[crazy4cats]

Hi Akari-
Yippee, cats, one of my favorite subjects! I have four right now. 15, 5 and two 3 year olds. I hope the kitten is fairly tame. He might be tough to catch if she isn’t. I am first going to give you my go-to website for cat food nutrition. It is catinfo.org. I have rescued a handful of semi-feral kitties. They sometimes are hard to get to eat wet food at first, but keep trying if that is the case. I also feed both canned and dry. My favorite budget canned food is Authority only found at Pet Smart. I think it is the best for the least. I also have and do feed Chicken Soup, Fancy Feast, Nutro Max and Friskies. In addition, they get Weruva Cats in the Kitchen every now and then as it is more expensive, but very good. I rotate dry between Taste of the Wild, Wellness Core, Earthborn and right now am feeding Premium Edge Healthy Weight because they are getting a little chubby. Yes, the Premium Edge and Taste of the Wild are Diamond products, but I keep an eye on recalls and so far so good. You actually have to be aware of recalls for every brand. Very concerning matter! Check out the site I mentioned above. It is full of all kinds of cat health information and has two different charts with several types of canned food sorted by protein, fat, carbs and phosphorous. Good luck. It can be a very rewarding experience to save a kitty. It certainly will not survive for more than a couple of years if left in the wild. It might take a while for it to warm up to you. My 15 year old kitty was feral and it took three years for her to come to me. Now, she won’t get off my lap! LOL!

[Akari_32]

Thanks! I’ve been scooting around the websites for all the stores here and picking out some foods to try. Wet and dry together sounds cheaper than just wet, and obviously healthier than just dry.

Wet:

Newmans own
Rachael Ray
Natural Life 95% (the dry is disgusting, but I don’t think the wet looks at all)
EVO
Wellness Core
Natural balance (some of them)
Nutro Natural Choice
Wellness
Blue buffalo

For dry, I’m kind of just leaning toward EVO, for the price. Given the good selection of canned foods I’ve got going, that’d be alright, right? Obviously, if another brand I like the looks of goes on sale I can get a few bags of that, too. It’s hard to find a good, affordable (for me) grain free dry cat food around here! :/ I’ve still got a local shop to check in person, and two more websites to check (PetSmart and PetCo).

What do you guys think so far?

[LuvPoodles]

My miniature poodle has always seemed to have a problem with dry food that has less than 10% fiber. He gets really constipated even though I soften his food with a bit a water. He started with Royal Canine when he was a puppy, then I changed him to Arcana Wild Prairie and his issue became obvious; that’s when I realized he had a problem with dry food that has low content of fiber. So I switched him to Nutro Natural Choice. He’s been doing pretty good on it for a couple of years now but I want to know if there’s a higher quality brand that can accommodate his needs. I just found Nature’s Recipe Small Breed Grain Free Easy to Digest and I think I’ll try that. Does anybody have any other suggestions?

Thanks a lot in advance

[Mom2Cavs]

I wanted to add that my daughter feeds her cats TOTW, dry only, and they’re beauties. The only thing is it’s a Diamond food, but can’t convince my daughter to change lol. As long as she’s vigilant and aware then she could be feeding worse. You don’t have to break the bank to feed your cat. TSC has TOTW and 4Health, wet and dry, that are good foods for the price.

[Mom2Cavs]

Okay, here is what I do for my one Tortoise Shell stinker of a cat lol:

Dry: It is left out in a small bowl for her to nibble on periodically, which she likes to do. I dump it every other day, if it’s still there. I put 1/4-1/3 c. in the bowl. The kibbles she likes are Instinct, Fromm (Gamebird only), Orijen/Acana (she will eat it, but not like some others, so I’ve stopped buying it), Annamaet (actually the grain inclusive is her favorite and it has made her fur even softer!). She will be trying some Dr. Tim’s soon.

Wet: She gets a 3 oz. can every day split between am and pm. She loves Wellness cubes and Wellness Chicken grainfree. She also likes Fromm and Mulligan Stew. Very picky with wet food and the only Instinct she’ll eat is Healthy Weight. Btw, sometimes cat and dog canned ingredients are identical, as in M. Stew and Instinct Healthy Weight. So I use those for both the cat and dogs. Fromm is, too, I believe. I’ve used many brands for her in the past and they were fine, but I’ve just narrowed the list down now as to what I’m buying. She’s eaten BB, Weruva, Tiki Cat and Earthborn.

Litter: I’m a diehard World’s Best fan. I did have some great coupons for Blue’s new walnut litter and have integrated that into her litter at times with no problems.

Sometimes she also gets Dinovite for cats or the Well Blend/or Cat version of Missing Link added in. She has some minor health issues, but she is a beauty. Princess Di will be 9 yrs. old this year. A few years ago, we lost our other cat, a runt black cat named Smokey Jo who died at age 21 yrs

[Akari_32]

Hey guys! A girl at work told me she found a kitten (says he’s maybe a year old or so) living in the woods of her apartment complex. She can’t take him, but she does feed him a few times a week. She said if she could catch him, she’d call me and I could have him. She thinks he used to be someone’s pet, and looks to be neutered.

I need some cat tips (last time I had a cat, I was 5, so I don’t think that really counts… Lol), and some recommendations on food. I do know that too high in carbs and fat isn’t good, and that wet is much preferable over dry. I’d like him to eat both if there is ever some sort of emergency that there would only be one or the other available, but he will eat mainly wet otherwise.

The only brand wet that I’ve found that looks best is the chicken Wellness. Others have high fat, are corn/ rice/soy based, or are overall just terrible. I also don’t want to be spending much more than $0.50-1.00 a day on food. This can obviously be taken rather lightly, but don’t go crazy with $3 single serve cans of food LOL If anyone has a few brands and flavors they use, let me know!

For dry, I’ll be starting with Nutro Max Cat Kitten (hey, it’s $3 with a coupon, and I don’t want to buy an expensive bag of food to start him out on and him not eat it), and then the chicken EVO. Common sense tells me I could just do the same I do with the dogs, and soak the food in some water before offering it. That’d be ok, right?

And what all do you guys use for litter, and what brands should I stay away from. My sister uses tidy cats, and that stuff is so dusty and gross. I wouldn’t mind one of those one-bag-a-month deals. It seems to work out about the same for cost anyways. And if I can pay $8 for a 2 pound, one month supply, rather than pay $6 for a 20 pound, one month supply, I’m all for that!

I also been some tips on keeping the dog out of the cats food, and the other way around :p

[JamesKelly]

My experience with two toy poodles, weight about 8-9#, & one 11# cockapoo is if you think they might have food problems, or at least some mysterious undiagnosed troubles, change them to something that at least claims to be all-natural, made in USA only. Read the ingredients, then find out what the producer description really means.

Poodle #1 about 20 years ago. Started feeding her some dyed red soft food pellets in a clear package, disremember brand, haven’t seen it in years. She of course loved it. She was getting old, lost control of her bladder. Took her to vet & he gave us the nice speech preparating us to have our aging dog put down. Then he was so amazed by how healthy she seemed, when he examined her. I, an engineer not a vet, would attribute this to her living with a young Springer Spaniel & two Siamese cats, all of whom kept her quite active. I thought about it, then took her off of the pretty soft red food. She regained bladder control.
Coincidence, of course.

Poodle #2 maybe 10 years ago. Loved to lie down in my lap, but it was a real good idea to put a towel or blanket underneath her to catch the Leakage from this aging female. She ate some presumably good vet-approved canned dog food. Remembered Poodle #1 and switched her to something that claimed to be all natural, I believe Paul Newman’s stuff. No more leaking, safe to have her in my lap.
In my opinion, not shared by my wife (& unsure of vet), I killed her with Nutro treat sticks some years later.

Cockapoo 3 years old, weight 11#. Occasionally throws up bile, then one scrambled egg breakfast last week. Had been giving her Milkbones. Wife of course thinks I am an over-reacting know-it-all. True enough, but dog’s morning appetite better & no more bile spots on rug. Read the amazing ingredients in Milkbones. Yes, I am an arrogant fellow, and yes, Dog is now Off of those treats. No more wheat, sodium metabisulfite and BHA (whether or not they are responsible).

Wish this site would do a review of Milkbone (Dog loves them) & perhaps suggest some healthier dry biscuits that still taste good to Dog.

I really would like to hear from some experienced, educated person who knows about dog foods, rather than try to apply engineering methods to care for Dog.

[Shasta220]

Sounds like you’ve already got some ideas for foods to try – I don’t know that many brands personally, so I usually say it’s safe to go with 4-5 star brands.

As for the skin. I wouldn’t expect a bath to help much, as soaps tend to strip the coat even more, unless they’re medicated and designed for dry skin (when my dog is super dry, I use an oil-based organic shampoo. Sometimes it’s almost too much though, and my dog doesn’t feel clean at all).

Some things to look into: possibly tests for food allergies? As almost all skin problems have something to do with food, sadly. It could be chicken, grains, tomatoes, fish, the list goes on. I’d try getting him on coconut oil – organic extra virgin cold pressed, about 1tbsp per 30lbs. That stuff has been known as a miracle worker around these parts! Salmon oil is very good, too. Keep that up, 🙂

Fiber additions – most people add a big spoonful of pumpkin (canned is fine) to their dogs food. If there’s no improvement in his morning routine, then possibly try some probiotic supplements as well.

[Fatcakes]

Hi all. In December I got a healthy, active, 9 yr old male German Shepherd. he was eating Pro Plan Sport, the 30/20 kind. He had terrible gas so I switched him slowly to Innova Prime Chicken and Turkey. He has developed dry, flaky skin along his back and sides. Bathing actually aggravated his skin terribly. He is now also supplemented with fish oil (for people), 1200-2400 mg per day. I’ve seen improvement from that, but he’s still really dandruffy along his back. I’m brand loyal to Innova as that’s what we fed during the first China food disaster; my in-laws pets sickened and died on vet-prescribed food, but our pets were fine.
What should I try next? He is extremely active and lean; he doesn’t need any calorie reduction. He could use more fiber in his diet, I think, as sometimes it takes him a long time to finish his morning constitutional. I’m open to trying a different brand of food, although I have a hard time believing he’s not getting what he needs from the Innova Prime. I’m also open to mixing different foods if that would help. What do you think?

[Melissaandcrew]

I feed a lot of grain free foods toy crew (99 percent of the time) as well as raw etc. The average protein content of the dry I feed is around 31 to 33 percent. While I have a huge fenced yard there are no winter track stars here either, lol. I just cut back on amounts if someone is looking hefty.

[NicoleJ]

Hi all,

I’m new here, was just looking for a dog forum that encompasses health and diet and had a number of raw feeders so hopefully I’ve come to the right place.

My dog’s name is Dacey, she is a coming 13 year old miniature smooth Dachshund.

Earlier this year she was very “off”.. depressed, lethargic and seemed to be in some sort of discomfort. Her poops were very abnormal ( mostly very thin, or absolutely FULL of hair). But after she passed a few hair balls she was back to her normal self after a few days. Then, about a month later, she had a mysterious front leg lameness(she wouldn’t put any weight on her right front) that also went along with her not pooping for almost 2 days. When I took her to the vet and we determined there was nothing obviously wrong with her leg, but her anal sacs were full.. he dealt with those and voila, she can walk again! LOL. But her poops still aren’t entirely “normal”. She is still having intermittent narrow poops, or very dry “pellet” poops, or very mucusy wet poops, and she still has a lot of hair in them! (im guessing she must be picking it up off the floor, but it’s still weird cause some poops are really full of it and I have never seen her walking around eating things off the floor, so she must be doing it when I’m not home? ) She is raw fed… I’ve been trying to make sure she isn’t getting too much bone material in her food because that definitely causes very dry hard poops. Years ago when she was kibble fed I had to make sure she was getting a high fibre diet because her anal glands would randomly leak if she didn’t get at least 5-7% fibre. But she also pooped 3-4 times a day with that diet. Now she only poops once a day most of the time, and they are much smaller and harder, but she doesn’t have the anal glad leakage either, actually the opposite problem, her anal gland secretions are very thick and may be blocking her ability to poop properly.

I’ve also notice she isn’t drinking nearly as much as she used to. At first I chalked it up to the amount of extra moisture she gets from the raw food, and less fibre, but because she is having these pooping issues, I’m not sure she is getting enough water. She used to drink tons, I’d always have to keep a water dish full in my car for her and now she rarely drinks at all even if we are gone all day on road trips (she is my sidekick, always comes with me for work). When I give her the pinch test her skin isn’t snapping back into place, it hasn’t been for quite a while, but isn’t too bad. She still is full of energy, eats well etc. It’s just the weird pooping issues which makes me think she isn’t drinking enough due to the consistencies. Today I started adding water to her food and will see if that helps. I’m not used to having an older animal who isn’t drinking enough, usually it’s the opposite- Kidney issues and drinking a ton!

anyone else deal with these issues and an older dog?

thanks
Nicole and Dacey

[Shasta220]

I’ve never done home made diets, so I’m terribly sorry – I’m not much help. I completely understand though, I have a cat who is ultra picky. She will not touch ANY type of commercial food (we’ve tried dry, canned, flaked, pouched, refrigerated, you name it, she’s turned her nose up at.). We tried offering her nothing but cat food for a week straight, and she probably would have completely starved herself, she would NOT touch it.

She’s picky about her food now even, so she doesn’t get the nutrition she needs, and it’s showing sadly… I’m jumping on this thread to see what some suggestions might be.

The only way I could think of hiding extra nutrition into their food is by grinding it. I know organ meats and raw bones are important in a balanced diet. Maybe buying a supplemental powder (just general vitamins probably) and try adding that, maybe start with just 1/2 day’s worth, as many animals can detect the smell of it and refuse. Omegas are always one of my favorite additions. My dogs get it with fish oils (salmon, sardine, krill, I think even algae would work), and raw eggs – your dogs may prefer the taste of cooked.

Just play around with how much you can get in there without it being too detected. Possibly try coconut oil as well, it has tons of benefits. Try offering them a teaspoon of organic extra virgin cold-pressed coconut oil. It’s great for their skin, fur, teeth, digestion, and pretty much everything else! Most dogs like it, too.

Hopefully you’ll be able to figure out something that works out perfectly. Have you tried commercial dehydrated, refridgorated, or raw foods? They already have balanced nutrients, so you wouldn’t need to worry about many supplements.

And yes, dog nutrition is very very confusing. Research and reading forums seems to make it worse, as everyone has their own opinions and experiences… Plus, every dog is different, so what works miracles for my dog might do absolutely nothing for yours. Just keep trying to gain information though, I’m sure you’ll slowly start figuring it out. (I’m new to nutrition myself, but the more I’m on here, the more I learn!)

[lplsuzie]

My dog is diabetic. Right now she is eating special dry food from the vet. She does not really like this food, but I know she needs to eat regularly because of the insulin. I got a small bag of Natural Balance synergy and she loves it. The ingredients are about the same as the Rx food. Does anyone have any suggestions.

[checker]

With kidney issues,the food should be special. I am new to using Hill’s k/d renal.It is specially formulated for renal,kidneys.The food should contain low phosphorus,low sodium and low protein. I haven’t found a compatible good brand in my area,so I stick with the Hill’s for now. You may read borrow stories on the Hill’s and good reviews.Just keep in mind there are people out there writing bad reviews on behalf of other food companies or the companies themselves. I also gave my dog treats,and now I am using pieces of sweet potato as a little treat. I hope this helps. My 12 year old female Pomeranian had 2 kidney stones in which I need to maintain not get more or bladder infections. She also had a liver test was a little off,but still ok. I live in Windsor,Ont.Canada and so far found a reasonable price at pet value.I have to feed wet canned food due to her only having 2 teeth left. The Vet.cans were more expensive at $3.23/ can and pet value was $2.59/can and if buy a case of 12,you basically get a free can for the 10% off. I am not sure about online yet,I am still searching for reasonable prices myself. The dry dog food will probably last longer and be cheaper. I hope this helps and if anyone know where a cheaper price can be found or a different food besides making my own can be found. I would be grateful!!
Sincerely,Kim

[petscene]

I have a client that has a dog that needs to have a food with low sugar content. I am not sure how to read that on a label and he was told by another store that Taste of the Wild Boar was low in sugar…not sure how they knew that – does anyone know of a dry food that would meet a low sugar need? Thanks!

[Rraupach]

My dog recently had surgery. In the normal pre-op blood work her protein levels were very slightly elevated. The vet said the effect on her kidneys was low, scale of 1 to 10 about a 2, and it wasn’t a big concern. Sandy is 13 years old, mixed breed, about 45 pounds, and has always been an extremely healthy weight so weight loss is not a concern. She is very picky about her food and likes Purina Little Bites! I know this is not the healthiest product for her! My main question is do I need to change her food now to protect her kidneys? What type of senior (dry) foods would you recommend? The site is a little overwhelming in all the foods listed. The vet mentioned something about less protein needed for older dogs, and then I read different ideas about protein on this site. As I’m sure you all understand, Sandy is my baby and as her “person” I want to do everything in my power to keep her around as long as possible!! Thanks so much for your time and help!
Ragan (Rraupach) & Sandy

[Lablubber]

Hi Crew

This is what I ordered to try the two either alternating or a mix of the two if he has no trouble with either of them… But I am introducing some cooked hamburger and ground turkey as well as spinach and going to buy some of the stuff you have to rehydrate to start with for the ease of carrying it with me.

One thing that I have had a hard time with was the a lot of the food has no no’s in it that you guys have told me about and I have read about as well such as Rosemary Extract or Oil- Seizures, Canola Oil-Cancer, Garlic – Anemia, and the first thing Rosemary which even rules out Wellness Core Puppy even though it was on the list and I was going to get it an Orijen both as alternates or as a mix. What is strange now is I am driving all of my friends nuts on what treats they buy their dogs and the food that they are feeding them as well.

One thing that is definitely noticable with Jess is that he has thinned down dramatically since coming off of Pupina LB Puppy Chow and he is very lean which I personally have a hard time getting use to because I have always had nice, big, rolly polly, lab puppies and I guess it was just fornate that I have never had one with a hip or shoulder or elbow issue, except with one of my old females, she was English Bred Lab and she was as big as a horse and in her old age she around 10 or 12 she did start having a slight limp in her rear end but that was it. So this this whole thing is a new ballgame for me….With keeping a LBP looking like a lean and mean greyhound instead of a huge big old lab like i always liked to see. Bigger has always been better to me, but what did I know.

I just have to get rid of a whole lot of old school ways and ways of thinking, that now have to be reprogrammed in me, but guess what? you guys were knowledgeable enough about this whole thing and the backed it up with factual evidence and because I love my dogs enough I had to take heed and listen and am glad I did… Because I would hate to see this pup or for that matter my either of my two Westies or Custard the Cat, developing cancer because of Monsanto’s genetically muted or altered grain, being in their food or them developing hip or shoulder or elbow issues because I was too stubborn to listen to you guys about Calcium issues with it’s uptake in LBP’s. So thank all of you for that as well for giving me a quick education in what is best for my dog and for making me dig deep on my own into what what all the leading specialists say about these things as well…

This is the kibble I ordered yesterday from Chewy to transition over to from Blue…

1 x Orijen Puppy Large Breed Grain-Free Dry Dog Food, 28.6-lb bag
1 x Annamaet Grain-Free Salcha Poulet Formula Dry Dog Food, 30-lb bag

Thanks Lablubber

[debs]

I’ve been reading many of the posts as I have a dog with ‘colitis’ and all I can say is that each dog is individual and responds to different things so a food that works for one dog may not be as successful for another. I was feeding my dog on RC Sensitivity until they changed their dry food ingredients which started my dog off again; I then changed to RC Gastro Intestinal Moderate Calorie which is working fine. Good luck though.

[llynns]

Would foods with pseudo grains be ok to feed when trying to eliminate all grains from the diet? I have a dog who is in remission with thyroid carcinoma and I know raw would be the optimum….and, I’m researching my options. But, until then – I’m looking for some dry foods to add for rotation. I currently feed Horizon Legacy Salmon and have had great results. I was considering Nature’s Logic but, I noticed it contains millet. Any thoughts on other options and feeding pseudo grains?

[Akari_32]

I need some ideas on slowing Bentley down when he eats. It wasn’t so bad on the Wellness, which was still pretty fast, but the large piece kept him slow enough I didn’t worry, but now that he’s on the Instinct, and the kibbles are small enough for my goldfish to eat, he eats a 3/4 of a cup of food in less than a minute! (Keep in mind he only weighs about 8 pounds)

After he eats he burps, and his tummy gets a little bloated, and he immediately wants to go out and go potty. He’s always asked to go out soon after eating no mater what he’s been on, but usually he waits a few minutes, rather than asking right away. His poops are good, btw, not too hard or soft, and problems going.

Other than buying a special bowl, what ideas do you guys have? The slow-feeder bowls actually aren’t very common here, much less small ones. Not to mention mom loves the set he has now, and wouldn’t want to replace them unless it’s absolutely necessary, and nothing else works. So we need some home remedy, DIY sort of ideas. The bowl is the size of a one cup dry measuring cup, for size reference. I was thinking maybe a pingpong ball dropped in with the food, but there may be better ideas out there lol He’s craft, and will likely remove anything he can get ahold of, just something to keep in mind.

Thanks!

[Sharon Buchanan]

loobija and vaarde ~
You need to read the articles that HDM has posted on page one of this thread. If you’re going to feed dry to your large breed puppies, you need to be feeding a low calcium/phosphorus kibble. Those articles, will tell you why. If you don’t want to read all of them, at least read Dr. Susan Lauter’s paper (#1), Dr. Henry Baker’s paper (#3 on the list), as well as Dr. Karen Becker’s article and watch her video (#5).

HDM also posted a list of Large Breed Puppy food here: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFY183Q0NVRXlidWc/edit, to make it easy for you to research the best LBP food for your dog (and wallet). You can also Google Large Breed Puppy Food to find more. Your puppy is worth a little bit of homework.

Look for a food that has a minimum calcium content of .8% with a maximum around 1.2% (and don’t get hung up on AAFCO standards for calcium – they’re still behind the power curve when it comes to LBP nutrition). HDM’s list only provides minimum calcium content, you’ll need to go to the manufacture’s website to see if they list the maximum – some don’t, call them if you’re considering their food.

vaarde – Dr. Clauder’s adult food for LB “junior” dogs contains maize (corn), corn meal, rice, beet pulp, powdered egg, mussel powder. Filler grains, sugars and in the case of those two powders, nothing but dust. They also use sodium selenite as a source of selenium when they could be using a natural source – selenium yeast. Compare those ingredients with NRG Maxim for large breeds, or Canine Caviar, or…

loobija – you have a puppy, not an adult dog. Do not feed your LBP adult dog food and be very careful about feeding your puppy any “all life stages” food as well. Please read those articles. There is a reason why you need to select a formula designed specifically for large breed puppies. I do not like Authority’s LBP formula for some of the same reasons I don’t like Dr. Clauder’s and their minimum calcium is 1.3% when that is higher than what I would consider as a maximum amount.

Personally, having read all the articles that HDM posted links to – and I found them independent of this fantastic forum, (be sure to thank her for making your research easier), I believe the closer you can stay to .8% calcium the better. LBP kibble formulas will have the correct calcium/phosphorus ratio (1.2:1).

Look for foods that have named meat “meals” (chicken meal, salmon meal, etc.) in many of the first five ingredients as possible. Avoid unnamed anything (meat meal, fish meal, poultry-by-product), grains and fillers (wheat, corn, glutens), and sugars and starches (beets, potatoes). Try to find foods with natural supplements and no preservatives. If you don’t don’t what an ingredient is, look it up. For example: menadione sodium bisulfite complex (synthetic vs. natural Vit K), sodium selenite (vs. selenium yeast).

Kibble is a mine field. Make sure you subscribe to DogFoodAdvisor’s recall alerts: /dog-food-recall-alerts/. You can also find a wealth of information regarding pet food manufacturing practices (what they’re doing right, mostly wrong, how the FDA and the AAFCO really aren’t concerned about what goes into your pet food, recalls, etc.), at truthaboutpetfood.com.

Finally, I would recommend you read just the few pages that have been started in the forums here on feeding raw to large breed puppies: /forums/topic/feeding-raw-non-commercial-to-large-breed-puppies/page/2/#post-33708.

[typhoon]

Hi every one . Just started my dog on a dry food called Now Fresh Market. It is all natural, no soy, no corn, no GMO stuff and it has everything in it a dog needs. It is somewhat hard to find as it is out of Canada but it can be ordered from KV pet which can be looked up on web. It is sort of expensive but sure takes a lot of guess work out of things. My dog is a real picky eater but loves this stuff.

[weezerweeks]

Since June I’ve been trying to get my yorkie on just canned foods. He loves them. We’ve been on merrick,weruva,wellness stews, simply nourish, nature variety instinct. The problem is if I don’t add at least a tablespoon of dry he has soft stools. I have used pumpkin,probiotics and digestive enzymes and I’ve transitioned a long period . Will he ever have normal stools on just the canned. They are not loose just soft. It doesn’t bother him or me but is something wrong?

[LoDoVilla]

I’m absolutely terrified of anything sourced from China. I know that we are allowing them free reign to corner the markets on certain foods and ingredients and that I have little choice in that matter, but I have read so many things about so many different foods…I lost a beloved Shar-Pei to cancer at only age 5 in 2005. She was mostly fed Eukanuba. My Frenchie was diagnosed with cancer at age 6, given two months, and miraculously made it another 2 and a half years on low-dose prednisone and Royal Canin Gastrointestinal. Now, we are adopting a 3-month-old mixed breed from a shelter. We think he’s hound/terrier. My issue is good food, and I do not care how much it costs. I prefer dry. Been looking hard at grain free, although our new pup does not appear to have any food issues or allergies. I will find out what he’s being fed when we pick him up this coming week. Any and all recommendations are welcomed. Thank you.

[theBCnut]

Pumpkin and sweet potato are sources of fiber that dogs usually handle well. Fiber helps regulate the speed that food travels through the intestines and helps retain fluid in the stool. That means it slows down the passage of food when the intestines are irritated and would produce diarrhea, so that the large intestine has time to do its job and resorb the fluid needed for the body to digest food. But since the fiber retains some fluid, it doesn’t allow the stool to dry out too much.

[gmcbogger38]

Years ago we had a Jack Russell who had terrible skin problems. We tried Dinovite and it completely cleared up her issues. Now, I have a Saint Bernard who has been having chronic ear problems and she has a odor that won’t completely go away when bathing her. Now she hasn’t had a bath in a couple months and she smells even worse. I have tried expensive high quality grain free and potato free dry foods and even raw (homemade with no grains, etc) and nothing has worked for her. I am finishing up a grain inclusive food right now and so far I have noticed improvements in her from being on grain free (seems opposite of what should happen). I will be putting my dogs on Victor dog food, since I have read some good reviews about it. I will give the food about a couple months and if I haven’t noticed her ears and eyes clearing up I have thought about trying Dinovite again. Now, my hesitation with it is the cost so I am wondering if anybody else has a suggestion of a supplement similar to Dinovite that might be cheaper please let me know. Thanks.

[Shasta220]

Ah yes, just noticed that you tried canned and it made her stool loose. InkedMarie is right, you don’t /have/ to feed her dry. What brand of canned did you feed her? If it’s a high-quality brand, then it shouldn’t give her runny stools except for possibly the initial transition (that’s how my guy is. No matter how slow the food transition is, he gets mushy stools for about a week).

I can’t emphasize enough how important dental care is when they eat only soft food. Not that I’m saying kibble keeps teeth clean, but soft food does nothing to clear any food buildup on the teeth. Having gross teeth pulled is no fun, trust me.

[InkedMarie]

You said she won’t eat hard food; that’s not a bad thing. A high quality canned is better than dry. She’s a small dog, shouldn’t cost a lot to feed her. Pick some high rated canned to try. I have a dog on all canned & she doesn’t have loose stool. You should add a little canned to her dry, over a week or so, gradually go less & less dry to canned. There is also dehydrated such as a The Honest Kitchen and Grandma Lucy’s.

[Sue’s Zoo]

Sharon,
I’m beginning to wonder if this winter will ever end! Though it sounds like you’re having a rougher time of it than we are in St. Louis. And it sounds like you must be in a fairly rural location. But I think pulling out some of your less expensive cuts to get by is a good idea since you’ve already made a start towards raw. That’s just my two cents from a novice raw-feeder! The stories about your Maine Coon are priceless. I can almost see him as I read. Except for the obvious physical differences his personality reminds me of our tuxedo cat, Gizmo.

As far as managing the bones etc. based on what I’ve read I wouldn’t worry about one feeding or even several but trying to balance it over a week? Maybe longer since Mystery isn’t a puppy? I try to be more careful of the Calcium/Phosphorus ratios with two large breed, fast growing puppies because in a week they can grow significantly and in a month, one of them could easily gain another 10 pounds!

Good luck with the snow and food. Try to stay warm and dry. And keep me posted!

[Shasta220]

I will have to agree with mountainhound. They put lots of chemicals and sugars into kibble that is “chewy.”

I’ve never owned a tiny breed, so I’m not sure how common it is for them to be picky about the food like that. It’s possible that she’s gotten picky from overeating. How much do you feed her daily? If she’s gaining weight, then it’s probably too much. Also, if she refuses /anything/ crunchy (treats, bones, chews, etc.), then she might have a bad tooth, so maybe trying to have a look in her mouth and/or have the vet to an oral exam, just to make sure everything in her mouth is fine.

You’d probably benefit from getting samples from local feed stores, that way you won’t be stuck with a bag’s worth of food if she doesn’t like it. Also, try to leave the new food as an option for a while, not just set it down for a few minutes then pick it back up.

So just make sure you’re feeding her a proper amount so that she goes back to a healthy weight – don’t bother to buy the “light” foods either, they’re just fillers…and don’t feed her what the bag recommends, it ALWAYS suggest way too much (my dogs always get no more than 1/3-1/2 of what the bag says, and they’re a perfect weight). Check out a few different samples from your feed store, and try to find the brand on this site to make sure it’s a 4-5 star food.

If you’re still struggling with getting her to eat, then you could possibly mix some canned food with the dry, or add a little bit of water/chicken broth to the dry to make it moist.

[ExplEngineer]

I have adopted two English Mastiffs, one is ~3yrs old and the other is 7mos old. Yes, I know that they have some different nutritional requirements, but I also know that #1: They are inseparable, father-son, & totally dedicated to each other; #2: Yes, I know that I can separate them at feeding time, or at any other time, I can train them to do what I tell them to do, etc. but I can also raise happy, well adjusted dogs that do what they are told when obedience is a real requirement, I took in both of them because I can tell from their interactions that while they could be raised separately, they will be happier being together, and I am at that age that while they will have to accept responsibilities as a Certificated Service Dog(s), I can be genuinely happy when they are genuinely happy and unless or until a problem arises (which I shall always be diligent in looking for indicators, I am not oblivious to these matters), I can afford to raise two Mastiffs and my goal is to make their lives as happy, and as stress-free as I can make it consistent with the rules of my house. The eat at the same time, generally out of their own bowls, but they have been known to trade out the bowls that they are eating out of, and they eat far better when they are fed together. I have been using Purina Large Breed Dry Dog Food (which is what I have fed both Blackhawk, whom I just lost, and Othello before him and who my Vet has commented as to how healthy looking they were, and they could maintain proper weight on that diet), 20oz-22oz supplemented with about 0.5lbs of meat b.i.d. Until the youngest is about a year old, I will mix in Puppy Chow to ensure that he is also getting the correct balance of nutrients for a growing puppy, while allowing the adolescent (these large dogs are generally not fully and finally developed until they reach 3.5 to 4.0 yrs old) to partake of the same mixture. My principle guidelines in feeding are to watch the weight and weight gain and growth of the each of my lads, and as long as they appear to be doing well, have great looking coats and show no signs of nutritional deficiencies, in consultation with my Vet I continue to use the same foods in their diet. The meat component will vary from Hot Dogs, which allow good portion control and consistency, are nutritious and if properly selected provide a proper cross-section of meat(s), while being required to meet USDA standards for human food, provide some variety, and are easily kept while we are on the road in the motor home, and not requiring any continual readjustments to new diets at home and away. When we put up a steer in the freezer, I not only set aside beef from it for the lads, but have it packaged in serving size containers for portion control, plus I set aside a portion of it to be prepared into “jerky treats” (I am no longer comfortable with the commercially available jerky treats, + every now and then I can snitch one of theirs when it is time for a treat). Having said all of that, I am never too old, or too stubborn to learn, or to find a new means of feeding the boys if it is to their advantage. Fortunately, while in this economy no one can say that cost is never a factor, but it is not a controlling factor, and if there is a valid reason to convert to other foods or additions to their diets, I am more than willing to change them over, notwithstanding a price or cost increase. Please jump in and share your views, I’m new here and truly interested in having the happiest and healthiest well-behaved and well-trained Mastiffs around.

[womanbsweet]

I started my Pomeranian on pedigree dog food from a until she was about 4 months old. But, she liked to pick out the lighter pieces and leave the rest. She prefers wet dog food but it makes her stools loose. Then I started combining the pedigree with bil-jac sensitive solutions until I switched her completely over. I felt the pedigree had too many fillers in it. Unfortunately, the weather here has been much to cold to take her out to exercise and I feel that she has gained too much weight. So I’m looking for another dry food that is as good as bil-jac (she doesn’t tend to like the round hard food even if I wet it for her). I tried Eukanka and she won’t eat it at all. Does anyone know of any good dry dog food that’s shaped like bil-jac or sort of moist like purina moist and meaty burger type.

[Lance & Nikki]

Hi! I was researching some info on food for our dogs and I came upon this site and more importantly, this great thread. I read some of the thread but didn’t see what I was looking for exactly, so my apologies if this has already been addressed, but I really want to make sure that we are doing the right thing when it comes to feeding our wonderful dogs.

We have a Great Dane that is now almost 13 months old and we have a St Bernard puppy that will be 14 weeks old this Friday. Right now we are feeding them both Artemis Fresh Mix for medium and large breed puppies. We went with this food because it got good reviews and from what we could find, it’s a high quality food. But now that Pepper (our Dane) is over a year old, we were thinking of transitioning her to an adult food and preferably a grain free one because she does have a rather sensitive stomach. In researching this, we saw that calcium content is an issue in giant breed dogs, especially breeds like the Great Dane, and it seems that many grain free foods are higher in calcium.

What we want to switch Pepper over too is the Merrick grain free line of foods because from everything we have ever read, Merrick is a fantastic company that makes extremely high quality food. And since we have to get the Artemis food shipped in because nobody locally carries it, and we already use the Merrick canned food a couple of times a week to supplement the dry food and both our dogs love it, we would really like to use the Merrick food once our dogs are old enough to switch to adult food. I did e-mail Merrick to find out what their calcium content is by dry matter and they sent me the following:

Grain Free Chicken- 2.50%
Grain Free Buffalo- 2.50%
Grain Free Duck- 2.50%
Grain Free Pork- 2.32%

Now these are all over the recommended limit of 1.3% to 1.5% that I have read about for giant breed dogs, but most of those limits were for their growth stage. My question (and concern) is, is Pepper old enough now where the calcium content of the food isn’t as critical as it would be if she were still a fast growing puppy (she’s right about 100 pounds now and hasn’t put on much weight at all in the last few months, she’s seems pretty steady at her current weight and size)? She currently is eating twice a day (morning and evening) about 2 cups at each feeding.

Sorry for the long winded first post and thank you in advance for any advice/information you can throw our way, it is greatly appreciated!

Lance & Nikki

[GizmoMom]

@dogspotindia That is the worst recommendation ever.
Have you seen the ingredients of Royal Canin?
/dog-food-reviews/royal-canin-mini-dry/

[crazy4cats]

Hi-
I guess I’m lucky also. Haven’t had much trouble with hairballs either. Three of them have short hair and one has medium length. I think longer haired cats have more issues. I split a 6 oz can of food between them twice a day and give them a little dry also. I try to give the larger boys a little more than the small girls, but I think my chubby little girl goes around and eats everyone’s left overs. I alternate between wellness core turkey/duck and Taste of the Wild dry foods. I’m thinking of finding a dry food with a little less calories. As they are all indoor cats and getting a little chubby. I don’t give them much dry now so thought a “lighter” recipe might help with the weight. Any ideas? As far as hairballs go, I think that feeding canned and brushing the cats is the best remedy.

[shamrockmommy]

I have a 3 ½ lb chihuahua. She’s been an easy keeper for me, holds weight nicely on most anything.
The foods I’ve liked the best for her are:
1. Costco Cuts in Gravy, yes really! Her tummy is the best, poops are the best, she eats it and begs for mrs and she looks gorgeous (she has a thick, long coat).
2. Fromm grain free dry/canned
3. Newmans Own canned

They don’t eat much, that’s the thing, so it’s nice when you these itty bitty dogs, you can spend more a higher quality food and it lasts a LONG time!
If you can’t find anything in your area chewy.com ships right to your house. You have to spend $49 to get the free shipping, but I find I can load up on treats and chews and flea meds, etc and get right to the free shipping (though I have 3 other dogs of varying sizes and a cat 🙂

Good luck with your chi!

[Mom2Cavs]

Wow…you sure are fortunate! I like Wellness foods, but only use their cans for both my cat and dogs. Their kibble size is too big for my dogs (can one can’t have chicken so small breed is out). My dogs eat Annamaet and Fromm but I’ve been looking into Victor. A store near me may start carrying it! It is a good food, imho. I love Weruva cans for both my cat and dogs, but for some reason just end up using Wellness mostly. Weruva is very pricy, but great quality. TOTW is a really good food that works for mine, however, with Diamond being the manufacturer I just went away from them….and I wouldn’t have otherwise! I used to feed Merrick religiously, but had some issues with their kibble last year and canned food this year and will never feed them again so won’t recommend them anymore, sorry. Last year (I think it was around then, maybe a little longer) I was using their Pork kibble and found some weird looking pieces (long and dark) sort of like BB’s lifesource bits in color. My dogs had some before I realized it because my daughter fed them for me from a new bag and they all got weird looking loose stool, and a lot of it! I stopped feeding their dry at that time. Contacted Merrick and they were no help at all. I had those pieces in multiple bags I opened after that. At the end of last year I was still using their canned food every now and then. However, one can I opened had some weird looking “darkened matter” in the middle of the can, not in the top! Looked like mold, maybe, I really couldn’t identify it? Anyway, I didn’t feed it to the dogs…thank goodness it was caught in time. I will never use them again, though lots of people do use them with success and love them (I used to). I did try Canidae Pure with my cat and dogs but none of them liked the food. The fish based Canidae Pure also had kibble that was too big, if I remember correctly. Great ingredients, but they might also still be made by Diamond. So, with all that rambling, lol, if it were me I’d go with Wellness, Victor or Weruva.

[Shasta220]

I haven’t noticed a hairball from Maddy ever since we switched her food. Finally convinced mom to get her off of Purina, and now she has. Natural Balance canned (she consumes maybe 1-2tbsp daily, she’s picky), and free choice of chicken-soup dry… I don’t think she eats very much dry at all, but I guess that’s good – gives her more room for wet.

[Momof6]

A little late but:

My cat has always had a problem with throwing up and hair balls. I have tried indoor formulas, sensitive stomach formulas, you name it! It wasn’t until I invested in much higher quality foods that it has stopped. He eats grain free Fromm dry food. He loves it and never gets sick! Maybe once a month we get a hair all but much better then puking everyday. My cat despises wet food, so that’s been hard. Again, had to invest in weruva. He picks at it but some is better then none. Cats need the moisture, in my opinion wet is better to feed then dry. I wish my guy would eat it better.

[Sharon Buchanan]

Freed1 ~
You can see the entire 5-star list of foods here: /dog-food-reviews/dry/5-star/.

My opinion is that Orijen is the best dry food, whether you are feeding puppy, large breed puppy or adult. It is however, more expensive that the average brand you find at Petsmart.

[Susan]

Thank-You everyone for responding, I just dont know how Patch is going to go without his toast at 6.30am, He wakes up at 5.50am on the dot, I give him his Zantac then I go back to bed then he just waits for me to get up. Cause he has bad stomach acid the toast must settle his tummy, Ive realised his kibble is making it worst but vet wont listen to me, with dry toast & tin food he seems so much better, but vet just wants him on kibble diet thats not working. If he had just 1 piece of toast at 6.30am I think it will all be gone by 10am, cause when he has vomited 2 hours after eating the toast is always gone but the kibble hasnt its all in his spew…I might ring the vets & ask them is he getting anesthetized he is a bugger & doesnt keep still, then I wont give 1 piece of toast..

[Freed1]

Of the dry dog food or the wet can you
List then for me

[Freed1]

Hi I am look at same dry heathy dog food and wet heathy dogfood
I want to know if the 5 star are good for the dry and the wet dog food

[Jazz Lover]

Sharon, we to have a 9mo (apr 2013) old lab & I’ve been struggling as to which food to switch to from (Euk LBP). He is now in recovery, post Dysplasia/FCP and this is what got me reading. Although, our initial recommend for Euk is from a reputable guide dog trainer, therefore I assumed I must use it! When I began to actually read the ingredients and noticed corn as one of the top, I felt terribly. As I don’t even eat corn.

Jazz is 75/80lbs. He was neutered at time of surgery. He is not a lean as he was pre-surgery (FCP & neuter). He has been on rest for the past 4wks since surgery – no excercise. Very difficult, as he’s a puppy!

You say you switched to Orijen LBP (puppy? correct?) What info do you have as to how long Mystery should stay on puppy, and at what age should one transition to adult (Orijen Adult).

I would prefer to have 2 variety’s of dry and supp w/ topper such as canned, dehydrated, Stella & Chewy’s & sardine’s a few times ea wk. Since 8mo I’ve been using Grizzly Salmon oil. Because he’s still under 2, I don’t feel comfortable adding all kinds of supps, etc. I’d like to identify a good turmeric… although, I’m confused as when to use toppers & fish oil, turmeric & the amount, given I would be combining w/ his regular food. (For example: If he has 4cups of dry, what amt do you reduce when you include a topper (dehydrated, sardines or canned)?

I feel like I’ve just about narrowed my food search to a few brands to further look into, however there’s still confusion as to what I should look for in a food for my Lg Breed from age 9mo after. If there are other food recommends then the LBP that I should venture to please lmk?

[theBCnut]

That’s true, if it isn’t converted to dry matter, but converted they should be similar, unless it is a specific low ash food or something like that. BTW, 3% in canned converted to dry matter would be 12-15%, that just illustrates how canned can be higher ash that dry, because of the higher animal content.

[theBCnut]

8.7% on a dry matter basis is less than 9%. Canned food does often have a high ash content, just by nature of the ingredients, more animal products usually means higher ash. I guess if you have a kibble that is high on the scale that making sure you use a canned that is low would be better, and if you want to use a canned that is high, you could pair it with a kibble that’s lower.

[MarieLovesChis]

That’s the thing that confuses me with the huge differences in their formulas, supposedly these are the dry matter values http://www.wysong.net/pet-health-and-nutrition/dry-matter-analysis-of-wysong-pet-foods.php

So am I right in saying that 8.7% on a dry matter basis is extremely high for a canned food? I try not to feed kibbles that hit 9% but it’s definitely my limit. Her current food is 8.3%

[theBCnut]

Since canned food is close to 80% water, the values are significantly different. That’s why we like to convert the numbers to dry matter to compare them. A canned food with 0.7% ash is definitely with the water, while a canned food with 8.7% ash should be in dry matter or else the food would have to be more than half bone. If you are going to tolerate 9% ash in a dry food, you could divide that by 5 and have an approximate percentage that would be comparable for wet food. It’s not quite the same if your 9% isn’t dry matter, but it’s close enough.

[Debbiep]

My Polish Lowland Sheepdog is 12 years old – she has a sensitive stomach/IBS and I have to be careful what I feed her. She has been on Symply Salmon & Rice Dry food for over 2 years now – over the past 6 months/year she sometimes runs away from her bowl half way through eating, seems to choke a lot and her stomach goes in and out, she throws up her dinner, eats it again then goes back and finishes her dinner with no further problems.

I put her bowl on a small step as she has arthritis in her front legs and struggles to get down to floor level when eating and have split her dinner in half – feeding half at lunch time and half at dinner time – I also put water in with her biscuits.

I have taken her to the vets and they don’t seem to be able to help me – they suggested I syringed water down her throat before eating – but this made no difference and she didn’t like having the water squirted down her throat so I stopped.

Is there anything anyone can suggest as it is quite distressing to watch and I don’t seem to be able to do anything to help her – have tried patting her on the back when she is choking but this just gets me a dirty look!

[Shasta220]

I know this is a dog forum, but my older girl, Maddy, has been quite thin lately. She has free choice of Chicken Soup dry, and I recently added Natural Balance canned. Now she only eats 1-2tbsp canned and won’t eat any dry. She acts perfectly normal and is checked out healthy

Are there any super high-calorie supplements or canned foods I can give her?