[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, 3 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, 3 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, 3 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, 3 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!

[Melissaandcrew]

I feed several feral/stray cats. Quite honestly I feed them whatever is reasonable that I find on sale. I figure they are not mine and damn lucky to get fed (and yes we trapped them and did full medical and apply frontline monthly lol) Usually they get a combo of various dry foods..the last two months it was cat chow, proplan and some top quality grain free that was short dated and reduced to clear. I still have two large bins full of the grain free and being added to that is two large bags of Iams I found on sale today. I figure 50 percent good 50 percent lower quality is better than nothing. For cans they get what ever is on sale.

[Akari_32]

Dehydrated food is less processes than most canned foods, and obviously much less than dry food. As far as feeding goes, it’s fed about the same as any canned diet, in a higher volume than dry.

It’s a good choice for dogs that need a less processed and/or more limited diet (you can buy pre-mixes where you add your own protein source).

And both canned and dehydrated are better for adding water to the diet. They are more species appropriate, due to the water content.

About the only down side is cost, but small dogs aren’t very expensive to feed.

[Liz S]

I am interested in dehydrated food.

What are the pros and cons of it? Compared to dry? To canned?

[Bobby dog]

Hi Erin:
I have a bag of Natures Recipe chic, sp, & pumpkin in my pantry. The fat is 12% minimum and protein is 27% minimum so you would have to contact the company to see what the maximums are.

Below are links to lists of low fat dog foods. These brands/recipes are not necessarily for dogs with pancreatitis. One list pertains to low fat & low sodium foods. I know you are not looking for low sodium foods, but they might be a starting place to find brands to look into further.

/best-dog-foods/suggested-low-fat-dog-food/

/forums/topic/dry-dog-food-with-low-salt-and-low-fat/

[Jim D]

Has anyone had any experience – good or bad – with buying dry dog food by “subscription” from Amazon.Com?

[Sandra R]

I have a two months old french bulldog and I’m feeding her for now Acana for puppies. For now she is doing Ok, but I would like to know about your opinion about rotation diet and how to do it
And if i can give her a raw diet or should I wait until she is an adult? What is the best dry food for French bulldog puppies?
Thank you so much for your help.

[James P]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. She still picks at the dry kibble she is used to but I’ll augment that with a good can food.
Thanks again

[jakes mom]

Does anyone have any experience/knowledge of a fairly new company called Petbrosia? Interesting website, made to order dry food for dogs and cats. You fill out a questionnaire about your pet and they customize food for you. All quality ingredients sourced in USA.

[Lois W]

Have an elderly rescue chihuahua that survived starvation, heart worms, and HGE. Now feed Lamb and Rice small bread cans/dry Natural Balance but looking for grain free easy to digest lamb or chicken dry as well as can food that is five star. Have four special needs rescues including him.

[Jenny]

Hi friends,

Has anyone tried Okinawan Happy Dogs Brain and Memory Support Food Mix or any products from Okinawan Happy Dogs?

Here’s the link to the product: http://www.okinawanhappydogs.com/products/brain-memory-support (it looks very promising and is all-natural, gluten-free, GMO-Free, and no artificial preservatives or coloring added! Too good to be true?)

The company seems fairly new so I haven’t found any consumer reviews online… from the company’s website Okinawan Happy Dogs is “a division of Everyday Wellness Corporation, a US manufacturer of dietary supplements specializing in natural herbal nutrition for humans and pets.” But other than that, zero info.

To give you some background details: My dog is a 16-year-old toy poodle who is battling CDS (Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome) as well a reappearing mammary gland tumor and also developing a slight heart murmur (she’s a fighter!). She eats Earthborn Hollistic dry food, but has been losing her appetite recently and only wags her tail for her favorite treats, Dr. Becker’s Bites Grain Free Liver Treats.

If your dog is also fighting CDS, can you please share/recommend any products that have worked effectively for your dog?

Thank you so much!
J

P.S. After reading this old post from “banditsmom,” I’m thinking of trying Novifit if I can’t find a natural alternative for my dog: /forums/topic/cognitive-dysfunction

[Debra B]

Just to name a few on the August Editor’s Choice List: Summit Original Large Breed Dry Food receives 4 stars and has rice as the THIRD ingredient. Also, Dr. Tim’s Pursuit with a 5 star rating has rice as well as Castor & Pollux Natural Ultramix Adult with a 4 star rating.

[Jeffrey]

Does anyone have any experience with Annamaet Ultra 32 Dry Dog Food or Annamaet Grain-Free Salcha Poulet?

My dog is a 40 pound 5yr old mix and generally active. She walks 3 miles a day and plays fetch 2-3 times a day. Hence the desire for a high protein diet.

She has been dealing with a mix of normal to semi-formed to liquid stools. After a few expensive visits to the Vetrinatian it seems to now come down to diet and a bit of IBD.

We have been feeding her By Nature Organics and also tried Natural Planet Organics (Dry). Both have tomato pomace so I am thinking contributory.

Does anyone have an experience with either of these foods with a dog that has tummy troubles?

Thanks
First time poster,
Jeffrey

[pugmomsandy]

Actually, my freezer is behind the open door of the dog freezer! And I have another side-by-side in the laundry room mostly full of drinks and yogurt and upstairs in the media room I use this unit to thaw food out in.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by pugmomsandy.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[Dori]

OMG! Your dog food room is practically as big as the pet food store I go to. How many dogs do you have? I’m like really speechless. Wow! I’m floored! How long does it take you to use all that food up? Won’t it go bad? That’s a heck of a lot of food. Your dogs are quite the lucky ones.

Thanks for the pics of the food dry and rehydrated. Makes it easier to know what to expect. I rotate foods on a daily basis, sometimes meal by meal so I’m never particularly concerned about whether a food is totally complete and balanced or AAFCO compliant. So long its close, that’s good enough for me. That’s another benefit of rotational feeding.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by Dori.

[pugmomsandy]

I still have a case of BDN to use up. I use it as a topper in rotation with my other toppers. Dori, have you seen my dog supply room? I have lots of topper choices! BDN rehydrates well and looks like cooked ground beef when it’s ready to feed. If you send an email to them, the owner will reply quickly. There were questions about this food regarding it’s GA and it’s calcium level and Ca:Phos ratio. I just use it as an unbalanced topper.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/dogfoodcans_zps83871f36.jpg

This is dry:

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/bdndrybeef2_zps877bb1cb.jpg

and rehydrated:

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/bdnwetbeef1_zpsa0b84618.jpg

[Bobby dog]

Hey everybody! I have been really busy this past week so I have only been popping in here and there.

I have tried some new foods, canned and dry, and will stop back to give some reviews.

C4c: Love the story it brought tears to my eyes too. I get emotional reading or hearing about rescues. 😉

Sharon: I have never tried Go! so I will be interested in what the food is like.

Also, funny you just posted and reminded me of your sensitive kitty. I was just checking out a website I used to visit quite a bit last year. I don’t know if you ever visited it, but they have a good cat food list that I have used in the past. The list is not that long and I know you have fed some of them. Anyway, you might find the description of each food helpful if you are interested in trying something new for your sensitive kitty. Here’s a link to the food list:
http://www.naturalcatcareblog.com/2010/12/the-7-best-natural-commercial-cat-foods-so-far/comment-page-2/

We have had a few weeks of fairly cool weather and only a few days mixed in with high humidity so Bobby was out and about a little more than usual. However, the heat and humidity is coming back which will turn him into a house dog again. lol

Bobby hasn’t marked anymore territory in the garden, but the sweet potatoes are doing really well. Maybe Bobby has the magic touch?

He was ornery the other night though; he managed to eat two dinners. He apparently was hanging around the kitchen while I was outside doing yard work looking very hungry and pitiful. I went inside to get a drink of water and was told “don’t worry about your poor dog, since you were so busy and forgot about him, I fed him.” lol

[Susan]

Hi Erin, Patch cant have wet tin food as he also gets sloppy poo but since I found the Kangaroo at 1.5% fat he’s Ok, so it must of been the highter fat in the other tin foods they were around 4-5% in fat that must of made his poos sloppy..
When I soak Patches kibble in his bowl I drain the water then put the kibble on a paper towel & touch dry & all the kibbles are just soft with a little crunch still & no its the same & doesnt give sloppy poos,
When I first got Patch he was always having sloppy poo then good poos & for about 9 months, we thought it was the fiber, it was flaxseed, then he had a Pancreas flare & it was the higher fat giving him the sloppy poos, so now I make sure I stick around 10% fat for kibbles & 1.5% fat for wet tin foods..
I’d try the Merrick G/F Healthy weight cause the max fat is 11% the protein is 32% min, fiber is 5% but if you have trouble with Merrick it will probably be the protein being to high at 32%
With Pancreatitis some dogs cant have a high protein diet either, thats why Ive never try the Wellness core in the begining cause the protein was 33% & the fiber is 8.5% too high, Patch cant have a high protein, nothing over 24% …also there’s the ‘Holistic Select’ senior at 10% fat & 26% protein, I did try this but I had to take Patch off chicken as vet thought he was allergic to chicken, that’s why he’s on the Wellness Simple Duck & Oatmeal with no chicken fat,
I think that’s why dogs do well on the Vet prescription diets as they are made for illnesses & lower in fat protein & fiber, needed for some dogs with Pancreatitis, you’ll just have to see how ur girl goes, when I joined the dogpancreatitis group on Yahoo I started to learn heaps then I understood why Patch was still having his flares, I was trying to keep his protein high, I’d add a boiled egg to his meal, then he wasnt his usual happy self playing, after eating, I didnt realise that the yoke was too high in fat & protein.. but ur girl will probably be OK, not as bad….

[Melissaandcrew]

Jasmes- remember-any dry food can be softened by soaking it for 10mins or so in warm water 🙂

[DogFoodie]

Hi Liz,

I’m wondering if there’s an issue with the canned food you’re feeding. That’s why I asked when she was fed and what she was eating.

First, I wouldn’t allow the free feeding. Offer the morning meal and remove it after about 15 minutes and then don’t offer the next meal until it’s dinner time. I wouldn’t change that right now, but would in the near future.

As a test, the easiest thing to do would be to try offering the same dry food in the evening that you offer in the morning, as that food seems to work for her. It could be that she’s intolerant of an ingredient in the wet food that makes her not feel well and the anticipation of that makes her feel anxious.

Try that for a few days and see how she responds. I understand wanting to offer more fresh foods and more moisture, so it’s sort of a temporary test without introducing any other potential problems into the mix.

[milly w]

I’m always suggest the best way to help with pet dental problem is to feed them best dry cat food. You can sometimes do some recipe research and make healthy dry food for cats at home. It not only save money, but keep your cats healthy!

[Liz S]

4footedfoodie,

We did try the thundershirt as it was rec’d by our vet. We gave it a try two separate times. Didn’t do a thing for Reese. I too have heard it’s helpful to other dogs. Not my girl :/

Her and my other chi have dry food right now. Fresh kibble is put in their little bowls each day and they free feed throughout the day. They also get a small package of wet at around 5 every day. The kibble is Toy & Small Breed Science Diet. ( Crap, I know ) The wet is Nature’s Recipe Grain Free. We rotate the wet flavors of kitchen. Always have. You may or may not have seen a few of my other posts lately but I have been diligently researching much better dog foods. This site has been very helpful. But very overwhelming. The kibble is running out and tomorrow or Wednesday the latest I’m going to be making a final decision on a new food.

[James P]

I have a 8 year old female boxer with a pretty good under bite. As such her teeth don’t line up properly and since she is getting older it’s becoming harder for her to eat a hard dry kibble. I recently started putting ” Moist and Meaty” dog food down for her and she doesn’t seem to be having any problems with it. I would normally not feed it as the primary food but don’t want her to go hungry. Between that and can ( chunk) dog food I guess that is where we are for now. Any suggestions would be welcome. What about Frozen soft version of Bil-Jack?