[UTI_Overlord]

cdubau,

If your cat has crystals in her urine, those may be the cause of her condition (volume may be good even with crystal formation, a urinalysis can confirm this). Years ago, my cat became fully blocked and almost perished as a result of urinary crystals and constant UTIs. The crystals were so numerous that his bladder looked like a snow-globe on an ultrasound. The vet flushed his bladder as best they could, but he still had a lot of crystals left over. After about 2 months on Royal Canin’s Urinary SO, his bladder was completely clean. To date, ultrasound and urinalysis reveal no crystals.

He gets 1/2 a can of wet food every day. I pour some water into the can after opening to add moisture; it mixes well and he drinks it right up. Afterwards, he gets a small amount of the dry food. At first, I did not give him any dry food. As others have stated, it is vitally important to have high levels of hydration and dry food does nothing to assist in this regard. Now, I use both the Urinary SO and Purina’s UR to add variety.

UTIs and bladder issues are not conditions you want to take a test and see approach with. In addition to the severe pain they feel, it only takes a few hours for these conditions to become fatal (bladder gets blocked, bladder bursts, cat dies). I am all for natural remedies, but go with what is PROVEN to work and stabilize her condition; THEN, try to maintain a healthy urinary tract with alternative methods.

May The Force be with you my brother and/or sister.

[lmnordrum]

Since I posted to the list the other day about Merrick I thought I would share what they provided regarding Calcium. Obviously this food will not go on HDM’s list for large breeds.

Dry Dog Food
Chicken, Brown Rice & Green Peas-Adult -2.50
Beef, Whole Barley & Carrots-Adult 2.50
Lamb, Brown Rice & Apple- Adult 2.50
Large Breed-Chicken, Brown Rice & Green Peas-Adult 2.36
Small Breed-Chicken, Brown Rice & Green Peas-Adult 2.50
Puppy-Chicken, Brown Rice & Green Peas 2.28
Senior-Chicken, Brown Rice & Green Peas 2.20
Grain-Free Chicken 2.50
Grain-Free Buffalo 2.50
Grain-Free Duck 2.50
Grain-Free Pork 2.32

[pugmomsandy]

It’s healthier to have a varied diet and to not become dependent on just one food. Recipes change and then dogs have trouble adjusting to the new formulation when only given one food long term. After your dog has been switching often, he shouldn’t have a problem with it. Give him probiotics with each meal. Why would you want him to only eat one food every day of his life? Different meats have different amino acid profiles to offer. I can’t leave food out at my house because a have pet vacuum cleaners. It sounds like he is not interested in his dry food or his treats. Time for a change. Mine LOVE to eat! Any food, any form, any time.

http://urbanpawsmagazine.com/archives/59

[Mahaghaith]

Thanks for that advice…

One question though I keep reading that it’s important to switch food types around and not have a consistent diet. Is that true? I always thought consistency was better for dogs digestion/stomach issues.

Also my dog is a very picky eater, even with treats he only eats his favorites when teased. So I keep his food/kibbles out all day and he barely goes through a small bowl in a day or two even.

Would you suggest I don’t keep food out? Should I change between dry and canned food? He’s got a sensitive tummy, the times I feed him cooked meat or chicken, he might get diarrhea the next day.

Sorry for my endless questions.

If money was no issue what would you say is my best bet to experiment.
Thanks a bunch.

[2pups]

Hi Lily,

Dozer is about 13 weeks now. He was part of an unplanned litter of 15. When I picked him up it was from a little house in suburbia and he was in a childs cot with about 8 other pups. Not the greatest start for my little boy. If I could have I would have scooped up all the pups and taken them with me!

I don’t know what he was being fed but I’m sure it was of a poor quality. His little belly was so swollen when I got him and I think it must have been malnutrition that caused it. My partner went to the pet store and was told Purina Supercoat would be fine, but from what I can tell it is a pretty sub-par dry food. My vet was good enough to recognise that it was a nutrition based problem and did not push to have xrays done. But the Royal Canin she then sold me seemed to increase the problem. So I scoured the net to find the solution.

Hope you can work out the right food for your pup too.

[KatB]

Hello!

My kids seem to really love the Castor & Pollax Ultramix, and at first it also seemed to be helping with the itching of my yellow. As time has gone by, he has returned to his itchy self. although mostly in the mornings and he doesn’t seem too uncomfortable or stressed by it.

Some friends have an adopted golden who started itching a few months back. They changed food a couple of times, and then their vet recommended something called atopica. It seemed to work ok, certainly not miraculous but the itching was somewhat lessened, but then some side effects started. In doing research about this drug, turns out it is very controversial and not something I would put my guys on. Bottom line, they went back to the vet, who agreed, and she is now on a prescription diet food that is made by Royal Canin. It’s quite expensive, but will be interesting to see how she does on it and if that takes care of the problem.

I’m not quite ready to go that route yet, as I hate to keep switching their food, and especially since they love it so much. Yet another friend lives in Hawaii (I am in a mountain state so it’s quite dry) with a tropical climate, and still has an itchy dog. They are feeding natural, local dog food and supplementing with flaxseed oil. They also use noni oil specifically made for pets and mix it with coconut oil which they rub on his tummy every so often….it seems to help. I may give that a try……

I also had to take my female, the black lab, off of the pro-biotics and enzymes, as she suddenly started vomiting every time I gave it to her. This started a month or so after I started them on it. But her stools are nice and solid now, and she seems to be fine without the additions. Itchy boy I still have on them plus Omega fish oil, but a small amount. His stools can get runny with too much oil. My female still eats grass and is sometimes a little gassy, but it’s minimal.

I’ll be interested on any updates on what might be working, and I’ll let you know how my friends’ dog does on the Royal Canin.

Kat

[sandybreit]

We “adopted” 2 full-size rough collies from a relative who could no longer keep them, several years ago. One is a vacuum when it comes to feeding time, the other, not so much! He was very underweight when we got them, mainly because they were fed together and the other one would eat everything if he got the chance. We have always monitored feeding time closely and not let “the vacuum” have a 2nd dishful, but have had a lot of trouble finding something that “picky eater” would actually eat consistently — and which didn’t cause icky, mucusy stools. We’ve tried adding cooked chicken, chicken broth, canned food, etc., to several types of dry food. Our current diet is Iams Healthy Naturals, with about 1/4 can of Tractor Supply’s 4-Health and a little Beneful mixed in. For the last couple of months “Picky Eater” has been very consistent with eating and pooping (which was also a real issue for quite some time, with both dogs — ages 4 and 6 — having accidents in the house when we were gone for more than a few hours), no accidents, no mucusy stools, and coats haven’t changed at all, as far as I can see. I know Beneful is a really low-end kibble, but am really wondering if I should just leave well enough alone or look for something different… it seems that any of the dry foods have reviews saying they make dogs sick, cause kidney and liver disease, problems with stooling, etc, etc. Should I just go by what seems to be working, or do I need to change? (just of note, I’m far from being a new dog owner, have had them forever but only recently discovered how different the various brands can be in terms of nutrition; former dogs have thrived on what I now recognize as less than optimal food, to say the least) Thanks for any comments, I’m sure I’m not the only one with this sort of dilemma.

[Akari_32]

A little update…

The last few days I’ve been sooo busy! I haven’t mixed their food in several days (just been giving them straight dry), and a few times I’ve even forgotten to give Haley her doggy vitamins >.<

BUT! We’re back on track, and I’ve started Haley on the fish oil pills. The bottle says 3 daily (one with each meal), but this for an adult human, so I figured I’d start with two a day and see how it goes. Thoughts?

I’ve also opted to use just the fish oil at this point in time. I with the holidays coming up, I don’t have the time to screw around with the doses and balancing them out with other vitamins and whatever. So I kept the zink and C for my self and sent the rest to my grandpa. He can use them. I do still have proper apple cider vinegar on my list, I just have to rememeber to get it after work. You’d think working in a grocery store would help with that, but really I just want to clock out and run when i get off LOL

[lois]

I want to think both pugmomsandy and Pattyvaughn for your responses. I will look into the suggestions and pay attention to the canned food as well.

Although I didn’t mention this in my post, my dog seems to have a little more pep on the fish based food and he hasn’t given me the “look at the food then look at me” look that he has in the past.

[theBCnut]

Your canned food does matter if it has a protein that he is intolerant to, which is what it sound like. Just a spoonful is all it takes for the damage to his gut to continue until he has some serious problems. Please make sure that his canned food is also a novel protein and let him have some real relief from his itchiness.

[pugmomsandy]

Look into Wellness Core Ocean, Horizon Legacy Fish, Horizon Pulsar Fish, The Honest Kitchen Zeal, Smack Pet Food Salmon, Nature’s Logic Sardine, Nutrisca Salmon, LiveFree salmon, Holistic Select Sardine, Nature’s Logic canned sardine, Nutrisca canned salmon, Hound & Gatoes canned Trout or Salmon, Great Life Grain Free Salmon. You can also use canned/pouched sardines packed in water/no salt added for human consumption, and even raw sardines or mackerel. The Honest Kitchen Zeal is low fat and has a moderate amount of fiber and you can make just a spoonful if you wanted and it tends to generate a formed stool. I’ve used it before. For other novel proteins besides fish foods, there is also Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance in goat and rabbit.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 4 months ago by pugmomsandy.
• This reply was modified 12 years, 4 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[lois]

I have a mixed breed dog that just turned 10 years old around 24 lbs. Earlier this year he starting scratching a lot, pulling his hair out, biting himself to the point of causing bleeding and scabbing. Nothing the vet did helped until I switched him to a fish based dry dog food, Taste of the Wild, which he seems to enjoy mixed with a little canned food and the itching has subsided a little to where he isn’t pulling out his hair which is kept very short. Unfortunately it’s higher in fat and lower in fiber than the weight management food he was on, Science Diet Metabolic. His stool has also changed which I think is from the lower fiber and since I’ve cut the amount due to the fat he is always hungry.

I want to keep him on a fish based dry food which I mix with a little canned food but wanted to find one that was not as high in fat and with a little more fiber. Any suggestions on which brand would fit this description? The canned food does not have to be fish since I don’t use a lot of that when I feed him. Just a spoon to give it a little wetness.

[Rahat]

Now I am going to post a formula of one kind of vegetarien dog food: Natural Balance Vegetarian Formula (Dry)
This organic, all-natural dry food contains brown rice, oatmeal, green peas and potatoes– a combination of ingredients designed to provide the perfect balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. The Natural Balance formula is vegan and has added nutrients to meet a dog’s specific nutritional needs

[Parr]

Hi Mercman,

I do not see the Kirkland Dog food you mentioned on HDM ‘s Large Breed Dog Food List. I looked up Kirkland’s Signature Sweet Potato dry dog food on DFA list in general and found, Kirkland Signature Nature’s Domain Salmon and Sweet Potato dry dog food, but it only had 3.5 stars and I think the foods on HDM’s list must be 4 stars or higher. Not sure if that is the one you were referencing or not.

I am currently looking through the list for rotation foods and didn’t remember seeing a Kirkland brand on the list. I am new to all of this so I may be In error. I know how easy it is to mix up information read here just because the site is so full of wonderful information, it is hard for me to keep things straight sometimes. I just suggest you double check that the Kirkland food meets the calcium levels needed for large breeds. I tried to find it on the Costco site but it isn’t listed.

I hope this helps.

[theBCnut]

Rotation is good for a healthy digestive tract so don’t worry about getting one that goes with Acana, worry about getting as big a variety as you can. As long as the canned foods are for All Life Stages or Growth, you can use whatever amount you want and you can even mix it with extra water to make a gravy. If the canned foods you find are Adult or Maintenance foods then you should only make the canned food about 20% or less of the diet. Use cans within 3 days of opening and store the canned food you don’t use immediately in a sealed container, not in the can. If you have a small dog and you won’t use a can that fast you can freeze it in the right size protions and defrost as needed.

[Amanda Newcomb]

So I’m going to be switching my puppy’s food soon (he’s on Purina one smart blend puppy right now, what the previous owner fed him). I’m very interested in feeding him Acana regionals dry food because of all the positive reivews, but I’ve also read that dry food alone doesn’t supply enough moisture in a dogs diet. I don’t want to feed him solely canned food for fear of him gaining weight. He’s a small dog and while I walk him daily, he otherwise doesn’t get much exercise.

Would mixing canned food with the Acana be a good way to suppliment his moisture intake? If so, how much canned food to dry food, and how do I choose a brand that goes well with the Acana?

[Nancy M]

Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry! What an ordeal you and your dog have been through! I’m a little surprised that the surgery you did had little effect, as I’ve been told that if anything can do the trick it is that. I just could not do it financially and then just didn’t have much faith in any surgery. Very risky, expensive, life threatening, difficult recoveryand a guarded solution at best……also my vets were not too optimistic.

In my case, maybe I’ve been lucky. Time will tell. To date, the fluid that is there is minimal (since last having it drained in late September) and has not increased any. My dog acts as normal as ever and for the most part, I can’t tell there’s anything wrong. For how long, is pure guesswork. So for the time being, I am extremely happy!

This is what I have done, as far as diet and supplementation. Keep in mind though, that at the onset of this, the first specialist I saw, put him on high doses of prednisone, which after almost 2 weeks I ended up weaning him off of…..while it may have helped with the inflammation of the chyle, it gave him high blood pressure. So, I felt it was counter-productive, plus the frequent urination was very difficult to manage. So, I’m not sure if this had anything to do with the improvement I’m seeing right now or not. He has also continued taking a low dose of Benazipril, for the entire circulatory system.

Since his diagnosis, he has been on the Hill’s I/D, Low-fat Residue formula. I feed him the dry, mainly, with a little bit of the canned in with it. I have also used in place of their canned food, the canned formula made by Purina; EN Gastroenteric, also available through my vet(black can). Occasionally, I will top off his dry food with various canned meat formulas; not much, but just a little for variety. I’ve never been a fan of the Hill’s or Science Diet in general, but at this point, I’m using what they tell me. If it helps, so be it, whatever is in it.

Finally, I have, since day of diagnosis, given 500 mg. of the Rutin, (I’m using the NOW brand capsules right now, which really only have 450 mg. each), at least twice a day, sometimes 3. I have recently added the recommended dose of Solid Gold’s Sealmeal, just to give his entire system some extra support. So, that’s about it. Along with some help from above, I’m hoping for a miracle, as I’m sure you are. It is a very frustrating and unpredictable situation, to say the least.

With all you and your dog have been through, with such disappointment and probably having such a feeling of helplessness, my thoughts and prayers are with you. I wish you the very best. If I can help in any way, please don’t hesitate to contact me again.

[TuckNRoll]

Hey guys! I just got a new baby to add to my family, his name is Tucker and he is a lab/basset mix. He is the cutest thing ever but the mix kind of makes me wonder about what type of food would be best for him! He is about a year old and the people I got him from had him on Pedigree (Yuck!) and I was looking into changing him to Premium Edge. With the mix he is what nutrients does he need most? Should I look into getting more glucosomine for him because of his bone structure? Thanks!

[weezerweeks]

I just have to make this comment about chewey’s.com. I ordered about $90 worth of canned food and could not use them. I called the site to send them back and the lady told me to take them to a shelter and she would credit my card. Needless to say they now have all of my business!

[RescueDaneMom]

There are reviews for the dry but not canned.
/dog-food-reviews/natural-planet-organics/
/dog-food-reviews/nutrisource-pure-vita-dog-food-dry/
/dog-food-reviews/pure-vita-grain-free-dog-food/

My sister has been using the Pure Vita Grain Free for her border collie/english springer mix. Her dog likes it and has been doing well on it. I fed it once or twice. I’m not a big fan of the lower protein and high carbs.

[weezerweeks]

Can anyone tell me anything about these foods from nutrisource? When is the dog review coming on the top foods?

[Parr]

Pattyvaughn,

Thank you so much for letting me know the protein was based on the dry matter rather than the guaranteed analysis. I went back to the websites but not all of them show the dry matter information. I hate to ask, but can you tell me the formula to determine that result? You did such a good job on the calcium calculation! : ) Seriously, I love the detail you share! You are extremely helpful to everyone! Especially since I am new to this site this last week, I’ve had several questions. You have been very patient and helped me sort through all this information. Thank you so much! It is so much to take in, But I am trying.

Mfulton,

I think you may be talking about the list of “pea-free” food that was on another thread, “Dog Food Ingredients”, under the question, “Anyone’s dog allergic to Peas?”. I happened to be reading that one too so I’ve copied it here for you. I hope this is what you were looking for.

pugmomsandy wrote:

Grandma Lucy’s and The Honest Kitchen have some pea free foods. Also Great Life grain free/Pioneer Naturals. Here’s some pea free foods I had written down last year. I’m not sure if they’re still pea free:
Timberwolf
TOTW Pacific Stream (canola)
EVO red meats
EVO turkey & chicken
Pinnacle Peak (quinoa)
Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance
Natures Logic – millet, no potato
Great Life
Canine Caviar
I and Love and You by OnlyNaturalPet.com

[theBCnut]

Parr and Jewels
As far as a food that is appropriate for large breed growth and in regards to protein levels, meat has a lot of phosphorus in it naturally and the calcium/phosphorus ratio has to be in a certain range, so to keep the calcium low enough, they have to use meats that are low in phosphorus and/or limit the amount of meat. That’s why the really high protein foods aren’t on the list.

When I say some people have a personal limit of 30% protein, I mean they won’t feed a food that has less than that. I am however referring to dry matter, not guaranteed analysis. If you want to keep the calcium/phosphorus balanced but add more protein to a meal, tripe is the way to go. Not the bleached tripe that the butcher or grocery store sells though, green or canned tripe.

[InkedMarie]

I agree with PetFlow, wag and chewy for great places to order. I, too, had less than a good experience from doggie food.

[cdubau]

Thanks for the help! The mountain didn’t work for my girl. I mix her food dry and canned. She has had stones before but no UTI. I’ll look at cranberry powder though. Her urine output is good though.

[pegripley]

Shawna, I’ve read a number of posts and you seem amazing. I lost my Scottish Terrier, Charlie, to Cancer a year ago this September, he was only 8 years old. We had NO idea he even had it.. Within a few days I couldn’t stand it anymore for myself and my mini-Schnauzer so we got another puppy. She is also a mini-schnauzer. I took her to get spayed in December 2012 and we found out she has Kidney Disease. Since then her #’s have continued to increase and she’s now 16 months old and her BUN is off of the chart, the vets machines can’t read it. It’s over 130, her Creatinine is 4.0 (high end is 1.8) and a few other things are now showing also like decreased red blood cell count = 3.2 and normal range is 5.5-8.5.
I have been feeding her boiled chicken thighs and baked sweet potatoes. I am currently giving her a phosphorus binder and also Renadyl. The Renadyl is supposed to flush the toxins out through her stool rather than making her kidneys process it and work harder.
The odd thing is. Bella has never shown any real symptoms other than the #’s. I had no problem potty training her, she is crate trained and has no accidents. she doesn’t urinate anymore than our other Schnauzer does. We also had an ultrasound done and her kidney’s are slightly smaller than normal but nothing major small and no other abnormalities faound. Now she does love her water but it’s not like she sits next to the bowl and drinks it dry. She usually drinks a lot in the morning or when she first comes out of her crate and then will get little sips the rest of the day. My vet and I are both astonished and very grateful that she isn’t showing any symptoms.
Anyway, now that you know my story I am really trying to find something to prolong her life and also make sure it’s a good quality of life at the same time. It breaks my heart to think her life is going to be cut short.. You seem like you have a good handle on this. Can you please give me any advice..
I took her yesterday for her check up and have done nothing by cry since yesterday. I’m usually a positive person but this is just breaking my heart.
Peg

[DogFoodie]

I order from wag.com and chewy.com most often. I used to order from petflow.com a lot.

I find that wag has the best service, but is probably the highest priced of the three. Free returns for 365 days after the date of purchase on unopened and unexpired items.

I used to use petflow a ton, but got annoyed that when I recently wanted to return something, I found out that they had just changed their return policy and didn’t make it a point to send out an email to their customers notifying them of a change in their policy and they didn’t post it in plain view on their website. They used to offer free returns and don’t any longer.

Chewy has great prices, ships fast and good service. Free returns for 365 days after the date of purchase on unopened and unexpired items.

I had a bad experience when I purchased something from dogfooddirect.com once, but they did apologize and correct the error. I wanted to give them another shot to see how things went and have ordered from them since and the order was problem free. They don’t offer any free shipping.

[RescueDaneMom]

I use amazon occasionally for dog food but chewy.com and petflow.com are my primary online sites to get dog food from. I’ve heard wag.com is good too. I didn’t have a good experience with doggiefood.com and will not be ordering from them again.

[RescueDaneMom]

Here are some more…

Canine Caviar Open Sky Grain Free Duck and Chick Pea Dry Dog Food
INGREDIENTS: Duck Meal, Chickpea, Duck Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Menhaden Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Sun-Cured Alfalfa, Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Culture, Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Culture, Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Culture, Sun-Cured Kelp, FOS (prebiotic), Calcium Proteinate, Sodium Chloride, Lecithin, Choline Chloride, Parsley, Fenugreek, Peppermint, Taurine, Selenium, Whole Clove Garlic, Vitamin E, Zinc Proteinate, Vitamin C, Papaya, Rose Hips, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Niacin, Beta-Carotene, Manganese Proteinate, Vitamin D3, Biotin, Vitamin A, Riboflavin, Vitamin B-12, Potassium Proteinate, Folic Acid.

Canine Caviar Wild Ocean Grain Free Holistic Herring and Split Pea Dry Dog Food
INGREDIENTS: Herring Meal, Split Peas, Borage Oil, Menhaden Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Sun-Cured Alfalfa, Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Culture, Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Culture, Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Culture, Sun-Cured Kelp, FOS (prebiotic), Sodium Chloride, Lecithin, Choline Chloride, Parsley, Fenugreek, Peppermint, Taurine, Selenium, Whole Clove Garlic, Vitamin E, Zinc Proteinate, Vitamin C, Papaya, Rose Hips, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Niacin, Beta-Carotene, Manganese Proteinate, Vitamin D3, Biotin, Vitamin A, Riboflavin, Vitamin B-12, Potassium Proteinate, Folic Acid.

Nature’s Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Duck Meal Dry Dog Food
INGREDIENTS: Duck Meal, Tapioca, Peas, Canola Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Natural Flavor, Montmorillonite Clay, Coconut Oil, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Vitamins (Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Panthothenate, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Sodium Selenite), Choline Chloride, Green Tea Extract, Rosemary Extract.

Great Life Dr E’s Limited Ingredient Grain Free Duck Dry Dog Food
INGREDIENTS: US Duck, Tapioca, Yams, Bok Choy, Zucchini, Blueberries, Freeze Dried New Zealand Mussel, Freeze Dried Kale Sprouts, Freeze Dried Red Clover Sprouts, Inulin, Enzymes (Amylase, Protease, Cellulase, Pectinase, Lipase, Phytase, Xylanese, Hemicellulase, Alpha-galactosidase, Invertase) Probiotics in a micro-encapsulated complex (Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Lactobacillus Rhamnosus Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product Dehydrated,Lactobacillus Plantarum Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Bifidobacterium Thermophilum Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Bifidobacterium Longum Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Bacillus Subtillus Fermentation Product Dehydrated), Vitamins (Dl-methione, Lecithin, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamone Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Folic Acid) Minerals (Calcium Pantothenate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acids Chelate, Manganese Amino Acids Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acids Chelate, Selenium), Wild Salmon Oil

Great Life Dr E’s Limited Ingredient Grain Free Buffalo Dry Dog Food
INGREDIENTS: US Buffalo, Tapioca, Yams, Bok Choy, Zucchini, Blueberries, Freeze Dried Buffalo Liver, Freeze Dried Kale Sprouts, Freeze Dried Red Clover Sprouts, Inulin, Enzymes (Amylase, Protease, Cellulase, Pectinase, Lipase, Phytase, Xylanese, Hemicellulase, Alpha-galactosidase, Invertase) Probiotics in a micro-encapsulated complex (Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Lactobacillus Rhamnosus Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product Dehydrated,Lactobacillus Plantarum Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Bifidobacterium Thermophilum Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Bifidobacterium Longum Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Bacillus Subtillus Fermentation Product Dehydrated), Vitamins (Dl-methione, Lecithin, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamone Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Folic Acid) Minerals (Calcium Pantothenate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acids Chelate, Manganese Amino Acids Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acids Chelate, Selenium), Wild Salmon Oil

Castor and Pollux Ultramix Grain Free Duck Sweet Potatoes and Whole Peas Dry Dog Food
INGREDIENTS: DEBONED DUCK, TURKEY MEAL, LAMB MEAL, SALMON MEAL (SOURCE OF OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS), SWEET POTATO, PEAS,
POTATO, DUCK FAT (PRESERVED WITH MIXED TOCOPHEROLS), POTATO PROTEIN, PEA PROTEIN, NATURAL FLAVOR, BANANAS, CARROTS, APPLES, CRANBERRIES, BLUEBERRIES, ORGANIC ALFALFA, SALMON OIL, MINERALS (SALT, ZINC AMINO ACID COMPLEX, ZINC SULFATE, IRON AMINO ACID COMPLEX, MANGANESE AMINO ACID COMPLEX, COPPER AMINO ACID COMPLEX, POTASSIUM IODIDE, COBALT AMINO ACID COMPLEX, SODIUM SELENITE), VITAMINS (CHOLINE CHLORIDE, VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN A SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENT, D-CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, VITAMIN D3, NIACIN, RIBOFLAVIN SUPPLEMENT, BIOTIN, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, FOLIC ACID, THIAMINE MONONITRATE), DRIED CHICORY ROOT, YUCCA SCHIDIGERA EXTRACT, DRIED LACTOBACILLUS PLANTARUM FERMENTATION PRODUCT, DRIED LACTOBACILLUS CASEI FERMENTATION PRODUCT, DRIED ENTEROCOCCUS FAECIUM FERMENTATION PRODUCT, DRIED LACTOBACILLUS ACIDOPHILUS FERMENTATION PRODUCT, ROSEMARY EXTRACT

Unfortunately, the restrictions you have limits your choices. The foods I have posted I found through a quick search on petflow.com for grain-free foods. I looked at the descriptions and ingredients. Most times if one formula in a line has flax or eggs in it then the rest do too (though not all the time). This is by no means an exhaustive list but just the ones I found quickly that I would feed if I were in your position. Again, I hope this is helpful. Chicken-free, grain-free, yeast-free, flaxseed-free foods DO exist but they are all on the pricey side and may be costly to feed to several big dogs. If you aren’t opposed, it might be cheaper to make a homemade diet that you would have complete control over the ingredients.

[RescueDaneMom]

Another food free of chicken/eggs, grain, yeast, and flaxseed.

Canine Caviar Wilderness Grain Free Venison And Split Pea Dry Dog Food

INGREDIENTS: Venison Meal, Split Pea, Lamb Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Sun Cured Alfalfa, Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Culture, Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Product, Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Culture, Sun-Cured Kelp, FOS (prebiotic), Calcium Proteinate, Sodium Chloride, Lecithin, Choline Chloride, Parsley, Fenugreek, Peppermint, Taurine, Selenium, Whole Clove Garlic, Vitamin E, Zinc Proteinate, Vitamin C, Papaya, Rose Hips, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Niacin, Beta-Carotene, Manganese Proteinate, Vitamin D3, Biotin, Vitamin A, Riboflavin, Vitamin B12, Potassium Proteinate, Folic Acid

[sfort]

Help – have looked for HOURS online – am in need of a dog food NO Chicken, NO Grain, NO Brewers Yeast, NO Flaxseed. Does a dry kibble exist?
Have BIG dogs – feeding, or have fed, Nature’s Logic/Taste of the Wild/Wellness Simple – but still getting itchy ears, UTI is some.

[dean ousterhout]

Hello all… I have a source of fresh deer meat and wondered… should I feed some of it to my new large puppy, 14 weeks old? I love reading all about teh fantastic diets folks are doing for their dogs and I have to say… I don’t think I eat so well 🙂

I am sure I will look back in a few years and perhaps all this won’t be so confusing… but for now …. well.. it is quite overwhelming as to how little I understand.

The plan is to start with the 5 star dry and wet… and augment with quality “other” stuff, like leftovers of what we eat, etc. I got to thinking while reading about supplementing and all teh different raw diets… if I could use some of the venison I have access to for the puppy? I saw about the 20%… but should it be raw(uncooked, straight from the freezer, straight from the butcher) or cooked, like burgers from the grill? 🙂

Shucks, the venison is cheaper than than the canned food and the 5 star dried.

Thoughts??

[Molzy]

I have used amazon in the past and been happy, but I plan on switching to the Petango store now, where you get 15% off if you do auto ship! So amazon isn’t ALWAYS the best, and I am usually a diehard amazon shopper!

From amazon, I’ve gotten Merrick Classics dry food, Chicken Soup canned food, and Honest kitchen dehydrated food, all have arrived without issue.

[JMK]

Have fed Hi Standard dry food to my dogs for years with no problems. We are wintering in Florida and just can’t find it down here. Does anyone know of a comparable food I might get hold of that is available down here. I have a 180lb English Mastiff and a 72lb Black Lab.

[theBCnut]

Look for Earthborn Holistic, Nature’s Logic, Nature’s Variety, and NutriSource. But don’t feel you have to limit yourself to just one food. Feeding a variety is just as important for dogs as it is for humans. It is healthier for the gut and all the probiotics that should be living there.

[Benf207]

Hi,
I have a Shih-Tzu and a medium sized Collie, we are currently on Castor & Pollux Organix, but it is getting harder to find around here. I’m looking to start getting dog food off of Amazon, is there a better option out there?

Thanks

[RescueDaneMom]

Here are 2 formulas by Great Life that have no potatoes, no peas, and no fish.

http://www.petflow.com/product/great-life/great-life-grain-free-buffalo-dry-dog-food

http://www.petflow.com/product/great-life/GrainFreeDogFoodOpenRangeChicken

[Jesika]

@Patty – Thanks for replying.
While I know you won’t recommend food, I’ve seen your name over many many a thread and so being that you’ve got apparently MUCH more knowledge than I…can you tell me — Is it necessarily “better” to feed your dog homemade food versus store bought? And then of course from store bought, better to feed rotating dry only, or a mixture of dry and wet? And what about this dehydrated food? I had never seen/heard of that till last week and I was thinking if what I want to do (aside from being able to make them homemade food) is go up in food quality which means going up in price, do you know if buying dehydrated is typically “better” quality than if I just started buying a more ‘name brand’ higher-rated dry food?

Thanks!

[Mom2Cavs]

Yes, my Cavalier that has allergies has anal gland issues as one of her symptoms. She can’t have poultry, at least chicken, but just to be safe I’m staying away from all poultry. I am using grain free, poultry free dry and canned foods. I also make sure any supplements or treats don’t contain offending ingredients. Since I’ve done this her symptoms are gone.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 4 months ago by Mom2Cavs.

[Jesika]

Hi all. I have two pit/lab mixes father and daughter, and a stray black lab mix I adopted, aged 4, 2 and just a month shy of 1 year. All three dogs have black in their tongues and I’ve been told this means they are all mixed with something other than pit or lab, but what either dad and daughter or stray is mixed with, I dunno. (daughter’s mom was a pit/wimeriner)

Anyway. So I have all three on a wellness plan and they’ve all seen the doctor for my over-worried mommy tendencies at least once a month for the last four months; I got the stray on a plan just yesterday and the docs are all impressed with her bloodwork/health/coat just like my other two.

I never had pets until my late twenties and so right off, I just followed what my then-bf did with his dog (he’d had animals for years), as far as feeding goes, which was to free feed dry kibble. While he would get the cheapest kind not caring to read the label, when I was gainfully employed I fed mine Natural Balance grain-free lamb, then had to change and for the last six months or so, they’ve all been eating the Pure Balance Chicken & Brown Rice from Walmart, as I thought $30ish for a 30 lb bag of what is supposed to be natural ingredients sounds like a good deal to me.

BUT!! I have been reading over on consumer affairs about all the dogs that’ve died eating Ol’ Roy products, sometimes the PB dry line included. My vet said try Purina One, but that has a lesser rating than Pure Balance according to this website last time I checked.

I’m trying to become more healthy in way of eating less chemicals and want to bring my dogs along, so I thought I was doing good with the PB over the Purina being that there were less questionable ingredients. But then I hear about “Well, what does the fish on the boat on its way to the processing plant get treated with?” and “Anything from China is bad for your dogs to be eating, nothing good comes outta there.” and “Dog food companies? It could be one processing plant stateside today and a different one in Taiwan tomorrow, as far as manufacturers are concerned. Both foods are still going into a bag that looks and is priced the same, and thus makes the manufacturers their profit.”

All that said… My FIRST goal, if it can be something I can afford money/time wise to do, is to simply transition my dogs from Pure Balance to homemade food. SECOND, if I cannot do that, is to find two or three trusted brands that will be healthy-as-possible without killing my pocket — I might be living off of just disability soon, but I need my dogs alive as part of my healing process should I ever hope to have “a real job” again soon.

So…let the comment flying begin please! Do you have any cheaper-than-raw-steak-all-the-time recommendations for a basic homemade diet I can start with immediately until I can build from there? Or do you have anything other than Pure Balance that you can recommend based on price-point and natural ingredients, not to mention a GOOD reputation from the brand/manufacturer??

I am very very lost, and have much to stress about already…what I’m feeding my dogs and it’s potential long-term-and-hidden side effects is not another thing I need. It seems that from what I can tell this community of dog people LOVE their pets and share advice, so please please, share!! And THANK YOU THANK YOU in advance.

Signed,
Jesika and her three…Toby, Rhi and Midnight.

P.S. What about dehydrated foods? I just saw these at my local Sprouts Market and wonder — could this, though a little more pricey than what I buy now, be a happy medium between having to worry about manufacturer defect killing my dog and my having to cook them a meal every day, all while getting the nutrition they need? Hmmm…

[Melissaandcrew]

I rotate through most 4-5 star foods for the dry. Currently they are eating NV limitd ingredient Duck-simply due to the lower fat content that my schnauzers can eat. I also now give everyone 50 percent of their diet in homemade raw. We also rotate 5 star canned foods and dehydrated Grandma Lucy’s(almost 600 cals per cup!)

My boys WILL loose weight on all grain free, no matter how high the calories for some reason. I account for that with the Abady, and by adding higher carbs to their portion of the raw diet. This seems to work wonders. I add things like sweet potato their bowls every other day when they are not getting the Abady.

[pugmomsandy]

Del Monte uses GMO ingredients (has it’s own GMO pineapple I think) and ingredients from overseas and continues to lobby against the labeling of GMO foods. That’s reason enough for me not to use it. I’m sure your holistic friend knows about GMO’s. If you don’t, here’s a movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUd9rRSLY4A

and book: http://www.amazon.com/World-According-Monsanto-Marie-Monique-Robin/dp/1595587098/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1383824395&sr=1-2&keywords=monsanto

8 years is still young (IMO) for a toy breed. Mine is 9.5 and going strong. There are just so many other choices out there. Even if he still wants to use NR kibble, there are so many canned foods or dehydrated foods he could offer to add variety and a less-processed food to his diet. I’m sure he knows that kibble is a very processed food. It’s like eating a cereal bar for every meal. Dehydrated/freeze dried foods are steamed and low temperature cooked and then the moisture is taken out. There are even canned/tubbed products that are BPA-free!

[theBCnut]

My biggest issue would be with feeding any food that long of a term. The probiotics in the gut adjust to what is being fed, they get out of balance, so when the dog does finally get into something that they aren’t used to they have a major stomach upset. Feeding variety has the same health benefits for dogs as in does for us There is no perfect food. Even a well rounded meal should not be eaten day in and day out for years. Suppose your friend eats a free range egg, 2 pieces of organic, non GMO toast, half an orange, and a glass of milk for breakfast, I’ll even throw in a glass of low sodium organic vegetable juice. Sounds like a pretty healthy meal, right? But what if that was all he ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Pretty soon, he would have an over abundance of some vitamins and a lack of some others. It would take a long time for him to show any ill affects from it, and even longer for someone else to notice them. It might take years for the diseases that come from missing those vitamins to show up, but sooner or later they would.

[GSDsForever]

Would appreciate some thoughts from our regulars here who are toy dog knowledgeable & experienced —

This is for a friend, feeding 8 yr old Yorkies, Nature’s Recipe for Toy/Small Breed (Del Monte? not sure of manufacturer/copacker), pink bag. No problems, states the dogs have been doing great on it (in all ways he can see/tell) for all 8 yrs, sees no reason to change.

What commercial kibble, canned would you all suggest as superior? Or would you suggest an upgrade/change from that category at all? And what reasons would you give for making the change from NR?

I’ve asked him why he doesn’t just feed homemade. He gave the answer above. He’s pretty engaged and informed re holistic human diet & health care — so I guess I was surprised he doesn’t feed a better brand food even if it’s a commercial kibble/can.

8 isn’t very old for a tiny dog, afaik; so I would expect that fact & decent genetics, rather than the brand, are why the dogs are doing well. And many serious disease processes don’t “show up,” until much later after a cumulative effective of care/diet over many years. I’m not really up on what health risks Yorkies have (other than trauma/fragility like all toys), and that appear as they age. What do you all think?

Thanks!

[crazy4cats]

Hi-
In my opinion, catinfo dot org is a great site that addresses this issue. The most important thing you can do for this is to add as much moisture to the cats diet as possible. I give my 4 cats about 3 oz of canned food each everyday. Along with that, I feed a little bit of Wellness core, Earthborn Primitive or Taste of the wild dry food. The author of the site mentioned above does not recommend any dry food at all to maintain urinary health, however. but, that gets pretty expensive. Good luck, I know they can be picky.

[coscowgirl]

Greetings…have a question…what dry dog food would you recommend for an 8 mos old irish wolfhound female, who already weighs over 80 lbs & is 33″ at the withers?? Would like to give her a good quality puppy food at a good price……Thanks for your info & advice!!

[Melissaandcrew]

Most any kibble will soften when soaked in warm water..some just take a bit longer than others.

[pugmomsandy]

I’ve heard stories that Bil-Jac did that but they have changed their formula since someone told me about that. You can also try putting his kibble into a treat ball or Kong so he has to work to get it out. Another option is to mix kibble with something else like a little yogurt or pumpkin or canned food and freeze it inside of a Kong and let him lick it out like a treat. Or soak your kibble with plenty of water 12 hours in advance, keep it in the frig and serve for the next meal unless our dog doesn’t like cold food! In which case, you can try letting it soak for about 30 minutes.

[InkedMarie]

Back when I fed food with grain, it swelled. It was Nutro, not a food I’d feed now. Why not feed wet food?

[paulpitt]

I have a dog that takes several bits of kibble in his mouth and tries to swallow them whole, scratching his throat. I have a slow feed bowl, but it doesn’t help much. I need to find a good, nutritious dry dog food, (because of price), which will soften when soaked in water. Any suggestion?