[Debbie L]

Good info in your responses and thanks. Like others say they do with raw meat, I too wash my hands and everything the meat touches. I was also concerned, not just about the safety factor of handling raw meat to myself, but the possibility of pets getting a bacterial infection such as E. coli, salmonella, etc. from eating it. Over the years there have been recalls off and on for ground beef contaminated with E. coli. Don’t know if dogs and cats could be sickened with that in the same way as humans or not. Then if you remember a few years ago there was the scare of salmonella (I think that’s what it was) in raw eggs.

If you’ve had luck feeding raw then by all means continue it. I believe I sway a little more to the high quality dry and wet foods. Whatever the source of food for our pets, we all share in common wanting to keep them healthy and live long lives.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by Debbie L.

[Lisa C]

Hi sue,

this pic is of a little chewy, he’s bigger now, about 8-9lbs? He was a super cute pup 🙂 He does eat quickly, but whenever I fed him dry food I only gave him a little at a time so he wouldn’t scarf it all down. My mom told me to buy one of those feeding machines, but I don’t plan on giving him unlimited amounts of dry food. I also know at places like Target you can buy this thing that’s less than $5 that you put in the bowl and it helps control the food intake. He usually doesn’t vomit until the next morning. I gave him a good amount of Nutro wet last night, and he didn’t vomit at all this morning so far, which is crazy! I keep searching around my room because I just don’t believe it. He also had a healthy poop when I woke up. and I agree about our vet. They have no answers for us, only to keep buying expensive foods or pushing the endoscopy!

[Lori B]

I have had my standard poodle puppy on Merrick for 5 weeks. He likes it and seems healthy. However, his poop is always soft, some times a little runny, like soft serve ice cream.

He has been checked for worms. So I think this food does not agree with him.

What is it about the food that could cause this problem, and how do you choose another food to try and avoid this issue?

thanks!

[Corinne M]

Personally, although I feed my dogs raw, I wouldn’t presume to try to convince anyone to do the same. It’s messy – and sometimes it’s just a pain in the neck! When I am busy (or lazy), I buy prepared raw dog food that includes only high quality, human-grade ingredients and I find the warnings and disclaimers about “contamination” slightly hilarious since it’s the same stuff I buy at the butcher’s counter to feed my family. Some of the “cautions” make it sound like I’m bringing a nuclear weapon into my kitchen – when in fact it only contains fresh, ground meat & vegetables.
If you are avoiding a raw diet because the of the safety questions, I can tell you that high quality, fresh, human-grade foods are safe for you to handle & for your pup to eat. If, on the other hand, you are avoiding raw dog food because your pup had a hard time digesting it, I would tell you that there some great resources (this website especially) that can give you some suggestions on how to transition your pup off commercial kibble if that’s your goal. And, if you and your pup find kibble works best for you, there are also some great articles here about how to select an excellent quality dry or freeze dried dog food. In the end, the fact that you are even posting on this site makes me think that you are probably already feeding your pets a lot better than 99% of pet owners out there because you are clearly concerned with nutrition & wellness.
Best of luck in whatever path you decide upon.
Corinne

[Alina S]

Hey, all. I’m new to this forum, but I have read a lot of articles here already! Unfortunately, I have a lot of health-related questions for this post, so I apologize in advance. It would be great if I could get as much help as possible, though. 🙂 I’ll start with a list of his background information, then move on to a semi-detailed list of my health concerns for him.

-Rottweiler/Shepherd mix (at least, we think. He almost looks like he has some Corgi in him.)
-1 year old
-30 pounds
-Adopted from local animal control on Tuesday, 7/15/2014
-Was at the shelter for a month
-When he was found, he was covered in ticks
-Tested positive for whipworms
-Up to date on all vacs
-1/2 tin of Nutro Ultra patte per feeding
-1/2 cup grain free Science Diet per feeding*

*I know everyone hates Science Diet, but it’s what the shelter was feeding, and I didn’t want to switch dry foods on him right away.

Took him to the vet Friday, 7/18/2014
-Gave me medicine for whipworms
-Said he looked fine otherwise
-He’s getting neutered on Friday, 7/25/2014
-He’s getting tested for heart worms and tick-borne diseases on that day, too.

Now, onto my list of concerns…

-Loose stools
He doesn’t have full out diarrhea, but his stools are very watery and hard to pick up with a doggy bag… They just smear over the grass and it’s awful! I did some reading and it seems like both whipworms and lyme’s disease can cause diarrhea. The whipworms are under control (hopefully,) and we’ll know about the lyme’s disease this Friday. So,
-are his stools loose because he’s still getting used to his new home? Should I be worried?
Any feedback on combating this problem now and in the future would be greatly appreciated.

-Whipworms
I read that the reinfection rate for whipworms is very high. After the dewormer, and after his heartworm test, he will be on HeartGard Plus. Will that be sufficient for protecting him from whipworms, or will this be a consistent problem? Am I looking at any long term damage from the whipworms?

-Limping
I just took him to the groomer’s today. I do not know what went wrong, but he is now limping very badly on his right hind leg. When he stands, he stands just on his very tippy toes of this leg, and if he’s walking/running, he either limps on it, or just hops on his 3 legs and avoids using it all together. I’m going to wait and see if things get better tomorrow morning, before I call anyone.

-Can I wait until I bring him to the vet this Friday to ask about it? He does not seem to be in pain. He does not cry or squirm when I touch his paw, his leg feels fine, his hip sockets feel even to me, the pads of his paw are fine. His nails do look really short, but I can’t find evidence of blood. Do short nails cause limping?
-What should I do about walks?

I’ve been taking him out onto the leash and just moseying around the front yard, but that is not giving him the bathroom time that he needs. He is running around and playing, and shows a lot of eagerness while outside and even chased after a rabbit, he’s just limping. Is it okay to walk him like normal, so he can relieve himself fully?

I’m really sorry about all these questions, but I thought it would be best to make one long list. Feel free to just pick and choose a certain topic to answer; don’t feel pressured to answer all these questions. This is my first “adult” dog, meaning I am doing this all without the help of my parents (I’m in college,) and I want to do everything right so I don’t have mountains of vet bills later on.

Thank you so much!!

[Marcus P]

Hey All,

Wondering if anyone can help out. I am looking at getting a new Mastiff puppy and dont know what the best food choices are for a giant breed. I do know that the breeder has been feeding him Victor Super Premium since 7 weeks. He is now around 8 weeks. From my research on the Forums so far I have found that the calcium levels in this food may be to high? I was looking at Earthborn Holistics (meadow feast and/or costal catch). Is that a good substitute for the Victor, or am I way off base? Is it necessary to add anything to the dry food like some kind of wet food? Also, I had always believed that big dogs should be fed from elevated bowls, but I have found that this may also not be the case as it may increase the chance of bloat? Due to the need to regulate a giant breed dogs calcium intake what type of treats and bones can they have? Is there anything I am missing that I also need to know about feeding a giant breed? Sorry about all the questions, I just want to make sure I do right by the little guy and he is with us for as long as possible. Thanks for any help.

[InkedMarie]

Corey: dry food is the worst thing you can feed a dog with crystals. Best is raw, dehydrated or canned. I had a dog with struvite crystals & he did not go on a script diet. If you must feed dry, please add some canned to it plus warm water to make a stew. It’s very important that you make sure he gets enough liquid & ample opportunity to urinate. Do you give a urinary supplement or cranberry? Ask your vet if vitamin C would help.

[Lisa C]

update: today we took Chewy to the vet to get his umbilical hernia removed, but the doc wouldn’t work on him when i told her he was still vomiting. The BF and I want to get a new vet. They did some MORE blood work (seems useless anymore) that we will get the results for tomorrow. Today was the first day in a long time that we gave him A LOT of dry food. My vet said he was so skinny he looked like he was in a concentration camp. Those were her words. Made me feel awful, like I don’t care about my dog. when he’s vomiting every day, of course he’s not going to gain weight! sigh! Now that he ate so much today, his stomach looks big. Will be interesting to see how much he vomits in the morning.

[Debbie L]

I’ve only tried faw meat with a dog once, a female Collie, but she had a sensitive stomach and it made her vomit. So if I did not add canned to her dry food I began to add cooked meat again and she was fine. She loved to eat green frogs when she could catch them, but they made her sick and vomit every time. Apparently raw food was not for her.

My concern about feeding raw is the potential for parasites, E.coli, Salmonella, etc. I know in the wild animals (carnivores) have no choice but to eat raw foods. But since dogs are removed from the wild are their systems still geared to handle foods raw? I haven’t tried raw meats on my two males.

On the human aspect, I believe about a year ago I read where the FDA was not as thorough inspecting meats as in the past. That makes our foods not as safe as they once were. So, the bad elements in raw meats could be passed on to dogs and cats as well.

I just don’t feel as safe about feeding pets raw foods as it was say 10 years ago.

[Daryl O]

Hello!

We have a little Shorkie puppy who has a bit of a wire hair coat. He is 1 year 6 months old. His coat is drying out and is not as soft (as soft as a wire hair can be) as it was months ago.

We are feeding him blue buffalo life protection dry and blue buffalo canned (various).

Any suggestions on changing brands or other ideas to help is coat out?

New to this forum so excuse any inappropriate questions/statements.

Cheers.

[Dori]

BRT. Glad to hear your dog is doing well on Zignature. I’ve never fed Natural Balance but I certainly would have stopped after the recalls as I’ve done with all foods that have had recalls not to my liking.

I had a feeling that you had overlooked the Turkey Meal in the NV Instinct Raw Boost. I’ve never fed it for that reason. I would love to find a kibble for emergencies but I’ve yet to find one that Katie doesn’t have a problem with. She has too many allergies to keep track of. I’ve got to get some index cards or start a Word document for her allergies and intolerances.

Are you feeding the Zignature dry or canned? Just curious.

[Dawn R]

Does anyone know which 5 star dry foods have small kibble? I bought Orijen and Acana and it’s way to big for my new puppy, she stared at it confused after eating Stella and Chewys dehydrated for a few days. I want to be able to feed the new puppy as many types of food as possible ( raw, canned, dehydrated, dry).

Please let me know if you have suggestions. Thanks….

Dawn

[Debbie L]

HARPERS MOM: You can mix up a solution of food grade DE with water and spray that in the yard. When it dries it won’t be exactly like the dry powdery form, but will be similar. I think it would still have the same destructive effect on fleas and other pests.

Same with the dog, a small amont can be mixed with water and used as a drench like you would a dip.

Safer IMO as a wet form, as if you inhale too much of the powder it can cause some serious lung damage. If you prefer the dry form and have a lot to use be sure to wear a mask that filters dust so to not breathe in the DE powder. Outside if there is a wind the small particles from the dust tend to float around in the air.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by Debbie L.

[LexiDog]

Dogswell LiveFree dry dog food on Petflow.com for $3.99 for 4 lb bag.
Recipes:
Puppy Chicken
Senior Chicken
Adult Salmon
Adult Chicken
Adult Lamb
Adult Turkey

These are regularly priced at $16.99 for 4 lbs. All are rated 5 stars…

[Barb D]

Hi, I have a 4 year old chocolate Labrador that I adopted after my friend passed away last year. She is healthy and happy but periodically she throws up for no apparent reason. When she does, it will usually last a few days with vomiting 1 – 3 times, total. No other symptoms. I feed her (and my 2 yr old black Labrador) Acana Pacifica Regionals dry food.
My vet has suggested it is the food and has put her in Royal Canin Gastro – dry.
I am not sold on this product and not totally sure it’s a food allergy as she will throw up one week then be fine for a few weeks.
I am wanting to wean her off of the RC and put her slowly back onto the Acana. (note: she has not thrown up since being on this food and completing meds to settle her stomach)
Any suggestions or help is appreciated…Maverik and Shelbi are our babies and my first dogs.
Thank you!
Barb

[Catty Tammy]

What are the dry dog food brands made at this plant?

[Melissaandcrew]

Joey-It tends to be a dog to dog thing rather than a general breed thing. My English Bulldog eats the same as every one else here-4-5star grain free dry and raw etc. Granted Eggs give him gas, lol, but no issues with food in general. It may be that your boy has grain issues.

[terri c]

Please advise what the best dry food would be for my 7 year old girl with Addison’s disease. She is a picky eater and there have been reports that her current food has changed its formula causes medical issues.

[terri c]

My 8 years old girl is allergic to chicken ( breaks out in sores that quickly becomes a staph infection ). Had her on Natural Balance limited ingredient food which she did great until this last bag. Please suggest.

[Dyann R]

Dr. Glickman’s research first showed that moistening ANY dry dog foods prior to feeding increased the risk of GDV. Later, when he researched food factors affecting GDV, the research showed that citric acid in a food increased the risk of GDV, and when food with citric acid was moistened that risk was substantially increased.

[DogFoodie]

We live and learn. Maybe it was the food, maybe not. I’m so sorry for the loss of your pup. It’s very painful when we have to say good bye.

First, check this: http://victordogfood.com/

In the black bar near the top of the page, it says something like find a dealer. I put in Los Angeles and found several local retailers. Victor makes some great foods and locally for me, the grain inclusive varieties run about $40 for 40 pounds and the same for 30 pounds of grain free. Very quality products, reputable manufacturer, good customer service from the company.

If you can’t buy it locally, check out Dr. Tim’s, Eagle Pack, Horizon Legacy, Earthborn, Infinia and NutriSource. Pure Balance from Wal-Mart is also a good choice.

The only thing that bothers me about Kirkland and Natures Domain dry dog foods, is that they’re made by Diamond. However, on the West Coast, your food “should” come from the Diamond plant with a much better reputation than that in the Southern US.

[Bobby dog]

Okay, it’s me again. I have one more suggestion for you. If you are able to order on-line you can often find sales on pet food. Sign up for e-mail notifications from on-line retailers. You will receive information on sales, reduced or free shipping and handling specials, or other promotions they have. Some offer discounts for first time customers or when you sign up for automated ordering.

As an example, I signed up for e-mail notifications from Petsmart and I belong to their pet perks club. I received an e-mail they were having a 30% storewide and on-line sale. On top of the 30% they also offered an extra 15% off on certain items ordered on-line. I found a discount code on the Krazy Coupon Lady’s website for an extra $20 off certain large bags of Innova cat or dog dry food. I ordered cat food that was regularly priced at about $38/bag. With the $20 off and 30% off I got the bags for about $12 each and free shipping. I posted the Krazy Coupon Lady’s deal on the coupon thread mentioned above as well. Unfortunately it was only valid for a short time. However, 30% off pet food is good too!

If you are able to ordere online, I posted some sites below. Keep an eye out for other sites too:
http://www.amazon.com/pet-supplies-dog-cat-food-bed-toy/b?ie=UTF8&node=2619533011
http://www.chewy.com/
http://www.petco.com/
http://www.petflow.com/
http://www.petfooddirect.com/
http://www.petsmart.com/
http://www.wag.com/

[Lisa C]

I’m sure this has been talked about numerous times on here, but there’s no search box to try and find answers in the forum. Sorry!

We have had our Chewy since December of last year. We got him at eight weeks. He is a Pekingese/Chihuahua/Cocker Spaniel/ mix (we did a DNA test!) So he’s not quite a year old yet, but later in the fall he will be. The first month or two we had Chewy, he had no problems. We fed him dry puppy Nutro (the pink bag) that was recommended by someone who claimed to have researched foods. after the first 1-2 months, he started vomiting EVERY day. At least once a day. It’s now mid-July, and yes, he still vomits EVERY single day! I think there’s maybe been six total days since Feb that he hasn’t puked at least once. We’ve had numerous tests done at the vet. Blood tests, X-rays, stool samples. Everything is negative. They have no answers for us! The next step would be putting a camera inside him — which I’m sure is an expensive procedure that I cannot afford. He acts normal – he still loves to go outside and play, gets excited when we come home, plays with toys. But he always acts so hungry. We’ve tried so many different kinds of foods, wet and dry. At the vet’s request, we tried two different brands of prescription food (dry only), (which is expensive) 🙁 first Hills and then the Purina RX. The vet also made me buy the $30 box of RX Purina probiotics. None of that fancy overpriced crap did anything but make him vomit even more, and even worse, all undigested.

This week I’ve started to keep a daily journal of everything he eats, and his daily puking habits. The vomiting occurs in the early mornings. Occasionally at night, but mostly mornings. He seems to do alright on the Nutro Puppy Chiot wet food, last week he went maybe 1-2 days without puking on that alone. But I know he can’t just live on wet food, at least from what I’ve read they also need dry food for their teeth. For a few weeks we tried feeding solely cooked chicken, which is LOVED, but still puked out that, too. The other problem is obviously is switching the foods so many times gives him baaaad diarrhea. Yesterday I decided to try yet another food, Solid Gold wet, and going from the Nutro can to that has made him diarrhea two days in a row. We have to keep him locked up in the kitchen the last two nights because he just won’t stop pooping. Of course most of the time his poops are normal, but every once in a while that one food will tip him off and it’s all downhill from there.

I’m so, SO tired of waking up early every morning to scrub vomit off of our apartment carpet. (It’s already ruined.) but most importantly, I just want Chewy to be a normal, healthy dog, and not have such horrible vomiting problems. and of course because of this, you can feel all his bones. We recently took him to get groomed and they said they noticed he was really skinny. He’s skinny because he vomits every day! My boyfriend says we should try him on a raw diet, but I don’t want to do something too drastic without help first. I guess our next step could be getting a second opinion at a different vet, but we’ve already spent a lot of money. I appreciate ALL comments and suggestions. Please help us and our Chewy 🙁

[Robin B]

As a Wisconsin native I am partial to Fromm four star grain free. I can rotate st will and they produce all their own dry kibble. Canned food is made in SD. In the many years of manufacturing food, never a recall. Also, my puppy loves it all. Never is a kibble left behind. Take a look at their site and foods.

[Melissaandcrew]

I have a new love in my life and its called Restaurant Depot, lol! You have to have a business in order to get a free membership but it is so worth it. Its all human food, and I buy in bulk there. For example, my last visit I picked up chicken leg quarters for 55cents per lb. It sold in bulk 40lb boxes-sizes a restaurant would buy. Beef heart was just over a $1 per lb. I can buy a good portion of my ingredients from the one location, and then fill in the blanks with other distributors-heart, backs, liver, quarters and I think they have gizzards but did not look. I can order fresh fish in bulk as well, though they seem to have a problem getting sardines for me, so I bought a bunch of other types in the interm. I do feed veggies and buy them by the crate(40lb) as well as smaller quantities of frozen veggies.

I have gotten off the raw lately due to a back injury flare up, and just started up again. I can say that my dogs DID seem to drink more when on dry, and have more poop to clean up. Our almost 16yr old and 15 yr old went for 6mth bloods and everything is wonderful with them.

[Bobby dog]

Awwwww…:( I got 3 12# bags of Innova GF dry cat food for $36.87 and one small bag of Simply Nourish GF dry cat food to try for $6.79. Still got free shipping too, don’t know how that happened.

[Debbie L]

It has always been a great concern of mine to find a dog food that is both nutritious and one the dogs like and eat. Recently I checked with Dog Food Advisor, as the dog foods at Walmart may not always be considered ideal. So I bought 4Health Beef and Rice Grain Free, as my smaller dog had been scratching a lot and I was afraid he may have been allergic to the grain in the food I was feeding him and a larger dog. However, neither dog seemed to care for it too much so I went to Diamond Naturals which the Advisor gives a high rating. Same thing. I went back to 4Health Salmon and Sweet Potato, and to my surprise the dogs seemed to like this the least.

In the meantime on these foods the dogs are scratching a lot and hair feels dry and rough. I cannot believe these foods are ideal as the fleas are causing dermatitis and thus the larger dog has also lost some hair. A good dog food should help increase their immune systems, thereby repel fleas and mites, and these foods Advisor recommended did not in our case. I’m trying to stay away from the chemical flea and tic repellents as much as possible and going the natural route.

So I went ahead and bought some Beneful, even though Advisor gives it the lowest rating of one star. The dogs are eating it and their hair feels softer and smoother. Plus, neither dog is constantly scratching like on the Advisor recommended foods. I’m sticking with it for now.

[Elizabeth P]

His research showed that moistening dry foods that contained CITRIC ACID increased the risk of GDV.

[Jonathan L]

I’m sure there are probably many brands of dog food out there that haven’t been reviewed. Here in the LA area we have a certain brand that I have seen in a number of different feed stores. I have personally used this food for our dog for many years and we recently had to put our dog down just shy of 4 years old. She stopped eating her food. We tried different foods but the only thing she would eat in the end were treats. She eventually even stopped eating those and stopped drinking. We finally had to put her down. We were told by the vet that her issues were not related to her food, but there’s something that keeps nagging me about the food. She never seemed to be fanatic about eating but after a period when our normal food was not available when we finally got it she started refusing to eat it. We now have another dog we rescued and are feeding her the same food. She too doesn’t seem very interested in the food unless we add a little bit of wet food. I’d be very interested in how our dry dog food compares to some of the other foods. We have been using Ace Hi Feeds – Dog Chunk Bite Size it is made by Star Milling Co. Would it be possible to review this sometime? They have information about their products at http://www.starmilling.com.

[Dyann R]

According to research done by Dr. Larry Glickman at Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine, and published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, moistening dry dog food contributes to the risk of Gastric Dilatation Volvulus, GDV, commonly known as bloat, which is the second leading cause of death in large and giant breed dogs.

[Regina D]

Need a canned food – Alf won’t eat dry.

[Bobby dog]

I found a few discounts and sales to share with everyone.

Petsmart is having a 30% off storewide and online sale and an additional 15% off (through 7/13/14) on select items ordered on-line. I also found this discount code last night from the Krazy Coupon Lady. You can get an extra $20 off select Innova dry cat or dog food on top of the 30% storewide and online sale:
http://thekrazycouponlady.com/2014/07/10/hot-extra-20-innova-dry-cat-dog-food-petsmart21604/

Petco.com is offering free shipping with no minimum which expires 7/12/14. They are also having a 10 – 15% off sale on a several brands of pet food.

[Patricia W]

I’m new here and have been reading this with interest. I have a mini australian shepherd that needs to lose about 6 lbs. I’ve been fighting his weight loss for a couple years now. was feeding him Chicken Soup for the Soul weight management which is 20% protein and about 6% fat. I tried switching (very slowly) to Fat Dog, which is higher in protein and after a very short period he got pancreatitis and had to be hospitalized.

My vet was pretty sure it was the new dog food and told me it was important to keep fat low and beware of high protein foods for a dog with this disease. I’ve been very careful since then and put him back on the Chicken Soup. He is still overweight and so the vet put him on a prescription Iams. After a four month period he had only lost 1 lb. The vet food was very expensive so I went back to Chicken Soup weight management.

He has breathing issues and also a chronic limp that comes and goes, so exercise is not something I can push. He chases our border collies around the back yard, and goes on short walks, but if he starts limping, I have to curtail it until the leg heals. He has had the xrays, blood work, etc., and the vet is pretty convinced it is a bit of arthritis and we have to deal with it, giving pain meds if it is bad.

I’m interested in getting some opinions. Right now I give him 1/2 cup of dry and 1 tblsp of canned (iams) at each meal morning and night. I think I am feeding him too much, but he seems so hungry. The vet had me feed him 1/3 cup dry and 1 tblsp wet of the prescription food and he was hungry all the time, with only 1 lb loss.

I’m also very confused about the high protein comment for pancreatitis dogs early in this forum. My vet says NO on high protein and it seems to be a disagreement among the vet world. Any thoughts?

Thanks

[Bobby dog]

Hi gmcbogger:
Sportmix Wholesomes Chic & Rice (TSC 40 lbs/sale price $27.99) is one I was going to suggest to you. Pro Pac would be another, they are both manufactured by Midwestern Pet Foods, who make Earthborn Holistic.

Diamond manufactures the 4 Health grain inclusive recipes, GF pork, GF duck, and reportedly the GF whitefish. I haven’t verified with TSC if Diamond is now making the GF whitefish, however there have been several complaints about this recipe changing on the review side recently. Ainsworth manufactures the 4Health GF beef and GF turkey recipes.

Also, check with dog food websites and the stores that you purchase food from for frequent buyer programs or any other incentives they may have. For example, buy ten bags and the 11th is free.

There is a PDF download from Steve Brown, ABC Diet, that you may be interested in. This download will help you improve a kibble diet through healthy foods (eggs, tinned fish, fresh meat, vegetables) you can get at the grocery store. I feed anything from a 3 to 5 star kibble and this download helps me to improve my dogs diet very affordably.
http://www.seespotlivelonger.com/home/sll/page_41/see_spot_live_longer_the_abc_way___electronic_down.html

Here’s are some others you may want to check out:
~Zach’s Quality Feed:
http://zqdfrjscompany.azurewebsites.net/index.php
/dog-food-reviews/zachs-quality-dog-food/

Depending on your location this may only be available online, but check it out even if that’s the case because their shipping rates may be reasonable. Here is a thread a poster started about Zach’s: /forums/topic/4-stars-33-for-50-lb-bag/

~Exclusive (PMI Nutrition):
http://www.exclusivepetfood.com/default.aspx
/dog-food-reviews/exclusive-dog-food-dry/

~Blue Seal Life Stages (Kent Nutrition):
http://blueseal.com/products/dog/life-stages-dry-formulas/
/dog-food-reviews/blue-seal-dog-food-dry/

~Sportmix Wholesomes or
~Pro Pac:
http://www.sportmix.com/dog/wholesomesChickenMealRice.php
/dog-food-reviews/sportmix-wholesomes-dog-food/
http://us.propacpetfood.com/images/propac-ultimates-header.png
/dog-food-reviews/pro-pac-dog-food/

~Authority GF & grain inclusive (Petsmart):
/dog-food-reviews/authority-dog-food-dry/
/dog-food-reviews/authority-grain-free-dog-food/

[Travis A]

Hey,

So i’m looking for a rotational dry food to sub in with the current food I have my 2 pit/(lab/boxer) mixed boys, 5 months old and on Zach’s Quality Dog Food for the last month or so. Seems to be good food they like it but it’s a bit of a hassle for me to get ahold of it at my location, so i was hoping to find a grain-free good food that won’t break the budget i can sub for to ease things. I pay $33 for a 50lb bag of that stuff though so anything else is going to be a worse deal i understand but still i need something that isn’t overpriced and comes in somewhat of a bigger bag, can’t be feeding 2, 35 lb growing pups little 12lb bags all the time. Any suggestions would be helpful, thanks for you time.

[Linda T]

Has anyone else tried Natures Kitchen? I have tried just about all brands of dog food dry and wet over the last 8 years. I have a very allergic dog and pancreatitis. Lots going on. I am now trying the Natures kitchen dog food. Can anyone tell me how their dog is doing or if anyone else knows of this food. Thank you

[Elizabeth P]

I always moisten my dogs’ dry kibble with water. Not to be anthropomorphic, but I wouldn’t eat dry cereal without milk. And I know that dry food doesn’t scrub teeth clean. Is there a benefit or risk to moistening dry food?

[Gregory C]

Hello,

I have recently adopted a dog — she is an older (they think about 7-8 years) mix, probably some lab, terrier, and who knows what else. She is about 40 pounds. The rescue organization is keeping her for 2.5 weeks, as I already had a vacation planned prior to the adoption, but before I leave I am preparing my house, buying food, etc.

The rescue org is feeding her some pretty terrible food, from everything I read on here and elsewhere. They are feeding her mostly wet food (I think because she likes it, and they have too many dogs to worry about to force the issue) — they are using Pedigree “meaty ground dinner” (ick!). Depending on who feeds her, they are also mixing in some Science Diet Advanced Fitness (small bites dry).

Clearly, I want to switch her to a new food when I get her. After a lot of research and some recommendations from friends, I have settled on Wellness Complete Health for dry food, and will try a variety of Wellness wet foods to mix in.

My question/concern is this: How best to transition her to the new food? It is tough to do the usual transition “formulas” I have seen online, because she is basically on only wet food now, and I want to switch to a combo. I have heard from several people that they have had success at switching “cold turkey” when adopting a new dog, but others seem to swear by transitioning. I figure as an older dog, her stomach is not as sensitive as a puppy’s would be, but I don’t know whether it’s a bad idea to switch “cold turkey” or whether I should just try it and see what happens. On the one hand, I’m switching to a *much* higher quality product, but on the other hand, I wonder how she’ll handle the different nutritional value.

Any thoughts/recommendations on this? If you suggest transitioning, any ideas how I might do it, given her current diet of mostly wet food? (I was thinking of mixing in some new dry with some old wet, and then slowly transitioning to more new dry and less wet, and then to the new wet. But honestly, I’d love it if “cold turkey” was everyone’s answer — less stressful! 🙂 )

Thanks in advance!

• This topic was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by Gregory C.

[deca d]

What kind of products would help with my shih-tzu’s dry eye condition? She’s on medicated eye drops right now. I’m looking for alternative store medications, and maybe food supplements.

[Eddie C]

I wanted to know how to get a rating on our chain store dog food that just came out and it’s organic and they have prime cuts in can and also dry kibble in 3 categories.
It’s called Wegmans Brand Simply By Nature. How can we submit the dog food for a rating by dog food advisor.

[Dannie F]

Looking for anyone with experience good or bad with this brand.

All our adult Shepherds are feed raw, but want to start puppy 8week old on some good quality dry food until he is older and teeth are set.

[pugmomsandy]

A fat supplement could be a tablespoon or two of olive oil or coconut oil or even fish oil or combo oils. Oils are fat and calories and have over 100 calories per tablespoon. A dry addition just to add overall calories could be Abady’s granular food. It has nearly 800 calories per cup so you could add in a couple tablespoons of that. A canned food high in fat is Nature’s Logic Lamb or Rabbit. They have more fat than protein hence the lower rating (not because it has lots of red colored ingredients). Hound & Gatos canned chicken and pork recipes are also high in fat (40% plus). You can also make some “satin balls” and send it to the trainer to feed.

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

[Melinda M]

I am so thankful for the site and all the knowledge & advice that is shared. I have learned so much which in turn will help my 4-legged baby! However, I am in great need of advice. My 1 yr old yellow lab is off in duck hunting/retriever training school. She is in a very critical point in her training and is burning a great deal of calories. She is losing weight
(5 lbs). We are trying to help her gain weight by switching her food (which needed to be switched any ways) from ProPlan to Wellness Core Large Breed. However, I did not pay attention to the fat content of the Wellness and when the food reached the trainer He stated our Bella may lose weight on the Wellness due to its lower fat content 14% compared to the Proplan which has a 20% fat content. PLEASE HELP! do I complete choose a different dry food other than WELLNESS or do I add a canned food to her dry OR the vet even suggested a “fat supplement”. I have no idea what to use as a fat supplement. I need something that is pretty convenient for the trainer to feed since he has 18 dogs to feed. However, I want it to be healthy for my Bella but decently economical as well.
Thank you in advance for any knowledge/advice you can pass on to me.

[Regina D]

I wrote here a few weeks ago. Alf, 5 yo rescue standard poodle/Intermittent diarrhea/terrible stomach gurgling, & wouldn’t eat on those days. Vet did stool tests (negative) and gave Flagyl & probiotics on the chance they might help. They didn’t. Got some good suggestions here — Thank you! I continued my search on the internet and even wrote to Dr. Tim (as someone here recommended). He suggested I cut out everything but one food. I tried his dry food first, but that didn’t help. However, upon his advice, added to that of my research, I concluded Alf might have a food intolerance. I decided to try LID Lamb. Alf has been on NB LID Lamb (and absolutely nothing else) for 8 days. He eats 3 cans a day (in 3 feedings). He has not had one day of the above symptoms. Such a relief! This problem has been so troubling. We still hold our breaths every potty break, hoping there will be no diarrhea – so far, so good! I am not that happy with NB’s review (3+) on Dog Food Reviews, but it has solved a big problem for us. Does anyone have other brand suggestions? I hate to change when NB is working, but we might consider something else after another month or so.

[Katie J]

He actually watches the other dog eat. So I asked my boyfriend, who he apparently eats better for, if he bring my terrier in for feedings. He does not. I thought he had been being that I told him to… Lol. I had been separating the pair in the bathroom of all places. It was just a convenient place at first. It is quite crowded with the three of us. But I do have to keep any dog getting something special out of sight of the spaniel as she is very territorial over food/treats/anything special. Perhaps the extras I having been giving my terrier will just have to be after I feed the pup for now. I don’t have an ideal situation currently. Eventually they will have special places to eat.

I had planned to switch to 2 meals and found out that the boyfriend fed lunch today. I will just give him a very small dinner to hold him over. We’ll go to 2 tomorrow. I am nervous about having him eat just dry as he hasn’t been forced to suffer that torture in about a week. 😉 Would doing a mostly dry meal in the AM and a mostly wet meal in the PM be a good compromise?

I had a sneaking suspicion that I was totally getting played with the spoon feeding. And there is a reason that I have furry kids and not the human kind. I guess I would be that mom forcing food down her kids’ mouths! It’s been several years since I’ve had a puppy as opposed to an adoloescent or adult. I have been extremely paranoid and concerned with every bit of him.

I did a bit of online vet work to see about his water habits. And I was figuring that he just hadn’t understood that water isn’t just a boredom thing. His potty training has been coming along so I was thinking about letting him get a few more water breaks so he can get the hint. I will discuss his habits with our vet just to be sure as he acts like a normal puppy.

We just picked up some new goodies for him tonight: 2 samples of Signature and two cans of Wild Calling. And since the price was good on the Orijen Treats, he got those too. We almost picked up a small bag of the Stella raw, but we were wanting to try a small bag of the rabbit before committing to a big bag.

Crazy4cats – Thank you. He’s my little special man. I just want the best for my little guys!

[Dori]

YIKES! Draining the tongue is definitely not anything that I’ve dealt with or even heard of. Unless he wasn’t able to swallow and having difficulty with breathing I would have opted for the shot.

C4C You have got to figure out what your dogs are getting into. It’s just too much of a coincidence for my liking. This may sound a little nutty to you but seriously, you and your hubby have got to get down on all fours and check all through your house, all levels including basement. Anywhere and everywhere that your dogs wander in house. Then you both have to do the same thing (on your dogs level which means down on all fours) and go through your yard. They are getting something from somewhere. There may even be a beehive, wasps nest, carpenter ants, something that you’re not seeing but it is there somewhere. Like I said, it way too much of a coincidence to be a coincidence. You’ve never had a dog have this happen to them and now you’ve got two?

Benadryl only. Not with anything else included on the label. 25 mg. is what has always been prescribed for any dog that I have ever had. Katie who weighs 6 lbs. gets 25 mg. anytime she’s having a really bad day with food or allergies. It’s never even slowed her down. There are times that she has gotten 25 mg. twice or three times a day. That’s also what her allergist/dermatologist and traditional vets prescribe.

Let us know what happens and also what you found either inside or outside your house. Put your thinking cap on.

Your dog on antibiotics, is he on antibiotics too?
I’m glad they are doing better, sorry for all your going through.

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

[Terri M]

After several skin scrapings to rule out sarcopic mange, demodectic mange and yeast (all negative), my vet wants us to try an elimination diet. Royal Canin specific protein -Rabbit/potato was what they wanted him to try along with wet rabbit food to mix with the dry. Have any of you had success with this food regimen? We’ve been asked to do this for eight weeks. I have two other frenchies (both brindle) with no skin/coat issues. This sweet boy is honey blonde. We also have him on omega-derm which I put on his food once daily. We have also done the corticosteroid injection followed by antibiotic and steroid therapy which worked for a while, but the skin condition came back. Prior to this, I had switched him to Acana a Grasslands grain free with wet food. I also use a special allergy anti-shampoo. I’m at my wits end trying to help my little guy. Any suggestions/advice are welcomed!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Dori –

Freshpet isn’t raw.

There are two raw foods currently on the list – Stella & Chewy’s and Primal. The list will be changing in the future as some companies are taken off and new companies are added so we’re always considering new companies to add.

Keep in mind that it’s also important for the list to represent brands that the average reader will want to feed their dog and that are readily available. The majority of pet owners do not feed raw. Many raw foods also have a limited distribution. So, while we definitely don’t want to exclude any raw foods deserving of recognition from the list, the bulk of the list is and will continue to be dry dog foods.

[Katie J]

In regards to pet stores, I agree. This pup and my spaniel are exceptions. I currently own two off the track thoroughbreds that I adopted and my terrier mix from a rescue whom I know even less about as he came in as an abused stray. Plus I have brought home several barn kittens along with several other adopted and well bred pups alike. To me I feel sorry for these pet store pups. They get born into a horrific system, and they have no control over it. They were just born and get the brunt of it all because giving them a loving home that they wish to have supports the monsters that brought them to life.

Not sure how I left any details out in that novel of an original post, but I did. He gets a little more than a quarter cup of kibble with two heaping teaspoons of wet. Though the wet is enough to mix thoroughly with the dry. The 4Health suggests up to 2 cups for him hence my feeding so much and so often. I also have picked up the adult dogs’ food while he is with them because he would sneak their food and not eat his. Plus Sir Pees-a-lot hadn’t quite understood that he shouldn’t drink half his weight in water and have all sorts of accidents. I am proud to say that he has been accident free for nearly 2 days (knock on wood) so I may let water stay down more often. I have been giving him lots of little water breaks simply for potty training purposes.

And I guess it never occurred to me that I was feeding too much. My boyfriend and I discussed feeding too much per feeding but not in general. I’ll admit that I am very worried that he’s not getting enough to get “big and strong” but didn’t think I was giving too much. Perhaps I should cut back on both kibble and wet by a tiny bit? Or do the same ration just twice a day?

[Carol P]

I have been feeding my 3 small dogs Blue Wilderness Weight Control and was recently told that this is too high protein for inactive dogs such as mine and could cause kidney problems along with others . One is cockapoo, mixed terrier and chihuahua. They each overeat so I weigh their food – I give them 2 oz. of dry food mixed with a tablespoon of Organix canned food. All suggestions will be appriciataed.