[Akari_32]

It’s also on sale. With the coupon it’s only be $3 a bag!

http://m.petsmart.com/h5/hub?id=food-health%2Fdry-food%2Fsimply-nourish-trade-source-adult-cat-good-zid36-2556%2Fcat-36-catid-200028%3Fvar_id%3D36-2556

[Andrew M]

Hello Hound Dog Mom ~
Our now 6 month old German GSD weighs in at 51 ponds plus! We have been feeding him Wellness Core Puppy Dry… He devours his twice daily feeding of approximately 2 cups per feeding. My questions… You suggest mixing wet food. What is your opinion about staying with the same family of food, Wellness, and adding the wet, as a topper, either on a regular daily basis at each feeding or periodically on different days at different feedings? Thanks in advance for your comments and response… Others are also encouraged to comment if you would like to contribute.

[Akari_32]

Nails are done! Whoo! I tried to do them myself, but my clippers are just too small. I did trim them, at least.

But today at the vet, we had some down time, so I walked home and grabbed Ginger, and walked back over. Managed to muzzle her in one try, and got her flipped on her side to hold her down very easily.

I feel like if we had rushed into this sooner, she would have been so stressed and scared. But she didn’t even growl or try to bite. I held her down while the tech I’m shadowing did the cutting. When I get some bigger clippers, I’ll try it at home again, when it’s time to do it, of course. I’ll have someone hold her while I cut. Hopefully, though, daily walks will keep them down at this point.

Speaking of walks, when we were walking home, I started up the driveway, and she was still walking down the sidewalk LOL She really loves to walk. We walked about a half mile yesterday, and we got home and she was just so happy. I’ve never seen her eyes so bright, despite the fact she was so so tired out her tounge was almost touching the floor, even with her head held up LOL I always say I hate Flexi leashes, but I do walk her and Haley on one. She has such little legs that she lags behind if she’s not running (you know she’s excited when she’s running LOL), and I don’t want her to tangle in the leash. She also stops abruptly for potty breaks, and I don’t want to jerk her (and hurt her) on accident. And then Haley just needs a quiet verbal command, or even a just hearing the lock start to click on the leash to know what I want her to do. And neither of them approach random people we pass, either. But you’ll never catch me walking a dog like Bentley on a Flexi leash! He’s stupid enough to run out into the road or run up to dogs that clearly want to eat him. The only Flexi leash I would consider for him is the Flexi City, which is a 6ft retractable, and is absolutely genius. But I ain’t paying $20+ for a leash, so that’ll never happen unless I find one at goodwill (where I got my other two full size ones lol). He gets tangled in his leash all the time because he can’t just walk in a straight line like a normal dog. I hate walking him sometimes, but someone’s gotta do it… Lol

Anyway… Lol Ginger is doing good, and eating well. I started her on a 1/2 teaspoon of keifer every day, and her poops look much better than they have been. Not all runny and smelly like they’ve been the last week. I think I’ll just keep her on it every day. I’ve been giving it to Bentley as well, the same amount, to mix the SSLL mix into, along with some canned food and coconut oil or fish oil. I also need to up her food, I think. I’ve been giving her 1/3 cup with a couple tablespoons of canned Wellness Senior (my free cans! LOL), but I think I’ll start giving her a little more of the dry, especially since she loves walks so much. Gotta keep some meat on her bones.

That’s all I’ve got for now, I think. She’s passed out on the couch, sleeping off her nail trim lol

[Akari_32]

The only thing I don’t like about the cat Authority is that all the formulas appear to have fish in them. Fish over a period of time can cause thyroid issues. I used to use the Authority Flaked Turkey, but they just changed the recipe to have have less protein, and more carbs, which I avoid for my cat because he is prone to UTIs. For normal cats, that drink water (mine doesn’t), the little extra carbs they added shouldn’t matter. The Flaked Turkey is the only canned recipe that does not have fish, and I’m fairly sure all the dry ones have fish. Wouldn’t be bad for a rotation, but it’s not something I’d personally use all the time.

I also like the looks of the Simply Nourish dry, and used it some when I didn’t know about my cats UTI problems. They also have fish, but much lower down. Just check the ingredients, and decide for your self. That far doesn’t shouldn’t cause any problems, but if you’re like me, I’d rather not use it on a regular basis. I’ll admit to being a crazy person LOL

Also, here’s a coupon 🙂 save the link, as it’s good forever 😉 The expiration date changes every day. It’s good for Authority and Simply Nourish dry foods, as well as other brands, and is for cat and dog food.

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

[Susan D]

I have a 5 yr old black lab (Jake). In the last year or so he has been constantly licking and chewing his feet. We tried allergy shots (depomedrol) and it didn’t help at all. He is eating a chicken based dry dog food that has not wheat or corn. We add canned food and also cook chicken thighs and add that meat. We also have 3 other dogs, 2 german shepherds and a mixed breed. The others do not have this problem. I bought a natural formula supplement for dogs and he has been on it for about 3 weeks but I don’t see any results yet.

Any suggestions? My husband and I are retired so cost of food is an issue (of sorts).

[Ray T]

Hello, I am new to the forum. I have a one year old miniature Schnauzer. I am aware of their tendency to get hyperlipidemia, pancreatitis and such. Could anyone suggest a dry kibble that is low in fat and would be a good life long food providing it is tolerated. She has been on Blue since puppyhood but have been advised that it may be a little to rich for her.
The prescription brands have a low rating, but are used by Veterinarians, so what should I do?

[Kellye P]

My little poodle has been diabetic for 4 years. His glucose levels are good. I have had every imaginable test run on him to find out why he can’t gain weight. Everything checks out perfectly except one time his electrolytes were off. I now put an electrolyte powder in his water. He was 10 lbs when diagnosed and is now 6 pounds. Every bone in his body sticks out. I take him to a Traditional Chinese Medicine vet, an acupunture specialist, and his regular vet. He is on Vetsulin and thyroid. I give him Caniotic probiotics, coconut oil and digestive enzymes. I have gone raw, dehydrated, bought recipes at Balance It, bought recipes from a California company that makes food based on their vet’s advice, tried Sojo’s and other “add meat” foods, dry food, canned food, etc. I have tried everything. High fat foods make him throw up. It is breaking my heart that we are heading back into winter and he’s skin and bones. Yes, he stays inside and wears shirts or sweaters all year, but he is way too skinny.

[crazy4cats]

Yes, Authority canned cat food is one of the foods I feed my cats regularly. They don’t eat the flaked very well, though, just the pate style. I think it is a great value. I’ve not fed the dry kibble.

[Mom2Cavs]

I’m sure others will post, but you most likely won’t see Blue Buffalo listed on the editor’s choice selections. Even though, ingredient wise they rate high on the list they have a few problems. They use lots of co packers, have been reported to allegedly make some animals sick. These are just a few of the reasons I’m aware of. Imho, I’d choose Wellness Small Breed over Blue Buffalo hands down. I feed it in my rotation. They manufacture they’re own food now, or outsource very little of their dry. They claim to use non-GMO ingredients. They don’t contain the lifesource bits…..even though years ago when I fed it for a short time my dogs ate them, I like the fact that Wellness doesn’t have them. Wellness also sends out coupons every month and I like their newsletter. Each of us must do what we think is best for our pets and I just am not comfortable with Blue Buffalo anymore.

[Liz S]

Usually I shop at Petco but last week went to PetSmart and they had this brand.

Anyone else ever try this brand whether for cats or dogs? Thoughts? If you didn’t have a good experience what ended up being the brand/type you finally went with?

I recently switched my 2 cats to Authority Dry Turkey Sensitive digestive.
So far I LOVE IT!!! My Simba hasn’t thrown up since the day after we switched to it. Yes, we mixed their old food into this and switched them in 2 days. I am so relieved to finally find a dry food that is easy on his stomach. His little sister Sassy loves it too.

[DogFoodie]

If you right click and choose save image, then open the file, you can print the coupons.

Here’s a coupon for $8.00 of Back to Basics Grain Free dry dog food. The coupon is only good at Pet Supplies Plus:

http://www.petsuppliesplus.com/coupon.jsp?pageName=20140924_Back2Basics_Save8

[Bobby dog]

Hi James D:
I don’t know if anyone has such a list, but in the mean time you can use the link below to access lists to foods that are rated as just 5 stars, just 4 stars, and so on:

/dog-food-reviews/dry/

[Lisa C]

Hello all! It has been a while since I wrote and I’ve been meaning to for a while, but kept getting sidetracked. So here I am at 2:40am, haha.

Our Chewy has been 1000000% fantastic over the last month. Our 2nd opinion vet saved the day. He has been on the omeprazole for over a month now and he hasn’t puked at all. He can eat any foods now that he couldn’t before. Wet, dry, treats of different nature. It’s a miracle. The only thing I worry is, does he have to take this tiny pill for the rest of his life? For the meantime, it’s a nice relief for all of us. We plan on talking to that vet soon to ask her about the Omeprazole. Chewy is a million times better in so many different aspects, attitude wise especially. he’s never depressed and sitting alone ALL day in his bed. he plays constantly, he’s always happy and smiling. It’s like we got our puppy back. We hadn’t seen that in SO long. it warms my heart SO MUCH! and he will be ONE next month!

Needless to say we gave up on buying Z/D as he can eat anything now and not vomit, and it’s super expensive. Currently he is back on Nutro since that’s what he has had since we first got him and he was a tiny baby.

Here’s some pics:

http://oi57.tinypic.com/5xon44.jpg
http://oi57.tinypic.com/20q1kpy.jpg

Thanks ALL <3

[Nancy M]

I have very recently acquired from my daughter, an 8 month old mini Aussie, who is currently about 20+ lbs. She has been on Diamond puppy formula, dry, since 8 weeks of age. Not being a Diamond fan, and not willing or able to go with the RAW, I am looking for suggestions as to a more healthy and favorable dog food for her. I have always used the premium brands with my previous dogs, hoping to offer much better nutrition than the run of the mill, grocery store brands, but there have become so many choices, I have no idea where to start to switch this girl over. Being an energy, performance type of breed, opposed to my more calm, laid back lifestyle, I do not wish to feed a formula that will create more energy. Truthfully, I’m not sure she will be happy with or acceptable, of a more sedentary life with me, but rather than allow her to be given off to a stranger, I am just trying to give it my best and see if it can work. I’m not sure this is going to do her justice, but time will tell.

In the meantime, I want something substantially better for her than Diamond. Suggestions, please. My first inclination would be TOTW, but depending on what her system may accept and thrive on, I could be on a trial and error rollercoaster. I thought all of this was behind me for a good while, until I lost my beloved Sheltie a couple weeks ago and now trying to give this pup a new home. Now it starts all over again. Whoopy!

Looking for input soon, so I can try to get started. Thanks much to all!

Nancy

[Ivan L]

@sue66b
I’m using Blue Buffalo to feed all of them. The Cocker have almost only wet canned food. The other two have dry food topped with wet food.
They like the Blue Buffalo, I just want to rotate the food and try other brands of high quality food.

[Ivan L]

Hi
I’m very new on this dog food subject.
I have three dogs and I’m lost of what is the best way to feed them.
I have a 10 years old cocker spaniel and 2 shih tzu that are 4 years old.

Should I use dry food or wet food?
Should I mix them?
What food do you recommend taking in consideration one is a senior dog all of them are small breeds?

Thank you for the advises

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Carlos –

Mixing wet food and dry food is definitely a good idea. Wet food is much healthier than dry (higher moisture content, higher protein levels, less processed) so if you’re going to feed dry it’s a great idea to at least incorporate some wet.

I’m not sure whether or not Simply Nourish is appropriate for large breed puppies as my inquiries to the company about their nutrient levels were never responded to. However, with that said, I wouldn’t consider a pit-husky mix to be a large breed so you’re probably okay.

[Carlos F]

Hello everyone, i’m really glad i found this forum. Thanks to all of you i have been educating myself a lot. I am a first time owner though and just wanted to ask a couple questions. I have a huskey/pitbull mix puppy and she will be 4 months at the end of the month. I am currently feeding her 1 cup Simply Nourished large breed puppy food with a spoonful of wet food from the same brand mixed together 3 times a day. Just wondering if i have done a good choice and if mixing wet and dry food is a good idea. Thank you all in advance and i really appreciate all of your help.

[Bobby dog]

No code, it’s just a promo they are running. On their homepage it reads “pet appreciation week,” and under that they have several pet food specials listed. 1st is the 4H deal, 2nd is $5 off certain foods, then $3 off certain foods. It does say today is the last day to save on pet products. I don’t know if it means the sale prices and the 4H shipping deal ends or just prices; I didn’t ask when the shipping deal ends.

I clicked on several of the 4H foods (dog & cat both canned and dry) and each one had the deal on each individual page. On the individual pages for each food (cat or dog) the deal is listed under the price, “Buy $49 of 4Health, Get Free Ground Shipping.”

I totally get not wanting to buy a bunch of food you haven’t bought before, I feel the same way. I just did a mock order to see how they credit free shipping to your order; it is automatically applied after your order exceeds $49. If you don’t reach $49 the shipping is around $20. Now the neat thing is you don’t have to order a case of something. I put in like 11 cans of chic canned cat food, 6 cans of turkey canned dog food, and a bag of dry dog food. Also, I don’t know if it is my lack of computer skills, their site never brings up all 4H selections (different bag sizes) unless I type “4Health” in the search box and then search for the products from the 4H page.

[Akari_32]

Haha, thanks guys! She’s a total cutie. You can see why I couldn’t leave her to be put down. Just look-it that face!

Yes, Dori, she has some major talons. Not sharp, though, surprisingly. Which is nice lol But they are so long that two of them got stuck overlapping and had her hobbling around the house until I noticed lol I’ve been walking her every day to try and wear them down. I don’t want to jump into trying to get her vetted and groomed before she’s really had a chance to settle in. Of course, vetting will be done by who over adopts her (be it us, or someone else) unless an emergency comes up. I would certainly love to see her stay, but its up to mom in the end. If it were up to me, she’d be staying, no question about it! She’s such a sweetie X3

Her poor teeth are terrible. They are beyond repair at this point, and she’s so old, I wouldn’t bother even if they could be fixed. Not sure if I said this already or not, but I looked at her vet records when we had nothing else to do, and she has no shot records or anything! Only thing she has is a nail trim in 2012, something else in 2013, and then about 12 visits since the 5th of September this year, starting with a bladder infection and ending with being aggressive and me taking her on the 16th. The lady that left her says she’s 16, and the records say she’s 14. I thought I heard she was 12. So, no one knows exactly how old she is, but she’s old. The vet said he didn’t even want to give her shots she is sold old. But I will continue to feed her canned and dry mix, to keep the cost of the canned down. I’ll give her whatever the big dogs are on for dry, and whatever I get for a good price for canned. Keep it interesting lol I did try the ol’ warm water in the dry food trick, and she wouldn’t eat it.

Jakes mom, my room mate didn’t say anything about being aggressive when she came out of her daze. If she was, I would have heard about it. The only time she gets grumpy is when Bentley is too excited and gets in her face and when you try to pick her up. So it does seem like more of a pain anticipation reaction. But I did consider a mild seizure, since she hasn’t done that before for me (or anything else that would show to me that she has dementia), and we just had a dog come in doing a very similar thing (would block everything around him, and look very uncomfortable, act like he was about to throw up, and then come right back out of it like nothing ever happened). So I’m still kind of torn about the whole dementia thing. As she settles in, I’ll be able to tell better, I suppose.

[Akari_32]

Hey guys! Popping in with an update!

I was talking to mom Wednesday about Ginger (just about her in general), and she was like “well send me a picture!” (she works out of town mon-thurs). So I hang up with her, send her a pic, and she texts back “awww she’s cute!” and then sends another one that says “but we aren’t keeping her”.

Fast forward to Thursday night when she gets home, and we were all standing around and talking, and moms like “well I don’t like her name.” Of course, everyone is thinking why does her name matter if we aren’t keeping her??

Then today, I call her while my friend and I are driving to Universal, and she’s got Ginger up on her bed (she used to doggy steps to get up there), sleeping in her pillow! At the same time, my friend was texting a few of her friends that may be able to take her or know someone who may be able to, and I was telling mom about it, and she was like “well I don’t knoooow.”

So in less than 12 hours of being around that dog, she’s got mom wrapped around her little paw, and totally trained. So we may very well have ourselves a fourth dog. And it sounds like she’s moms dog LOL I suppose we’re going to have to talk about this more when I get home. Its not like she eats very much, anyways.

And speaking of eating, I got a can of Bentley’s back up Pure Balance Stew Puppy out, and mixed a couple teaspoons of the broth in and some of the meat, and she didn’t waste any time eating it! Had mom feed her the same way today, and she apparently ate very well today as well. I also noticed she can’t get down the doggy stairs, so I wonder how good her sight is, and if she is relying more on her sense of smell, which is why she wasn’t eating the dry food. She does have cataracts, and doesn’t like to be out in the yard at night, and if the lights are out, she will not go down the stairs.

Oh, and the other day, when I was at work and my room mate was home with Ginger, she said Ginger was staring out, and took her a few minutes to get her attention and bring her “back.” So maybe she does have dementia… But even still, she’s pretty much a normal dog for her age.

[Naturella]

Hey, all!

Please allow me to preface this by saying that this comment is NOT directed to anyone in particular.

I just do not understand why this bugs me so much, but it does… Here it is: I do not seem to grasp why people recommend stuff like “Blue Buffalo Wilderness” or “SomeBrand Grain Free”, when those foods are not BRANDS. They are brand LINES. Blue Buffalo is a brand with grain-free and grain-inclusive dry and wet foods. You can’t just pick your favorite formula and boom, want it to be an Editor’s Choice BRAND. It is usually a part of a BRAND with multiple formulas and even the line you recommend rated well, that doesn’t mean all products did or that the BRAND is worth of being included as an Editor’s Choice brand.

Sorry, just had to get this off my chest, still not directed to anyone personally.

[Liz S]

My 2 year old chihuahua is a picky eater when it comes to dry and canned.
Since she is not very active I think I need something with not too much protein? I’d like to do a dry that she can pick at throughout the day as well as a bit of canned in the evening.

Any other chihuahua parents have any suggestions? Or what do you feed yours?

[Bobby dog]

Akari posted a list of Wellness food carb values on a dry matter and as fed basis for anyone interested:

/forums/topic/carb-values-of-wellness-kibble/

[Cheryl C]

My 13 year old dog does not have symptoms of pancreatic insulinoma but blood tests show a wide variation in glucose. One vet suggests a diabetic diet, another a diet of complex carbohydrates. Is there a healthy dry/canned dog food with protein, complex carbs, low fat that I can use as a base and add real food that are complex carbs?

[Akari_32]

I emailed Wellness the other day looking for a low carb kibble to use as treats for Bentley, and they, awesomely, sent me the as fed and dry matter carb values of their entire dog line! Decided I’d post it here, and possibly help someone out in the future 🙂

Wellness® Dry Dog Foods: Carbohydrates

Wellness® Dry Dog
Complete Health Deboned Chicken & Oatmeal Recipe:
As Fed: 49.58%
Dry Matter: 53.89%

Complete Health Whitefish & Sweet Potato Recipe:
As Fed: 45.89%
Dry Matter: 49.84%

Complete Health Lamb & Barley Recipe:
As Fed: 48.15%
Dry Matter: 52.34%

Complete Health Healthy Weight Deboned Chicken & Peas Recipe:
As Fed: 53.11%
Dry Matter: 57.73%

Complete Health Senior Deboned Chicken & Barley Recipe:
As Fed: 52.42%
Dry Matter: 56.98%

Complete Health Puppy Deboned Chicken, Oatmeal & Salmon Meal Recipe:
As Fed: 36.72%
Dry Matter: 39.91%

Large Breed Complete Health Adult Deboned Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe:
As Fed: 44.58%
Dry Matter: 48.46%

Large Breed Complete Health Puppy Deboned Chicken, Brown Rice & Salmon Meal Recipe:
As Fed: 43.56%
Dry Matter: 47.35%

Small Breed Complete Health Adult Turkey & Oatmeal Recipe:
As Fed: 37.67%
Dry Matter: 40.94%

Small Breed Complete Health Adult Whitefish, Salmon Meal, & Peas Recipe:
As Fed: 35.43%
Dry Matter: 38.51%

Small Breed Complete Health Puppy Turkey, Oatmeal & Salmon Meal Recipe:
As Fed: 36.36%
Dry Matter: 39.52%

Small Breed Complete Health Senior:
As Fed: 44.16%
Dry Matter: 48.00%

Small Breed Complete Health Healthy Weight Turkey & Brown Rice Recipe:
As Fed: 43.38%
Dry Matter: 47.16%

Toy Breed Complete Health Adult Deboned Chicken, Brown Rice & Peas Recipe:
As Fed: 32.48%
Dry Matter: 35.30%

Toy Breed Complete Health Healthy Weight Deboned Chicken & Barley Recipe:
As Fed: 41.71%
Dry Matter: 45.34%

Toy Breed Complete Health Senior Deboned Chicken & Oatmeal Recipe:
As Fed: 42.43%
Dry Matter: 46.12%

Wellness® CORE® Dry Dog
CORE® Grain-Free Original:
As Fed: 29.47%
Dry Matter: 32.03%

CORE® Grain-Free Ocean:
As Fed: 28.52%
Dry Matter: 31.00%

CORE® Grain-Free Reduced Fat:
As Fed: 34.19%
Dry Matter: 37.16%

CORE® Grain-Free Puppy:
As Fed: 23.58%
Dry Matter: 25.63%

CORE® Grain-Free Small Breed:
As Fed: 23.79%
Dry Matter: 25.86%

CORE® Grain-Free Large Breed:
As Fed: 31.29%
Dry Matter: 34.01%

CORE® Grain-Free Wild Game:
As Fed: 28.18%
Dry Matter: 30.63%

Simple Limited Ingredient Diet Dry Dog Recipes:
Simple Grain-Free Salmon & Potato Formula:
As Fed: 43.20%
Dry Matter: 46.96%

Simple Grain-Free Turkey & Potato Formula:
As Fed: 41.99%
Dry Matter: 45.64%

Simple Lamb & Oatmeal Formula:
As Fed: 48.11%
Dry Matter: 52.59%

Simple Duck & Oatmeal Formula:
As Fed: 49.26%
Dry Matter: 53.54%

Simple Grain -Free Small Breed Salmon & Potato Formula:
As Fed: 35.13%
Dry Matter: 38.18%

Simple Grain – Free Healthy Weight Salmon & Peas Formula:
As Fed: 42.76%
Dry Matter: 46.48%

[crazy4cats]

Here is the link for the large breed puppy appropriate dry dog foods: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk/edit
I don’t think it has a yellow stickie. But it SHOULD! 🙂 Good luck!

[InkedMarie]

Barb: are you giving your dog wet food and/or adding wet and water to his dry?

[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.