[Hao D]

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?

[Hound Dog Mom]

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).

[Molzy]

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.

[Akari_32]

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.

[jgr789]

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.

[Susan]

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…

[Dori]

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.

[Susan]

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..

[Jade X]

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?

[Dori]

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.

[Robert A]

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.

[Dori]

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.

[Bobby dog]

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! 😉

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.

[theBCnut]

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.

[Shawna]

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. Peterson’s “Bottom Line”:
In man, community-wide outbreaks of “hamburger thyrotoxicosis,” 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 “gullet trimming,” 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

[Steven M]

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….

[Rabbinator]

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)?

[John N]

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.

[Brian K]

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 🙁

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!

• This reply was modified 11 years, 12 months ago by Brian K.

[banditsmom]

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.

[theBCnut]

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.

[Susan]

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..

[Nancy C]

Sorry – was off line a while. To the Pet Nutritionist. I need to come up with a solution OTHER than HILLS W/D for my dog. Maybe I am ignorant but that food scares me. The FIRST ingredient for the dry food is WHOLE GRAIN CORN — and I thought corn was bad for dogs. His stools come out in pieces the size of fireball bubble gum and ping pong balls. So dry it makes me hurt. This CAN’T be good for his GI track. He was on it one whole week and then we moved him last friday to Science Diet Sensitive Stomach and he pooped custard all last weekend. So on MOnday we put him back on it and the poops are dry.
The vet says do this for a month. ugh.
Any thoughts? I had thought I could add that Organic Paul Newmans canned food as a topper and maybe add a probiotic and see how that goes. ??? Boy I need help.
Thank you !

[Shasta220]

Honestly, I’d think that home made would be best for everyone. You could customize her diet more easily, and home made is much better in general – raw is best, too. There are many premixes out there. The Honest Kitchen is a favorite. Sojos and See Spot Live Longer are dehydrated foods that you add your own meat to, so you could buy a protein source she isn’t allergic to. Sojos isn’t the most complete, so it would be best if rotated out with at least one other.

If you do find a dry food that works, you can always soak it or mix it with a super wet canned food to make it easier to chew. I’d be a little nervous about having only rabbit as a protein source in dry food, as rabbit has zero animal fat (or possibly there’s chicken fat in the ingredient list as well, I haven’t seen it), and I believe that dogs need an amount of animal fat in their diets.

I still think that something home made is definitely best 🙂

• This reply was modified 11 years, 12 months ago by Shasta220.

[theBCnut]

I give 1/2 tablespoon of ACV per cup of food, no matter what kind of food it is, dry, canned, raw, etc. You have to dilute it at least 50/50 with water, but I also add water to my dogs’ food so I dilute it more than that.

I use freshly crushed cloves of garlic, which is why I don’t use it daily. Freshly crushed cloves are more potent. Springtime has a high sulfur strain of garlic that is excellent for bug control and is probably safer for every day use than fresh garlic, but you lose some of the other benefits of garlic.

[Nancy C]

Oh My do I need to ask YOU a question — to the Pet Nutritionist who just responded to “HELP! Dog Eating Hills…”
MY DOG IS ON HILLS AND I AM MISERABLE ABOUT IT.
He is the GSD who the kind people on this website have helped me with. 18 mos old in Jan when I got him. Great Dog. Was fine then and doing great on TOW High Prairie. I suddenly discovered the recall hx of Diamond & immediately started transitioning him to Origen, very slowly– starting w 1/8 cup Origen to 2 cups TOW morning and night. At 50/50 he started loose afternoon stools. Morning stools normal. Moved to Acana slowly. At 50/50 same thing. Afternoon stool like custard. Morning fine. Vet said she thought it could be bec he had so much exercise in the mornings which made PM stools so soft. But said it could also be that the Champion food is too rich. This had gone on for several weeks so the vet gave him Metronidazol and sent us home with a bag of HILLS RX W/D. The loose stools were replaced by dry sawdust clumps of poop which he worked hard to push out. He did fine on that for a week so the vet said at the check up to start slowly transitioning him to Hills Sensitive Stomach. She said we would not keep him on this but she had seen a lot of dogs improve with a bag of this. Loose stools started within a day – He pooped custard all weekend in my house and out, uncontrollable, and I was up three times last Sunday night with him running outside to poop. Back to the vet on Monday. Lab work negative – no worms. She said not to feed him until Monday afternoon and gave me canned W/D HILLS. Said give 1/2 can Monday afternoon and 1/2 can MOnday night. Tuesday we finished up the HIlls CAnned Crap at lunch and started HILLS W/D dry. His poops are now all dry solid sawdusty. He sometimes groans as he strains. Vet said to keep him on this for a MONTH but I cannot bear watching this and Whole Grain CORN is the first ingredient. I bought more cans but Water, Egg Particles and Whole Grain Corn are the first ingredients. I know this is wrong. He has lost 2 pounds. He now has a quiet period for 2 hours after all meals to support digestion and plays afterward. I bought a Slow Eating Bowl and it REALLY slows him down.
Surely there is a better way than HILLS to help this dog.
I bought a bag of Dr. Tims, planning to try that next. In a way I am scared but I am also scared to face 3 more weeks on HILLS W/D DRY.
Advice? Thank you.

[Amy S]

Does anyone have suggestions for budget friendly dry food that does not have chicken/ turkey as the first ingredient. My GSD loves pork dry food, and will eat fresh chicken, but she does not like dry food made from chicken. Currently have her on Fromm, but would like something less expensive.
Going to try Whole Earth Farms Beef, but have concerns with Merrick. Haven’t they had multiple issues with sourcing to China, recalls, etc?

• This topic was modified 11 years, 12 months ago by Amy S.

[Alissa D]

We’ve always had trouble finding a food my Yorkie will eat. She’s extremely picky and won’t eat for a day or more if it’s not something she likes. We just got the results of her allergy tests back and along with numerous environmental allergies she’s allergic to milk, chicken, beef, barley, flax, lamb, soy, venison, and peas. I’ve been to every pet store in the city and haven’t found a single dry food. She refuses to eat any wet dog foods except for a few of the cheap ones she can’t have anymore. The vet wasn’t helpful at all with finding something. For now we’re cooking her ground turkey, pork roast, sweet potatoes, and eggs because it’s all she’ll eat. We’re looking for dry food so it can sit there without spoiling until she’s hungry enough to eat it. So far I’ve only found two kinds of food online that she can have, Canine Caviar duck and chick pea and Taste of the Wild smoked salmon.

Does anyone happen to know of any foods she can eat or might even like? I ordered the Canine Caviar one since she doesn’t like fish but she probably won’t eat it. Smaller kibbles that aren’t rock hard would be good too since a bunch of her teeth never grew in and she has a hard time chewing. Smaller bags that we can freeze would be helpful because she’s allergic to storage mites as well. Thanks for your help!

[Sylvia R]

My dog has yeast infection on her skin. I am trying new foods for her. I need some suggestions and recommendations for her. Has anyone had any luck with any dry dog food. Please let me know what brand and what kind.

[Tina]

I have four dogs with four different needs, ages and lifestyles. Gidget is a 9 year old Black Cocker Spaniel with colitis and dry itchy skin. Angel is a 7 year old Golden Retriever with bad hip and joint issues and dry itchy skin. Shadow is a 1 year old large breed mutt (German Shepherd, Australian Cattle Dog, Belgian Shepherd) with skin and coat sensitivities, stomach sensitivities and very low immune system. Ginger is a 5 year old Pembroke Welsh Corgi with a weight problem and dry, itchy skin. I’m looking for a Budget Friendly dog food that I can find in South Florida. There are many different pet stores all around me including Petco, Pet Supermarket and Petsmart. What can you recommended for me?

[Jeff T]

Our dog has acid reflux. He was throwing up ( I think he’s actually just regurgitating, not really throwing up) about once or twice a week in the middle of the night and every now and then during the day while we are at work. We switched his food to Nutro chicken and oatmeal formula a couple of years ago and it seemed to control it pretty well. He only had an incident every other month or so. We’ve tried to give him Tums, per the vets recommendation, but he never would eat them.

About 2 months ago our dog got worse. He was throwing up (or regurgitate) every day. We have found that feeding him chicken and rice for a few days clears up these episodes and he’s back to normal. I started researching raw food and cooked food diets for him and now I’m making his food myself. I use chicken thighs (they are the cheapest), sweet potato, carrots, green beans, and blueberries. I throw it all in a slow cooker and when it’s done I remove the bones and mash it all up. I add 1/2 cup of dry food and 1/2 cup of rice when I’m ready to feed them and they love it. No more tummy issues and their farts smell 90% better. Or, is it 90% less bad? Either way, both dogs could clear out a room before.

The only part of the diet I haven’t solved yet is the supplements. It seems like there are good and bad things said about Dinovite, but I haven’t tried that yet. I’ve been using Nupro, and it seems to work ok.

[Dori]

One of my dogs was very yeasty, the other two were mildly so. What worked for them was switching their diet and adding Mercola’s Complete Probiotics. The switch in their diet back then was to a grain, soy, rice, white potato, poultry free. All yeast, bad breath, horrendous gas issues, runny goopy eyes all went away. Also one of them had terribly dry skin. I later transitioned them to all raw and that is what they eat now.

Mercola Complete Probiotics is on the expensive side but I think it’s a really good company and product. It’s also a lot less expensive than being at the vet every time you turn around and being charged their outrageous prices for meds that don’t fix the actual problem, only the symptoms and then to add insult to injury they want you to feed your animals their horrible foods that the sell and get kick backs on.

[Cathy W]

Sarah,
I found Shawna’s posts to be most helpful. I am going to stay away from dry food. From everything I have learned so far, no matter how good the protein is when they start, the processing for dry food really takes away from the quality and quality protein is what we are looking for. I am going to use a dehydrated dog food; The Honest Kitchen. Another advantage is the moisture they get once you rehydrate the food. My two dogs absolutely love this food. They were hungry on the first formula I tried and now I have switched to the Embark formula, I add a couple of green beans to it and they seemed satisfied and happy. ( I had started with Force. Would like to use Love formula, but it is more expensive). I can’t say about any changes in BUN yet, but originally three weeks on Force and Sprite’s BUN dropped 3 points.

[Akari_32]

Hey guys! I was wondering what you all thought of the Pet Botanics dry food? Its on sale for $10 and I have a bunch of $5 coupons, so at a $1 a pound, you can’t really go wrong!

Given Bentley’s itchiness, and the fact that I’ve had him on the Pure Balance Salmon and Pea for several weeks and his hair is actually growing back, do you think it’d be worth it to try the Salmon and Lamb formulas of Pet Botanics? They’re pretty similar to Pure Balance, and rank the same 3.5 stars.

[pugmomsandy]

FYI, the canned foods I listed were in dry matter.

[Susan]

Holistic Select- Dry Senior Health Chicken Meal & Rice Fiber-3.50% Fat-10%.. Wellness-Wet Complete Health Senior formula Fat 3%..Im using the Eukanuba Vet Prescription Intestinal, I think its Iams Sensitive Stomach in America. Fat-10% & Fiber 1.75%, there’s NO by-Product in the Eukanuba.. Ive found the senior foods seem to be the lowest in Fat & fiber..

[SUE G]

My Yorkie suffers from pancreatitis. We have learned he does best on a low fat/low fiber diet. The vet is strongly encouraging me to feed him Royal Canin or Hill’s Rx canned food. Does anyone know of a good canned or dry food that is low fat/fiber and not Rx that I can try? The Hill’s and Royal Canin have by-products and additives that I do not like.
Thank you in advance!

[Shasta220]

So sorry you got ripped off with BB… Some of their foods are great, but others? Well, you’re just paying for the fancy packaging.

Personally, almost anything on here that’s 4-5 stars is good. I wouldn’t be too picky about getting food for seniors. As crazy4cats said, they’re often lower in the good proteins and fats, and higher in empty fillers. I know a couple dogs on NutriSource GF, they’re both 55-65lb seniors (I think they’re around 13), and they still go on an hour walk/run into the fields every morning. One of them is even known to sometimes jump over a 4ft fence!

I know home made diets with premixes (like the honest kitchen, and See Spot Live Longer) are the favorite around these parts. Orijen and Acana are two of the most beloved dry foods as well. I’d love to have my dogs on either of those, but the price is waaaay out of my personal budget.

Also bumping this so others can see 😉 best wishes!

[DogFoodie]

That’s funny! I recall Dr. Mike saying that in the video as well and wondered also.

I think it might be Whole Earth Farms.

/dog-food-reviews/whole-earth-farms-dog-food-dry/
/dog-food-reviews/whole-earth-farms-grain-free/

[Jodi R]

I’m looking for recommendations for a good quality dry senior dog food. I have been feeding my 13 year old mixed breed Blue Buffalo Life Protection Senior. I thought that was a good choice, but it only gets a 2-star rating! I want something better for my sweet old girl. She is about 65 lbs, but I really have no idea what breeds she may be. When I adopted her 12 years ago, they told me a possible chow mix, but I don’t see that at all. She did have some kidney and liver issues a few years back but now is in good health for her age. Any suggestions would be very appreciated!

[Jetster]

Thanks everyone for bringing to my attention that Evanger packed. I have written Wild Calling to confirm this since I was led to believe by their sales reps they did their own dry food. I absolutely would not give this to my dog if by them either. I will probably just stick to my $74 a bag Orijen and Acana and quit looking to save $20 a month!

[Saig]

I tried Coastal Catch and Meadow Feast as well for my 14 mth old Bernese but his fur became really dry and he was always hungry. I prefer Wellness Complete but stock delays are terrible in Australia. At the moment, I have the Wellness Fish and sweet potato and the expiry date is Oct 14, nothing newer. I have also tried Wellness Core but my Bernese started falling in the Pasterns so I believe Grainfree is possibly not appropriate for my dog. Have gone back to grain food instead.

Sad that due to Australia’s strict import laws, only a handful of top rated foods are available here: Wellness, Earthborn, Artemis are available.

[Melissaandcrew]

Hi Lola-

If you are feeding them as a litter, from a single pan, you need to be sure all are getting their fair share. When we have pups to deal with, we would estimate according to the food, how ,much each should eat(by brand) and then add a few cups to that. Also, I never feed young pups dry food-I soak it a bit, just so they do not choke.

They should be fed three times a day at this age. Any food they did not eat in about 20mins time, we picked up, put in fridge and used it at the next feeding-but not longer than one day as pups tend to play in it-so breakfast leftovers would be added to lunchtime, lunch leftovers to dinner, dinner leftovers to trash. If you find you are having too much left over, then you are feeding too much-reduce the amount,but not the frequency.

[Lola D]

we have 8 week old puppies 8 of them and well I have never done this before so it is all learn as you go….they have begun eating dry food and I cannot find anywhere that says how much I should be feeding them….they are part Blue Heeler and something else….can you help me to figure this out I want healthy puppies

[Jetster]

I recently attended an expo and met with Wild Calling! Nothing Wilder dog food makers. I recieved several samples and their ingredients looked great and my Aussie gobbled like it was Orijen. I was told where their meats were sourced (New Zealand, USA and Canada) and that they do not contain any China ingredients. Any chance of getting this product reviewed? They told me they have been out with their dry grain free for over a year now.

[Ruben C]

Somebody can recomend the best dry food for sensitive skin?? I’m using Buffalo Ble Basic, saml breed, what do you think about these, or know some one better. thamk you.

[Shawna]

Hi Cathy,

Sorry for the delay… The absolute WORST thing you can feed sprite bar none is any form of kibble. Kibble is hard to digest and because of the lower quality of the protein it creates more BUN when compared to an equal amount of digested protein from another source.

AND, your vet is incorrect if he/she told you to feed low protein in the early stages of the disease unless there is significant protein in the urine. Testing has confirmed that lowering protein too low can actually increase all cause mortality. They have also proven that protein does not damage the kidneys. Because of this you don’t need to feed “low” protein until Sprite has advanced symptoms. Limiting protein even at later stages does not help the kidneys but it does help with symptoms which are caused by the increase of BUN etc in the blood. Limiting protein is not helpful however in the later stages of the disease limiting phosphorus is highly advisable. Phosphorus builds in the blood and CAN damage the kidneys. In the earlier stages of the disease phosphorus is often not detrimental.

For the record, my pup has had kd since birth and has been on HIGH protein raw (45 to 54% on a dry matter basis) since coming to me at nine weeks of age. She will be eight years old the end of June this year and is still doing well. The only time she shows symptoms such as vomiting is if I feed her kibble. The Honest Kitchen is a good food but I’d go with Love or Zeal and add extra good quality fats like coconut oil to increase calories and make her feel more satiated without extra protein/phosphorus. Canned (or better yet raw) tripe is another good option and can be fed with the HK or as a separate meal (pending you get one that is complete and balanced).

As noted, increasing fat keeps the calories up while lowering phosphorus per calorie consumed. This is very important in the later stages.

Other things to consider:

I HIGHLY recommend a product by Standard Process called Canine Renal Support. Audrey has been on it since I learned of her diagnosis. It helps to keep inflammation at bay.

Give Sprite access to all the water she wants but do make sure it is pure — reverse osmosis as an example. Adding toxins in via the water source only increases symptoms. Science has shown benefit to giving waters higher in calcium with low sodium. They didn’t identify actual names but Evian seems to fit the bill.

I HIGHLY recommend giving a HIGH quality probiotic and a specific type of prebiotic (known as nitrogen traps). The combination of these two products helps clear BUN etc from the blood sparing the kidneys from having to do the work. It also allows for even higher amounts of protein. I use Garden of Life’s Primal Defense (human product) and Fiber35 Sprinkle Fiber (human product).

There are other supplements that are known to be beneficial such as food grade activated charcoal, spirulina, burdock root, organic turmeric and more. I mix a combination of these and others with a digestive enzyme and some of the Sprinkle Fiber and add a bit to every meal.

The products you use in your home can be problematic too. When Audrey was diagnosed I looked at the CDC and material safety data sheets for product ingredients I used in my home. Many (if not most) of them were not kidney friendly so I got rid of them and use only ones that are not damaging to kidneys. Example — clorox has a chemical that can damage kidneys in animals. From the material safety data sheet “2-Butoxyethanol has been shown to cause red blood cell hemolysis in laboratory animals and secondary injury to the kidney and liver. However, humans appear to be resistant to this effect” Clorox is pretty toxic anyway so I don’t even have it in the house but if you choose to use it, might be wise not to use it to clean the floors as it can be absorbed through the skin. http://www.thecloroxcompany.com/downloads/msds/cloroxprofessionalproducts/409nqf.pdf

I know I’m forgetting some things… 🙁 Let me know if you have any questions. Also Mary Straus’ website discusses the data I’ve mentioned above plus much much more. Very valuable source of information. She lists kibbles but she fed her own KD dog raw and believes in raw. You don’t have to feed raw but I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY suggest avoiding going back to any kibble. http://www.dogaware.com/health/kidney.html

You and Sprite are in my prayers!!!!

• This reply was modified 12 years ago by Shawna.
• This reply was modified 12 years ago by Shawna.

[Elisa C. R]

**Reposting under correct category **

Hi everyone,

I am new to the forum, and have a question for you all. Any suggestions/feedback you have would be most appreciated.

I adopted a puppy in January, and have been feeding her Precise Holistic (dry food for puppies). The dog that I lost in October had been eating Precise Senior for a few years and loved it!

My question is this. My pup eats way to fast. I have tried the slow eating type bowl, but doesn’t seem to help. I elevated her food bowl, doesn’t make a difference. She has terrible gas, and I don’t mean occasionally, I mean several times a day / night. Her stool is sometimes firm, and sometimes runny. I cannot figure out if the issue is from eating too fast and getting air in her stomach, or an issue with grain; should I possibly switch to a grain free food and see if that helps with the gas issue?

Thank you in advance for any advice/help you can give.

Regards,
Elisa

[Elisa C. R]

Hi everyone,

I am new to the forum, and have a question for you all. Any suggestions/feedback you have would be most appreciated.

I adopted a puppy in January, and have been feeding her Precise Holistic (dry food for puppies). The dog that I lost in October had been eating Precise Senior for a few years and loved it!

My question is this. My pup eats way to fast. I have tried the slow eating type bowl, but doesn’t seem to help. I elevated her food bowl, doesn’t make a difference. She has terrible gas, and I don’t mean occasionally, I mean several times a day / night. Her stool is sometimes firm, and sometimes runny. I cannot figure out if the issue is from eating too fast and getting air in her stomach, or an issue with grain; should I possibly switch to a grain free food and see if that helps with the gas issue?

Thank you in advance for any advice/help you can give.

Regards,
Elisa

[Susan]

My boys gulping started last December, finally Im working out what the problem is, its stomach acid reflux coming into his throat.. he manly was having it early hours of the morning 1am-6am, Ive found kibbles high in fat made him worst, At 8.30pm I give him a dry biscuit a human biscuit then Ive been giving him Zantac (Ranitidine) similar to Pepcid (Famotidine)…at 9pm, I wake him up & give him 1 third of a Zantac, this has helped so much.. I read ur post Bunny how ur giving Sulcrate (Carafate) this must be giving on an empty stomach 1 hour before foods as it coats the stomach & if there’s food in their stomach it will just coat the food, ur better off giving Pepcid or Zantac as this helps settle their acid after they have eaten, the meals before bed make sure they are very low in fats as fats cause stomach acid, I also try to have my dog sleeping with his head higher then his bottom, so he’s sleeping like a human with a small pillow under the head, this way the acid can’t wash into their mouths causing the burning in their throats, everything that u’d do for a human with GERDs, I do for my Patch… Its funny I suffer from GERDs & now Ive rescued a dog with the Gerds….