[BAndersen34]

My dog is a Yorkie Terrier Mix. He is 12 years old and weighs about 12 pounds. He is very healthy and active I want to start feeding him the best dry natural dog food and I came across this site(I currently feed him Canin Royal Adult Dry dog food). It seems like all the food recommendations are for large dogs or specific breeds. Anyone have a recommendation for a dry natural dog food from the 5 star list for a small dog?

[Jamie08]

My dogs have been on Whole Earth Farms (by Merrick) dry food for a couple weeks now and are doing great. It is normally really affordable, but was on sale at Petco and came out to $1/lb. It is not grain-free, but doesn’t have corn. It’s a 4 star food on here, and my dogs love it. I got the 35lb bag for $35-something. Their wet food is great too.

My dad also just got that grain free stuff from Costco.. Nature’s Domain? His dogs haven’t been on it long enough to know how they do, but it is also very affordable. I think it’s rated a little lower but it is grain free.

[newmom]

I’m learning a lot here. Charlie is loving marrow bones. I fill a 4-5″ bone with crunchy peanut butter or liverwurst once a week or so, he loves both. Oxtails are great but really expensive at my chain. While lying aroung and coping with an infection on his neck, he gained weight. Friends told me to add green beans to his diet reducing the dry food each day. WOW! He looks forward to the beans and is eating less and becoming sleek in body. I put his antibiotic capsule in the food and he gobbles all down without hestiation. The empty marrow bones are great for gnawing when empty. His look like intricate scrimshaw. Is it safe to give the neckbones from poultry and not have choking issues. The bones seem so tiny. Charlie is a med. to large dog but I worry about choking. All of you are so helpful and I thank you for sharing.

[sor]

I wonder if he has a malabosorbtion problem. Sounds like he is not absorbing nutrients from the food he is eating. Get a lab work up on him. I would seriously change his diet and ask your vet about purchasing a supplement called pancreazyme. It is for pancreatitis but it will help him absorb nutrients from the food he eats and he will gain weight. It is safe to use even if he doesn’t have pancreatitis. Pancreazyme is pricey but well worth it and the best product to use. He needs to be on a much better diet. Diet is MEDICINE for pets and for people. Try Halo dog food. I highly recommend it! Introduce it slowly with cooked chicken and cooked pasta – make sure it is very soft. (easy to digest) Feed him three times a day – 1 1/4 cups three times a day, use 1/2 cup dry and the rest chicken and pasta and slowly make a transition to feeding him twice a day. He needs 2 cups of food twice a day once he is back to normal. The protein i look for in a pet food for a large dog is: Crude Protein 28% (Min), Crude Fat 12% (Min), or Crude Protein 28% (Min), Crude Fat 16% (Min) Halo dog food has the correct protein/fat ratios. I would recommend the turkey and duck to start with because it has less fat, not knowing if the fat content in the food he is eating is causing him to have problems. Trust me this is the best food out there!

[Nancy M]

TO ANYONE WILLING TO RESPOND…….

Currently, my dog is on Hills Prescription I/D low-fat, dry and canned. He’s on that for a reason (will spare the details), and he was stabilized, until I started introducing some raw (very small beef bone with marrow in it…..a very tiny bit), but it gave him the runs pretty good. Was a big NO-NO, as it turned out. He rebounded well and ate his next meal with no issues. Thought he was over it, but it appears that he still has some pretty loose stools today.

So……my question is this: since he has always tended to have digestive issues on and off, (food, stress, illness now) can someone recommend some digestive probiotics, prebiotics, enzymes that I should probably be using for him? I would love to eventually get him on a much better diet, but due to his illness and needing to keep him as stable as possible, I would love to get something in him that will help with his digestive system. He has always been on kibble, and I’ve always tried to feed the premiums or naturals, which as I’m learning, are just awful for dogs. Now he’s stuck on something even worse……Hills.

I have used yogurt in the past, I do have pumpkin that I’m giving today, but I also noticed that THK has a powder mix that when mixed, is kind of a milky drink. It says it has the pros, prees, and enzymes in it. So before I get some of that just to have on hand, has anyone used it? Or can you give me other options?

As long as he’s on this Hills, I feel like I should be giving him something extra and soothing to his gut and good for his body, so I’d like something I can use regularly.

Thanks!

[Akari_32]

I found a great $2 off any Prosense pet product, so I decided to try the fish oil for Bentley’s suspected grass allergies (it’s not chicken, it’s not grains, so maybe grass?) and the senior vitamins for Haley’s weight (we can’t possibly shove anymore food down this dogs throat, as she just can’t physically eat much more than 5 cups).

Bentley’s been on the fish oil for a few months, and it does actually seem to help him some. We’ve also been wiping his paws and tummy off after being outdoors with a baby wipe, and trying to give him a weekly bath. And, which I haven’t tried yet, I found hot spot shampoo of the same brand on clearence for $3 (use the coupon and it’s only a buck :D).

Haley, at just 65 pounds of ideal weight, eats 4-5 cups a day. She’s maybe 2-3 pounds underweight, healthy otherwise. The vet had her on vitamins last year durring some medical treatment, but she’s since been off them. Pretty much boils down to her being old at this point, and not being able to metabolize food as efficiently. Shes been on these Prosense Senior vitamins for a few days and I do already see her gaining energy, at least.

Regular feeding, for all three of the dogs, consists of 8-9 cups of dry food mixed with a 13 oz can of wet food, and usually an egg thrown in, as well. This is obviously divided up in appropriate amounts for each dog. The whole feeding routine has been made up specifically for Haley, as straight dry food really upsets her stomach, in an indigestible sort of way. Even if it’s just moistened with some water, it helps her tremendously. Poor girls got tummy troubles lol

I was wondering about these senior vitamins: they seem really high in calcium, which I’ve heard mixed things about for older dogs. I’ll get exact numbers in the morning, as I’m in bed now, but it’s several times higher than the adult formula. I want to say its 4-5% though.

This brand is only available at WalMart (locally, at least) from what I’ve seen. Not that I really have much problem with that. I don’t particularly like WalMart, but I’ll do what I have to.

Also, side note while were here, and I feel it’ll be brought up at some point– you guys know those powder Centrum probiotics for people? Would something like that he beneficial in Haley’s case? Doesn’t have to be that brand or kind, either. Anything along those lines. Just know I’m not made of money 😉

[pugmomsandy]

Canned plus dry is better for a dog. Whole Earth Farms canned food is pretty reasonable and good quality. So is Petsmart’s Simply Nourish and Costco’s Kirkland Cuts in Gravy. Giving him bones to gnaw on will help keep his teeth clean. The food you asked about is fine to feed in a rotation with other higher protein foods or with some added canned food. You can even just put a scrambled egg with his kibble.

[theBCnut]

Many vets want to see dogs on nothing but dry because of the old mistaken belief that dry keeps the teeth clean, but kibble fed dogs get nasty teeth too. The only way to guarantee good clean teeth is to brush them every day. The second best strategy is to feed raw meaty bones every few days.

[S. Monique]

I can see how it may need a protein boost. What about mixing some canned food in there? I don’t know much about canned tbh. But I could afford some canned as well since this food is well priced. My vet said she doesn’t like dogs on canned food. Is there something wrong with it?
Also I am considering Canidae Pure Elements (5 star) as it’s about 10 dollars cheaper than BB and I would feed almost a 1/2 cup less per day then I do now.
Would it be better for him to be on canned+dry or just the dry Canidae?
Thanks so much for both of your feedback!

[weezerweeks]

yes I see the one grainfree bag so why does the dogfoodadvisor reviewon wellness core dry dog food say that it is grain free kibble.read the review it’s right before the comments.

[theBCnut]

The recall that Wellness was caught up in was when they had some of their formulas made at the Diamond plant. They moved away from Diamond and now all their dry food is made at their own facility, Wellpet.

[InkedMarie]

Duh! LOL, we have a spare bedroom: it’s the laundry room and dog grooming. There’s no AC but that would probably be the best place in the summer and I’m probably smart to NOT stock up on dry food in the summer.

No one’s eating raw at this time. I’m having a heckuva time with Boone’s ears (anyone reading happen to have an ingredient list for the old Brothers allergy formula) so he’s eating just THK Zeal now, Gemma has been constipated twice & needed an enema so she’s getting THK with canned & some Abady granular. Not buying raw just for Ginger.

[Melissaandcrew]

Hmmm..neither would seem to work. I use our spare room which is heated/air conditioned to store the dry. Here in NY we have the same problem with humidity etc. So, that is where the dry “lives” For the dehydrated/canned, I had hubby install some cabinets on the wall of my “mud room”. Then, I simply remodeled the kitchen, lol, that was old and outdated. With 4more cabinets, I now have two spots to keep the canned-some in the kitchen, some in the hallway : ) I split our freezer giving the dogs two shelve for their raw for now, and am looking into a chest freezer to store bigger quantities.

[InkedMarie]

My husband & I are having a disagreement on good storage. We live in New Hampshire. Cold in winter, spring/summer gets humid off & on.

We have an unheated breezeway. We have an unheated basement. Both get sticky in humidity, colder in winter. This is the first time I’ve “hoarded” dog food (thanks a lot, ladies) so it’s all new.

I have bags of dry, boxes of dehydrated and cases of canned.

Once I see answers, I’ll tell you who was right lol.

[abby13]

I have an english bulldog that is 1 1/2 years old. She has spina bifida and is completely incontinent. Sometimes I have to assist her with the number 2s. Changing her diapers gives me the excellent and horrific view of her poops. Sophie has an EXTREMELY sensitive stomach. I am very well versed in dry dog food but am extremely incompetent when it comes to supplements. I have read nearly every thread on here and it seems like information overload! I currently feed Sophie Nutrisca. That is the only kibble that hasn’t made her bowels completely crazy. I work at a pet food store, so I have tried nearly everyone. Anytime I remotely try to switch her, its diarrhea, pure liquid. She gets dehydrated quickly and that scares me! She has done well on the Nutrisca, however I am interested in switching her to a commercial raw diet. Again no matter how slowly I try to transition, its pure diarrhea, liquid and I am changing diapers every 5-15 minutes. Poor baby. So the Nutrisca we have stayed on, however, now even on the Nutrisca her bowels switch from rock solid I have to help her excrete them to pure liquid. I have her own cranberry extract powder, and salmon oil. Occasionally I give her raw eggs. I am looking for a digestive enzyme or SOMETHING to help keep her number 2s more consistent. Pumpkin doesn’t work. Haven’t had much luck with yogurt. Anytime I take her to the vet (who delivered her and wouldn’t put her down when the breeder wanted him to due to the SB and who is an expert on SB and has pooled his resources all over the country for Sophie’s SB) he suggests switching her back to Science Diet which is what he had her on when she was living with him before I adopted her. Yes then her poops where normal, no problems but I absolutely refuse to put her on that and I refuse to go to another vet, not many in my area are spina bifida literate. There has to be a supplement of some kind to help her. I don’t hear a lot of tummy gurgles. Like I said she goes from being constipated to diarrhea by the day. Any suggestions for my poor baby?!

[sor]

Do not feed Canine Caviar to your pet!!!! I was feeding Canine Caviar for years and the past year and half the food smells tainted, has a perfume smell and tastes as it smells. None of the protein in the food smells like duck, venison, chicken or fish. I cook for my dog and add 1 cup of dry dog kibble. My rottweiler has developed a dry, pungent smelly hair coat, pungent stools, goopy eyes, and a hot spot that is slowly healing for 9 months now. (thyroid is normal) I was constantly returning bags of dog food because of the tainted smell and recently the feed store stated that I could no longer return the food because they don’t get reimbursed for it. So, I contacted Canine Caviar again with this ongoing problem – the tainted perfume smell and etc. The company mailed me a new batch of their food and it smelled worse! Canine Caviar has not been returning my phone calls and they don’t have an email address. (makes me real suspicious) Canine Caviar is processed in Georgia, but they change processing plants all the time. PLEASE DON’T BUY THIS FOOD for your pet! IF YOU DO, SMELL AND TASTE IT. RETURN IT IF IT SMELLS TAINTED! DO FOOD SHOULD SMELL GOOD NOT TAINTED! I do not want my dog or any other pets to die of kidney or liver failure from tainted pet food. Most pet food companies care more about profit and saving money, than caring about the quality of pet food they produce. It is very sad. After much research, I decided to feed Halo dog food that is ownd by actress Ellen DeGeneres. It is the highest quality pet food on the market!!!! I feel Ms. DeGeneres is a very honest person, has integrety and cares about quality ingredients in Halo pet food. She can afford to buy the the best of the best ingredients for her pet food, unlike her competitors. I wish I fed my dog Halo a long time ago. All of the Halo products have the correct protein and fat ratio along with real meat (not meal or rendered) just real food ingredients, and nothing from china. – Smaller size kibble for large dogs (helps prevent bloat) and the food SMELLS amazing! My dog did not have any issues with digestive problems during the slow introduction of the food. He loves Halo dog food and so do I. This is the ultimate pet food on the market with real food ingredients !!!! Halo also makes a vegan food which is fabulous for dogs that suffer from pancreatitis.

[Nancy M]

I have A “just turned 3 year old Sheltie (yes, just 3!), who was diagnosed with CHYLOTHORAX (chyle leakage into the chest cavity) in May and must be on a low-fat diet (less than 10%, but preferably around 6 or 7). He is currently doing very well, almost can’t tell he’s got anything wrong, except for high respiration rate. He has been on the Hills I/D low-fat dry/wet, along with the Rutin supplement, for several weeks, but I absolutely cringe at the ingredients of their foods. Because he IS doing well right now, I hate to change anything, but still wish their was something much healthier for him. Does anyone have any suggestions or experience with this? I tried replying to a vet (can’t remember her name) who had posted some good information on low fat diets, but I don’t think it went through…….I wasn’t finished with it anyway. I’m not too keen on the raw diets so I would prefer something that’s cooked/homemade, but at this point I would do just about anything to save this dog. He has been the best dog ever…..

[FreeholdHound]

Newbie here too. I have been using the grind mixes w/ bone to add to dry food and on their own occasionally. I use the boneless ground meat w/ the See Spot Live Longer miix & when Harry gets a large turkey neck. Besides that Tripe is our go to favorite thing from MPC & Hare Today. I just got a new small freezer & there’s quite a big order in my shopping cart as we speak. Going to try the goat & rabbit grinds as Harry can’t have poultry (except bones)

[sippmanjr]

How do I safely add sardines and eggs into my puppies diet without changing the amount of calcium they will be getting. I have looked at nutritionals on sardines and it seems they do have a solid amount of calcium. Also what other raw natural foods do you think I should be adding into her diet and how do I go out about that. Obviously the base of the diet will consist of dry but I definitely want to add natural raw in as often as I can and as early as I can. Also , chew like Elk and Deer antlers have calcium as well. I just want to make sure they are not getting an abundance of these minerals from the toppers or treats.

[rogerharris]

It is hard to find the dry dog food that doesn’t contain poultry (duck, chicken, goose, turkey), vegetables (broccoli, potato, pumpkin, sweet potato, yam), canola oil, any grains, flax seed, eggs or gluten but I would like to suggest you that you should read the name “Wheat Belly by Williams Davis”. This book will surely help you to resolve your issue.

http://www.compundiapharmacy.com/

[Akari_32]

It took several months to get my jack russell mix off the Puppy Chow he came on. We went from Puppy Chow to Innova Puppy. He can now go between foods no problem. Go slow, and, as said above, maybe try a mid grade food first to work your guy up to a better food.

[pugmomsandy]

If you look at the ingredient lists, they are at the FAR OPPOSITE ends of the spectrum. It’s almost like for someone who hasn’t eaten meat in a long time, and then they eat a big bowl of chili or a big steak. Not saying that Beneful doesn’t have meat, but it’s not anything like the meats and organs and fish in Orijen and now it has a bunch of legumes. A dog has gut flora that adjusts to eating certain foods. Right now, he has the ones most adapted to Beneful. So it might be quite a shock to go to Orijen. Also Orijen has quite a bit more fat. I would put it in the high fat category. This also might possibly cause some digestive upset. But I’m just being cautious! You won’t know how your dog will do until you try it. And also try several foods. A rotational diet is (IMO) best. Find a couple kibbles, some canned foods, some raw foods, etc. Back a few years ago, I weaned mine off Beneful with regular Merrick (the old recipe with gravy) and Blue Wilderness mixed together.

http://urbanpawsmagazine.com/archives/59

• This reply was modified 12 years, 5 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[squeezy]

he’s been on this food for a couple of years.. before that I don’t remember but it was the same quality food…. he has a pretty tough stomach.. I’m not very worry about the transition.. why do you suggest to try other foods before the orenji/acana?..

[pugmomsandy]

How long has he been eating it? Some will say just do a cold turkey switch (that’s what my fosters get), and some will say to do a transition period. It all depends on your dog’s gut health. Things that might help with transition tummy troubles: canned pure pumpkin puree, ground psyllium, probiotics, digestive enzymes.

Also, one suggestion is to go from Beneful to a quality grain-inclusive food before transitioning to a mod-high protein grain free food. I like only gluten free grain foods like Nature’s Logic. Solid Gold Sundancer is like that also. Not sure which manufacturer makes Sundancer though.

I will say that my fosters eat Nutrisource grain free Lamb, Nutrisource Heartland Select, sometimes Nutrisource small/med breed puppy (has rice), Brothers Complete Beef and Turkey, and Nutrisca Lamb. It’s all mixed up together in varying amounts and they get probiotics and psyllium.

Frankly, I wouldn’t go from Beneful to Orijen. But that’s me.

[squeezy]

i’m currently feeding my dog beneful dry food..after reading the reviews in your website i was shocked to find out what garbage i was feeding my poor dog..now, i’m in a hurry of switching food..there’s a lot of 5 stars, and the two’s that are on my mind are orejin and acana..i have a 16lb jack russell (4years old)..which brand is better?is there other brand i should consider?

[vanyax]

Hi all,
Need some help with picking a puppy food brand… my 5-month old boxer has trouble digesting (loose stool+occasional diarrhea). At 6 weeks of age I put him on Fromm Large Breed Puppy. After a month, decided to switch to Orijen brand, no change. I tried mixing in pumpkin, and recently did white rice diet for a few days, now re-introducing kibble. He is otherwise great, healthy weight of 40lbs at 5 months of age, full of energy, dewormed regularly. I am considering trying Wellness brand next, and Now Fresh. Also thought of doing a limited ingredient feed. It is hard to try different feeds, takes a while to introduce it, then to see if it works, then switch again… what a pain.

I feed him abt 3.5 cups of dry food daily (feeding 3x), which feels right and agrees with the feeding guidelines.

I previously had my dogs on Trader Joe’s feed, Iams etc. and they did great – lived very long and healthy lives. With this puppy I am trying to stick with the best quality, grain-free food everyone is talking about, and doesn’t seem to be working for me!

Any words of wisdom, anyone?
Thank you!!!

[Dr. Vickie]

Skin is a reflection of what is going on inside of his gut, except his guts look and feel worse!
Feed him wild caught pacific bone in canned pink salmon from your supermarket, organic egg whites, no grains, no starch (carrots and peas are starches folks) or sugar for that matter (my guess is that he is not preparing to race the Iditarod, at least not soon 😉 ) If he is playful and active and not overweight you can add some organic canned plain pumpkin for energy. Cooked organic green beans, all other kinds of organic greens are great too and very important, plain greek yogurt. Sprinkle a high end holistic dry food or wet along with for added nutritional support that uses wild salmon only as a protein base and no grains. To give him some variety if he needs or wants it, you can try grass fed beef/bison/buffalo but I would keep it to salmon until you are sure he is stable before I would add these food items. Some starch in the formula is “ok” but less is more. One fish oil capsule one-two times per day for at least three months then cut back. There is such a thing as too much omega 3 over time. (Note, flax is far to weak of an omega 3 source for him right now. It is helpful once the omega 3:6 ratio has been fixed and that takes up to one year in my experience).
Treats? SOME banana, cut apples, berries of all kinds. Frozen or cooked green beans are safe too and nothing ever got fat off of green beans. EVENTUALLY, other grass fed animal protein choices will be back on his plate but for now, no!
His WORST food choices will be lamb even if it slept in the lap of Jesus it will cause issues; grass fed corn fed it does not matter. Corn fed critters, mainstream beef, CHICKEN and all parts. Even your buddies 6 point buck he shot yesterday is suspect for your dog ( been baited for months with corn feeders ).
It’s note easy, or cheap but it will work I promise.
Give him a pat for me!

[sippmanjr]

Hi Hound Dog Mom ( or other who know what to do )

I have decided to wean the wean the litter onto wellness core puppy. It was one of your 5 recommendations and they have been great to send puppy packs with samples for everyone. I will be rotating my dog with the NV instinct as well as Earthborn. My question is… How do I safely add sardines and eggs into their diet and my girls diet without changing the amount of calcium they will be getting. I have looked at nutritionals on sardines and it seems they do have a solid amount of calcium. Also what other raw natural foods do you think I should be adding into her diet and how do I go out about that. Obviously the base of the diet will consist of dry but I definitely want to add natural raw in as well as often as I can and as early as I can. I want to be able to have recommendations for all the new owner so they can continue these puppies on a healthy lifestyle. Thank you all for the info. This has been a great forum!

[Akari_32]

Just curious if anyone’s dogs had meat preferences. My jack russell mix seems to favor red meats (beef in particular) for dry foods, but doesn’t care what it is as far as wet and raw goes (although he really loves turkey necks). My other two just don’t care. If its food (or maybe even if it isn’t…) they’re going to eat it.

With Bentley, the jack russell mix, it took about three weeks to get him eating chicken based food when his Innova Prime was pulled off the shelves, first from clearance of the small bags (not popular in my area), then the whole recall thing– which is making me never want to go back to them again. He hates fish based foods, and they make him and his breath smell gross anyways. I guess it’s just too much fish for such a small body. I’ve never noticed it with the other dogs.

But yeah, just curious 🙂

[Gina]

I have two chiuhahuas and they are both on Nutro lamb and rice limited ingrediant food. Both have sensitive stomachs. I was wondering what dry food would be best for them and if I should be using wet food as well?

[InkedMarie]

Glad you ordered the Aqualuk. Give it a month then update. I’m hoping it’ll help. My friend tried so many dry foods, then pre made raw but this food finally worked.

[ellgee]

Oh I have been thinking it was the food for the past several years which is why he has been quite a few different things. He has just had the skin issues every single year despite the food changes. It runs in cycles. I will take him off the chicken because that’s been at the back of my mind as a problem. And he is currently on Benadryl daily.

When you say hypoallergenic is there a particular brand? I do want to rotate his diet. I also ordered the Annamaet Aqualuk today.

[Mom2Cavs]

My first thought is always the food. Why don’t you think it’s that? Anyway, chicken can be a high allergen for some dogs, not all. I have one that does soooo much better without poultry in her diet. I just think it’s the easiest and “cheapest” thing to change first. I agree with InkedMarie above, put your dog on a different protein, possibly something hypoallergenic and perhaps try the benedryl, too.

[Cynical25]

1 yr old neutered Catahoula weighs in at 68lbs. 5 cups a day (spread over 3 feedings) of Taste of the Wild is just barely maintaining the weight on this extremely active dog. I know he’s lean muscled from constantly going, but just a touch too ribby for me. Increasing the dry food just gives him gas, no more weight. Natural Balance required 6 cups/day to maintain his weight and he had looser stools (used it for 4 months before switching to Taste of Wild, due to cost.) The weight maintanance is a recent issue, presumably because his activity has increased even more after we aquired a 2nd dog.

11 month spayed Catahoula/Aussie weighs in at 38lbs. 2.75 cups a day (spread over 3 feedings) of Taste of the Wild has her at good weight, but she struggles to poop. We’ve had her barely 2 months so haven’t tried any other brands.

Coats are soft, personalities are bright, breath is fine, both drink well. Is it realistic to think I can keep both dogs on the same food? I was contemplating trying Merrick since I have a coupon, but it’s going to be a stretch for the budget with such hearty eaters. I’m not against rotating every few months, but I want to use quality dry foods. Raw isn’t in the budget.

[ellgee]

This is my first post although I have been an avid reader of DFA for a long time.

I am at my wit’s end with my French Bulldog’s allergies. I do have an appointment with a vet allergist/dermatologist on 11/1, but I just don’t want him suffering until then.

He has been on several 4 to 5 star foods over the years and is currently on Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Boost (chicken) which I add some of the raw bites (duck) too. Yesterday I came home to soft stinky poop in the house! He hasn’t had an accident since he was a pup! I know he must have GI issues because we have to wipe his bottom after every poo and this isn’t anything new.

His skin is very red with crusty spots, he is losing tons of his hair. I am bathing him twice a week with Douxo chlorhexadine shampoo. Last time I took him to the vet, he told me that in looking over Dudley’s records, this happens at the same time every year leading us to believe these are environmental allergies. And due to a weakened immune system, he gets these skin infections and staph. Last go round, he was on antibiotics and steroids. I do NOT want to use steroids long term if I can help it. He is on a daily Benadryl which doesn’t do much as far as I can tell.

I was reading on the Supplement Forum and my head is spinning. So much information.

My question is since we don’t believe it to be food related (but who knows???) should I try to boost his immune system? Should I feed him an elimination diet?

Help!

[Mo’s Mom]

I really like the Newman’s Own, and since it’s only a topper (she get’s about a teaspoon in the AM and 2 at night), I’m not really worried about some of the more controversial ingredients (though I can totally see why someone who is using it as a major part of their pet’s diet would be). Really, I am just looking to switch up the topper since I have Mocha on one type of dry food (I know I read somewhere that this probably isn’t as good as rotating food and one day when I don’t get the Victor for a reduced price and can afford it, I will try to rotate the dry food. Until then, rotating her topper is the best I can do). I finally got to the feed store today and picked up several different brands of canned food with different proteins. Since they didn’t have everything I wanted to try (which is a lot, I’ll admit), I’m planning on using the very helpful link HDM provided to order the other wet food I want to try.

Again, thank you all for actually taking the time and helping me out!

[Akari_32]

Wellness Core and Racheal Ray Zero are both affordable grain free options (in my area, at least). The RR is turkey based and the Core has a few selections. Wellness Simple also has one or two grain free options as well.

I don’t think the RR is approved for all life stages (can’t recall off the top of my head), but Core should be. They do also have a puppy line, if you’d rather have do that.

Both also have good manufacturer coupons. $3-4 off any size and variety of RR and $5 off any size and variety of Wellness. The Wellness coupon is always available, and the RR is usually available.

[cockerspanielmom]

I just wanted any recommendations you have.

I have a 15.5 year old cocker spaniel, mostly healthy.
We added a 10 month cocker spaniel puppy after losing our 13 year old earlier in the year.

We also have two additional cockers living with my mother in law while we have our house built. a 13 year old tri girl with bladder stones eating a prescription diet WD or CD and a cancer surviving 13 year old buff boy with an enlarged heart but otherwise healthy.

So we fed everyone WD for the past 7+ years due to the one dog who required it. With the puppy in the house, that’s not ideal so our vet suggested a senior formula for the two boys and a puppy formula for the new baby.

We’ve tried Blue Buffalo, it’s our first choice. The puppy really needs grain free.
They don’t like BB and will barely eat it. We tried some samples of Merrick and they love it but the protein is just too high. We’ve also tried Natural Balance Fish and Potato and Ideal Balance Fish/Potato.

Ideal Balance is only rated a 3 (bleh) but they ate it best. Merrick replied that we should try Castor and Pollux as a lower protein option to Merrick.

I just feel a bit lost because they don’t seem to like any of the foods we are trying yet. We want them to love the food, want to eat it, and it still be healthy. I’ve never had such picky dogs before and the puppy needs that grain free due to possible allergies and it’s just a mess.

[Akari_32]

If I didn’t have such a mixed lot of dogs, I wouldn’t see a problem with it, but since I do, I’d like to ask and see what you all think. Prepare for super long post of stuff!

We have three dogs, one my moms, and two are mine. Mom has an 8 pound, 1 year old, Jack Russell/Maltese. He’s got a super high metabolism. Eats a whole cup of food, yet remains slightly (by less than a half pound) under weight, by my best guess, seeing as he was only supposed to weigh 4 pounds to begin with. It’s hard to keep any meat on him because he’s such an active nut. On top of regular food, he gets a couple treats a day (Zuke’s Hip and Joint and Denta Sticks), and every month or so, all three dogs get a raw meal replacement (turkey neck/back, pork hock, etc).

My dogs, 9.5 year old 130 pound Rottweiler/Austrailian shepherd, and 10.5 year old lab/retriever mix, are outside dogs, much to my dislike. I sneak them in a few days a week when moms working out of town. As soon as money starts looking better, I’ll be getting my own place, where they will be indoors, always. Haley, the lab mix, does have trouble keepig weight on when fed according to the bag these days, but is otherwise healthy. I’ve been feeding her about 5 cups, as aposed to the 2.5-3 she used to get, and that’s doing the trick. Dweezle, the rott mix, also eats 5 cups, for perspective. Neither of these two are very active, but I have recently taken to taking Haley and Bentley (the puppy) on nightly walks, because that dog can drive just about anyone up a wall! He drives poor old Haley nuts LOL Dweezle, do to his dog aggression, can’t be taken out often. He absolutely hates the neighbors dog (in his defence, no body in our neighborhood likes that dog), and has gotten in some trouble with them (thankfully they didn’t press charges…). Can’t risk running into them on a walk.

Because money is currently tight, I do coupon for my dog food. I try to keep the bulk of it Wellness Core (Original), but recently got a great deal on Racheal Ray Zero, so that’s what most of their food is right now. I also got paid to coupon for Purina One Smart Blend (both chicken and lamb for something different), so I have tons of that, as well. Because I do not want the Purina to make up the bulk of the diet, and I’m running low on the Racheal Ray, I need to buy either some more Wellness or more Racheal Ray. I have great coupons for both, so I just need to do some math and decide which is cheaper at the moment.

I have been trained over my research of dog foods to avoid reduced fat type foods because they are typically lower quality (those in my price and couponing range, anyways). Curiosity got the best of me, and i checked out the Reduced Fat Core on this site as well as a few others, and was surprised at how good it actually was, better, IMO, than the other Wellness foods. My concerns, though, are that with two outdoor dogs, and Florida’s “winter” creeping in on us, as well as a feisty littler terrier puppy, would the reduced fat formula be a suitable staple for my dogs?

As far how feeding time goes, I mix all three dogs food in a large bowl with a large can of Pro Plan (coupons for one free can, so I’ve got tons!) and an egg. Haley has some problems digesting large quantities of dry food, and Bentley has trouble eating lager kibbles when they aren’t a little wet (when he doesn’t get fed at the same time as the other two, he gets his food wetted with water). Their dry food is currently 6x 6 pound bags of RR Zero, 2x 6 pound bags of RR Just 6, and 3x 3.5 pound bags of Purina One (and 4 more bags of RR and about 30 more bags of the Purina stored). Their diet can also include, but is not limited to, Blue, all other kinds of Wellness, Hills (SD and Ideal Balance– neither ever in bulk), and anything else that gets store coupons to mix with manufacturer coupons (not usually much else, though).

Any thoughts on the reduced fat Core would be great. If you don’t think it’d be a good choice for my case, please feel free to suggest something else! I’m open to anything. Shoot all your ideas my way!

[somebodysme]

NO she is definitely allergic to the antler and the bone! She had a severe reaction just right after she ate them with hives! She was given benadryl and was ok the next day. She is on an elimination diet and doesn’t eat anything besides her food so when he gets something like a bone and has a reaction that night I know it’s the bone or antler. I was talking to vet a few days ago at a pet event and told her my dog was allergic to an antler and she did not find that to be at all unusual.

I do want to have her tested for the allergies. She was given treatment for parasites back in January then tested two months later and was negative. I suppose she could have them again? She does SO LOVE the cat poo! GAH! Which also doesn’t help with the allergies.

[Duncan2012]

Our 9-month-old Bernese mix has been doing well on Zignature, but we’d like to rotate his food. He seems to have a sensitivity to potatoes. Any suggestions for good potato-free, grain-free dry dog foods from HDM’s list? The top 5 she suggested earlier in this thread all seem to include potatoes. I know Canine Caviar is grain-free and potato-free, but it’s out of our budget.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Sandy, just a heads up, you might already know or it may not be an issue for you but Addiction’s canned foods are made by Evanger’s. I used to use them a lot for Gus when he ate dry/canned and didn’t know, I recently found this out though. I guess this is only true for the US, their canned foods for other countries are manufactured somewhere in NZ.

[rogerharris]

Hi, Pinnacle Holistic Trout & Sweet Potato Dog Food is a good dry food, which costs $49.99 for 30 lb.

[rogerharris]

Hi, I will suggest you to feed your dog “Pinnacle Holistic Trout & Sweet Potato Dog Food”. It is a dry food which is made with trout and sweet potatoes. It eliminates common allergies.

[Melissaandcrew]

My old timer eat the same as my young ones-including the one with NO TEETH. I feed a variety, and if your dog is not wanting to chew, just add warm water. My guy with no teeth will chomp up dry better than some of the older ones with teeth, lol.

[zchar14]

Hello,

I was wondering if I could get some advice on what would be a good food to give my older dog. She is a mixed breed, 13 years old…almost 14 years old. She doesn’t have any real health issues except that she does seem to not want to chew the harder dry dog foods as much. She can switch foods pretty easily and I don’t mind if a food is not all organic, grain-free or all natural…I’m just looking for something that would still fall into the “dry” dog food category but would be easier for her to chew? Any ideas?

[Mo’s Mom]

After being a lurker for awhile, I wanted the opinion from some of the very knowledgeable commenters here at DFA. My dog, Mocha, gets mostly dry food (Victor ALS) with some green beans and can food as a topper because she can sometimes be finicky (and, if she doesn’t eat, my parent’s bloodhound is all about some stealing 🙂 ). Right now, I’m using Newman’s Own Organics as her can food, but I’d like to switch between a couple of different can foods since I cannot switch between her dry due to expense (the place I work at sells Victor, so I get an employee discount on it, which is one of the reasons I use it).

I’ve been looking at the following on Wag.com:
*Fromm
*Wellness
*Wellness 95 percent
*Wellness Core
*Newman’s Own Organics
*Holistic Select

Any other suggestions? (Please note that I can’t go much over 30 dollars for the 12 can-case, and I need something that is NOT a stew/in gravy for the very personal reason of I can’t stand stewed/gravy can food for some reason).

Thanks in advance!

[Cyndi]

Well, I don’t have a flea comb. I have to run out and get one, but I sprayed her Thursday completely with the Mercola’s Flea & Tick spray, that’s when I found a flea. The spray had killed it or immobilized it. That was all I found. So I sprayed the entire house with a different organic spray I had & put more DE down. Then last night I covered her entire body in DE. Today, I still didn’t see any other fleas, but she’s been scratching more so I bathed her in Dawn, Apple Cider Vinegar & Water (saw that online) and I found a couple more fleas that I picked off of her. They were dead. When she was dry, I sprayed her with more of the flea & tick spray and she hasn’t scratched once. So, I am going out in a few to get a flea comb and I will probably bathe her again tomorrow. Damn fleas! Damn me for saying I wish it WAS fleas.

[HuskyMom]

Just found this site, it is wonderful. I’ve learned so much. Here’s my problem: I’ve been feeding my 7-year old husky mix female IAMS Healthy Naturals (dry food) since she turned one. Never had a problem at all. About 2 months ago, she started having trouble with her bowel movements, moving from one spot to another. Then she got a little lathargic, stopped eating her regular amount of food. On August 15, she had been in the yard and came in licking the top of her front paw. We didn’t see anything, but the next morning, there was a bump like something had bit her. We immediately took her to the vet and he said it could have been a non-venomous snake and gave her steroids for the itching and swelling and cephalexin anti-biotics. After three days, she started having diarreah and he advised us to stop the antibiotics. She never got back to normal and started having bloody diarreah about a week ago. BUT, she had started having trouble before the bite. Otherwise I would think that it was from that or from the medication. A friend told me about an IAMS recall for salmonella, I researched it and it was in our region. I did not have the bag to check the numbers because I pour it into a tub with a vacuum seal to store. Took her to the vet on Saturday where blood was drawn and sent off, but she had a fever and he said ‘it looked like it might be salmonella, but would have to wait on the results.’ He gave her Metronidazole, Synacore digestive support to sprinkle on her food once a day, plus ProPectalin Gel. I had already started to feed her brown rice with some chicken 4 days before taking her to the vet. He told me to continue on that until she was finished with all her medicine. Three days later (yesterday), he called with the results and it is not salmonella; he said it was either a bowel disease or possibly cancer and said to feed her Hills ID or ZD when she finished the medicine, starting with a little mixed in her rice until she was eating solely the Hills. And to try to get a urine specimen and bring in, which I am finding impossible to do. My question is what else can I give her other than the Hills? After reading the information on here, I really don’t want to feed her that. She is eating very well right now – the rice and chicken and I’ve added some green beans and carrots. But where she used to go on 2-3 mile walks, she’s tired after just a few minutes and will lie down. Sometimes she doesn’t even want to go and before she lived for her long walks. I know it will take time to get over this, whatever it is, so I want to make sure I feed her the right food. Any suggestions? Thanks for reading my long post.

[sheeena]

Hello everyone,

I recently did an allergy test on my two puppies and upon reviewing their list of allergies I’m having a hard time finding a right dry food for them. Has anyone ever come upon a dry dog food that doesn’t contain poultry (duck, chicken, goose, turkey), vegetables (broccoli, potato, pumpkin, sweet potato, yam), canola oil, any grains, flax seed, eggs or gluten?

Any suggestions would be great!

Thanks!!!