[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, 1 month 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?

[DogManDan]

hi frogdogz, are those the only ingredients available? if that is the case then fried beef with peas is one of the recipe. since you mentioned they don’t have a fridge then that should be okay since it would take a couple of days before the fried meat would go bad or roasted meat 🙂

[Nancy M]

I have a 6 week old mini Aussie puppy, weighing 3.2 lbs., just diagnosed with a confirmed case of Giardia, but no result on the Coccidia, so he is being treated with both meds; Albon and Panacur suspensions. My daughter just got this puppy on Friday, it is now Tuesday. Things are little improved, especially during the night, when he seems to have more urges to poop; mostly soft – runny, or nothing at all. Doesn’t want to eat the I/D diet, so put him back on the diamond puppy dry, which he started the day she got him. So as of this morning, have been giving him back, small amounts of the kibble, with a tiny bit of cottage cheese or yogurt mixed in.

My questions are this…..what kind of food should he be eating right now and wouldn’t the metronitizole work better than the Panacur? I had a puppy with this about 3 years ago and the Panacur didn’t work. Not until we did a good dosage regimen of the Metro, did things improve; almost overnight.

Please respond with suggestions and HELP! Thanks!

[Akari_32]

No, it doesn’t. Thats why I wanted to know if it was measured wet or dry (and why I should apparently learn how to read :p ). Wet would be fine, but dry not so much.

I measured Bentleys food dry (I mix kibble, canned and eggs) and even a whole cup of dry food weighed just above 4 oz (I imagine with the liquids added it would weigh a bit more, but I didn’t prepare their food as normal tonight). He eats a lot for his small size (curse that terrier activity!), but I can’t imagine him eating 4 times as much as he currently eats. Even the one cup is a bit much for him and he lounges around afterwards, but he works off quickly onces it digested….

Hmmmm…..

[Akari_32]

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/B5FFDB48-76A2-44FE-A357-A840540C5E4E-2800-0000068E8A917F27_zps1e25165d.jpg

It does say at the bottom there that it’s measured dry. Missed that the first time! Derp…

So that would mean my 8 pound dog would be eating almost a whole pound of food?? That seems like a whole lotta food for such a small dog! I’ll have to weigh how much he’s getting now, to compare. That’ll give me an idea for the other dogs, as well.

[Akari_32]

It says 1 cup makes a pound, more or less. But again, I wouldn’t really be able to determine that with out knowing if the recommendations on the bag are based off if it being dry or rehydrated.

[Molzy]

You should calculate out based on feeding recommendations, not how much food it’ll make. A box of Honest Kitchen makes like 40lbs of food, but only lasts my dog 20 days. When he i on dry kibble, a 30lb bag lasts about 6 weeks. When I was researching foods, I made an excel file with the cost per bag, and then calculated how long a bag would last. This way you can compare daily costs.

Good luck!

[lizbethc41]

ok that was weird, I was typing a post when poof ! So if this ends up being a double post, sorry!
Let’s try again…..Against my advice, my part time employee got a lab puppy over the weekend. She absolutely cannot afford a dog, so I am really sorry she did this. However, now that it’s done, I am trying to find the cheapest of the best food. I think Fromm sounds promising as the least expensive 4 star food I’ve found (though I don’t like rice in a food & it has tomato pomace, it’s better than the Beneful she is feeding :/ ) & so far I’ve found it for $51.49 for a 33 lb bag.
Having never fed a lab puppy, I have no idea how long a 33 lb bag will last. If someone could give me a ballpark on this I’d appreciate it. It’s been a while since I fed Muggsy dry food & he’s a smaller dog than a lab puppy will end up. I think his 5 lb Castor & Pollux Organix lasted about a week.
I really hope to not have to go lower than 4 stars, but she really is on a limited budget <sigh> I’m really open to any suggestions as to a good yet cheap food!

[Mom2Cavs]

If you are not adverse to shopping online, then most foods are available online. Some offer free shipping and often there are sales.

If I were you, I would first go to my local pet stores (or stores where you will be purchasing your pups food) and look to see what they have. Talk to the clerks (note that some will be more knowledgeable than others, so beware of this) to see what they recommend. Tell them you are looking for a 4-5 star type food for a large breed puppy that has no corn, wheat, soy, artificial preservatives, menadione. There are puppy foods and there are all-life-stage foods that will work. Let them know if you want to feed grain or gluten free. They ought to be able to point you in the right direction. Then you can read the labels on bags and If you find something there you are interested in then come to this site and look it up to see how it’s rated, etc. You could then ask on the forum who makes it, any recalls, etc.

One important thing to note is that you are getting a large breed puppy and they need special nutrition in order to grow correctly. I don’t have large breeds, but there is a thread on this forum that lists appropriate large breed puppy foods. You must use a food with the correct amount of calcium to phosphorus ratio. I believe it’s no more than 1.5/1.0….and this is dry matter, not as fed. I know that’s probably confusing, too, so it’s nice to just have the thread that does list foods that are appropriate.

I know this response seems jumbled but I am writing things down as they come into my head LOL….sorry about that. I hope it helps you some. 🙂

[InkedMarie]

Tom,
Pricing varies by store. I live in little NH but prices on one good I feed varies by $10 from one store to the next.
Online pricing varies as well. If you’re new to purchasing from said website, they may offer you a one time first time buyers discount. Sign up for emails and you’ll get info on sales and percentages off. Sign up for auto ship and most give a discount plus free shipping.

Online searching is easy. Go to google. Say you want to know who sells Annamaet Salcha dry dog food online. Type that into the search and pages will show up. If you want reputable places online to look, go to Petflow.com, chewy.com, petfooddirect.com and wag.com.

There are others but those are the ones I recommend.

[itsabigdog]

Looking for suggestions for a large breed dry food that’s *low carbs, no grain, minimal recalls* I originally was thinking TimberWolf but decided against that after reeding their reviews & i want something thats going to be accessible when I need it. Too bad cause it seems like the perfect kibble 🙁

[pugmomsandy]

abby13,

The formula is in this article: /choosing-dog-food/dry-matter-basis/

[pugmomsandy]

Abby13

Frozen raw has moisture in it. KIbble has moisture taken out. You need to convert the raw to dry matter to get the right comparison.

[theBCnut]

I do just the opposite, when I see the word cheapskate, I read Chesapeake. But when I started out in dogs, two of my friends and mentors were Chessie breeders.

[InkedMarie]

I just have to say, I read your name too fast, thought it said cheapskates, not Chesapeake!

[ransom]

Hi Everyone, I just registered in the hope that I could get some advise. I have 2 dogs: a 9y/o whippet and 9/yo Jack Russell. No health issues . I have for the first time ever been feeding a regular grocery store dog food for several years and I just have to switch to something I feel is healthier. I asked the advise of a fellow whippet owner whose dogs are also older and in great condition. She uses Arcana Wild Prairie (chicken); Instinct Raw by Natures Variety chicken medallions and Tiki canned. I’m going to try to ease into this starting with the Arcana dry but there are many horror stories about serious, lasting GI disturbances from the switch to this food. I’ve had dogs for many decades and switched foods many times without incident but it seems from what I’ve read that switching to grain free, high protein can be tricky???
So….if you have any experience, cautions, or advise for me, I’d appreciate it.

[Mom2Cavs]

There are plenty to choose from on the market. It might take trying a few to see which works the best for you, but some I’d recommend are:

Nutrisource
Earthborn
4Health – grain free only
Fromm Gold, or any Fromm (but Gold is more cost effective, along with their Classic line)
Merrick
Holistic Select
I also like TOTW, but be aware that it is a Diamond product.

[hickorycreekchesapeakes]

Hi,
We have several Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, and I am searching for the best dry dog food for them. I want a really good food, but since I am feeding several dogs, economics comes into play as well. Our dogs are active, as we have 200+ acres and five ponds at our home. If we ever have a sick dog, I supplement with a homemade dog food of chicken fat, beef, long grain brown rice, peas, carrots, and eggs. Yet, I need a good everyday food for them. I work full time, and have two very active children, so making their food everyday is not an option.

Thanks,
Leah

[Molzy]

Have you had him checked for worms or other health conditions? It seems odd that it started after adulthood and that you’re having to feed SO much, I’d do a fecal to be on the safe side.

That said, we have two Cattledog mixes around your dogs age. It is hard to keep weight on them, our vet admitted that he NEVER tells clients their dogs are too skinny, but that both of ours could gain a little. We feed LoJack (a German shorthair cattle dog mix) Merrick chicken and rice dry food, two heaping cups a day. We add a little more if we notice him thinning out too much. Quincy, who we think is a purebred Cattledog, gets 2-3 cans of chicken soup adult (for about 1000 calories). He has some stomach issues and can’t have dry food. They are both around 40lbs and both are around 21 months old. Both are neutered males. We don’t have a large yard, so their exercise is mainly walks and wrestling with each other. They’re both kenneled while we are at work – I imagine they’d need more food if they weren’t. And we haven’t been exercising them as rigorously these past few months, so it’ll have to increase if that changes as well.

I never use the bags recommendations, but instead figured out how many calories I need to get them each day and then figure out the food from there. Some brands is more, some less. Most have the calories per cup or can printed on the label, or on their website.

We’ve used Nurrisource grain free in the past as well with success, and are starting Quincy on Honest Kitchen soon. My moms dog does beautifully on Wellness (he’s not a Cattledog, but its a good food to my knowledge).

Good luck! These crazy herding dogs sure keep us on our toes!

[Melissaandcrew]

Can’t digest any fats ? What is the diagnosis?

[FrogDogz]

Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately, feeding a 180 lb dog any of the freeze dried diets just isn’t cost effective.

She would feed raw, but they live off grid, and do not have a fridge or freezer, so that’s not a possible solution.

Cheers,

Carol

[Mom2Cavs]

BRT….Sounds like you have a good plan. Mine don’t seem to like the taste of pumpkin lol. I tried ACV years ago with my 2 mixed breeds and Lucy WOULD NOT take it in any way, so I gave up. Haven’t tried it since. I used to have to give my boy mixed breed, Desi, a joint supp. due to both rear luxating patellas. I gave Springtime Joint Health chews and they worked great for him. I like all Springtime supplements. But, Lucy doesn’t like Longevity at all lol. So I just use their chews and their Omega 3-6-9 (when I use an omega supp., that is). I started adding a little of the Beef Frittata in and so far, ok. But I am so worried it’s not gonna go as well as I hope with the Fromm. They really do well with the Pacific Stream, though I think Lucy is not doing as well as the Cavs with it. It could be the fish protein with her. My cat, Princess, does really well with Earthborn, Fromm, Tiki Cat canned food and loves Instinct, Orijen and/or Acana dry. I just bought a bag of Fromm Gamebird for cats and she is loving it! She is fed canned am and pm and the dry is left out for her to graze on.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 1 month ago by Mom2Cavs.

[theBCnut]

Ask your vet about adding coconut oil to the food. It is a medium chain triglyceride and is digested differently than other fats. Dogs with pancreas and certain liver issues usually do very well with it added to their food to make up for the regular fat that is missing.