[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, 8 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, 8 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 11 years, 8 months ago by Shawna.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months 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….

[Akari_32]

I *can* get monthly doses, but not at this vet. Our other vet does. This vet doesn’t do enough business to sell individual doses. He has one exam room, and two techs. Our other vet has like 5 exam rooms, 2 vets, 5 or 6 techs, office staff, groomers, and they are always busy. Not to mention, its likes 20 minutes away in a direction we never go lol We only use them for when we need to use CareCredit, on big things. I’d rather go right down the street to the people we know best, and pay a little extra. We’ve been going there for like 15 years, and they know us. Plus, I don’t like how the other office has multiple vets. They both have very different views, and one doesn’t speak very good english (I think he’s from India? Not that I care, I just like to know what people are saying, especially when I’m forking out a bunch of money to them lol)

Elanco does offer rebates, yes. $10 for 6 month boxes, and $25 for yearly boxes. I just have to get on their website and do it. The last ones took like 8 months to get back!! :O

I know they have a GF dry cat food. I never looked to see if they had the grain inclusive (Diamond made) one. Tractor Supply is too far away for me to care much lol

[theBCnut]

3 and 4% fat in a canned/wet food is probably too high of a fat level for a pancreatitis dog. The dry matter equivalent is closer to 15 and 20% respectively.

[Susan]

Wellness Complete Health-Senoir recipe Wet, its only 3% fat & 7% Protein, or there’s Nutro Natural Choice-Lite Lamb & rice, Fat-4% Protein-5%.. If you look at most of the senior foods they are normally low Fat & Protein, I have been boiling chicken breast, pumkin & sweet potatoes & freezing little meals, this seems to have helped my boys Pancreatitis, Ive found that when he has his Dry kibble he gets his pain..thats probably why ur Silky doesnt like the dry foods..

[Randall G]

I recently looked at a very long list of stuff that should not be in dog or cat food, and my question is how does the 4health grain free duck and potato and the 4health all stages dry cat food rate as far as their ingredients? I have 18 to feed and I am looking for an excellent food without going in debt. HELP

[Yvonne W]

Hi dchassett, I have her on TOW High Prairie Puppy; yes, I know, I have read all the bad Diamond conversations in the forum. Actually, my decision was strictly based on the ingredients of several quality grain free dry foods. I copied and pasted them all in a word document so I could look at them closely. It took me a month to decide. The fact is I liked the ingredients and there were some that are in Orijen and a few other quality foods that were missing. The ingredients that were not in TOW is what intrigued me about the food as I believe they are partly responsible, if not totally, for the odor and gas. I have not been disappointed. I understand Diamond really blew it in May 2012. With the new FDA rules and all that it costs Diamond, not just in money, perhaps they will walk the walk and understand that our pets are family and pet owners care deeply about them; their health, what they eat, how they feel, etc.

[Ann-Marie M]

My mini schnauzer who is now 12 was eating Canidae dry food and started having problems stooling in his crate and around the house in the middle of the night. Initially I just thought it was his age but then changed him to a raw frozen diet. I started with Nature’s Variety Instinct but changed to Stella and Chewy’s when I found out they are a local company and that Nature’s Variety Instinct gets their rabbit from China. The raw diet completely fixed the problem. He stopped having loose stools in his crate and around the house! 🙂

• This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by Ann-Marie M.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by Ann-Marie M.

[Isabel P]

I already feed 2 of my 3 Dr Tim’s grain-free but my 3rd dog is now allergic to potatoes so I am forced to feed her Orijen. I’m shocked to not see it on the list- I’d love to know why…it’s the only dry grain free potato free dog food I have found. It’s very pricey however I thought it was a 5 star rated food.

[Patrica H]

My dog is 15, a silky terrier, who has had a few bouts with pancreatitis. She needs a low fat, and probably lower protein dog food. She doesn’t like dry dog food. She is on Hills Science Diet ID low fat GI restore which recently changed the texture of its canned dog food. It is very dry, won’t even absorb any moisture! My dog almost chokes on it. Also, I don’t think the ingredients are very healthy – pork liver, pork by products, corn…! Please, if anyone knows of a good canned dog food – low fat, low protein please let me know. thanks. —Patty

[DogFoodie]

Lilypeppers,

Evolve has been reviewed here: /dog-food-reviews/evolve-dog-food-dry/

[Jon P]

I’ve been paying about $30 for 30lbs. Victor depending on the variety I pick which is why I want Victor dog food as it is high quality food for much less than other brands.

I ordered two 24lb. bags of Canidae Grain Free pureELEMENTS All Life Stage Dry Dog Food delivered for $73. So far all of the dogs are enjoying this food. I may just drive the 50 miles each way to the feed store and get several bags.

They are supposed to be building a Costco near me so I may look into their Kirkland brand.

How long is the dog food good for before going bad? I was unable to find an expiration date on the Victor bags.

[chrissy r]

Im fosteri.g a boxer male 4 years the previos owner fed him spaghetti,pizza fries and alittle iams once in awhile. Hes been on ivs and probiotics and i/d canned and dry im trying to find him a better food i feed my other dogs natural balance and was looming at that brand but the synergy does anyone know anyother top foods that may help???

[Mom2Cavs]

Betsy, I used to love Merrick! I even fed the dry for about 3 months after the change to the new Classic, Grain free lines. But I had some problem with some of the kibble. I still fed the canned food until I found weird looking, mold-like, stuff in the middle of a few of them. So I won’t buy them anymore. I really miss buying them, too, because they had a lot of variety. Now I tend to stick with Wellness, but I do add a few others in now and then for more variety. Our kibble is Victor, atm, but I just found out Wellness has some new formulas for smaller breed dogs that look good. I was always asking them to come out with Simple in smaller size kibble and to have other flavors in Small Breed formulas. Now they have! However, I have a ton of Victor I will feed first before trying them out.

[Corey T]

I just wanted to say I’m happy to support this site after all the years of great dog food advice it’s been giving me. Without this site, who knows what my dogs would have been eating? Haha, Beneful or some nonsense! Right now my guys are on Nature’s Variety Instinct with the raw boost, and Merrick canned foods, but I’ll definitely go with an editor’s choice when we switch dry foods. Maybe a feature you could do in the future is why some of the 5-star foods don’t make it into the editor’s choice. Thanks!

[Tina Sharp]

I have a 10 week old english bulldog that has a stage 2 heart murmur. I need a dry large breed puppy that has low salt, low protein and low calcium food. Does anyone have an idea on a large breed puppy that meets this criteria? Thank, Tina aloveoflabs

[Alexa H]

Obviously you don’t feed them just chicken that’s why I said “dry and chicken”. Oh, and their is still a ton of fish products in the wet food regardless if they are chicken or turkey.. Huh. Imagine that. Oh, and iams is much better than any purina product or pedigree product. Our Czech shepherd went from eating two 8cup bowls a day to 4 cups a day and gained the 15lbs he needed. And this site even rates it 3 stars sooo.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Akari:
Sending positive “we got to keep this adorable, sweet, furry, kitty” thoughts your way!

I am not sure if the pet stores near me sell Eagle pack cans either. Only two out of the three pet boutiques/chains near me are listed on their site as selling Eagle Pack but that could just be the dry food. One of the chains I go to is Pet Supplies Plus so I’ll see at the end of the month when I make the pet food run. Petco and Petsmart are about 7 – 10 miles in a direction I never travel anymore so that is why I only order over the Internet from them. I printed the EP coupons just in case.

The Sheba is $1.00 off 24 cans or multipack and a b10 g2 coupons. I printed several of each. They expire 4/24/14.

[Paola G]

Hi, I have a 10lb Rat Terrier that I adopted from ASPCA at 2 years old, she is now 7. I had her on IAMS ProActive Health, that was the food she was on at the pound, for about 3 years after I got her and never had any issues. Then one day I decided to change her to better quality food and she was doing well until 8 months ago when she started having these small bumps on her skin on the back that would become dandruff and were very smelly,no flea/tick bites. Then eventually the flakes/dandruff stopped but she now has these red spots on her belly and on her “armpit” that look very dry and itchy and she still smells. Took her to the vet who put her on Hills Prescription Diet for two weeks, gave her a cortizone shot and changed her shampoo to a prescription one, she got a little better but the rash did not go away. I’m keeping her on Hills Grain Free food and I’ve been changing her food for the past few months to no avail. Her demeanor/energy level never changed and her appetite hasn’t changed either. The groomer suggested the I give her Benadryl but I don’t want her to be groggy. Does any one have any idea what this could be? Thank you!

[Akari_32]

Iams is one of the worst foods out there, actually. And the easist way to get around canned food with fish in it is to just not buy any with fish. Huh. Imagine that. Dry food is terrible for cats because of the higher level of carbohydrates needed to bind the food together, as well as it being just that– dry. Some canned foods (like Iams) can actually be just as bad with carbs. Feeding just boiled meat is extremely imbalanced, as it doesn’t provide all of the nutrients your cat needs to stay healthy. Now, if you were to add supplements yourself, then that would actually be better than any commercial diet, but you would first have to know how much of what nutrients to add, and they can be costly.

[Alexa H]

Just so everyone knows my vet said to only feed a cat a small amount of wet food a day. It actually has way to many fish products which can hurt their liver. She said it’s better to feed dry and boiled chicken and other meats. Also, I just switched from a crappy dry cat food to authority which looks to be a pretty good food for the price. It’s cheaper than iams, and iams cat food is no where as good as iams for dogs. Which is what I feed my dogs.

[Bobby dog]

I am using 2 cloves of fresh garlic, sliced about 10 minutes before feeding, three days a week.
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/garlic-for-dogs-poison-or-medicine/

I used to feed Bug Off from Springtime to my horses years ago when I boarded them. When I moved them to my home, I stopped feeding it. Two years of having the opportunity to be around them 24/7, I never saw any difference with bugs and ticks. I use fly predators for the barn area, groom them daily to check for ticks and use an herbal bug repellant spray now.

Last summer I used the Bug Off tablets for Bobby with no success. However, I still want to give fresh garlic a try especially since I changed his diet. I am hoping since he is healthier and does not have that yeasty smell the fleas might not be so attracted to him and the garlic might have a chance to work. If I could get away without a chemical flea preventative I would be a happy person.

I still will be giving Bobby his Ivermectin for HW prevention. I usually use Frontline Plus during flea season only. So I guess I will see how a fresh and healthy Bobby that smells like garlic does during flea season this year. If he starts showing signs of attracting fleas, I will have Frontline on hand to use.

That was a good deal on the Purina One canned! FYI, I was on your coupon website last night and they have a link to Eagle Pack coupons posted under pets. That is a sister company to Wellness. It is a $1.00 off two cans of Eagle Pack canned dog food and $3.00 off dry dog or cat food. They also had Sheba cat food coupons.
http://printablecouponsanddeals.com/Category/pet-products

Poor kitty. Sedated cats only ever went two ways for me. They either have slept it off with no problems or were freaked out and needed my complete attention until the seditive wore off. Good luck tomorrow!!

[Jackie L]

I have a 7 year old Bernese Mountain dog (Jax) who has had to have his anal sac glands drained by his vet every 5-6 weeks for years now as the vet said they are not draining naturally. Since he was 3 his vet has had him on Royal Canine Joint and Bone formula as he has bad hips and knees.
Now it seems that the vet is having a difficult time draining his glands and she needs to use a special instrument (costing double the $$$$) in order to drain and has now recommended surgery to remove the glands. I am having a very hard time understanding why now would this be necessary after all these years ??? So I am researching the web and came across this great forum. Our vet never mentioned to us changing his diet to a grain-free high fiber diet nor has she mentioned trying green beans, pumpkin or sweet potato to help naturally harden his stools. He doesn’t scoot and he doesn’t smell – but seems they do not empty on their own and the vet says they will absess if not drained.
So before I see our vet tomorrow – I am wising up and looking into my own solutions for my Jax. Can anyone recommend a good grain-free high fiber dry dog food that I can start him on ?

[Akari_32]

For the dogs canned food, I honestly just get what’s cheap. The Pedigree was free (3 big cans), the Purina One was on clearance at PetSmart for 70 cents each, and I have coupons for $1 off 3 cans, the alpo was 94 cents after BOGO sale and coupons (I got like 10 cans of that), the pro plan was free lol Haley needs canned mixed in her dry or she can’t eat very well, and gets upset tummy. I split a can between Haley and Dweezle, it’s not a big part of their diet, so I don’t worry about it too much. If they ate more of it, I’d be looking for better ones, but I figure it doesn’t hurt. They grew up on all the nasty stuff, as it is lol

How much are you givng for the garlic? I’d imagine it keeps mosquitoes away, too? Flea and heartworm prevention is sooooo expensive!

Oh, and expect some good stories of drugged kitty tomorrow LOL The vey said no food after 8 and no water after midnight. I don’t get off work till 8 anyways, so I gave him a big can of wellness, and that’s all he gets! He doesn’t drink, but I’ll take up the water dishes anyways.