OK, I have did soem searching thru the forum and I can not get a clear answer to a question i have thinking about. I have a 11week old Great Dane. She is currently eating Innova Large breed puppy. I see that Innova had a recall in late 2013, but the list had a 5 star for Innova food. I am considering switching her to Orijen dry puppy. Thoughts? She likes Innova and do not want to change unless there is a neccissity to do so, but I do not like P&G either. I fed our last great dane (who lived to be 11.5yrs of age) Purina Pro Plan sensitive stomach because that was the only thing she would tolerate. I know its not the greatest nor on any list but it worked for her.
She’s got super clean, non smelly ears. They aren’t red or inflamed. Nothing lodged inside ear.
The vet tech was praising both Blue Buffalo and Royal Canin’s feather food.
Vet doesn’t know what’s up. He wasn’t concerned at all. Might be an allergy which I why I asked about using benadryl. I’m really hoping it’s not a food allergy.
Nutro isn’t as good as it use to be years ago. I won’t feed it or recommend it.
Canned food is normally 72% moister, you would do better to use Raw or dry kibble that you have weighed out and then soak with water. It will save you money too.
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This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by
JASTECH.
Guysguysguysguys! I found something this cat won’t eat! (Besides raw chicken, but I’ll work him on that lol) Whitefish. Yep! I made up his food yesterday and since it was small cans I had to mix them to get the right amount ( I mix canned and dry together so that he doesn’t get picky on me). He’s never cared about what I mixed together and some of his wellness cans are tuna, but I had a can of Blue Buffalo weight management whatever and it was whitefish. In the morning he ate it, but he was like “what the crap is this?” And then after I got home from work (around 6:30), I was immediately shoved off to my grandparents for dinner and we didn’t get home until like 9 or so, so I couldn’t feed him his 3 meals, and had to give him a big meal before bed.
Usually he just munches all night, but this morning over half of it is still there LOL The BB did have a strong fish smell. I don’t think he liked that to begin with. Fine by me, but don’t waste the food, you brat! You could at least pick at it Lol I woke up entirely too early this morning, and he came up and bothered me and tried to eat my fingers, then decided he’d go back down and eat the food anyways, but I took it up since I want him to actually eat his food today and it’s been sitting out all night.
So there we have it! A food he actually won’t eat. I’m so proud LOL
Hello HDM et al!
We just brought home our new 9 week old / 13 lbs Newfoundland from the breeder this weekend and I’m looking to soon transition from the Pro Plan Adult Large Breed she’s currently eating to one from the recommended list (dry kibble). She’s already on the small side for a newf and also a bit too skinny, so we’re trying to bulk her up (though still keep her on the thin side). Based on what I’ve gathered from reading nearly every post in this forum, I’ve narrowed it down to 1) Earthborn Holistic: Coastal Catch, 2) Innova LB Puppy and 3) Dr Tim’s Kinesis. Was looking at Fromm’s as well but a bit concerned about some of the recent posts about owners having issues. Also A bit hesitant on the Innova and Dr Tim’s due to the lower protein levels. Any thoughts on what food from either the grain or grain-free lists would be best for trying help her build up some some muscle but also maintain healthy growth?
Many thanks!
Geez….pro plan went GF? I’d guess this is their first GF food. I seriously have lost all respect for them! They trick so dang many people! Most people don’t think about researching out the ingredients, they’re going to trust the back of that bag to be telling truthful things. Ugh!
I mean, if they even had /one/ decent food line, then I might not hate them as much. But everything is about money, not “your pet. Our passion” smh!!!
And I’m especially upset because I have to feed it to a puppy that I take care of -_- Pro Plan Focus large breed puppy. They are a wealthy family who thinks they’re giving the best to their lil girl. I’d try to slowly move her to my food instead, but it’d be bad for her if anything. As soon as she’d get used to my food, she’d have to go back to her home and eat that junk :/ she’s only 13wks and already has that signature “Labrador” stink as well as a super dry flaky coat! Poor baby!
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This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by
Shasta220.
There shouldn’t be any problem with dry food at all unless you are flying overseas. Canned food can be a problem, you would have to put it in your checked baggage and I don’t know if there is a chance the cans would pop. I think they should be stronger than that. You could try mailing food ahead.
So, I have two dogs. My female is a 12 year old Old English Sheepdog and my male is a 4 year old Dachshund/Terrier mix. I have noticed that my OES has been pretty picky with what she eats lately. She was normally on anything with Lamb and I wasn’t really paying too much attention to whether or not her food was grain free despite her constant itching and chewing of her paws throughout the years. She was constantly getting yeast infections in her ears but my vet never told me to change her diet. I recently decided to switch up her diet on my own to various reactions. I tried Zignature’s Lamb formula and she seemed to like it but wouldn’t touch it after a month of eating it. Then I moved her onto Earthborne Holistic Meadow Feast, which she had a HORRIBLE allergic reaction to. I am not sure what in that mix caused the reaction (eye swelling, lethargy, fever, vomiting, etc) but I wondered if it might have been the Tapioca? I am not sure though. Since that experience I put her on California Natural’s Kangaroo formula but she would only eat it if I put about 1/4th cup of warm water in it…this is something I had never done before but thought I would try after reading that someone else did that with their dog’s food…this caused ANOTHER problem with my dog…she didn’t chew the food with it being watered down but instead decided to just slurp it up and then wound up with food stuck in her esophagus. This ended my watering down of the food.
Since THAT I have put her on Acana Duck & Bartlett Pear and at first she seemed to go CRAZY for it but her love for it has cooled and now I have started mixing canned food with her dry food which she goes nuts for. However, I am not sure how much to give her? I normally let my dogs have a full bowl every day since I have grazers but the canned food has become scheduled at night. Before that, she will not touch the dry food. Should I be concerned about this? She has the dry food out to eat but she isn’t eating it unless the canned is mixed it. Buying both grain free canned and such an expensive grain free dry for her is a little much for my budget. Should I try a new less expensive grain-free? I was thinking of moving over to Fromm’s to see if she would like their Beef recipe or maybe the pork? I don’t know if those are ok for senior dogs though? Someone I know mentioned that I should watch the form of protein she is getting since she is older now but they didn’t say WHAT protein to go for. Is there truth in that??
Of course, my main concern is that she is getting enough food. Is it ok that she is just eating one big meal a day but not touching her dry food the rest of the day??
A few thoughts, as I am studying this topic as well. FYI I have given my 10 yr old golden retriever the little round garlic capsules from Whole Foods-pinkish label. One in AM and one in PM. I drop it in her food bowl. We live on a wooded lot in NC and I have NEVER seen a flea on her! I studied for 6 years for a PhD and my chair was the founding president of the American Holistic Medical Assoc, a former Harvard Neurosurgeon, BUT VERY BIG ON avoiding chemicals and pharmaceuticals whenever possible (which can be most of the time actually). He is very informed on holistic remedies, incl homeopathic, and says HE uses a product called CEDARCIDE on his several dogs for ticks and fleas. Says it’s great and it works! He lives in Missouri also in the country/ woods. It’s sold at Amazon by the quart but you can get a better deal by ordering a gallon. My container arrived yesterday and I have already sprayed it on the dogs. It has a cedar-ish fresh smell. Dr. S told me he just sprays and rubs it into the fur a couple times a week. Reviewers swear by this stuff. It’s called “BEST YET” by Cedarcide. And it is super – SAFE! My doc advisor does not put the chemicals in his dogs either. I have not asked him about heartworms but I will. Someone ELSE Who has several dogs and who I respect told me there is a product called PBG-51. The link to the site is http://www.firstchoicenaturals.com/resourcearticles/parasitesbegonefrom mypet.php. I am told that this product is not advertised for heartworms for legal reasons BUT it protects against them. I am studying that now as would like to get OFF Sentinel. I used to give my golden Sentinel only half the year. Two yrs ago my vet sat me down and nicely chewed me out saying the dog is vulnerable in NC all year around. So I promised I would keep her on it. Last thing – I am the one who has the GSD who was 18 mos in jan and wandered into big digestive troubles trying to transition him to Origen then to ACADA — several of you have helped me so much. I have discovered in this awful experience with all his loose stools and diarrhea that a flea/tick collar I bought at the vet (Solesto – made by Bayer) is probably one of the culprits for my Shepherd’s digestive disorder. The DAY after the vet’s secretary fitted Axel with the collar he had diarrhea IN the house and IN the yard. Everywhere he went the entire weekend diarrhea was falling out of him. I was going crazy. Two weeks later I realized that it was NOT the HILLS nasty WD Rx dry food he was on that caused this sudden diarrhea– geeze that stuff is like eating HAY and no way could he have the squirts on it. I had just started giving him a little Science Diet Sensitive Stomach. BUT I bought that collar as I went out the door at the vet. It HAD to be the collar. I looked on line and found that among all the LOVERS of the collar there are some detractors as well whose dogs also had bad diarrhea. So watch out about that collar!
That’s all I know for now. PS: Cedarcide gets rid of all insects, including BED BUGS!!
Nancy C
Well Pet makes Wellness & Holistic Select, the Holistic Select Grain free Puppy is suppost to be very good it has 4.5 stars, The Holistic Select Duck meal & Lamb meal is a hydrolized kibble so it goes nice & soft within 1 minute when you add a bit of water… I then quickly drain… They also have a good selection of wet & dry foods if you want to rotate between proteins… http://www.holisticselect.com/recipes.aspx?…
I agree, it is probably the sugar in the Beneful that he likes. If you can, get him off of it ASAP. I would also go with the Wellness Core Puppy and see how he likes it. If he likes it softer, you can always top it with some canned, or add lukewarm water, let it sit for a few minutes, then mush it up and serve.
Remember that rotation is always good, so you can try other puppy foods or all-life-stages foods from the link on the right on the homepage, Best Dry Foods (it has sub-links I believe, called “5-star dry puppy foods” and “4-Star Dry Puppy Foods”) and browse around. Some better kibbles that have been tried by forumers are Earthborn Holistic Grain Free (but the puppy grain-inclusive one is good too), Dr. Tim’s, Victor, Vets Choice Holistic Health Extension, and then the slightly more questionable Blue Buffalo Wilderness, TOTW, Canidae Pure.
Good luck!
Just add a little bit of water to dry food. Let it sit for a few minutes, mix it up, and let him at it. I used to have to that for my 8 pound Jack Russell mix.
If you want to go the grain inclusive Wellness route, the Complete Health Small and Toy Breed recipe is the best looking one, and super high in calories (meaning you feed even less than the others). It has a puppy counter part, as well, that is a bit lower in calories. I don’t know if the first one is All Life Stages or not. Thats now to say the rest of the Complete Heath recipes are bad foods, but those be my first pick of the Complete Health line. But I’d still go for the CORE recipes over the Complete Health ones. š
One local pet store chain in my area does the $5.00 off of $30 or $10.00 off of $60 coupons, but they don’t let you use any other coupons with that one due to the “not valid in conjunction with any other offer” printed on it. š They will ring me up separate if I want to use any other coupons for purchases though. So I save their $5.00 in house coupon for dry cat food purchases if I don’t have any better coupons to use on the cat’s dry food.
Hi everyone,
I’m new to the forum, I came across it when trying to find out if the puppy food we recently purchased was all that the bag said it was. We bought Purina beneful puppy food with soft morsels, and I’m sure you can imagine my horror when I found out that not only was the packaging less than honest about its nutritional content, but that it was downright bad for our dog!
We adopted him at about 11 weeks, he’s now 6 months old, and we believe that he is a labrador/jack russell mix. He was always picky about his kibble – we started him on the kirkland dry puppy food, then went to Taste of the Wild, which he sort of ate, and then moved to Purina – which he seems to really enjoy. Problem is, it’s not good for him!
I think the main reason he enjoys it is because it has softer bits in it, though that’s just a guess. So, my question is, what dry puppy food do you think would be the best fit for him? I’d like to find something that’s 4-or-5 stars, but nothing extraordinarily expensive. I was thinking about getting the Wellness Complete puppy recipe – it’s relatively affordable, and he went nuts over the Wellness salmon puppy treats, so I figured he would enjoy the same brand of kibble that’s also made with salmon.
Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Jakes mom:
Yes, I agree we are doing better! š
I love the kids pool idea!!! You were a crazier cat person. lol
I don’t mind cheating once in a while. I am always thinking of what to give them for a meal a few times a week, other then cat food, that is good for them for budget reasons of course. Only a few of them will eat boiled chicken.
My hypo cat (11 yrs) is doing well also, has energy, seems happy, always loveable, but I have been battling dry skin. Fish & coco oil has helped a great deal and it is much better now that winter is over. Fingers crossed, Kefir will help also.
Did you give them the livers raw? I am so jealous, my cats walked away from the gizzards and hearts, Bobby just played with his. Maybe livers will be next to try, I am not going to give up. lol Let us know how the chicken back went.
I gave the cats and Jake some chix livers today, they loved it!! Also bought some chix backs, will give one to Jake tomorrow.
Bobby dog, I agree with you, I wish my guys had never eaten dry food or soy, wheat, etc! But you know that old saying,” when you know better, you do better” Now that’s us, doing better for our kids!
I keep forgetting to tell you and C4c about another DIY cat box. When I was a crazier cat lady and had 13, I used one of those plastic kid’s pools as a cat box. The sides aren’t very high so not a good choice if you have a cat that flings litter around but good for older cats or babies to climb in and out.
I also have a hyperthyroid cat, he’s almost 19 and doing great. He still loves to play and holds his own with the other ones when we play with the fishing pole type toys.
One more food to add to our list if you don’t mind “cheating” once in a while . I accidently grabbed a can of dog food instead of cat. My cats absolutely loved BB Basics turkey and potato dog food!
BobbyDog-
My hyper kitty does not, thankfully have dry skin. Her main issue is occasional vomiting. Which gets a little old cleaning up. But the meds have definitely helped. Also Nutro Max is another canned food I use for cats that is on the budget friendly list. It usually runs about $1 for the 6 oz can. I wish I could find as great of a deal on cat food as the Pure Balance or Cuts in Gravy dog food though.
I am Halle’s mom. Halle is a greyhound, a breed that’s known for touchy gastric tracts. I got Halle from Greyhound Pets Northwest. When I got her from her foster mom, she was 5.5 years old, and didn’t have particularly firm stool. Things went from bad too worse, there was almost constant diarrhea. We finally ended up with TD Science Diet, which is intended for dogs with bad teeth. I have to get it from my Vet and it’s pretty spendy. It’s also so dry that it practically bounces when it hits the ground. Halley has lost several pounds over the last couple of years. Both my Vet and I wonder it its time to switch food. Last bit of info: She is 11 years old and doesn’t show much sign of aging. Any help with this problem will be most gratefully accepted.
C4c:
Purina loves to put fish in everything. But at least there is the Pro Plan Finesse chic, One Turkey & Fancy Feast Turkey varieties to give a whirl with the coupons (every little bit helps). I feed something with fish once or twice a week because the cats go on hunger strikes if I don’t; they are such brats.
Last Sunday I started giving my older kitty with hyperthyroidism kefir daily to see if that will help with his dry skin. He had a round of antibiotics about a month ago when he lost his tooth. He developed a small infection but had no other problems with the loss of his tooth and his bloodwork came back excellent. I don’t know if it’s my imagination, but I swear the dry spots don’t look as irritated. IDK…
If I had to do it all over again my cats would never had eaten any dry food, fish, corn, wheat, or soy. They would also eat pumpkin puree’ and coconut oil without any issues. Oh well, now I know better. I am going to give Chicken Soup a try for my kitties since you and Jakes mom have had success with it. They are getting tired of Wellness and Merrick. I am going to see if I can find out where Natural Balance and TOTW is canned too.
Akari:
I wish Petsmart was closer to me! ugh It just isn’t worth the gas even with the coupon because I just stocked up, oh well. They also irritate me because they don’t sell canned food over the Internet.
I think you will be fine trying some dry food. You know what to look for as far as his litter habits are concerned. I think the dry with the fish ingredient will be fine also. I feed dry too just not as much as they would like to eat. I actually bought three small bags of the Wellness kitten that has fish meal in it for $3.24 each that were on the clearance rack to mix in with their regular food. I couldn’t pass up that bargain! lol
See what happens when you give up on a cat!! Next thing you know they start doing what you wanted them to do; I’ll write it again, they are such brats. š
Oh I know! I plan to do half the recommended amount of dry and half the recommended amount of canned, and still add water to his canned.
I did not use the SN coupon that PetSmart has out, but if you go here… -> http://mobile.dudamobile.com/site/allthosethingsilove_2?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.allthosethingsilove.com%2Fpetsmart-5-off-simply-nourish-pet-food-coupon-2-free-cans-with-purchase-2%2F&dm_redirected=true#2494
… It tells you how to get it. I used a $5 off any Natural or Specialty food coupon that prints out on the receipt. It would have worked the same either way lol
I think that would be fine. Just remember how important it still is to keep feeding some wet food everyday. I’ve never given my cats rabbit. I’d like to give it a try. Is Simply Nourish a Pet Smart brand? Where did you get the coupons? As far as the fish being the 12th ingredient, I personally don’t think it is an issue. My senior, 15 year old cat has developed hyperthyroidism, but I fed her the fancy feast fish variety pack for probably 4 or 5 years along with her dry food everyday. Oh how, I wish I knew better! I thought I was feeding them really well. I caught it early and with a tiny pill daily, she is doing fine. So point being, I don’t think a little fish now and then will hurt. I believe it is the high level of iodine that can lead to the condition. Sounds like you are turning in to a crazy cat lady. Welcome š lol!
Hey guys! The cat is drinking really well now (another inch gone from the fountain over the last day!), so I’ve decided to add dry food back into his diet. I’ve got a good deal on Simply Nourish Source, so I’m gunna get a small bag of the Rabbit and a small bag of the Kitten Chicken and Turkey. The rabbit one does have fish, but it’s 12th on the list, so I don’t think it matters too much, but I’d still like to hear thoughts on that. Still an hour before I get there, at least. I’m also gunna get two free cans of the Source. Not sure on the flavor yet lol
Akari, yay! I knew he’d finally try it. I bet seeing the dog do it was the push he needed. He wouldn’t want to let the dog have anything just to himself! lol!
I’ve tried several flavors of Sheba and my cats won’t eat it. I bought some wellness food, dry and canned and they weren’t thrilled with that, either, brats! They do like chick soup, Merrick, TOTW and Natural Balance. That’s why it’s good to have a dog, too, he’s more than happy to clean up the unwanted cat food.
BCn, I bought chicken backs and chicken livers today, will let you know what the kids think about it. Also saw pork necks, would that be good for Jake?
So, maybe it doesn’t have to be senior food. I’m getting a bit overwhelmed and quite honestly, I’m sure i’m overthinking things too much. I’m a dog mom who loves her furbabies.
I have two seniors eating wellness complete health senior dry food (rated 3.5). I started feeding them that because one of my beagles had a couple of blood tests showing elevated BUN levels and she has a history of low specific gravity results. Now does my dog have renal issues? The vet isn’t sure because the last two or three tests have been normal. So, she has sort of said she may have some renal insufficiencies. That is sort where we are.
So I was looking for foods .7, .8, or no higher than .9 phosphorus, that was moderate in protein, low in fat based on the fact that both aren’t as active as they used to be. Both seniors are not as active as they used to be. They do go on walks every morning and evening and keeping their weights in check is always something I have to close monitor, but they don’t play like they used to.
I had pretty much decided on the Blue Buffalo wildnerness senior formula, and possibly the new red meat formula. I’m on the fence now because it seems that opinions are the food is overpriced for what’s in it (marketing) and it may not be as good a food as I thought. I wanted to go grain free because I am noticing a little bit of digestion issues over the last few months. From some of your wonderful feedback, I’m beginning to learn that grain free isn’t always best either. I’m willing to go with grains, but I’m still not educated enough to know what are good grains. From what I have learned, its looking for foods rich in meat? That sort of balances out some grains? I hope I am getting that right. Someone at our local pet store (pet valu) suggested holistic select senior as it’s moderate in protein and fat and low in phosphorus. Is this a good food even though it has grains?
So anyway, I would love some thoughts or feedback….
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This topic was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by
Sarah Y.
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This topic was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by Sarah Y.
Hi Guys and Gals
A few years ago when it became clear that there was a problem with the Chinese Jerky I started to make my own jerky treats. I use only free-range chicken for my chicken jerky and wild caught fish for my fish jerkies. My treats have only one ingredient, meat fish or poultry. I use fresh meats from local supermarkets like Whole Foods so all of my treats are human edible. I gently dehydrate the meats to make jerky. I vary the drying times so I can make a more chewy treat or a crunchy treat.
Since dogs are designed to eat a diet high in meat and low in carbs plus they absolutely love jerky treats I wish you guys would make your dog’s treats with more meat and less carbs. You don’t need to use flour or a lot of starches if you make jerky type treats. You can use whole meats, fruits and vegetables or you can grind up mixtures of meat and veggies or fruits and dehydrate them. You can make them in an oven at the lowest temperature or you can use a dehydrator. Veggies and fruits will add antioxidants and vitamins while meat will supply the needed protein and fat.
Even though I call them treats the jerky I make is designed for a carnivore like a dog and since dogs absolutely love meat based treats it is a win win situation!
Hi C4c:
I don’t know if you read all of this thread, but I made a “grocery store” food list. We discussed it before how our cats can/are addicted to Purina foods for various (mostly unhealthy) reasons, what are we gonna do? So I have a list of the less offensive varieties from Fancy Feast, Sheba, Purina One, and Pro Plan. The difference between Purina’s Friskies and other lines is basically you will find a named meat first in allot of them, some don’t add fish, some may contain artificial colors/flavors and some don’t, all have K3, and maybe some other undesirable ingredients. If you want I can share my list and you can see what I have weeded out solely on ingredients and carb values.
I get frustrated paying almost $2.00/can for good food only for my cats to snub it. So I am now rotating in some Purina foods. After figuring out the carbs for each recipe, then eliminating recipes that don’t have named meats first and are high in carbs you are pretty much left with the pate varieties. I have a few fish recipes in there also because my cats still crave their fish.
Go to the Purina website and at the top of the screen you will find a button for coupons. They have a buy one get one free of the Pro Plan canned cat food. This month there are also Fancy Feast and Purina One coupons along with some others that I don’t use for dry dog and cat food. Sheba offers coupons on their Facebook page.
Akari:
I don’t know about the greasy spot maybe someone else will have some info for you. Do you see him licking the area? I just started giving my cat some Kefir daily on Sunday to see if the probiotics might help with his dry skin. I have been mixing it in his food, he has been eating it with no problem.
Bentley found a new toy and it sounds like he may be training Kitty to drink out of the fountain. š What a good big brother!!!
Give us an update with your diet trial. I was checking out the stew meat also, but I foolishly decided on the toys I mean gizzards and hearts. lol
BTW, Purina has some new coupons up and has reset the pro plan canned cat food coupons.
Hi apologises if there is already a post regarding which puppy/dog food is the best but I am rather new to all this.
We are collecting our 8 week old Labrador puppy called ‘Charlie’ next week. He is currently on IAMs puppy food. When I researched puppy food to find the best online deals it opened up a whole can of worms. Lots of different brands started to grab my attention. Which would you say is the best dry food. As much as the ‘raw diet’ sounds appealing it is just not achievable. I am a busy full time mummy of 5 children ranging from 6-years to 2-years so do not want to commit to that sort of high maintenance diet.
I would be very grateful of any help. Never had a dog before
Hey guys,
I’m getting my puppy this Saturday! Super excited! He’s an Alaskan Malamute. He’s 8 weeks old. I decide to go with Orijen long time ago. However, when I was at the local store the other day, I noticed that the “Puppy Large” is actually cheaper than all other kinds of dry food from Orijen. From what I’ve learned so far, I thought puppy food usually contains more nutrition, don’t they? Why is “Regional Red” so much more expensive? I assume the major difference is “Puppy Large” is based on chicken and “Regional Red” is based on Beef. However, I don’t know which one is better?
Should I feed him “Puppy Large” or “Regional Red”? My currently plan is feed him “Puppy Large” dry food and “Regional Red” Freeze Dried. Any better suggestion?
Hi Tracy O –
I’m not sure what the specific protein level is that your veterinarian would recommend but you won’t find a commercial product with less than 18% dry matter protein as that’s the minimum level allowed by AAFCO. A brand I’d recommend checking out is Addiction. They have several allergy-friendly dehydrated foods which I believe are all between 18% and 22% protein (low for a commercial product). Because your dog is requiring severe protein restriction it is crucial that the protein he does get is very high quality, therefore I’d strongly suggest avoiding kibble. Kibble is highly processed and with most lower protein kibbles the majority of the protein is low quality and plant-derived. Dehydrated foods like Addiction are much less processed. An even better option would be a homemade diet utilizing fresh, human-grade meat if it’s something you could do and that your veterinarian would be willing to help you out with. There’s a company called Balance It that your veterinarian can use to generate a custom recipe for you dog. Another option is a company called Rayne that makes fresh Rx diets (many have limited ingredients and I believe they do custom meals as well).
My cat has been on a raw diet for the past two years. He was on canned with water mixed in previously, and has been on the Natures variety chicken medallions since then. I can feed him (9lb, 4 year old male) for less than $1 a day (I get 48 medallions for $17, would be even cheaper if I did the parties or chubs but the medallions are SO convenient!).
I mush his food with water the same as I did his canned food. He was easy to convert, but I’ve heard cats can be extremely difficult. He won’t touch the Honest Kitchen trials I bought him. He will still eat canned and dry (he only gets that when I have to travel overnight).
I started him on raw after he got a UTI. He has gotten one since then, when we moved last year (his are definitely stress induced), but the raw seems to help and his coat and teeth are great!
I think commercial raw might be a good way to start and try to transition, and I think you can usually get a $3 coupon on the natures variety website for new customers.
I also have a fountain…he doesn’t really use it much, I think because I add water to all of his meals (3 a day). But I keep the fountain since I have seen him drink from it occasionally.
I don’t think he liked the taste of the raw chicken. He doesn’t really like those Temptation treats, but I can still get him to eat them when he’s hungry, and he was hungry when I tried the chicken wing with him. He took the bit off my finger, and got this “what is this stuff??” kinda grossed out look on his face LOL I don’t think he likes the chicken broth either.
I don’t think its the bowl or even the pump that bothers him, I think its just the fact that its water that puts him off. He was very interested and checking it out when I plugged it back in tonight, and watched intently as the pump started working and poured water. As soon as the water started flowing, he stalked off. Not without turning around a few steps later to see if it was still spewing out water and if it was coming after him lol
I am still adding water to his food, yes. What makes me think that he doesn’t like the chicken water is that I made his food just like I normally do, only I added a cube of broth instead of some of the water. Mixed it all up like normal once the cube was melted, and he snubbed it. There is a tiny bit more liquid than usual, but its not *that* bad! Most of the food is submersed, and like last time, he won’t touch it if its under the broth. We’ll see how it go through out the night. He still has a little more than half a can to eat tonight, so I dunno what I’ll do about that if he doesn’t eat whats out.
I don’t know whats normal for him! When we got him, he was peeing in about the same amount, but less often, and there was blood in it. After his treatment, was peeing A LOT. Like 4 or 5 balls, larger than my fist, a day. Then I changed his litter the other day, and he’s back to small pee’s, but there are a good amount of them. Like I said before, I can’t tell you if theres blood in there or not because this crap is brown. The whole laundry room smells like cat pee since changing to this walnut stuff. Lots of people complain about that. So I can’t say if its the litter not doing its job in deodorizing that makes mom think his pee smells stronger, or if it does actually smell stronger. I am getting rid of this litter little by little, every night after I scoop, I add in some tidy cats to replace it. Never ever again! I’ll call the vet in the morning and see what they think I should do.
My dog has gastro issues (Chronic Pancreatitis/ possible EPI) as well as diabetes and I’ve been trying to find a dry food that she will eat for longer than a few days. We’ve tried Annamaet Lean and that worked for about a week, then California Natural, Fromm Gold and Natural Balance among others. In the past she’s eaten the Wilderness foods, Wellness Core Reduced Fat, Nutrisca, Nutrisource, Taste of the Wild, Earthborne, Rachael Ray Grain Free and Royal Canin LF. She liked the Merrick Classic Chicken, Brown Rice and Pea but it gave her terrible diarrhea, so I think I should stick to Grain free as well. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Just come back from the vets & ur right Shasta its allergies from outside not food allergies, the vet gave him Antihistamine called Iramine 8mg for dogs as she found that the human Antihistamine dont work as good as the dog Antihistamines.. there’s a new spot on by Blackmores called Dermoscent Essential 6 spot on, u apply one pipette weekly for 8 weeks then after 8 weeks u apply every 2nd week..It bio-diffuses through the skin & is stored in the sebaceous glands then it progressively released from the sebaceous gland then distributed along the body & absorbed into the skin, This regulates trans-epidermal water loss to optimise skin hydration & maintain the cutaneous ecosyestem balance, it reduces odour & reduces dry scaly skin..she said that she see another staffy like Patch but he’s worst & she put him on goats meat with broccoli..she also prescribed a stronger hydrcortisone cream called Mometasone Furoate ointment, so hopefully Patch will get better & a new holistic vet has just joined the practise so I’ll see her next time & a Animal Dermatoligist will be coming in 2months that does the allergy patch test, I mite look into that & see what he’s allergic too…
Wow! Ok. So he’s on a very bland diet. What exactly is very bland diet exactly? Maybe if we all get our heads together and see the ingredients of the bland diet we can try to figure this out together. At this point he may be food and environmental intolerant. It’s spring time and the pollen is crazy here in Georgia so Katie is just a mess. She now takes more antihistamines than I do and that’s saying something. I’ve got to do some research as to what other antihistamines are ok to give dogs. Hey! Are you giving Patch any antihistamines. Katie takes 25 mg. Benadryl (dye free) 3 times a day. Doesn’t make her the least bit sleepy, does help a little with allergies but not enough. This is a really bad allergy season and it’s just really begun here in Atlanta.
I forgot to mention Patch smells like yeast my friend said he smells of mold, I said mold, I dont give Patch sugar the only sweet thing Patch eats is Banana a few little pieces, I didnt realise that the Jazz biscuit had sugar in them but he doesnt have them anymore, Ive cut out the carbs No Potatotoes or sweet Potatoes, Patches paws got real bad 3 weeks ago, we’ve had rain on & off for over 2 weeks, I dry his paws after a walk but u cant dry in between his toes that’s where they’re real red & sores are, they look like red blisters.. I put his Apex Antibiotic cream on them & they start to get better, then the other paw starts going red & sore the next day, its like it’s spreading, one day the back paws are bad then next the front paws are bad, I think it could be from walking on the wet grass, but Ive been on the computer & he has been sleeping & all of a sudden he goes mad with the licking his paw, I look & his paw will be red swollen & we have would of went for a walk about 2 hrs before, this is why I dont know is it food or is it the wet..Ive booked an appointment with the vet this afternoon as Ive been trying to treat his paws over the 3 weeks & they get better then it rains then they seem to get sore again, I’ll see what she says, I bought him shoes but he wont walk in them, the poor thing looks like he’s walking on the moon, Its very hard cause I mite feed him & it happens or we go for a walk & it mite happen, maybe it was going to happen & Im blamming the food or the rain, the elmination diet he’s sort of on one now, no treats, no different foods, he’s on a very bland diet low fat diet cause he has Pancreatitis & IBD as well..thats why I made him the Banana cookies, as a treat, I gave one to him 1 hr ago & nothing has happened this time.. YET..
I’m on my second bag of Orijen puppy dry food, however, the kibbles from second bag looks very different from the first bag. First bag’s kibble is dryer, second bag looks more moist and darker color. Has anyone experience this? Is this normal?
Sue, you really have to cut out all ingredients that I and others have posted. Your dog is obviously has food intolerances and actually they sound more like out right allergies. It really really sounds like allergies and not something else.
Again, try just carrot sticks as a treat for two or three days and see if it makes a difference. Also every time you walk your dog, before bringing him in the house, rinse his feet off incase it’s something his allergic to outside. You can keep a small kitty litter box with some fresh water in it. Rinse his paws (all four) and dry his feet with a clean towel. Don’t forget to change the water once or twice a day. That will help eliminate any issue he may be having from outside walks. What you’ll be attempting to do with the carrot sticks and the rinsing of his feet is an illumination test. It will help narrow some things down.
Allergy testing is sketchy at best. Human allergy testing is not totally perfected, canine testing is very inaccurate. You can have it done two or three different times and will arrive at different results. The only reliable way to know what your dog may have issues with is illumination. It’s really the only thing that works. Dogs can have reactions to multiple ingredients so you have to just do illumination.
Also, please do not put sugar in your treats. Very very bad thing to do. Dogs just love to it. They will eat pretty much everything and anything. Sugar is bad for the systems and horrendously bad for their teeth especially when there is no need to include sugar.
Shasta 220. Good catch on Sue including sugar in the treats, I missed that when I was looking over the ingredient list.
We have a 22 lb, 7 year old shih tzu. He is large frame and not overweight. Recent blood work showed his triglycerides very high at 1300. Following that he had blood work after 12 hour fasting and the count was even higher at 1900. He is currently on Kirland Adult dry food and home made chicken, vegetables and brown rice.
We have been advised to change to a low fat dry food and need recommendations on premium brand. Would appreciate any comments and advice.
Amy R. I’ve been feeding my three toy dogs (Maltese, Maltipoo and Yorkipoo) Primal Pronto in their rotation of commercial raw foods. It is hands down their favorite and also mine. I’ve never had any issues with Primal Pronto whatsoever. You can’t go wrong. THK is very very messy with light colored dogs. My Maltese, Hannah, is obviously white and Katie my Maltipoo is a very very light apricot/blondish color.
I don’t feed any kibble so I can’t advise on Merrick or any other dry food. I have heard a lot of people recommending Victor Grain Free dry. I think it’s the Yukon protein that they like but they are probably rotating within the brand. As I said not sure.
Well regardless of how his teeth looked when you got him, dry food would not have cleaned his teeth. How you are feeding him, which he needs particularily since he had a UTI, has done nothing but help him. If hard food cleaned teeth I would be in heaven eating pretzels every night before bed! lol He was probably was busy catching birds and mice before he moved in to your house. I hear they’re good for teeth! š
Let me know how the chicken wings and gizzards go if you give it a try. I am going to look into feeding my cats some raw food soon in particular for dental health.
I would agree with C4C. Canned is great, but more expensive, so to feed variety, I would go with dry and rotate foods often, and use canned as a topper.
You and I remember that conversation slightly differently aimee..
My entire “initial” comment was
“I imagine they would have to eat a lot of thyroids to overdose on iodine that way.? Additionally, if there were truly a risk of hyperthyroid and raw diets I am certain Dr. Dodds would be one of the first to recommend against them.
I don’t think even one of the raw diets I feed contains any thyroid (or gullet). The supplements I use do but not the foods.” /dog-food-reviews/natures-logic-dog-food-dry/#comment-1204301377
Shortly after I posted (this is only a portion of the post)
“Dr. Dodds actually does have an article regarding this study..
“Dr. Petersonās āBottom Lineā:
In man, community-wide outbreaks of āhamburger thyrotoxicosis,ā resulting from inadvertent consumption of ground beef contaminated with bovine thyroid gland, have been previously reported (3,4). These outbreaks resulted in the banning of āgullet trimming,ā in which meat in the neck region of slaughtered animals is ground into hamburger……
…..In the dogs of this report, it is obvious that the correct balance was not maintained and a very large amount of raw thyroid gland tissue ended up in their raw meat diet. As is the case with the exogenous L-T4, these natural thyroid hormones are not destroyed by gastric acid and can then be absorbed, leading to high concentration of circulating T4
and clinical sign of hyperthyroidism.” http://drjeandoddspethealthres…” /dog-food-reviews/natures-logic-dog-food-dry/#comment-1204382360
I have not tried Divovite yet. I have 2 year old Bullmastiff that has been on Taste of the Wild/Bison pretty much since I rescued him (had him on Blue for about a month, the foster had him on a raw diet for a month and I have no idea what he was eating before)…He seems to be having food allergies, but can’t tie it down to one thing that he is allergic to. When he stays at the sitter’s for more than a day, he comes home licking and rashy. The first time it was small red bumps everywhere including his ears, eyes and jowls…The second time it was hot spots and the dry flaky bumps that others have talked about on this thread. Both times the vet prescribed antibiotics. The first time, he got a steroid shot and some eye and ear cream too…the second time I had to go to the vet twice and the second time he prescribed a second antibiotic and a steroid boosted antihistamine…and said that I could give my dog up to 15 Benadryl a day for the rest of his life. I agree with all of you that think that meds for life is ridiculous. I don’t think I want to go raw with his diet either. I am willing to try Dinovite, it isn’t that expensive for a 90 day supply (for my 120lb bully, $1 per day)…
I want to add this though- those concerned about diatamaceous earth need to do more research on it. I’ve used it several times all by itself to kill fleas. Non-food quality is used in pool and hot tub filters, food quality is used by farmers in their livestock foods to help fight intestinal parasites because it is actually crushed shells and corals and it cuts the parasites skin and causes them to dehydrate. Many sites will recommend it all by itself as a treatment to your pet’s coat to fight fleas and you can add it to food by itself for the same reasons farmers use it. I’ve never heard it being referred to as a “binder.” And to the post talking about the ingredients to the solvents and poisons including H2O, RIGHT ON man!!!! People are so worried about “chemicals” they can’t pronounce, but most people would not have any issues eating an egg…well you know eggs are chemicals and if you looked at the chemical make-up of an all natural egg, you wouldn’t be able to pronounce them either (Ovalbumin, Conalbumin, Ovamucoid, Ovomucin, Lysozyme, Avidin, Ovoglobulin, Ovoinhibitor) and that is just for the whites of the eggs….
I’m personally a big fan of Tiki Dog Canned. Do you think we could do a section specifically for canned food (since Tiki doesn’t make dry food, and I’m sure others don’t as well)?
Anybody know what are the cheapest dry food that has zero or has only 1-2 minor red items? I don’t really mind low protein % since my dog gets plenty of protein in his raw meat meals.
HDM – thank you soooo much for compiling this list! I just got a 6 week old lab puppy and want to make sure I’m feeding her the healthiest food possible as we just lost our beloved 9 yr old lab to lung cancer š
I was wondering if the reason PetSmart’s Simply Nourish Source isn’t on the list because it didn’t make the cut or because you haven’t yet had a chNce to research it? I ask because it’s budget conscious as well as being listed on this site as one if the Top 5 Star Puppy Foods at /best-dog-foods/best-puppy-foods/best-dry-puppy-foods-5-star/
Much thanks in advance!
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This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by
Brian K.
I’m just about certain, enough so I won’t feed it to my dogs. I’ve seen the same comments on 4 other forums Itchmo, Catster, Chihuahua People and Yorkie talk. I also found it on Truth about Pet Food Petsumer Report from Feb 2013. It said that the canned foods are made at Evangers and the dry foods in Georgia. I only fed Evangers once and my dogs didn’t like it and I didn’t like the rusty cans.
I’m a newbie and knew nothing about Evangers until I read this forum so I decided to look up what I could. I looked up Performance Pet and they own Canine Cattle a company that makes dog & cat food. Performance Pet makes Spring Naturals that was just reviewed and got 4 stars.
I found the comments in 4 different places plus in the Petsumer report. Although there is no factual material to back up the comments they sound reliable and they are repeated more than once.
I also read that the CC Facebook page admits this and names some other companies, Party Animal, Weruva, Addiction & another I forget that use Evangers. I wish I could remember where I saw this but didn’t mark it and I’ve searched and now of course I can’t find it. I am also probably the only one in Mass. who is not on Facebook so I couldn’t look it up.
I feed Weruva so I was not too happy and I called them. They said their Kobe line was manufactured there but that’s all. I also found that same exact info on Itchmo.
Other companies mentioned in my reading were Dave’s , Addiction, Wysong Au Jus, Party Animal, Wild Calling, Great Life and Holistic Select. The info on Holistic Select and Dave’s was from 2010 so things may have changed. I called Dave’s but they said they didn’t give that info out but they denied it. I also called Addiction because I feed that also and they said that their NZ line was manufactured in NZ but the others were manufactured at Evangers.they said they send someone to supervise the whole process. This is exactly what was said on one of the forums.
So, I believe the stuff about CC but I am going to call them and I will let you know what they say. Is it possible for one plant to manufacture all these foods and what is with the rusty cans? Some of the Dave’s cans in our pet store here have the same rust but I haven’t seen it on the Addiction or Weruva cans I’ve bought.
Somewhere there is a thread about bloat, but I don’t know where it’s hiding, but the take away is that they really don’t know what causes bloat. Every time they think they have a cause, they try to cause bloat and find that whatever they were testing doesn’t cause bloat. The current thinking is that there is no one reason that animals bloat, but that there may be several factors that have to be present at the same time to cause bloat. I can tell you that raw fed dogs are not known for bloating and they recieve a high fat diet compared to kibble fed dogs, so it can’t just be fat. Same with dogs fed canned foods.
They say that for bloat prone dogs that you should not feed a food with citric acid in it because this can cause gas build up in the stomach. And they also say to wet the food well before feeding it to allow it to absorb all the water that it can. And don’t allow your dog to drink water after eating, especially if fed a dry meal. I would always add digestive enzymes to any kibble being fed to a bloat prone dog, but I would strive to feed a more natural diet to these dogs.
Look for kibbles that are low in Carbs, no potatoes or sweet potatoes, on top of page u’ll see reviews click on reviews then in the search bar on ur left put ‘Low Carb Kibbles’…My friend has a white Staffy when he was 6months old he got real bad yeasty itchy skin, vet put him on Vet Prescription kibble that didnt work, she tried the Wellness Complete Health White Fish & Sweet Potatoes recipe that also never help probably cause of the Sweet Potatoes, then she tried Holistic Select Adult Health Anchovy Sardines & Salmon meal dry food & the Holistic Health worked, I seen her the other day & her boy is looking beautiful, no more yeasty itchy skin..I think u’ll just need to try a few kibbles until u find a kibble that suits ur dog, also a good oatmeal based shampoo, its important to have weekly baths after bathing make a rinse half white vinegar & half water in a jug & rinse off with the vinegar + water, this kills the yeast & gets rid of any residue..Also Witch Hazel & Aloe Vera gel, Mix a 3 to 1 solution of the Witch Hazel & Aloe Vera Gel & apply to itchy areas as needed, Witch Hazel helps temporarily stop the itchiness & kill the bacteria while the Aloe Vera helps cool the skin & speed up the healing process.. Also A good Probiotic this helps fight yeast infections..
