[Akari_32]

I don’t feed the dogs dry pro plan unless I get a reeeeally good deal on it. It’s been about a year since that’s happened, and I don’t see that happening again anytime soon lol Even then I can still get a better deal on Wellness most of the time. Haley is at a point now where anything with too much corn causes her to drop weight. I took her off Purina One and put her back on Wellness CORE and she gained all her weight back. Then I tried Purina One Beyond because it was super cheap after coupons (10 bucks for 20+ pounds), and she was doing really well on it. We’re back to wellness again, keeping the rotation going. Thankfully she doesn’t need all grain free, because we seriously have a thing of dog food for each dog right now, and it’s mom driving crazy LOL Can’t wait for the the Purina One to be gone so Haley and Dweezle can be on the same food again. Also can’t wait to try Nutrisource, and a few other foods…. >=3

Anyways, back to the cat LOL I’ll be keeping an eye out for those new foods. I’m interesting in seeing what they do with that grain free one, not that I’m likely to try anything dry with him. More out of curiosity lol As for the k3, you can’t expect *that* much from Purina LOL

Oh and kitty kitty is going to get neutered Thursday! Lucky him LOL

[Bobby dog]

Bobby will eat anything and does well on everything I have tried so far; I do kibble and canned or fresh meat also. Out of Purina’s Pro Plan recipes for dogs I would feed the Select beef or chic & brown rice canned formulas and the Select chic & brown rice dry. I would also feed the Beyond One formulas. Bobby is on a rotation diet and so far I can feed GF or grain inclusive with no issues.
On another subject, I was looking for coupons on the Purina site and saw they are adding new flavors to the Beyond One line for dogs. It looks like they are also changing the dry cat Beyond One formulas, adding more flavors, and adding canned food. The canned will be grain inclusive and GF. They will be out in the summer so they will probably have promos for it. I will be checking out the canned cat food when they debut it.

[Akari_32]

I feed the dogs canned pro plan, too. They eat anything, eatable or not LOL Haley can’t handle straight dry food, so I mix with canned. PetCo puts out free prop plan can coupons every so often, so I stock up on them.

[Dori]

Hi Lea J. I feel like this is my mantra but I will say it again. I have a 4 1/2 year old Maltipoo, Katie, has had severe food allergies and intolerances as well as environmental allergies since we got her at 9 weeks of age. I’ve tried any and all suggestions out there. Went through a ton of food, most of which to no avail. What finally worked for her is commercial raw foods. I like Primal Pronto the best. I also rotate her foods with Darwins, and Answers raw. I’ve tried Stella and Chewy’s raw and Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw which I didn’t like at all. Anyway, I have three small dogs that I feed 1/4 cup twice a day. I do add and/or feed sardines (canned in water, not oil), coconut oil, probiodics, digestive enzymes, fresh fruits and veggies. Their treats consist of fresh fruits or veggies. I don’t use store bought treats. To many issues with Katies allergies. My 14 1/2 year old Maltese has arthritis in her right hip and also two degenerated discs mid spine. I rotate supplements as well as their foods. I haven’t found any particular joint supplement that has worked miracles. I have just ordered Sprintime’s Joint Health and Fresh Factor. Some people have been reporting that they are having good luck with these. Anyway, I think I’ve digressed here from my mantra which is: Grain, Soy, Poultry (in all forms), White Potato and Rice Free food as well as anything else you think your dog may be allergic or intolerant to. Your allergy list really doesn’t seem to be that bad though I wouldn’t doubt that she has more problems than just the ones you named. Full disclosure, I don’t believe that food allergy testing for dogs can be trusted. My dogs allergist/dermatologist as well as their traditional vets all would not do the testing. They said the tests are inaccurate, misleading and cost a lot of money. When vets tell you they won’t take your money, you know they are being accurate. To this date there are no known food allergy testing on animals that are accurate. As far as kibble goes, I can’t really recommend any because I’m not comfortable in my knowledge of their ingredients anymore. I figured out most of Katie’s food allergies by her reactions to the foods I was feeding and then comparing ingredients with other foods trying to figure out what was bothering her. She has many many issues. She just recently became allergic or intolerant to alfalfa. Allergic or intolerant to me is all the same. All I’m sure of is that either way, she can’t eat it so I don’t care whether some people say that it’s not really an allergy, it’s an intolerance. It’s all trial and error really and constantly researching ingredients. What works for my dogs may not work for others but eliminating the obvious typical allergens is a good place to start. It’s an incredibly long road in helping our allergy prone dogs but the work is well worth it for them. Exhausting on us. Oh, Spring is finally here in Atlanta where we live so for the last two days I’ve been giving her Benadryl twice a day. I hate having to do that but there is nothing I can personally do about environmental outdoor allergies. Trust me, if there was a way I would have found it by now. This is the first time I have ever had a dog with allergies and I’ll just say it keeps me on me on my toes with all things food related for her. Katie’s how I came across this site a couple of years ago and I, she and my other dogs have benefited immensely. Good Luck. If you need any clarification on anything I’ve said or any more questions please ask.

[Dori]

Hi Mountainhound. Though I have no objection to any of the ingredients specifically, it does seem as though there are an awful lot of lentils, peas and garbanzo beans. Just thought I’d add my thoughts for anyone thinking about this food. I feed raw, but if I were to go back to feeding kibble I would not feed this change up. When I was feeding kibble Acana Pacifica was in my rotation, none of the dogs did particularly well on it. Not anything really bad other than my allergy prone sensitive stomach girl who couldn’t eat the Acana. I eventually switched to all raw because of her. They are doing fabulous now EXCEPT Spring has come to Atlanta and, of course, allergy girl also has environmental allergies. So bad that I’ve had to put her on Benadryl twice a day for the last couple of days. I hate it!!!!!

[Akari_32]

Well, apparently, I’m a genius and didn’t read past the 04/20 on the expiration date, because the year on the $1 off coupons were 2011 LOL They weren’t mean about it, though. Besides, its not my fault they even took them the first two times lol They should have looked at the expiration date, too! Oh well, I’ll get more that aren’t expired eventually XD

It is hard to feed canned food with out fish in it! Even the chicken, and other “non-fish” flavors have fish! Thats why I sat on Friskies website and went through every single flavor, and picked only ones with no fish. The first list wasn’t very long, maybe only 3-4 other flavors. I couldn’t believe how many had fish of some form.

Named anything is hard to find in Purina– you can’t expect much of them LOL I would like to see named products, don’t get me wrong, but when you’re buying 52 cans of cat food for $16, you can’t ask for much :p

My list got as far as those three, right now. I’m doing my homework early, so on Tuesday, when I’m in between classes for an hour and half, I will add more. I’m going for less than 2% carbs using this calculator (http://www.scheyderweb.com/cats/catfood.html ), but I wont go over 2.5% if I can help it. It seem so t work pretty good for dry food, too.

I did see that, Jake. I have Wellness, and other brands as well, though, so it should be ok. He seems to still be having some problems, and today is the last day of his medicine, but he’s much better, even still. Maybe it’ll help him…? We still have to go back to the vet and get him fixed and whatnot anyways.

[Barb D]

I have a nine month old Bichon shih tzu & I have tried Orijen, Acana, Blue Buffalo, Natural Balance both wet & dry & cannot get him to eat dog food. I have tried adding chicken broth & broiled chicken & salmon. He will pick out the dog food & will eat the chicken & salmon. The vet checked him out & there is nothing wrong with his health. I am at my wits end so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Mark S]

Lost our 23lb, 14 yr old spaniel to Heart Tumor. Just rescued a 12lb YorkiePoo. The foster was feeding him Hill’s Science Diet for Small Dogs. Not listed on 4 stars or above. We fed previous dog Newman’s Own Dry that at one time had 4 stars. But this guy is only 12lbs with ideal wgt about 15lbs. Suggestions?

[Tammi H]

I have tried many types of dry food for my Shepherd, we have even had him on two different types of prescription food. He still has itching. The vet suggested allergy testing, not sure I want to go that route. My boyfriend wants to try the raw diet, but I am not sure about that either, because he itches so much I am not sure where we would eve begin. Any suggestions?

[jakes mom]

stopped on the way home from work and bought some grain free canned and dry food, for allergy prone cats. Hope to find one or 2 she really likes and will stick with that for a while. Maybe things will improve. Thanks for the advice.

[MastiffLove]

Hello everyone!

I would love some help in figuring what would be the “best” diet for my dog. Alot of you here seem to have alot of knowledge about this subject and i want to give the best diet to my dog so he will be in top health, shape and growth so he can live a great life without issues due to his diet.

On the 9th of April i am getting my Englsih Mastiff His dad is 220pounds and his mom is around 185 pounds he will be 8 weeks old he is one of the biggest of the litter. I am mentioning this so we can have an idea on an average he could possibly weight once adult and i want to promote growth and size without risking ANY health issues due to exessive or poor feeding.

I’ve been reading for quite awhile and theres so much information to consider that i’m getting overwhelmed with info lolll.

He is currently being fed with First Choice Puppy Medium and Large Breeds (4stars on the reviews here) and i will switch him to Orijen Puppy Large once i feel he feels confortable in his new home (most likely after 3 weeks he’s been here) .

I have read on here that mixing a puppies diet with diferent brands and types of food is a good thing also mixing dry kibbles with canned food is good and/or adding home food to his meals will supplement for whats missing.

But here are my questions:

1.Should i keep him on Orijen after his “switch” has been done until he reaches a certain age/weight or should i right away start “mixing things up” to best his diet?

2. Would any supplements or additives be used as a mixing ingredient to his kibbles?

3. Orijen has a Calcium (min/max) of 1.2/1.5% as wirtten on the 13kg (28.6pnd) bag enough or too much calcium? And could it be clarified, is it per portion served, over the whole bag, in one kiddle alone and such…how does those precentage work? so i can in the furture know what i’m dealing with.

4. Could someone give me a good idea on how to proceed thrue all of this like weeks old you do this, at a certain weight (considering hes not over or under weight and such) you start adding those kind of things…so on and so forth.

I understand theres alot of factors to consider like activity levels, too fat too skinny, etc. and so i will be monitoring his weight and growth weekly thrue his first year so i can spot anything different at a certain event like using a certain type of food or supplement etc. So try to be positive in giving as much detail as you can…i want to learn and i love precise and detailed info.

P.S. I live in Canada Quebec both parents are American living here in case you wish to suggest some food brands please consider i might not have access to it other then by shipping.

Sorry for the loooong post i’m french and i try to be clear on what i’m concerned about.

[Shasta220]

So I’ve mentioned the retired man with the two GSDs who suffer through being on Beneful dry and Alpo/Pedigree canned, right? Well, I’ve previously dropped a bug or two in his ear about some fairly good foods at great prices, and he still thinks that Beneful’s “…wholesome ingredients like wheat, soy, and egg…” are doing his dogs good.

I was pet sitting them the past couple days, and noticed that his giant male, Caesar (he’s 150lbs and is NOWHERE near overweight), had a disgusting hot spot on his thigh. The owner had mentioned that the female, Camile, sometimes gets them, and he just puts some anti-itch spray on. That’s usually enough to make them go away (for a little bit at least…). I decided this time, I will get as “firm” as I will ever get.

I know I’m not making the /best/ suggestion, but virtually any food is better than Beneful, so here’s what I just messaged him:

“…I noticed a huge hot-spot on Caesar’s rear leg. I sprayed it with some of the anti-itch spray.

Not sure how often they get itchy, but Cassy used to get so bad that we had to put a cone and a sweater on her. We switched her to a food without corn, soy, or wheat, and she hasn’t itched since.

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com is my favorite website to compare brands and quality. We found a 4star food (Kirkland) for less than $1/lb. ”

What do y’all think? If you were uneducated about dog food, do ya think you’d switch? 😀 and yes, I will warn him about being extra careful for a slow transition if he sounds interested in switching. Gosh I REALLY hope he switches….those poor dogs have dull coats, bad breath, and a NASTY odor 🙁 if he doesn’t get some good nutrition in soon, they’re gonna go downhill FAST (they’re already 7y.o.)

[Bobby dog]

I feel your pain. My five cats eat me out of house and home, but I just adore and love them. You are much more diligent than me when it comes to proportions, good job! Thinking about it I estimate what each cat is eating in canned food. On average 3 – 5 ounces/day with ¼ cup of dry food each. But if they are begging for more they get it because there are no weight problems and other than my one cat with thyroid issues, everyone is healthy.

I know I always mention Tractor Supply, but if you are near one or happen to be by one at some point, their 4Health cat food is priced the same as Friskies, maybe 3 cents higher, at 49 cents 5.5 ounces or $1.00 for 12+ ounces. They don’t have the 4Health canned cat food on their website. They have their Friskies version (Paws & Claws) pictured with the 4Health logo under it. Just like C4c buys Authority as one of her budget friendly foods, I buy 4Health to throw into my mix. I mix it with the good stuff here and there. They use named meats, no wheat, corn, or soy etc. The only thing I don’t like about it is their recipes include brewers rice or potatoes as ingredients, so it is probably higher in carbs which is why I don’t just feed that brand; it just helps keep costs down and the other ingredients are pretty good in it.

You probably already have done this, since you are the coupon guru, but sometimes on the Fancy Feast and Sheba websites they have coupons/special offers. I got a free sample from Sheba not too long ago. When they are on sale or I have a coupon I buy those brands also.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Shasta:
I have plenty of cats, five, who decided to live with me. Like C4c I have a budget to keep in mind for my zoo. I pretty much feed the same brands as C4c. I highly recommend you check out catinfo.org for cat food info and other tips; it’s my go to site for my cats like this site is for my dog. I have guidelines I try my best to follow and feed mostly poultry based canned foods without fish, wheat, corn, soy, and little to no starches if possible. However, my cats are older and like what they like, they need their fish and dry food fixes so they do get fish a couple times a week and a little GF kibble daily.

I rotate brands and flavors frequently, but I would suppose it would be up to your cat to decide if she likes rotation or not. I even mix different brands and flavors together if they seem to be tiring of what I am feeding. I look for GF kibble without fish meal. I feed Wellness GF Turkey & Duck meal (my favorite kibble for them) and Merrick GF chicken kibbles. I have recently fed Innova Prime GF chicken kibble and will probably add that to my rotation.

I like and have fed the brands you listed. I regularly feed EVO, Merrick, Wellness, 4Health, Soulistic (chic flavors only), and Tiki cat canned foods. I will buy any quality brand on sale that meet all or most of the standards I follow for pet food purchases. Cats are funny creatures, they pretty much will tell us what they will eat and when they will eat it, but you got to love that about them!

As far as oral health, I haven’t had too many issues with my cats through the years and I have never tried any oral health products for pets. When I see tarter on their teeth I have always been able to remove it gently myself (with my fingernails) and my Vet says all their teeth look good.

PS: your kitty is beautiful!!

[T S]

We have two male JRTs (5 & 7 yrs) and a female Labrottie (9 yrs). After seeing ads and getting some samples from a local rep, we tried the Blue Buffalo–dogs rejected it outright. We tried the Wild stuff, various flavors, and inevitably at least one of the three turned up their noses at each flavor of the food. Talked to vets, who sell canned Canin and Hills, about allergies, food ingredient quality, flavor variety. Went back to Fromms, tried three different flavors (chicken, beef and pork), and all three dogs are happy with the dry pork & applesauce formula. They’re energetic, different vets are all REALLY happy with all 3 of their overall health, especially weight maintenance vs activities levels, and their coats, teeth and skin are all great. None smells, they all sleep and BM on schedule w/o problems. We looked at MANY of the so-called ‘holistic’ and ‘organic’ foods. Local pet store guy recommended some ‘natural’ and raw foods, but it made no sense to change from what’s working now. Fromm’s is US made, only US ingredients, and no recalls we know of. We don’t feed them ANY human food, and they almost never get snacks or treats–so no threat of allergic reactions. Labrottie came to us from a poor-quality non-US food diet, and she’s a much happier, healthier, energetic dog now.

[Shasta220]

I’ve posted a thread or two with some canned questions… My Maddy is a spoiled littl girl, and I just started her on canned food a couple months ago.

I’m curious as to what favorite brands are, and is it safe to switch brands regularly without a transition? She has free choice of dry, and then gets about 1/4-1/2 of a 6oz can daily. I wanted to keep her on just one or two brands, then switch the flavors out since rotating meat sources is good. But Ms. Picky Pants /only/ likes foods with poultry as the first ingredient. So I thought that changing the brands would be good since some have liver as the 2-3rd, some have fish, etc.

So far I’ve tried Natural Balance, Chicken Soup, and Felidae. So far her favorites are Felidae and CS, she likes NB, but not as much as the other two. I’d like to try a few others as well, since I’m using DFA’s canned ratings as a guideline – I’d definitely assume the same brand would produce the same quality for both cat and dog foods.

Also, I am getting a bit concerned as far as oral health goes. She eats little-to-no dry anymore, and doesn’t bat an eye at our other cat’s raw bones. Brushing is obviously out (that’d be a miracle to see – a cat who’d allow you to brush its teeth!), so the only thing I can think of (other than regular dentals by a vet) is water additives? Does anyone have a favorite brand? So far, about the only one that I have tried is TropiClean… (I had an organic one, I looooved it. But it was in a specialty store far away, so I doubt I’ll be able to get it again) I’m not too impressed with it, honestly.

[Naturella]

At the moment we feed Bruno about 75-80% dry mixed kibble and about 20-25% additives: pumpkin, yoghurt, cottage cheese, flax seed meal, coconut oil/butter, canned sardines, and one raw egg/week and an RMB/week (right now I rotate between chicken backs and pork neck bones).

With the amount of dry food brands I want to rotate between, if I don’t mix it would probably take AT LEAST 1/2 of Bruno’s life to go through all of them ONCE, if not more time than that. There are many high-quality kibbles out there and he seems to adapt well in rotation. He does love his raw too though! 🙂

It is my husband and I’s dream to own land and a farm one day – doesn’t have to be huge, just enough to raise goats, some sheep, chickens, rabbits, and, if by a lake – ducks and maybe fish. We would like to grow our own fruits and veggies, at least some of them. (I only have 10 fruit/nut trees in mind, no more. LoL Not counting the bush fruit/nut-giving plants.) We would like to hunt our food – deer, ducks, geese, pheasants, rabbits, fish, whatever, and know where our food comes from. So THEN, I would like to be giving maybe 80% or more balanced raw with supplements. I really hope we get there some day. 🙂

[kvee]

I take Susie to the local dog park, on Sundays there is always a lot of non-regulars. One day this woman comes in the park with a huge bowl full of dry dog food that was a “leftover”, when she sees the horror on my face, she tries to reassure me that everything is OK as the food is “beneful and good quality” I went bananas, grabbed Susie and as we were walking away I told her that she cannot feed stranger’s dogs and especially cardboard food.

Needless to say, I do not go to the dog park on the weekends anymore.

[Gloria D]

My female beagle, 10 years old, about 32 lbs. has a heart murmur (is on meds for it) so I have to be careful with salt and fat. It was suggested that I put her on Hill’s Science Diet prescription HD formula for cardiac health which is low in salt, but I don’t like the ingredients in it. It was also suggested that we try looking at some of the senior diets because they may be low in salt, but so far I am not coming up with anything. I really don’t want to have to prepare food myself if at all possible. I’m discovering just how little information is out there when you are looking for specific needs in a dog’s diet. Any suggestions? Thanks!

[Naturella]

Akari and Bobby dog, I just printed me some coupons! Yay! Printed some for my friend too!

AND, I have a PetCo coupon for $5-off any bag of Wellness. Issue is, that coupon doesn’t become active until July 1st. BUT, the above coupons expire in April.

BUT, can I print them again in July, do you know??? I am referring to the $3-off dry food coupon.

[Melissaandcrew]

Just curious how/what every one is feeding these days. In other words, mainly all dry, all raw, 50-50 etc.

We have gone from about 75% dry/25% raw/toppers/canned etc to just the opposite. We feed more raw than dry now.

Favorite dry foods to rotate-Acana,Nature’s Variety, Hi Tek, Nutrisource, and a few others sporadically.

Whose next?

[Shasta220]

Ah yes, I just found that brand. Win win for sure! Ah I wish Costco was closer than 2hrs. Now I’ve got to stock up on their dry food, canned food, AND coconut oil next time I go (better start saving!).

[Corbin S]

Thank you both for replying. What I’ve been told by my Vet is Incontinence sometimes happens to spayed females. She will sometimes leave a pool after she has been sleeping. She is completely house broken and never has an accident except when she is sound a sleep. She feels bad and yes the Proin pills have solved the problem however, if I could put her on a dry food diet that would help, I would try to get her off the pills. I know it would be a long shot, but I thought I would try. Again, what I’ve read, people have said to feed her grain-free food and free of starches. Starches include potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, green peas, beans and lentils. I can find grain-free but it seems like they all have potatoes etc. Bobby Dog, I’ve look at your link you sent me now. Thank you.

[thegoodlife]

You can try liver powder. I am a pet trainer and I just tell my clients to sprinkle a bit of this on their pets dry food once a day https://www.wholebites.com/index.php/benny-bullys-livermix-crumbs-and-powder-pet-treats.html

[crazy4cats]

Well, if you make the trip to Costco to pick up the Kirkland dry food, look for their canned cuts in gravy as well. You have to buy a case of 24, but it’s only $18.79. So, only 78 cents a can for a 5 star food. Can’t beat it! Also, in addition to pure balance, Walmart carries Variety canned food that isn’t too bad. It’s a little high in fat, but a decent food at a reasonable price also.

[Shasta220]

Costco is a couple hours away…but I intend on stocking up on Kirkland dry food next time we to (since Diamond makes them, and the dogs are on DN – similar ingredients.). I think our little tiny Walmart finally started carrying PB, so I’ll have to look into that 🙂

[Akari_32]

Hey, suggest away! I’ve been adding water to his food for a while now, anyways. Mainly to make the dry/canned mix more the same texture as just canned. That’s probably what kept his UTI from getting out of hand before we realized what was going on.

He did say to make sure he’s drinking enough water, and to try a fountain waterer, and to switch from plastic bowls to glass or stainless (I bought stainless ones– and a brush lol), because the plastic can hold in bacteria and whatever. He also said to change his water out a few times a day.

He doesn’t have a name yet. I sort of want to name him Logan or Eric (from X-Men), but I don’t want to give him too much of a human name. I’m weird like that lol Pets have to have pet names. But then again I have a goldfish named Bruce (Batman :p), so who knows LOL Really i just can’t find a name that suits him. He’s quite most of the time, but he know how to cause trouble, and I’m pretty sure he’s plotting Bentleys doom LOL I may scoot around the Humane Society’s adoptable cat page and see if there are any names I can steel lol Anyone have any suggestions?

As for the food I’ve settled on, based on cost and how much is fed, it’s mainly going to be Friskies, as much as I hate to do it, based on the company alone. But many people use it, and it’s the most recommended of what I see online. I guess many “premium” brands use a lot of fat to keep costs down, and their cheaper lines are pretty carby. Friskies is grain free, low fat, and high protein. So, despite the Purina thing, and the by products, i guess that’ll be most of his diet, as well at Grreat Choice’s version of Friskies, and Authority. (And of course anything I find on sale/that has coupons).

[Patrick E]

I have a question for those out there who have experience with German Shepherds. I have a 12 week old male German Shepherd, and he is very active. I would like some feeding advice on habits, frequency, and brand advice. I’ve seen some negative comments here on the manufacturer of Diamond, unfortunately for me the breeders have fed the puppies nothing but straight up Diamond brand Lamb and Rice. They have also told me to keep the bowl full at all times, which I already knew was bad advice. I just want to make sure that my Dodger is going to be as healthy as possible. Problem is all these 5 star rated dry foods that I have been seeing range from $60-$70 per 20lb bag. Hence the frequency and amount for puppy. Is the bag going to last me a week? 2 weeks? Just some friendly advice is very welcome!

[Jennifer B]

I have a 1.5 year old female boxer. She has always been relatively small for a boxer, about 50lbs right now. She is skinny though you can usually see her ribs. I am told she is healthy and will fill out as she gets older and less energetic. I would like her to gain at least 5 lbs though. I have been feeding her about 4 cups of Taste of the Wild dry food a day. Any suggestions on the protein content or a certain type of food I should feed her that might help her gain weight? I get a lot of looks from people who apparently think I do not feed my dog… Thanks.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Akari 32:
I understand the question as I had the same when I first started researching the best diet for my cats. In my opinion, Dr. Pierson has the best explanation to your question, so I would have to refer you to her website; I would just butcher and confuse the subject of wet vs. dry food for cats! She does a great job of explaining what has to go on in order for a cat to digest dry food and the reason it is so taxing on their bodies.

Ultimately he is in your hands and you will have to decide what you feel is best for him. But I do feel strongly about getting him to the Vet ASAP so you can find out for certain if he has UTI issues.

[Akari_32]

Not to argue, but I don’t see how adding water to dry food, and then adding the whole lot to wet food, would cause problems with dehydration and UTIs. Its not like I’m feeding him straight dry food.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Akari-
I totally understand why you are using the dry food. I also use some due to budget reasons. But, for right now, I’d try to just go with the wet until you get his condition resolved. I’m hoping for the best. If he has a blockage, it will either be a huge vet bill or euthanasia. Again, good luck! And BTW, Bobby Dog, I let mine drink out of the sink also!

[Bobby dog]

Hi b l:
As this site is my go to for my dog’s diet, catinfo.org is my go to site for my cats’ diet information. Dr. Pierson has a great list (and why she recommends them) of freeze dried choices, canned food, and great information on feeding a semi-raw/raw diet to cats. I highly recommend this site to anyone who has cats. If nothing else, it would be a great starting point to find what you are looking for. Catinfo has an abundance of information on other health issues and general cat care that you might find interesting as well.

My cats’ “kitty crack” has been greatly reduced but they still need their dry food fix. They are older and fairly set in their ways. I hope you check out the site and find what you are looking for!

[b l]

we gave up dry cat food, aka kitty crack years ago when we realized how harmful it all is, even the so-called “good” brands and are currenlty feeding wellness grain free canned food to my cats and only just now realized it contains fruit and vegetables, which i do not want to feed to my (obligate carnivore) cats.
do you have any recommendations for ‘ready made’ available in stores, wet or freeze dried choices which are healthy and do not contain grain, fruits and vegetables?
thank you.

[DogFoodie]

I would definitely take it back also. If it were one small bag that I’d get rid of quickly, I might go ahead and feed it (assuming that it looked and smelled OK and my dogs gave it their ultimate approval), but you’re talking about 171 pounds of food here!

There is a way to calculate the manufacture date based on the expiration date and the estimated shelf life of the product. So, for those that have a shelf life of 18 months that are three months past their expiration date, you’re talking about food that was manufactured close to two years ago! Even sealed, in the bag, fats can go rancid when something is that old. What if it wasn’t stored properly at the store, that can decrease even the 18 month shelf life.

I started accumulating a little too much kibble, so I made a spreadsheet of everything I had on hand ordered by expiration date so that it can be used well prior to then. I’m sorry that I’ve accumulated what I have because it should be the goal to buy and use the freshest food possible.

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_12/features/Fats-Chance_20658-1.html

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/17_2/features/five-common-mistakes-buying-feeding-dry-food_20910-1.html

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/7_10/features/Dog-Food-Expiring_15658-1.html

[Akari_32]

I’ll check those out, thanks guys 🙂 I use the dry to basically spread out the wet food. Mix half and half, and add enough water so that the dry isn’t soaking it in from the wet. I tend to add it when I first mix, and then add more when I prepare the food for him at meal times (one 5.5 oz can or two 3 oz cans, dry food, some water, then it goes in the fridge until it’s gone, and more water is added when I warm it up in his bowl). Some times I add too much water to his bowl and it’s more like a nasty little soup, but he drinks all that up when that happens. When mom feeds him, she just slaps a can of wet in his bowl, and then he’s hungry again by the time I get home, because she only fed him enough food for a cat 1/4 of his size…. She even got mad a me for buying different flavors in single cans LOL Likes like “buy the variety pack!!” Then I asked her if she wanted to pay for it and I got no response :p

Anyways lol He won’t outright drink water from his water dish. He’s done it once, that I’ve seen, and it was because he thought it was food, and dove it with out looking. He wasn’t very happy about that LOL So maybe I should add all that extra water, then?

And on an unrelated note: this is the only cat in the world that won’t take treats. Mom bought him some Temptations treats, and he only eats them when he’s absolutely starving. Won’t touch them other wise. I don’t know if he’s smart for that, or just weird… Lol

[crazy4cats]

Yes, Akari, as Bobby Dog recommended, the catinfo dot org site has great info on UTIs. Again, the main thing is to make sure he is getting plenty of moisture to flush the crystals. If not, a blockage could be created and then the cat is in real danger. Assuming that is what is going on. Dr. Lisa Pierson even goes as far to say that it’s ok to feed a lower quality canned food rather than to feed a dry kibble to ensure they get enough moisture. To keep price down, I do feed my cats a can of Friskes Classic Poultry Platter every couple of days. It is the one flavor of this brand that at least has a named meat as the first ingredient and does not list any food coloring. I also think that Petsmart’s Authority is a decent budget canned food. I feel for you. I know what it is like to unexpectedly take ona pet with unexpected issues that you weren’t prepared for. This cat is lucky you took him in!

[Naturella]

Sue66b, thank you for the advice! I can definitely increase the sardine intake and the coconut oil too, I can maybe alternate 1 day sardine, 1 day coconut oil? And I use Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap – Almond on him, it is supposed to be oil-based and not dry up his skin… And I use oatmeal conditioner after, but I can switch to doggie oatmeal shampoo to try it out. I was trying not to use shampoo every week when I wash the dog park dirt off so that I don’t dry his skin up too much… But I can if needed. I can also start brushing him daily, it will help with his shedding too.

I am also going to begin switching him to a fish-based food (Earthborn Coastal Catch) in a few days/week, so there will be even more Omegas and oils in his daily intake.

Thank you again, Sue, and any other advice will be also much appreciated! 🙂

[Deby G]

Hello, I am new to this forum and I am so glad I have found all of you. I recently rescued a 6 year old poodle mix. She weighs all of 7 pounds. Marley was in a foster home for about a month and was fed Dr. Harvey’s miracle food. It is dry grains and vegetables and is mixed with boiling water to make a consistency similar to oatmeal. 4ounces of protein and a small amount oil are added to supposedly make a “perfect” diet. I feed Marley twice a day. For protein I add either human grade chicken, beef, or salmon. I have never feed any of my dogs “people” food. Her foster mother also added cooked veg. and sweet potato. She doesn’t like sweet sweet potatoes when I add them but will eat cooked string beans. She is so tiny and her teeth are not the best so she needs a soft diet. She also doesn’t eat a lot at one time and keeps going back to her bowl. I am petrified of processed dog food. I have used Merrick, etc. but with all the recalls I will not buy any canned food and she can’t handle dry. Can I get some advice on the diet I am feeding her? Has anyone heard or have experience with Dr. Harvey’s? He also makes a grain free which I guess I should have ordered. I do notice she appears to strain a lot so a few days ago I started to give her a tsp of pumpkin to see if that will help. I also don’t want to over do on vitamins. This is all new to me. Help! I will appreciate your guidance. Thanks. Bunny

[Naturella]

Absolutely! And good job on learning something new yourself! 🙂

And, not to beat a dead horse, but I also keep learning new things, even when I am convinced I already know the truth.
So my friend (my success story, the one I got to switch from Shep to 3.5-5-star foods) and I recently discovered two pet boutiques, both literally 3 min from my house each, on the same street as my apartment complex! I was in heaven. Let alone the great foods they sell, they also have the awesome natural chews I like, and much more. Anywho, my friend bought 90lbs of food from Store A and maybe 50 from Store B. Well, 2 of the bags of food from Store A were on sale, which is why she bought them. We did not think to look at the expiration dates, and 2 weeks later, lo and behold, she finds out that one expired in January, and the other in February. She was pretty upset that she was sold expired food without knowing it, when Store B’s sale items are on sale with an extra sticker with the expiration date of the food right on top of the bag. She was saying that Store A has now lost her business and what not, and today I happened to be right next to Store A, and went inside to let them know how my friend was feeling because of what they had done. To my surprise, they were fully aware that they were selling expired food, and said that expired dry kibble is still good 6-8 months after the expiration date. Well, I was surprised, so I swung by Store B to ask them as well. After receiving a confirmation there, I reassured my friend that her dog will be fine (she bought the two Great Life 33-lb bags on sale for her yellow lab, along with Victor Ultra Professional 30lbs (And Victor Brown Rice and Beef 40lbs. And Simply Nourish 30lbs. And Evanger’s 5lbs to mix in. We are food nutties.). So she is much relieved, as am I, because now we know that expired food, while maybe not ideal, is still good for a little while longer. 🙂 Go figure, but I’m glad I swung by the store to tell them of the “incident” and learn something, that was also confirmed elsewhere. 🙂

Sidenote – Store A’s treats and chews are cheaper, so I will shop there for them, but Store B has more foods on sale at better prices too, and FREE SAMPLES! So I am totally in heaven! 🙂

[Bobby dog]

Hi Akari 32:
I don’t have any food recommendations for you other than to make sure he’s getting moisture in his food and drinking H2O regularly. I do recommend you check out catinfo.org for Dr. Pierson’s info on urinary tract health. “Generally speaking, the basic diet recommendation for the average cat with urinary tract issues is a high protein/low carbohydrate canned food with added water.” – Dr. Pierson catinfo.org. Here’s the link for the page: http://www.catinfo.org/?link=urinarytracthealth
If you feed your kitty dry food, the other site I visit is naturalcatcareblog.com, for what it’s worth has a list of dry foods with pH levels noted that are supposedly ideal for urinary tract health. As with catinfo.org, this blog does not recommend dry food for cats. They write “in a pinch, picking a low-carb, grain-free dry food to use on occasion or in rotation with wet meals is a decent compromise.” Wellness Core Original GF is one of the foods that are listed. If this food is an option for you to feed you can always download the $5.00 coupon from their website to make it a little more affordable. Here’s the link for the dry food list: http://www.naturalcatcareblog.com/2011/08/best-dry-cat-foods-so-far/
Sending positive thoughts your way, keep us up to date when possible.

[Akari_32]

I’m going to call around tomorrow (who ever will answer for a Sunday) and I’ve been looking around online for places that may be able to help with it, and I’ve got a few on my list. If this was planned I would have had no problem affording it, after having saved up for it. But since it was like “oh by the way here’s a cat” I’ve got some working out to do with money. Unfortunately, I’m now dealing with something that needs to be done right away, and not whenever I can get it done. I’ve only got Monday and most of Friday this week that I have off during vet hours, so I’ve got to get going.

He’s not *bad* really, but several times a day he just paces the house meowing and meowing, and seems like he’s looking for trouble, which is what I was associating with a UTI. Otherwise, he’s just a cat. He likes to “help” with making his food, or making your food, or doing things around the house, likes to play in the blinds. Normal cat stuff lol

I’ve been watching him the last few days, and he’s got a slight limp. Is this something that could be caused by a UTI? We’ve got all tile in the main areas of the house, too, so he could have just landed wrong during one of his adventures. It doesn’t seem to bother him at all, otherwise. He plays and jumps and does cat things.

In the mean time, is there anything I can do to at least contain this? He’s on all wet food (half dry mixed in than canned, with water added), so that’s covered. His dry EVO is almost gone, so I could buy a urinary tract health food if they really work. Any recommendations on those?

[Chelsie J]

I’ve been giving my 12 year old Toy Poodle Dinovite for about a month now and it has helped her skin tremendously. She used to scratch and itch a lot and had awful skin rashes. Now her skin is almost completely clear. The easiest way to give the supplement to her is to mix it with a small can of wet dog food. Her regular dry food was not very good, since we have so many dogs my Dad would just buy huge bags of whatever the cheapest food was at the store. We didnt realize it was probably the equivalent to dog fast food and that she was not getting the nutrients she needed to maintain good health. You could just buy your dog/dogs a healthy dry food like Science Diet, but the bags are small and expensive. It saves money to buy a 90 day supply of Divovite and mix it with an okay dry food.

[Naturella]

Hey, guys! I need to vent… sorry to burden you all, but it’s happening…

So today I was grooming Bruno (with the Furminator – that dog sheds like an avalanche!), and my roommate saw me so he came to offer precious advice. He did help me finish Bruno up cause it was a bit of a struggle – he doesn’t like being groomed and I wasn’t doing it quite right – he was in my lap when he should have been in front of me. Either way, it all went ok, until my roommate was almost done with Bruno and noticed his doggie dander.

And then…

He began lecturing me on how I feed my dog “a bunch of random crap” (referring to the additives I have been giving him to help with his hard-ass stools, and just for general health supplementation, such as yoghurt, pumpkin, flax seed meal, coconut oil, canned sardines, raw egg, RMBs, etc.)!!! He then continued on saying how his brother’s dog (a rottie) lived to 14.5 years old (“when the average lifespan of rottweilers is 10 years”), and how he thrived on ONE food for his WHOLE life, and it was… Can you guess? THE SCIENCE DIET!!!

His next advice was that I need to not mess with my dog’s GI tract by giving him my random crap, because:
a. I will spoil him and he won’t ever eat just dry kibble again.
b. I will mess his digestion up
c. I will mess his skin and coat by adding the stuff I add.
He then went on to brag about his dog, who has only been on Science Diet as well, and how she has no pet dander and how she is the “epitome of health” according to his vet and how whatever he’s doing, he shouldn’t change ever (and he plans to do exactly that); how she never has tummy troubles because he has found one food that she likes and does her so much good and he will never change it… And how I SHOULD DO THE SAME, how I need to choose between Nutro, Blue Buffalo, or Science Diet, and find something Bruno likes, and keep him on it forever!!! GAH!

In between some of his tirade I managed to sneak in a word or 2, such as: “The random crap I feed him is to help with his stools, and is carefully researched and selected to fit my dog’s dietary needs” – response “Yeah, but you give him too much of it, plus, hard kibble is designed to be balanced and give the dogs all they need, so they don’t really need any other crap, additives, or soft food, for the a, b, and c reasons above.”
Me – “I am about to put Bruno on a fish-based food soon” (referring to his pet dander).
Him – “Why?”
Me – “Because fish is really good for dogs’ skin and coat, and has Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, just like flax seed (minus the Omega 6) and coconut oil.”
Him – “… Yeah, but lamb is better. Casey (his dog) has been on brown rice and lamb and her coat is so shiny and soft (not nearly as much as my dog’s, I promise), and she has no pet dander, and she loves the food, and you really shouldn’t switch his food so much.”

Maybe he is right, maybe lamb is indeed better, but can someone please explain how it could be better than fish, in regards to Omega 3 and 6, and skin and coat benefits?

As for the rest, the convo ended with him saying that he doesn’t usually like to tell us (my husband and I, which he NEVER tells him – he only speaks to me about the dog) how to take care of the dog, cause he feels like “we” (read “I”) get pissed off, but he wants us to do what’s best for Bruno…. I don’t know how I didn’t lose it and yell at him that I already am, and that all I do and feed is because I do daily research on it, and educate myself on what is good for Bruno… I just thanked him for helping me with the grooming and went to wash my dog…

Sigh, annoyed… The other problem/reason why I didn’t pour some emotions and knowledge down his head, is because:
a. he clearly won’t take it
b. he is helping us financially with the place a lot, i.e. paying more than us
c. I’m a chicken (or, how I like to think of it, I pick my battles).

SO, this is it… I just really needed to vent… Sigh, I will go walk my “messed-with” dog… Poor guy, having all kinds of variety with his food… I should be ashamed of my dog parenting skills… LoL,.. Sigh….

[Rose S]

I am feeding both my large dog and small dog Taste of the Wild Prairie dry food. My small dog has very soft stools when we go walking even with the addition of pumpkin puree to his meals. Do you think I should try another food for him? I like having them both on the same food. Any feedback appreciated.

[Evan O]

Hi, I’m looking for a dry dog food, grain-free, rice-free, yeast-free and with 5%+ fiber, I was hoping anyone would have a recommendation for me, I’m currently going through the list of 5 star foods trying to find one that fits this criteria. I believe my chihuahua is allergic to yeast, but I’m not 100% sure. I liked the ingredients of the Dr Harvey Oracle food, but its like $100 a bag, I was also hoping for like a 20-30 price for a ~5lb bag. Thanks for any advice!

[Akari_32]

Oh my god kill me.

This cat needs to learn some serious manners and house etiquette. He’s a sweet boy, but he sure is naughty! He tries to get in the blinds (they’re horizontal blinds, rather than vertical ones, so he all but tears them off the wall -_-), gets on the counter in hopes of food, plays with random things all night, tries to get into a closed off room all day, and thinks it’s time to eat EVERY time you go into the kitchen (I’ve tripped over him at least 4 times in the last week…). I’ve started spraying him with a spray bottle when he does bad things, mainly pulling on the blinds. That’s not even the worse part though…

Mom caught him scratching on the furniture the other day, and told me I had till Thursday (tomorrow, at this point) to get rid of him, before she came home from out of town. This is AFTER she told to get rid of him when she first saw him, then said I could keep him, and then went back and forth another few times, all since last Wednesday. I don’t even know what the crap to think any more. It’s ticking me off. Make your freaking mind up and tell me what you want me to do (before I get rid of you!!!)! Now she’s back to me keeping him, but making feel like the biggest dick ever for it, telling me to get him declawed, and that she hates cats, and all this other crap. And then she just texted me saying to buy him a scratching post (I haven’t bought one yet because why the crap am I going to spend the money on a scratching post for a cat I’m not keeping, or apparently now, declawing???). Just, whatever. I’m not over exaggerating at all when I say all this. At least when she first found out about him, she didn’t want him simply because she’s allergic to cats, which I can respect and understand, now she’s saying to get rid of him because she is mad that the cat is being a CAT.

I’m making an appointment for the vet tomorrow to get his shots and health check, and possibly neutered (we really aren’t sure if he is or not, he’s very fluffy and it’s hard to tell). I may actually call the humane society and see what they can do. Pull the “you guys are full of cats and I don’t want to give you another, can you just give me cheap vet care” thing. They do shots and fixing, but I don’t know if they do exams for the public. Won’t know until I ask, I guess.

My sister is giving me an old scratching post, and I may look into nail caps (thoughts on those?). I will not get him declawed. I’d sooner give him to the only people who apparently want this cat other than me, the nasty indoor smoker neighbors. Their house is so gross I want to shower every time I have to go in there. They do have a cat over there, though. They had two, but one ran away. Go figure. And they feed dry only, whatever’s cheap (I’ve seen versions flavors of Friskies and 9Lives over there). But yeah, they’re the only ones to say they want him. I may be able to get them to feed him wet/mostly wet, even if it is something like the huge $1 cans of Friskies from Dollar Tree, if they were to take him.

Anyways, I got a good deal on some lesser wet foods (Purina One, Sheba, and Fancy Feast) so we’ve got about 60 cans of these. It’s better than nothing right now. I’ve got coupons for BOGO Wellness Select-whatever, which I’ll get before they expire. He’s still got some EVO dry left, but I’ll need some more soon. It was just a teeny baby bag (2.2 pounds) and he’s just a big fatty (11.4 pounds). I’ve got his mix pretty well figured out, I think. I’ve been mixing half wet and half dry, according to how much he should be eating according to the can and bag, and feeding him 2-3 times a day, about 2 tablespoons. It seems about every other day he wants an extra snack, which is when he gets fed a third time. Mom said he was so hungry the other day when I was at work that he was just walking around the house meowing and meowing. Granted I had fed him at about 10 and she said she finally broke down around 7 and fed him, so I could understand him being hungry. He also won’t take treats unless he’s starving. Kind of a weird cat lol

So anyways, all this drama is why I haven’t updated you guys. Moms given me one month to try him out, and if she’s still pissy about him, he has to go :/ If that happens, and if I have no other takers, I’d think I’d rather see him go to my neighbors rather than a shelter. What do you guys think about that? I’m honestly not so sure, either way…

[Bobby dog]

Hi Akari 32:
How’s the little guy doing? I hope well. I am not sure what brand(s) of dry cat food you decided to feed, but I did some quick research for my future dry cat food purchases. I needed to find more GF and fish free options for my kitties for budgeting purposes; you never know when a good sale or coupon will pop up. I thought I would share what brands I found that meet these criteria’s with you.

My cats’ liked all of these flavors:
Innova Nature’s Table GF Chicken & Turkey – same recipe as “Prime”
Wellness Core GF Turkey & Duck Meal
Merrick GF Chicken

I haven’t tried these flavors:
Precise Holistic Complete GF – Pork Meal & Pea or Turkey & Chicken
Simply Nourish (Petsmart) GF Chicken
California Natural GF Chicken Cat & Kitten

[Mom2Cavs]

Blue Buffalo is an approved food on the Whole Dog Journal’s list of dry foods for 2014. It does say they are co-packed. Last I knew they had about 6 different co-packers! Not sure anymore, though, as I don’t feed it….I have in the past, though.

[Melissaandcrew]

Blue Buffalo? Last thing I heard was Simmons for canned and CJ Foods for the dry, but I think they may have more than one for the dry products.