[ROBERT M]

Is “Merrick Grain Free Puppy Recipe (Dry) good fpr Large Breed puppy (Golden Retriever)?

[weimdad]

Looking for some advice. Just had my 11 year old weim through surgery about a month ago dealing with stones. He had a blockage that is how we found out he had them. After a month of waiting on the results of stone diagnosis, he was put on Royal Canin Urinary SO dog food. I am looking for a natural approach to avoid the ridiculous cost of the food. I read your article above about the vet needing to learn more which now has me more concerned. Both of my boys have been on Alpo dry and split a can of wet alpo for years(11 and 13), now using Purina One because vet initially wanted him on that until we got results of stones. His surgery removed a bunch of stones which we never knew he had and didn’t have any issue with urinating, ever. He is a couch potato and doesn’t get over fed. He enjoys his treats but now not allowed to give him anything per vet. Reading all the articles over the last few weeks, sounds like he only needs additional water, maybe vitamin c and cranberries added to his diet. I just ordered the ph strips to stay on that but I cannot afford the food. Any recs will help. If I get him to pee more and watch ph should I be good or do I have to keep him on this outrageously priced food? Please help.

[CMZ]

Hi Neezerfan
I have since taken my dog off the Royal Canin Venison and Potato.
He did do well on it as far as his stools, but he really didn’t like it, and pretty much wouldn’t eat.
I have tried several foods for him. For him I don’t think it is the type of protein as was once thought.
As I had said in an earlier post, if he has something that has too much protein, or too rich he will get loose stools.
I keep him on a grain free diet but I think it has to have some form of potato, preferably sweet potato. I don’t know why or if this is really true, but it seems to work.
I tried Pure Vida Bison and Sweet Potato which he did well on. I would also top it with can food, I think it was Merrick Venison, or Buffalo. He did well on it, no loose stools,
but he seemed to get tired of that as well, and became very fussy.
I am currently feeding him Lotus Duck, which is a baked kibble and supposedly retains more nutrients because it is baked. I have found this frozen food My Perfect Pet, which he loves. This is cooked then frozen, so it is really fresh. This is why I don’t think my guy has any issues with the type of protein, because, these are made with beef, chicken, lamb. He loves them, and does very good on it, again no loose stools. He is a 95 lb pyrenees and I feed him twice a day, 1 cup of dry and 1 brick of my perfect pet. He has been on this for at 4-6 months and doing very well. And he still likes it! 🙂
As I said earlier, my guy was a stray, we found him at 3-4 months old. (he is now 3-1/2) Who knows what he ate. I personally think it did a number on his GI. He had SIBO, malnutrition, malabsorption etc. He was a sick little guy. We had him on the RC and antibiotics for quite some time. It took well over a year before we had his GI controlled, and I started to experiment with different foods. He still gets his B12 every month, takes probiotics every day, mostly as a precaution. He will still get stress diarrhea and probably always will.
I don’t know what your dogs symptoms are, hope this helps.

[neezerfan]

Hi CMZ,

I just found this thread and was wondering how things are going with your dog? I have a rescue dog that is now eating the RC Potato and Venison and it is working very well for him, frankly, it’s a god-send! I am using a combo of the dry and canned. Did you try the canned? One thing I see is these foods seem to be very low in fat and I’m wondering if that has any bearing on the situation? I think the RC rx foods are a higher quality than what RC sells to the general public. But I would like to find some alternatives so he’s not eating the same thing day after day. We’re going to try the potato and rabbit but would also like alternatives of another brand.

[vfs]

Hi everyone,

My Annamaet Grain-Free Salcha Poulet Formula Dry and Wet Dog Food arrived 3 days ago and Ive been mixing Science Diet dry and wet with the new food until he gets used to Annamaet only. Lenny has been eating it however I noticed that his lower back has becoming very sensitive. He always loved when we used to scratch his lower back area but now its different. It seems very sensitive, very itchy. He is scratching his eyes too, but not too often. Just by touching his lower back, he already “jumps out” and kind of ask for us to scratch it. Long story short, something its different and Im not sure if it could be by the new food. Should I get back to Science Diet only and see if Annamaet is the one causing irritation on his skin? Another thing that it might have affected: About a week ago, my husband found a flea on him. I religiously use once a month Advantage or Advantix and I was surprised about the flea. I ended up applying Advantage as soon as we found out about the flea (this was 3 weeks after I applied Advantix on August). So I`m very confused if his skin irritation could be caused by the flea or food. Any advice? Thanks a bunch.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Karen G-
Congrats on the new pup! What kind of dog is it? Did you see the recommended dry foods for large breed puppy spreadsheet that is posted on the large breed thread on this forum? I think it is on about page 33 of that thread. It lists both with and without grains kibble. The main thing objective is to keep calcium under 3.5 g per 1,000 kcal. Also, the food should be labeled for puppies (growth) or all life stages. It does not necessary for it to specifically say for large breed pups. There is no recognized standard for large breed as far as food labels go.
Nutrisource large breed pup with grains is listed and also Wellness Core puppy grain free is on the list. There are several others as well. I was trying to mention more well known brands.
Keep your pups growth slow and steady. Do not over exercise or run him/her. I feed my 3 year old big dogs Victor. Both The Victor Select chicken and rice and lamb and rice would also be good options for your new pup! Hip, knee and elbow problems are so prevalent with big dogs. We need to do what we can to try to prevent them. Have fun with your pup!

[crazy4cats]

Bdog-
I have not talked to my sis too much recently. She has in-laws in town. But I will be checking in on my furry niece and nephew tomorrow as they are going on a road trip. Sometimes I think she is afraid to call me cuz she has not followed through with making the changes. Lol! I hope that isn’t the case. I do think she started adding some yogurt and eggs to some of their meals. Baby steps are good for me. I remember how over whelming and it was when I realized how poorly I was previously feeding my pets. Thanks for asking!
Reb P-
I try to stick to the budget friendly brands suggested on this site for dogs to feed to my cats as well. I like to feed them Authority, Chicken Soup, and Nutro Max canned foods and Wellness Core dry to my four feline furries. Unfortunately, my kitties love Fancy Feast and some Friskies as well!

[Karen G]

I’m needing help finding a good large breed puppy food. I have my pup on a dry kibble that is highly recommended but because the ingredient list isn’t percise, I can’t tell if the ratios are the best for my large breed pup (the kibble is for puppys but not specific to large breeds and it only lists “min” and “max” amounts so it’s hard to tell how much of each ingredient is in it). My vet is recommending Hills Science Diet large breed puppy because you can tell with more detail what the ingredient ratios are and it is formulated specifically for large breeds, I’m considering this food right now. Does anyone in this forum have personal experience with a dry large breed puppy kibble that he/she would be willing to share? Thanks in advance for your help!

[Mom2Cavs]

Bobby Dog, have you tried Fromm Gamebird for cats? My cat, Princess, devours that stuff where she won’t touch Surf & Turf or the Beef Livatini. For her canned foods, I use Earthborn (chicken only), Wellness (chunks only), Tiki Cat, Weruva, and she loves, loves Fresh Pet Vital roasted meals. Oh, yeah, she also loves Fromm canned food, which btw I use the cat and dog versions of the Gold and 4Star (they both contain taurine).
She is kind of picky but not overly so, imo. I have also fed her Dr. Tim’s dry, which she likes and Annamaet dry, but she only likes the grain inclusive of it and I prefer to feed her grain free so I don’t buy it all that much.

[Susan]

Hi Tiffany, when I first rescue my boy he was doing sloppy poos with jelly on then & mucus, did the blood tests for parasites all blood test all came back good, vet said Colitis & he was put on Metronidzole for 2 weeks, I went back to feeding him chicken necks for breakfast & his Opitmum kibble & tin food at night again every 13 days he would be up early hours of the morning with his stomach/bowel making gurgling noises & he’d have to go out & do his jelly poos, I called them, then finally vet said looks like he has IBD, he can’t just eat anything, no more chicken necks there’s too much fat & just bone, he needs to be put on a stricted diet, so he was put on Vet prescription Royal Canin Hypoallergenic cause he also has skin problems being a Staffy but the fat was 19% in the R/C HP it was too high fat% then he got Pancreatitis, in the end he was put on Eukanuba Intestinal Low residue kibble, this stopped all the jelly poos stopped his gurlging bowel, I also cooked him boiled chicken breast mixed with a little pumkin, rice & a boiled egg, now Im giving him Wellness Simple Lamb & Oatmeal its a limited ingredient kibble & his poos are excellent better then when he was on the Royal Canin & Eukanuba Intestinal Vet diet, maybe look at the Wellness Complete Health range they have a large breed puppy formula & also give a cooked meal but keep everything the same, very simple once he gets use to the cooked or new kibble dont just change it or rotate it until you’ve worked out what he can eat & what he cant…once I had him just on the Eukanuba Intestinal & he was doing real good for 6moths, I started an elimation diet for breakfast only & his kibble for dinner & I found he couldnt eat Potatos or sweet potatos, he got a rash all over his chest & had diarrhea, if he ate a biscuit with wheat in it his paw would get real red & swollen.. unless thats what you do start an elimantion diet, you start with 1 protein normally boiled chicken & add rice then after 1 week & their poo is good add something else new to their diet for the next week, I saw an reaction within 2 hours of adding the potato, so the next morning I added the potato again to make sure it wasn’t from grass his rash & it was the potato, you can google elmination diets for dogs….
Have you tried a kibble where the protein% & fat% was lower then the Taste of the Wild & seen how he goes..
if you do cook make sure that he has the same meal for at least 4 weeks to settle everything as soon as Id change something in Patches diet he’d be pooing sloppy again, so I started watching what he was eating & writing it all down…can tin fish is good but not in oils, I use tuna in spring water & drain the spring water, I add a little boiled pumkin & a boiled egg you can also get salt free Salmon
another good site is yahoo group called “K9Kitchen” run be Monica Segal..also Lew Olson Book called “Raw & Nutrition for dogs” it has cooked recipes for dogs with health problems, that’s where I started with her book, its only cost $12 on Amazon she explains about using the egg shell after boiling the egg & drying the shell out & crushing the egg shell for their calcuim…..

[Bobby dog]

I have one more suggestion:

 Natural Life (excluding the Weight Management Formula) 3 – 4 stars*
/dog-food-reviews/natural-life-dog-food-dry/

*Nat’l Life website offers a $10 off coupon towards the purchase of a 17.5 lbs. bag of dog food: http://www.nlpp.com/natural_health/compare_your_bag

[Tom L]

We recently acquired an overweight (78#) 12 year old Labrador with severe joint disease who can have limited walks and exercise due to bones rubbing on bones. This is a loving female who loves to eat and likes snacks and treats. Our vet recommended feeding her Science Diet Senior Food 1 cup in the morning and 1 cup at night along with supplements.
She hasn’t lost any weight and is always looking for snacks. We are concerned that this is the correct food for our overweight dog. Ideally, we would like to give her 3 small servings a day. Tom L.

[DogFoodie]

I recently stopped to feed some stray cats I pass everyday on the way to work and met a lovely woman who was also stopping for the same reason. She said that she noticed that someone else (me) had put out some food for the cats behind the dumpster previously and when our paths crossed, she stopped to chat.

She said that the owner of the restaurant, behind which the cats lived, had tried to run off the cats. She said that she always stopped earlier in the morning, before the restaurant opened (same reason I stopped early), to avoid running into the owner. Then she told me that she had been stopping every single morning, leaving both wet and dry food for the cats. She even came all winter, even when our temperatures hit nearly 30 below zero. She’s been feeding these cats and others at two other locations for years. Years.

I’ve seen her pull up near the dumpster in her little silver car. As soon as she rolls in, the cats know it’s her and the come over to the car to greet her. They even walk up to her car and rub up against her tires.

Her name is Celeste. Keep her in your prayers. She’s a blessing to these kitties.

[Melissaandcrew]

My Iggys need carbs in their diet or the would look like coat racks. They always get food with carbs, whether its dry or homemade raw.

[Constance C]

I have an 8-month old Afghan Hound that I’ve had for 2 months. She came to me from the breeder eating Kirkland Signature Puppy Chicken, Rice, & Vegetable. For consistency, I’ve been feeding her a little less than ½ Kirkland and a little more than half Victor Dog Food Select Hi-Pro Plus Formula for Active Dogs and Puppies, but after reading the Large Breed & Puppy thread I’m rethinking everything (calcium, dry vs wet, other?).

Am I feeding her the right food? Should I add wet food and if so, what kind? I’m a new dog owner, but I’ve read enough to know I should avoid gluten and grocery store type dog food.

(PS. She eats her kibble but never really seems enthused about it, but maybe this is ok?)

[Carol M]

Hi Nancy,

Yes, it is unbelievable how much fluid she gets – 2 liters in a week, that’s about a half a gallon! That’s why we do “the procedure” twice a week; don’t think she’d be able to breathe otherwise.

My dog is about 30# – the vet recommended 1000mg (2 pills) 3x a day. I use Nature’s Plus brand, there’s a health food store nearby that carries it (couldn’t find it at some of the larger stores like Whole Foods). I tried going up to 1500mg 3x a day for a few months but didn’t notice any difference in the amount of fluid so I went back to 1000mg. Don’t know that it actually does anything but I’m not going to stop in case it does.

Haven’t tried Metamucil; that was the nutritionist’s suggestion as she read that a high fiber diet helps with chylothorax. Don’t know what the dosage would be though, need to ask vet.

There are no restrictions on activity because of the port itself; it’s all contained and can only be accessed by needle (looks like a lump on her side). Vet said to just treat her like a normal dog. She is less active when she’s filling up with fluid so she restricts herself. After we drain her, she goes (on her own) to her crate for about 20 minutes or so to rest. I don’t let her run around right after just as a precaution.

The specialist vet doesn’t carry Royal Canin but my regular vet does. The PetSmart here carries it & probably Petco does too; your vet would have to write a prescription for them to fill it. I feed the dry and mix in some canned with it. I just ordered a case of canned from Petflow (www.petflow.com) – price is about the same ($61 for 24 cans) but they deliver it (free shipping for orders over $49) and you can set it up to auto ship (and get 20% off the first order for auto ship). You’d probably want to get a few cans and/or dry to see if your dog likes it before ordering that much though…maybe another local vet carries it.

She eats quite a bit actually – close to a cup of dry with maybe 1/4 – 1/3 can mixed in twice a day. The other dogs get 1/2 cup in the morning & 1 cup at night of their dry food. Her appetite is good and she’s not gained or lost weight (other than after surgery).

I kind of jokingly asked the nutritionist if giving her boneless chicken breast would help with the protein loss. She said it couldn’t hurt, just be sure to boil it and skim off any fat – I trimmed all the fat & other yuck off and then boiled it in no-fat chicken broth and have been adding some to her food but just in the last week or so. When she had the surgery she wasn’t eating so I boiled chicken & rice for her and hand fed her and that worked. Then mixed it with the dog food until it was all dog food.

I tried giving her frozen green beans as a treat and that worked for a while…then she caught on that the others were getting real treats. So, I’m giving all of them Pupcorn treats (found at Fred’s or PetSmart has their own brand) as it’s 3% or lower fat and supposedly healthy. She’s not a chewer and not crazy about toys. Wonder if maybe a Kong or similar filled with something low fat would work for your dog?

Hope that helps – do check with the vet though before you do anything. Carol

[Patricia G]

My one year old Lab can clear a room with her gas. I’ve had her on the Iams Low Residue food as recommended by our vet, and it helped alot. I started introducing raw venison and Dog Lovers Gold (which is what our other dogs eat) and the gas is coming back. Any advice on best food for a gassy dog? Should I go grain free? All raw or natural? My vet said she could be on the Low Residue long term, but it’s pricey. She is a very high energy, active young dog and loves to eat, so I’m not worried about her being picky. I just want to find a solution for her and us!

[Bobby dog]

For anyone who feeds Merrick dry or canned, Penny Wise Paws posted some coupons for this brand along with suggestions for stacking them with Petco coupons:

http://www.pennywisepaws.com/merrick-new-printable-coupons-31-dry-food-1-503-wet-food/

[Akari_32]

Wow, Patty, that’s crazy! What do they think a barn has anything to do with anything, especially if the cat is indoors…? Very strange.

Anyways, I have more goodies to take to the shelter! Dry dog food, canned cat food, and a toy (though I feel like I should have gotten more than one toy lol). I’ll be dropping everything off at the shelters thrift store on the way to work in the morning. I think I need to sprout a few more arms… LOL

[LabsRawesome]

Hi Cameron, I definitely wouldn’t use Good Friends dog food. I didn’t see the ingredients on the site, but with a price of $11.99 for 40lbs, there’s no way it can be a good food. Maybe you could talk your sister into buying something higher quality? I don’t know what her budget is, but if she could spend a little more (maybe you could throw some in) she could get a lot better food. Here’s the site I found for Good Friends- http://www.ruralking.com/pet-supplies/pet-food/dog-dry-food/good-friends-dog-food-kennel-kruncher-40-lb-182666-40.html There are lots of good dog foods that won’t break the bank. I have great luck with Victor. I pay just under $40 for 30lbs of grain free. Their grain inclusive formulas are even cheaper. You can check them out here. http://www.midamericapetfood.com/victordogfood/dogfood.html They have a store locator for stores in your area. There are lots of other budget friendly foods too. Rachael Ray Zero Grain, Pure Balance, and 4health, are good quality too. What stores do you have near you? Do you have Tractor Supply, Costco, Walmart, Petco, Petsmart?

[Michael L]

Hi Again,

So I think it was a little too early to call that success.

Based on this link /reports/editors-choice/
I decided to try Annamaet Grain Free Manitok however after two days my dog just stopped eating it. I mean he won’t even sniff it. At first I thought it was still his allergies but once I gave him some of his old food (Orijen puppy large) he finished that in 2 seconds.

I found this link:
/best-dog-foods/hypoallergenic-dog-foods/
That talks about Suggested Hypoallergenic Dog Foods
And more specifically I decided to try ACANA Duck & Bartlett Pear Singles Formula Dry

This food has limited ingredients and I figured it would be a good place to start as it’s based on duck and not chicken like the orijen one.

My dog loves it, I mean he chases me when I go get it, which he has never done before (very picky eater).

However I’m not sure about the dosage and/or if it’s suitable for large breed puppies. My golden retriever is 9 months old and weighs about 83lb.
The label says that there’s 1.3% calcium which I think should be okay (as per my understanding as long as it’s less than 3.5% it’s all good). Can someone confirm that?
http://www.acana.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/ACA-SINGLES-WEB-PDF-2014-DUCK.pdf?20c636

Can someone confirm that?

Thanks in advance.

[Lisa R]

I would like to mix wet with dry. She liked Weruva but I can’t afford that alone. She had a stomach problem one day and after several days of chicken and rice, she started rejecting dog food. Weruva was the first I found that she ate.

[GizmoMom]

Are you only looking for dry food? Have you consider feeding just canned or freeze dried?

[Lisa R]

I have been feeding my 2-3 year old 13 pound dog Orijen dry food, but I find the strong smell very unpleasant. She is quite picky, I tried Taste of The Wild which my previous dog loved and she doesn’t eat it. I have had her about 5 months and am still trying to figure out her likes. She loves Weruva wet but the price is an issue.
Thanks.

[vfs]

Marie, I bought Annamaet Grain-Free Salcha Poulet Formula Dry Dog Food and I hope is the right one. Lenny likes when his dry food has small bites so hope I got it right. It was hard to figure it out actually because on the food description it was just saying for all dogs. He wont eat if they have big chunks.... Its funny that you mentioned about the transition. His science diet dry food is over so I bought a small pack of a basic dry food until I get Annamaet delivered and he is not eating at all, he is eating only the wet food that I mix with it. I guess I`m doing all wrong… 🙁 How should I do the transaction to one food to another? I appreciate all your help! Tks

[Bobby dog]

If budget is a concern, there are also often coupons offered for both Iams wet and dry foods on coupons.com.

http://www.coupons.com/coupons/Pet-Care-Coupons-102/?pid=13374&nid=10&zid=lg03

[Debbie S]

First off let me say that I feed my Pomeranian Wellness Core Reduced Fat (Dry) and Wellness Core Grain Free Weight Maintenance (canned) and only USA made low calorie treats. The poor thing is a pound or two overweight so until she loses that she will continue on this. (thankfully she loves it).
My question is for my flesh & blood kids dogs. I don’t agree with the way they do things but there isn’t much I can do about it. They live in the country and the dogs live outside. They have a male black Lab, a female German Shepard mix and a male combination of the two. They can’t afford a high quality food and are currently feeding a Pedigree product. They’ve just asked me what is wrong with it (since a current recall) so I told them. Now I have the task of finding a decent inexpensive food for their three dogs. They have two small children under the age of five and both adults work so they don’t have time to cook for the dogs (rarely do for themselves) so anything that takes time is out of the question. I can relate with those of you that think they shouldn’t be allowed to have pets but the problem is that they DO. Can anyone refer me to a product that would be better than what they are getting now that could be bought at Walmart, Pet Smart or Petco?

[Susan]

Hi Kathy, sounds like she has a few things all going on at once, if she is vomiting the kibble, stop feeding the kibble.. try wet tin food instead, if you dont want to cook her meals, or do both cooked for dinner & wet tin for breakfast… Kibble is the hardest to digest, sometimes they need a few months for their stomach to get better & heal…
When Patch was real sick with Pancreatitis, he kept vomiting up his kibble, vet said just feed him boiled chicken & a bit of boiled pumkin, I said but what about the vitamins, the vet said, dont worry about that yet, we have to get him better first, then after eating the chicken & pumkin for about 2-3 months, I started him on the Wellness Simple Duck & Oatmeal, it digest easy, there’s also the Lamb & Oatmeal, Wellness Simple is for skin problems & digestion problems, I soak the kibble in water for 2-3 mins to soften a little then I drain water then put drained kibble on a paper towel & pat dry, but if Patch could tolarate the fat in wet tin foods I’d be giving him wet tin food instead of kibble, just look at the fat% in the wet tin food & try & get one thats around 2%-3% fat as high fat can cause sloppy poo & put on weight being an Lab, she’ll get there, she is 9, she needs a bit of home cooked meals even if you add a bit of boiled pumkin, potato, carrot & make small meals & freeze them for her…

[Genevieve K]

Hi there, HDM. Have you updated the list you compiled? The Google Doc you’ve linked to before was created in February 2013. [Edit: I see elsewhere that the list has not been updated because of the amount of time required. Thank you for putting it together in the first place!]

I have a Boerbel and suspect he’s got a food allergy. We’ve been feeding him Precise Large Breed Puppy but he’s been scratching non-stop. Vet says he’s negative for mange and is otherwise a healthy puppy. In addition to an antibiotic and prednisone, we got a medicated shampoo (chlorhexidine + something else I don’t recall) that helped clear up the secondary infections from scratching.

As soon as he stopped taking the prednisone, he began scratching again. This is very frustrating because he’s 12-14 weeks old (try age unknown as he was dumped) and this is a crucial time for socialization but right now he’s either doped up on benadryl or is so distracted by scratching that training is going nowhere and it’s hard to take him places.

It’s possible he has an environmental allergy but, because food is easier to control, I’m going to see what other options I have. The list you compiled was great but I’m hoping there’s one that’s more up to date. (As he’s scratching and chewing on himself in the corner – it’s driving us all crazy.)

• This reply was modified 11 years, 7 months ago by Genevieve K.

[vfs]

Hello everyone,

I have a wonderful rescue dog, his name is Lenny. He is 4 years old, 20lb, white coat, just adorable. Ive been feeding a mix of Science Diet dry and wet food for quite a while now. He eats twice a day and poops 3 to 4 times a day (normal poop). I mentioned to the Vet and he told me that its normal…I started searching about Science Diet and Ive been seeing some really bad reviews so Im ready to get him a better food. He poops so many times, so it does say what type of quality Science Diet might be but by my vets recommendation, I was continuing feeding him Science Diet. Any recommendation for a good quality dry and wet food for Lenny? Thanks a bunch.

[Kathy J]

Re: 9 year old lab/keeshond mix. This years summer scratching was worse than ever and turned into hot spots. Benadryl not much help. Then vomiting started. We discovered tapeworms, made our visit to vet and treated her for that, being careful not to med near feeding time so she wouldn’t lose the dose if she vomited. Weren’t able to finish antibiotics for hot spots because of the frequent vomiting, but wounds are healing nicely. Switched to home cooked rice and chicken a week ago and no more vomiting, no more scratching, healing and well. Tried to gradually add dry food back in the other night – maybe 20 kibbles in with chicken & rice and she threw up a little and showed signs of itching for the first time in days. Stuck on chicken and rice, but not sure that that is nutritionally sound for long term and not sure how to get her back on a regular diet – can they develop food allergy later in life and what should I do to figure out what brand to try? Could really use some advice. Thanks.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Cynthia –

Coincidentally I just finished a unit up on obesity in my pathophysiology class. We were discussing that Cairn Terriers are one of the breeds predisposed to weight gain and my professor was telling us he has a Cairn Terrier that needs to lose 10 lbs – so your at least your little guy is doing better than his lol

Unfortunately, many of the better quality canned food options are also higher in fat.

I’m not sure exactly which fat levels your vet has you shooting food but here are a few canned options that are fairly high in protein and that have <20% fat (dry matter):

1. Weruva Human Style (every flavor but Steak Frites)
2. Tiki Dog (all)
3. Addiction (Brushtail, Venison, Salmon)
4. Wellness CORE Weight Management
5. Whole Earth Farms (Beef Stew, Red Meat Recipe)
6. Ol’ Roy Healthy Mix Tubs
7. Wysong Stews in Gravy
7. Lotus (Pork Shoulder Stew, Beef Shank Stew)

[InkedMarie]

I had a dog with struvites. I wasn’t recommended to switch foods; the vet knew better but my vet recommended one 500 mg of vitamin C (don’t do this without talking to your vet). It’s very important that your dog get ample fluid: feed raw, canned or dehydrated. If you must feed dry, add some canned & water to it. You also need to make sure he gets ample opportunity to urinate.

Good luck!

[Kriste M]

Please help (and I apologize if this has already been addressed)!
I have a 12 week old Golden Retriever puppy and he had been on BB Wilderness Grain Free puppy dry food. After about a week his stools got very runny, took him to vet, no problems in fecal analysis. Gave him plain white rice for a few days, stool got better, but started getting runny again. Vet wants him on Science Diet, which I have never been a fan of. Can you please give me some options on great puppy food? I know calcium content is a big factor, because of dysplasia. Any advise would be greatly appreciated!

[Kriste M]

Please help (and I apologize if this has already been addressed)!
I have a 12 week old Golden Retriever puppy and he had been on BB Wilderness Grain Free puppy dry food. After about a week his stools got very runny, took him to vet, no problems in fecal analysis. Gave him plain white rice for a few days, stool got better, but started getting runny again. Vet wants him on Science Diet, which I have never been a fan of. Can you please give me some options on great puppy food? I know calcium content is a big factor, because of dysplasia. Any advise would be greatly appreciated!

[Bobby dog]

Hi Lauren E:
I agree with all the info posted by Cyndi and Sandy. One of the places I regularly shop for pet food is Wal-Mart. Here’s what I suggest:

Kibble:
 Rachael Ray GF recipes only – Turkey 4 stars, Salmon not rated
/dog-food-reviews/rachael-ray-nutrish-zero-grain-dog-food/
http://nutrish.rachaelray.com/dog/dry-food/zero-grain-salmon-and-sweet-potato
http://nutrish.rachaelray.com/dog/dry-food/zero-grain-turkey-and-potato

You can find RR GF at Wal-Mart, Grocery Stores, and various on-line retailers. Rachael Ray offers coupons on her website for pet food (under news & offers tab): http://nutrish.rachaelray.com/switchto

 Pure Balance grain inclusive and GF 3.5 & 4 stars
/dog-food-reviews/pure-balance-dog-food/
/dog-food-reviews/pure-balance-grain-free-dog-food/
http://www.walmart.com/cp/Pure-Balance-Natural-Dog-Food/1097490

 Purina Beyond Adventure 3.5 stars
/dog-food-reviews/purina-beyond-adventure/

 Purina Beyond Simply 9 3 stars
/dog-food-reviews/purina-beyond-simply-9/

 Purina Beyond Superfood 3.5 stars
/dog-food-reviews/purina-beyond-superfood-blend/

Canned:
 Pure Balance stews ($1.00/can) 5 stars
/dog-food-reviews/pure-balance-dog-food-canned/

 Pure Balance 95% meat ($1.25/can) 3.5 stars
/dog-food-reviews/pure-balance-95-canned/

 Pure Balance Tubs 4 – 5 stars
/dog-food-reviews/pure-balance-tubs/

 Freshpet: Select Slice and Serve & Vital dog food rolls 5 stars, Vital Complete Meals (pouch) 5 stars, Roasted Meals (pouch) 3.5 stars, and Home style Tubs 3 stars
/?s=freshpet

 Natural Life 4 stars
/dog-food-reviews/natural-life-dog-food-canned/

 Newman’s Own Organics 4 stars
/dog-food-reviews/newmans-own-organics-dog-food-canned/

 Variety 4 stars
/dog-food-reviews/variety-dog-food/

 Rachael Ray Nutrish Tubs 3.5 stars
/dog-food-reviews/rachael-ray-nutrish-tubs/
Rachael Ray offers coupons on her website for pet food (under news & offers tab): http://nutrish.rachaelray.com/switchto

 Iams Woof Delights Tubs 3.5 stars
/dog-food-reviews/iams-woof-delights/

 Ol’ Roy Healthy Mix Tubs 3.5 stars
/dog-food-reviews/ol-roy-healthy-mix/

[Cyndi]

I second what Sandy said and also, the Pure Balance canned, if you wanted to go that route, are 5 stars. Canned is much better for dogs that dry food, but not sure your friend’s dad would want to switch.

[pugmomsandy]

For struvites, I used to add Wysong Biotic pH- to my dogs’ meals. Also, I started feeding at least 50% wet food (canned, raw, dehydrated) or at least add water to the kibble. Rarely do they eat something dry. Now I just use methionine rotating with another bladder support product containing cranberry and d-mannose. Mine never developed stones or UTI’s. I also periodically test with urine pH test strips at home. One of the vets actually suggested 500 mg vitamin C daily. I have small dogs.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 7 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi 2nd2none –

The idea that only active dogs require more protein is a myth. In fact, strenuous activity has only a marginal impact on dietary protein requirements.

From “Basic Animal Nutrition and Feeding” 5th Ed.:

“Rennie and Tipton (2000), in a review of this subject [the effect of strenuous exercise on protein and amino acid metabolism], reported that sustained exercise stimulates amino acid oxidation (chiefly branched chain) for gluconeogenesis and possibly affects regulation of acid-base balance, resulting in a short-term net loss of tissue protein due to decreased synthesis and increased degradation. Protein synthesis rebounds quickly following rest. The data indicate that exercise does not increase the dietary protein requirement; in fact, efficiency of protein metabolism may be improved as a result of exercise.”

Higher protein does not equate to more calories when in fact the opposite is true. Protein contains 4 kcal. per gram, carbohydrates contain 4 kcal. per gram and fat contains 9 kcal. per gram. Exchanging carbohydrate for protein does not change the caloric density of the food and exchanging fat with protein would actually decrease the caloric density of the food.

From “Focusing on Protein in the Diet” by T.J. Dunn Jr. DVM:

“Extra carbohydrate intake, above the immediate needs of the dog (which occurs often with grain-based diets) prompts internal enzyme factors to store that extra carbohydrate (sugar) as fat. Give that same dog extra protein and it is excreted through the kidneys and NOT stored as fat. Knowing this, what do you think would make a better “weight loss diet” for a dog … one with grain as the main ingredient or one with a protein-rich meat source as the main ingredient?”

It’s also a myth that excess protein (beyond what is necessary to meet the dog’s amino acid requirements) harms the kidneys. It is the job of the kidneys to excrete wastes and in a healthy animal, the kidneys are fully able to do this.

From “Small Animal Clinical Nutrition” 4th ed.:

“Feeding protein above requirements or recommendations for healthy dogs and cats does not result in toxicity because the excess amino acids from the protein are catabolized and the waste nitrogen is excreted.”

From “Focusing on Protein in the Diet” by T.J. Dunn Jr. DVM:

“The very early research that pointed a finger at protein as being a cause of kidney failure in dogs wasn’t even done on dogs! It was done on rats fed unnatural diets for a rodent — diets high in protein. (Were we tinkering with Nature during these “tests”?) Rats have difficulty excreting excess protein in their diets because they are essentially plant eaters, not meat eaters. Dogs are quite able to tolerate diets with protein levels higher than 30 percent on a dry weight basis. Dogs are meat eaters; that’s how Nature made them!”

From “Kirk’s Veterinary Therapy XIII, Small Animal Practice” p. 861:

“…restriction of protein intake does not alter the development of renal lesions nor does it preserve renal function. Considering these (research) findings, the authors do not recommend reduction of dietary protein in dogs with renal disease or reduced renal function in order to achieve renoprotective effects.”

[Nicolette G]

My 6yr old Shiba 2 months ago had surgery. He had a full bladder of Struvite Crystals. The month before he had his first UTI. He had always been a heathly dog. Of course the vet wants to put him on Royal Can os. I have for yrs had him on the best foods. Dry and some times can. Im very confused what I should be doing with him to many mixed messages. Im so lost. He also doesnt drink alot having problems with that as well and he needs to drink and pee more. I want to try and find a food that dry and can or even other stuff to put on or in the food that will help prevent this from happening again to him, with out going to a low quality food. any help out there???

[Audrey C]

Thank you, Tabitha. That makes total sense, and finally I understand the phosphorous issue vis a vis protein content. I will look for a high quality canned food that has a moderately low level of protein and skip the dry kibbles. I’m also starting to supplement his food with Rehmannia 6, a Chinese herbal supplement containing powdered herbs that work to strengthen the kidneys that my vet sent me home with. I’m also going to research acupuncture! I look forward to visiting your website. In gratitude, Audrey

[Naturella]

Vianca, I am not a pro, but from what I know, different breed puppies mature differently – a small or toy breed puppy can be considered an adult and fully-mature at 6 months of age; large and giant breed puppies can continue growing and be considered puppies for up to 2 years! So I don’t know where the 5-month mark came from. I do know that adult dogs just don’t need the extra calories from puppy food, that is why the amount should be reduced, but as with every dog, you need to watch activity levels and overall body condition and adjust accordingly – for example, reduce food if she’s getting chunky or is in general not very active, and increase food if she’s too thin and/or very active. As for the dog being spayed, I don’t know if you have to reduce her food, maybe one of the pros here will jump in on that part. For my Bruno, I only reduced his kibble 1/4 cup from his 1 cup/day allowance after being neutered, but that coincided with him being 6 months old and an “adult” now. Also, now I complement the loss of kibble with various toppers (wish I did that when he was a puppy, but oh well, he got his fair share of bully sticks, fish skins, etc.), so he hasn’t really lost the calories, but he burns them just fine.

My Bruno is 13.5lbs and he’s at moderately high activity level. He is supposed to get 1 cup at most of food, I think, for his weight group. I feed him 3/4 (heaping) cup of dry food plus The Honest Kitchen as a topper and coconut oil/yoghurt every other breakfast, and a raw egg, canned sardines, and a raw meaty bone once/week for each. He is lean, muscular, and in good body condition.

I wouldn’t worry too much about the actual amount – just observe your dog and adjust accordingly, and eventually you will find an amount that works for her.

[paulee]

I have noticed that keeping my dog’s teeth white is a challenge. I am using a Kirkland brand dry food. Wondering if the stain is a result of the food coloring used by Kirkland. Does anyone know of non-color added food that meets the Dog Food Advisor standards for a quality product?

[Michael L]

I have a 9 month old golden retriever. I’ve been feeding him Orijen Puppy Large for the last few months but I suspect that he’s getting allergies from that.
We’ve been noticing him licking his paws a lot and scratching his nose, also there were some cases of vomiting and swollen eyes.
After fasting and some benadryl it looks like the issue goes away.
We also took him to the vet, blood work looks good and x-rays didn’t show anything ( Basically we payed over $600 for them to tell us he might have something in his stomach and he needs to poop).

Anyhow, I’ve been looking at other brands that I wanted to compare and try out. Any recommendations for Golden Retrievers? Anyone had similar issues like mine? What would you recommend?

Also, I’ve been looking at the top dog food brands (for instance real meat) and it’s a little pricey for me to pay $100 for 5lb bag.

Thanks in advance.

[Susan]

Hi Karen, I have this problem with Patch, burping after meals & bring food up into his mouth & last year he was vomiting undigested kibble 8 hours after eating it..I also thought it was Mega Esophagus & asked the vet… have you seen the poor dogs that do suffer from Mega Esopagus, how they have to sit in specially made chairs when they eat & some are just pups…poor things..
All the kibbles that I’ve tried so far, I found the Wellness Simple Duck & Oatmeal to be excellent, its a meduim size kibble & it digests easily..Oatmeal & pumkin is excellent for tummy problems & easy to digest..
Holistic Select also made by Wellpet is another easy kibble to digest & easy on their tummys, the kibble is smaller but that is better if they swollow kibble whole, less to break down & digest being a smaller size kibble..
I do a kibble test, I get about 2 kibbles put in a glass of boiling water then I count to 40 then put 1 of the kibbles inbetween 2 teaspoons & push down, a good kibble will crush, a hard kibble will normally go flying out of the spoon & wont crush… kibbles with potato are harder, Ive found to be no good…
I also put his kibble in a bowl then I fill with cold water drain fill again & just soak for about 2-3 mins then drain water again, that way the kibble is just soft but still has its crunch & not all swollen & yuk to eat, I put the kibbles back into the cup & only add 1/4 into his bowl then another 1/4 of kibble that way he’s not gulping to much air..
With Wellness Simple Duck & Oatmeal he hasn’t bought up any kibble when he burps, but when he eats wet tin food it comes up into his mouth with the burp, any cooked foods that he eats comes into his mouth also…so Ive been putting his Tuna & pumkin on dry white bread toast, the toast seems to keep things down…
I think Patches stomach isn’t working properly & his food is just sitting in his stomach some days…How I know his stomach isnt working this morning Patch did his poo & the end of his poo was orange from pumkin & had grass that he ate 3 days ago, I know the last 2 days he has not eaten any grass or pumkin, so its taken 3 days to poo out his food, so I assumed things arent working properly, a lady on a different site recommended “Reglan” its a tablet that you give 1 hour before meals, this helps move the food along when the stomach isnt working properly, helps reflux, burping & nausea in dogs & humans…I’ll have to run it by Patches vet first but I might try him on the Motilium (you have Reglan in America we have Motilium) to see if this will help push his food thru instead of just sitting in his stomach & fermenting some days..
If you want to know if the food is passing thru properly, what I do is one morning for breakfast I will give Tuna & boiled pumkin on dry toast, the next morning I’ll just give wet tin kangaroo food for his breakfast, with the Tuna & Pumkin the poos are orange/brown, then try & work out how long its has taken for ur boy to digest & past that meal & then you’ll have more information to tell ur vet…
I hope this information will help your boy in some way…

[Melissaandcrew]

Standards are not a huge mega e breed so that is probably not a huge concern as your vet said. They are however a huge bloat breed and I would be concerned about the belching. They can also have sensitive stomachs. Have you tried soaking his food to see if that helps? Sometimes smaller meals throughout the day can help as well. If he were mine I would try soaking it for a good 15min before feeding to see if that helps him digest. If not I would move on to a different form of food (he may have problems just digesting dry) You could get a a small bag of raw or dehydrated to try for a week My current standards have iron stomachs but some in the past had the same issue of vomitting undigested dry food if fed completely dry. Good luck

• This reply was modified 11 years, 7 months ago by Melissaandcrew.

[Aaron P]

The Kahoots brand dog food is not made by Diamond. It is US made and US sourced(Texas). The meat content is much higher than you will find in Taste of the wild. The salmon is wild caught (tow is farm raised)and the supplementation in Kahoots brand is superior. My dogs have been on Kahoots for about four years. My lab is three now and is in beautiful condition. My beagle is nine she is now a healthy and happy senior dog thanks to the kahoots food. Prior to kahoots she was on Nutro or Wellness neither did her justice as she was tormented by itchy dry skin, irritated paws and frequent hot spots. Thank you Kahoots for making great products that allow my animals to thrive!!!

[Naturella]

The lady I babysit for – I also kind of took over her dog too, and I have successfully switched the dog (Snowy, female, 4 y.o. Shitzu mix) off of Kibbles ‘N’ Crap (sorry, I keep misspelling that – “Bits”). Too bad she already has 3 bumps on her lower ribs, that may be fatty formations, or something else, but I hope for the lesser evil… :/

I weaned her off with the help of Nutro Max, Simply Nourish, Whole Earth Farms, and Earthborn Grain Free in samples over 2 weeks, and I ordered the family 3 LiveFrees and a Wysong and they came in Tuesday. Next week she can start on those (she still has some WEF and Earthborn to finish up over the weekend). I am pumped that I can now take advantage of deals and not break my husband’s ban on dog food for our Bruno, cause we’re stacked full, lol. Snowy is, however, set till the end of the year, so Black Friday sales is when I will shop for her next! 😉

And, I still have some LiveFree Salmon and Wysong for Bruno from the first time they did the deal – the last I sneaked in before I really really stopped! 🙂 I really really like the Wysong and so does Bru Bru (we begged for some samples and graciously got them). 🙂

In fact… Here are the companies that have graciously sent me samples upon request:
Annamaet – GF foods samples and a full-size bag of GF Manitok treats.
Wysong – samples of foods and samples of treats.
Canidae – a whole 4-lb bag of Canidae Pure Sea and a full-size bag of GF Bison treats.
Nature’s Variety Instinct – a one-time voucher for a free product of your choice (includes 4lb bag of dry dog food or 5lb bag of dry cat food, and some canned/raw options).
Nulo – coupons only.

I had also contacted TOTW, Farmina, Fromm, Merrick, Victor – those sent no samples, but rather stressed on their money-back guarantees (Merrick and Fromm), and TOTW said to get samples from local retailers, and Victor said to just buy samples on their website. Farmina never responded. The search continues though! 🙂

• This reply was modified 11 years, 7 months ago by Naturella.

[arwyru24]

Just a reminder, $5 off natural or specialized dry food coupon at PetSmart, good through the end of october. Its a good idea to print now and hold onto it for stacking because a lot of times they pull the links to these coupons before they expire.

http://pages.email-petsmart.com/coupons2014?g=6e33a451-2f8c-401b-b420-888b86bf1199&ab=foodcenter_coupon_dog

[Erin R]

So we just got back from our follow up and the vet and i decided that since she hasn’t pooped since she came home we’re going to put her on Hills i/d low fat GI restore to try and get her stomach back to normal digestion. No worrying about the corn or grains, unless she gets very itchy or worse when i start feeding. But corn is far down on the list so who knows, she might be fine on it!

As far as kibble diet, i did find Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance® Fat Dogs® low calorie dry formula. 26% protein, 7.5% fat – minimums – and no corn or rice. That might be the way to go for us. A lot of the Natural Balance foods seem to have around 10% minimum fat and their protein isn’t in the 30% range, so i think that’ll be the brand i wind up going with.

Thanks for all the tips and suggestions!