustrating. Took a while to find the perfect food for the other furbabies. Well worth it but still took a long time. We have about 8lbs of the chicken dry food for the dogs left over but we want to get them off of it asap. I’ll use to ease transition of course but want to switch them now. 2pm here. Heading out at 5:30 to 3 different pet stores… trying to find at least 1 or 2 maybe 3 different brands/formulas to be able to pick up tonight. ( not to buy all, just one. ) Otherwise I end up with the worst anxiety looking through all the bags etc.

We shall see.

[james y]

I just used some puppy wormer from the grocery store. We fasted her for 24 hours and then treated her. Its been a week and shes already putting on some weight. She gets another does this weekend.

Im not really concerned about what the best food is. I just wanted something as good as the frozen food in dry form. One thing i can say about the biljac is theres alot less poo in the yard now and her coat is amazing!

We are on day three of the blue wilderness puppy food. She seems fine, but gassy like when she was on puppy chow. I guess its just something in puppy food

[bkagel]

Help!!! I’m going to have to change everything free dog food again!!! Gracie is the one with the allergies. I have been giving both dogs raw apple cider vinegar in their water and her sensitive tummy seems to be doing much better in two weeks. However…..I have gone through almost all the dog foods that Inked Marie (thank you very much Inked Marie) listed and there is something I don’t like or they don’t like in almost all of them.

What they don’t like-anything with chicken or turkey

What I don’t like-fruit, legumes, anything that has a super high protein in it because it gives Gracie the runs. I’m not fond of sweet potatoes either. She’s an 8 year old papillion that acts like she’s 3. She doesn’t need fruit or sweet potato because she’s the energizer bunny already.

We have used Merrick grain free, Nature’s variety, Back to basics pork (too rich and gave her the runs) and currently using Nutrisource grain free. I don’t give them the lamb. Since they are both small dogs, I rotate blends every 3-4 months.

They love their kibble but it’s cold and snowy outside and she’s still scratching like a fiend.

Gracie and George were at their healthiest when they did raw. However, mommy doesn’t have the time, money, or energy to make up batches of raw food and repeat repeat repeat.

They love Evanger’s wet food and so do I. Just meat and water. I was thinking of trying Evanger’s dry food but I am concerned about the high level of protein to fat ratio. I’m also concerned about the sweet potato. Somebody help me!!

[james y]

Hello newb here looking for a little info.

First a little background
My 9 month old pitbull, maple has recently been having problems. She undoubtedly had worms and was scratching alot and losing hair. At first i was feeding her purina dog chow and she was doing fine. Then the wife brought home pedigree and thats when the hair loss started. So i instantly thought the dog had mange and began treating her for it. I also read that a raw diet would boost the immune system so i did that too. I fed her venison mostly, with raw eggs and gave her vitamins everyday. She cleared up and we started back with the unused portion of pedigree. Well she broke out in hives!

Ok so the dog is allergic to dog food…just my luck. A vet friend told me to try bil-jac frozen food so i did for a couple weeks. She was doing great on it! we got rid of the worms and shes putting on wieght and her coat is awesome! Although the frozen food isnt very convenient so i just googled best grain free dog food and found this site. I came across a name i recognized “blue buffalo” and this very site said it wss a five star food. So i purchased 20 pounds of the grain free wilderness red meat puppy food. It was pretty pricey, as a matter of fact i figure i could buy hamburger for $3 a pound but its so much easier than having to refrigerate or prepare raw food.

2 days into feeding and she seems to be doing just fine. I dont monitor poo, so i cant say anything about it.

Anyhow now im seeing all this bad stuff on the web about blue dog food….and something about a lawsuit with purina?? Is there any truth to these claims about the food hurting dogs or is it maybe a bunch of hired posters or something? If the stuff wasnt $60 a bag i would just throw it out and go back to the biljac.

[Pam P]

These are excellent websites that provides nutrition information.
http://www.natureslogic.com/information/did-u-know/
http://www.petsafe.net/blog/2013/02/27/pet-food-the-good-the-bad-and-the-healthy/
http://dogaware.com/diet/dryfood.html
http://www.myperfectpetfood.com/nutrition.html
http://truthaboutpetfood.com/petsumer-report-review-of-the-month-45/

Most dry dog foods contain synthetic vitamins and minerals which are sourced almost entirely from industrial waste such as coal tar for one. Synthetics and chemicals are not easily absorbed or not absorbed at all, so the kidneys and the liver can become overtaxed trying to eliminate the toxic waste.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 1 month ago by Pam P.

[David R]

I am new to Dog Food Advisor. I don’t want to waste anyone’s time so if you can point me to past postings or other locations to answer my question, please feel free to do so. I have been using some of the Science Diet canned foods for years based originally on my Vets suggestion, such as Slim and Healthy, Grain free,Perfect weight. Also, Nutro Natural Choice Dry food. I was also recently at the Westminster Dog Club show in NYC and Purina Pro Plan had a large booth there. What are the issues or ratings regarding these? I do know that no one staffing the PUrina booth could answer where the chicken came from that was in their food. I ask these things to assess how poorly my dogs have been eating and because with 3 dogs I have to be conscious of cost as well. Thanks

[Becky]

I’m coming to this late but your lab/bulldog sounds a lot like my pug. I don’t know about the digestive enzymes, but she can’t eat any dry food. I tried many different brands, including Rx for sensitive stomachs, alternative proteins, etc, and nothing worked. She had pneumonia when she was about 4 mos old and was on a lot of antibiotics (she almost died) and we think that messed up her whole system and gave her c-diff and chronic diarrhea. She’s 3 now and she can eat ONE kind of canned food. It took almost 2 years to figure out which food worked. She also takes Tylan powder, just a tad every other day. That saved her life, I think.

[crazy4cats]

I was going by this that was posted in the Whole Dog Journal:
Here are my sardine recommendations for adult dogs. Feed twice this much to puppies and pregnant or lactating females.

Dog’s 3.75-oz can
Weight sardines
5 lbs 1/4 can per week
15 lbs 1/2 can per week
25 lbs 5/8 can per week
50 lbs 1 can per week
100 lbs 1 3/4 cans per week

A 3.75-ounce can of sardines has about 200 calories, so reduce the amount of dry food given on “sardine days” accordingly. Rule of thumb: One can of sardines in water has about the same number of calories as ½ cup of most dog foods.

You can substitute canned wild Alaska pink salmon (the bones are edible), oysters (a great source of zinc, especially important for pregnant and lactating females), and other fresh, frozen, or canned wild ocean fish for sardines. Pacific oysters are probably better than Gulf of Mexico oysters, especially after the BP oil spill in 2010, and safer than canned oysters from China. Never feed raw salmon or trout, especially Pacific salmon, because it may contain a bacterium that can kill dogs.
But…. now, I’ve pulled up my ABC diet and it does show two cans per week. So how about 1 1/2! LOL!

Here is the link to the whole dog journal: http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_12/features/Fats-Chance_20658-1.html

Either way, it is great that you are considering adding them to your dog’s food. Good luck!

[DogFoodie]

Well that was easy. Brett Sher already emailed me back from Evangers and said that their dry foods are co-packed by Mid-America Pet Foods. I wasn’t sure I’d get an answer at all, let alone within minutes on a Friday night.

[DogFoodie]

This is the only thread I could find with Evangers in the title of the topic.

I had heard rumors previously that Ohio Pet Foods and Fromm co-packed Evangers kibble. I just thought I’d let you know that I emailed Ohio Pet Foods today and a gentleman got back to me immediately and said that Ohio Pet Foods does not manufacture any products for Evangers at all. I sent an email to Evangers… we’ll see if they get back to me.

I just wondered if anyone knew for sure who co-packed Evangers dry foods? I thought that someone had mentioned having communicated with Fromm, who also denied manufacturing any of Evangers products.

Just FYI, Matt Golladay, VP at Ohio Pet Foods emailed me back within 20 minutes of my sending my email to him. If Ohio Pet Foods co-packed Evangers, I was thinking of looking at one of their products that meets my requirement for Sam, my Golden with lots of food intolerance issues, since there’s so little I have to feed him.

[Mieke v]

In one of Dr Becker’s videos she discusses dry pet foods. If I understood her correctly, dried food dehydrates an animal as the animal has to re-hydrate the food. This is why, according to her in the video, the army stopped putting dehydrated fruits into troop’s snacks. The body uses a lot of water to rehydrate the food and an animal (pet) generally doesn’t drink that much water in a day. She said the dry foods put pets in a chronic (long-term) state of dehydration. Given her advice, it seems that when feeding kibble one might consider adding the appropriate water (or other re-hydrating liquid) to prevent the animal from having to use stores of its bodily water to rehydrate the food. I am also new to DFA, and only recently learned this by watch some of Dr Becker’s videos on you tube.

[Mieke v]

Hi Carol,

We also had pancreatitis symptoms in our dog and Honest Kitchen Zeal really did the trick. He was symptom-free almost immediately. I would recommend to let the food sit about 10 minutes prior to serving (or make ahead and refrig.). We now do a rotation of HK Zeal, Wellness Core, and Merrick Grain-free Wilderness. Three months in and he still has no symptoms. There is a website that lists many of the dry and canned foods and the fat content. It also explains about the information given by the manufacturers and how to figure fat content. I can’t speak to its validity, but it was helpful in pointing us to low-fat, high protein foods. Here is the link: http://dogaware.com/articles/wdjlowfatdiets.html In addition to the HK, on our vet’s advice, we did 10 mg of Famotidine with each meal (our dog weighs 55 lbs) for 2 weeks. You can pick it up at any grocery or drug store. Of course, you’d want to check with your vet first to make sure there are no contra-indications and for the dosage. As you probably already know, fasting is a thing of the past with treatment for pancreatitis and several small meals a day for the first days is the current approach. Good luck! It is so hard – I did weeks of research and I am a research scientist by trade! I hope you find something that works well for your little one.