[ShepherdMom]

I have a german shepherd x Belgian shepherd. He is allergic to:
Potatoes (very)
Chicken
Fish
Rice
Peas
Barley
Anyone have a suggestion for a dry food? Right now we are feeding Natures Instinct but would like other options.

[losul]

Hy Cyndi!

By now you have maybe already looked it up. I don’t see any serious problem with what you did. In fact I sometimes do the same with small quantitities to be used fairly quickly. Sometimes it’s just not very feasible to do any other way. I guess I mostly just used the opportunity to plug Steve’s book again, lol. While I don’t consider it to be the absolute gospel, I do think he gives a solid foundation to start, so I highly reccomend to folks thinking about starting a raw and/or fresh diet, balancing foods, and/or improving a dogs processed food diet with minimum effort, along with other good tips and advice, and interesting tidbits like gross inaccuracies of professional laboratory analysis testing.

The only thing he hypothesizes about about mixing in vegetables with ground meats before freezing, is that it can further degrade nutrients in the meats and shortens the shelf life because of additional ice crystal formation further damaging the cell walls and making even more exposed to oxidizing agents. It could be a consideration if prepping and freezing for longer periods, or for commercial raw foods that already contain veggies. He says to insist on knowing the production date and then determine yourself the quality shelf life, not just on some of the manufacturers proclaimed 12 month expiration date.

Other things about frozen storage;

for frozen at constant 0 degress, ground meats and whole poultry giblets, USDA only determines to be considered quality that they are used in 3 to 4 months. Whole meats, roasts, poultry, etc., up to 1 year.

Once frozen, and especially ground meats and fish, or especially those with delicate polyunsturated fats, oxidation, degradation, enzyme activity, etc continues, albeit at a slower pace. Ice crystals also grow steadily, increasing damage to cell walls.

I’ve tried to get one friend interested in feeding her (health problems)dogs better, and I had left the book for her to read. She will still have nothing to do with raw, but I thought I had some of it sinking in until visiting recently I saw she again had a large bag of kibble standing wide open in her too warm laundry room. I scolded her carefully(again), closed the bag and brought it in, went and got my book and insisted She read right then and there the section on kibble storage.

I’m convinced that many of todays illnesses are caused by rancidity, nutrient degradation, molds and mycotoxins, and infestatations, from kibble stored too long or under inadequate conditions, especially with the move away from toxic, but more effective, chemical preservatives, and the move towards more delicate fats, and presumably much less toxic, but also much less efficient natural preservatives. I currently feed only about 25% kibble, majority raw, and the rest canned. Probably in the near future I will go to 100% or near, home prepped raw.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi soccermom7 –

Do not add Preference to a balanced kibble. Preference is designed for the addition of boneless meat. Meat is high in phosphorus but has negligible amounts of calcium (dogs need calcium and phosphorus in between a 1:1 and 2:1 ratio) therefore pre-mixes such as Preference are very high in calcium to compensation for the addition of meat, kibble already has a balanced C:P ratio so adding Preference would potentially throw it off. Additionally, if anything you should be adding more meat to kibble not fruits and vegetables – kibble is too high in plant matter as it is.

As far as a kibble replacement for THK – there is not kibble replacement. The Honest Kitchen is a minimally processed food and about as close to a raw natural or home cooked diet as you can get with feeding commercial food. THK even has some enzymes still intact. Kibble is highly processed. I can understand wanting to cut costs because THK is pricey (I used to feed it) but, unfortunately, going to kibble is going to be a huge decrease in quality.

My recommendations would be to consider a homemade diet (raw or cooked, whatever you’re more comfortable with). There are many books available with balanced recipes. Homemade diets can be done very cheaply. When I was feeding two of my bloodhounds THK I was spending over $500 per month. I’m now feeding them a homemade raw diet, which is even healthier than THK, and spending just under $200 per month. You may want to check out Grandma Lucy’s – it’s another dehydrated type food similar to THK and is a bit more reasonably priced. Another option would be to feed kibble for one meal and THK for the other or to “top” the kibble with some rehydrated THK. You could also look into canned foods – many canned foods are expensive however there are some really reasonably priced quality canned foods available. Pure Balance (available at Walmart) it is rated 5 stars and costs between $1 and $1.25 per can. Costco sells Kirkland Cuts in Gravy which is rated 5 stars for $0.79 per can. 4Health which is rated 4.5 stars is available at Tractor Supply for $0.99 per can. If you added an enzyme supplement to one of these foods it would be nearly as good as THK and much better than kibble. If you do find that you need to go with an entirely kibble diet, I’d pick a 5 star kibble, rotate brands often for variety and add some fresh foods whenever possible (leftover meat, eggs, yogurt, tinned sardines, etc.).

[soccermom7]

My first time on this forum, thanks for any input. My large Bouvier is doing fantastic on The Honest Kitchen ‘Embark’ after we almost lost her to an auto-immune disease. For obvious reasons, we don’t want to switch her away from this superior food but it is expensive!! She is going through 10Lb ($90) boxes every 2+ weeks. Is there a superior dry food that closely resembles Embark? There are just too many for me to go through every one. My thought was to give her dry food and add Honest Kitchen ‘Preference’ for added vegetable and holistic nutrition. Thoughts or suggestions?

[Cyndi]

Hi losul, I do have that book, on my generic iPad. (I bought it when I first came onto this site and HDM recommended it) Not sure which edition I have, but I’ll look that up. I do remember reading the info on the storing dry foods, which I never knew, but I no longer feed dry dog food, but I did pass along that info to people I know.

I’ll look up the info you mentioned on the frozen storage though, thanks! Now that I already froze Bailey’s food, with the premix added, that book is probably going to tell me not to do that, right? Lol!

Thanks for the info! 🙂

[losul]

Hi Cyndi.

Do you by chance have the book “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet”? If you do, pages 90 and 91 (2010 edition) gives very good info on frozen storage and quality concerns. The rest of chapter 7 “Storing Foods to Retain Quality” gives excellent info for storing dry foods

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Kobe –

Based on the information provided to me by the Earthborn rep when I spoke to him on the phone, the grain-inclusive Puppy Vantage is not appropriate for large or giant breed puppies. Most veterinary nutritionists recommend large or giant breed puppies consume no more than 3.5 g. calcium per 1,000 kcal. I was told by the rep that the max calcium level in the Puppy Vantage is 1.61% – this equates to 4.19 g. calcium per 1,000 kcal. which is too high.

I can’t guarantee that switching to a grain-free kibble will or will not cause digestive upset as all dogs are different. What I would suggest is doing a gradual transition – 25% new/75% old for 3 – 4 days, 50% new/50% old for 3 – 4 days, 75% new/25% old for 3 – 4 days until you’re up to 100% new. I would also recommend adding a tablespoon on plain canned pumpkin and a probiotic supplement to each meal during the transition period. The fiber in the pumpkin and probiotics should help to minimize digestive upset.

A wet food is not more likely to cause digestive upset than a dry food, it just depends on the individual dog and whether or not the dog handles new foods. Trying new foods will be a good way to determine whether or not your dog has a healthy gut. Dogs that don’t have healthy guts (the balance of microflora in their gut is off) do not tolerate changes in food, I truly healthy dog can switch from food to food with no transition and not experience digestive upset. Rotating foods helps to strengthen the gut.

The wet food can be from the same company as the dry but it doesn’t have to be. A general rule of thumb is that 1 large can of wet food (usually around 13 oz.) is roughly the caloric equivalent of 1 C. of kibble. So adjust your dog’s kibble intake based on how much wet food you want to feed. For example, if he’s eating 3 C. kibble per day and you wanted to start giving him 1 large can per day you would give 2 C. dry + 1 can. If you do decide to go with Earthborn’s wet foods, keep in mind they come in smaller tubs (9 oz.) versus the traditional 13 oz. cans so I’d say one of their tubs would be the equivalent of about 3/4 C. kibble.

[kobe]

to HDM,
thanks so much-i will take you up on your offer for follow-up

first, on friday -i called the nutrition person on staff at EARTHBORN–he told me that their grain puppy kibble was suitable for a large breed puppy-can you briefly let me know what this kibble is lacking for my large-70 pond 5 month old bernese puppy?
second,will i have gi issues meaning diarrhea– with my puppy if i switch him to a grain free kibble–since i have had him -he has only received grain containing kibble?
third,are wet STEWS such as EARTHBORN makes-more likely to cause gi symptoms than more solid type of wet foods?
fourth,should the add-on wet food be from the same company as the dry kibble being used?
LAST BUT NOT LEAST–can you recommend YOUR prefeerred wet foods to add-on to dry kibble and how much to add to what he gets now-1 cup of kibble 3x/day until he is 6 months of age?

again,HDM,i really appreciate your info. as a am quite a novice who needs help[ doing the best i can for Kobe!!

sincerely,
Kobe’Ss dad

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Kobe –

Earthborn’s grain-inclusive puppy formula isn’t appropriate for large breed puppies. Nature’s Variety has two grain-inclusive puppy foods that are appropriate for large breed puppies – Prairie Puppy and Prairie Large Breed Puppy. A food doesn’t have to be labeled for large breed puppies in order to be suitable – in fact, many foods that are labeled for large breed puppies are too high in calcium. Any food labeled for growth or all life stages with appropriate levels of calcium can be used. For the grain-free formulas, Earthborn’s Coastal Catch and Meadow Feast are both appropriate for large breed puppies and Nature’s Variety Instinct’s Rabbit and Limited Ingredient Turkey formulas are okay for large breed puppies. I personally prefer Nature’s Variety products to Earthborn products, but both have great foods – why not rotate between the two brands? There’s no reason to stick to only one brand, in fact it’s better if you don’t. Wet food is much healthier than dry food due to its higher moisture content and higher protein content – for this reason I would highly recommend mixing wet food with the dry. Wet food does not cause diarrhea. Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any more questions!

[SandyandMila]

So I purchased the Nature’s Logic All-Food Fortifier yesterday and fed it to Mila with her Bravo blend burger for dinner yesterday. My cat didn’t like it so much, she could tell right away something was up with her food. lol Anyways, the directions say to add it to dry or wet food. I predominantly feed raw (whether Primal complete formulas, or the Bravo turkey blend bugers, and grinds and RMBs when I have them) but do still feed dry and canned food if I have to about once or twice a week. Should I still add the Nature’s Logic to the dry and canned as well or would a green superfood supplement, as recommended above, be better?

[harp31]

Thank you for the suggestions, I am looking at some samples (some free and some minimally priced) from K9cuisine. I value your opinion (based on what I have seen on this forum) so I will forgo the TOTW. The rotational diet makes sense, too. I am getting samples of Orijin, Acana, Amicus, Fromm, Solid Gold, The Honest Kitchen and some freeze-dried grain-free chicken and beef from Dr. Harvey’s. Hopefully, they will like the freeze-dried. I have tried the pure canned pumpkin a couple of times but I don’t want to add it to every meal, since they eat 3 meals a day and I’m afraid that may be a bit too much pumpkin. My last 2 Boston’s were picky eaters, too and they ate mostly canned food but it seems like I tried every brand there was available and they were never really fond of any of them. I ended up cooking for them a lot (beef/chicken and brown rice with vegies, etc.) I was feeding them a small amount of Canidae dry with the home cooked mixed in with it. I was hoping to find a good quality food so I don’t have to spend so much time preparing a home cooked diet (but I will if I have to). Thanks again, this dog food selection always seems like a daunting task for me … sigh. Mary

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Mary –

Of the foods you mentioned I believe Orijen is the best choice. I would never feed TOTW as it’s manufactured by Diamond. Fromm is a great company but the food is really overpriced for the quality and not worth the expense (imo). I wouldn’t stick with one food though. Rotating foods often will keep your dogs interested and will also strengthen their digestive system. If they prefer canned and you can afford to feed only canned this is actually preferable to feeding dry food – canned food is more species-appropriate than dry food due to the fact that it’s less processed, high in moisture and higher in protein. Most dogs also find dehdyrated or freeze-dried (both of which you rehydrate prior to feeding) and raw foods more palatable than dry food – these options are healthier than dry food as well. For the loose stools try adding a spoonful of plain canned pumpkin and a probiotic supplement to their meals, this may help.

[harp31]

I have 2 Boston’s, one is 11 mos old and one is 11 weeks old. They have been eating Wellness Core dry (adult small breed formula for the 11 mo old and puppy formula for the 11 week old, since they don’t offer a small breed in the puppy formula) with a little (1 tsp or so) Wellness Just For Puppy canned mixed in. They are not too interested in the dry alone and are both losing interest in the canned as well. They both have loose stools with this food and I am currently looking for something to provide good nutrition as well as a firmer stool for them. I am considering Orijen or Taste of the Wild or Fromm’s. Most of these would have to be ordered via the internet, due to no availability in my local Petsmart. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, Mary

[chartoll]

Hi, anybody knowing anything about dry-food AUTARKY?
And if it’s so healthy as they say….?

Do sound very good; my dogs likes it and my male has no more problems with his anal glands.
I’m very thankfull for all answers!

[chartoll]

Hi, Don’t know where to post a new question, seem to be on the wrong place whereever I try to ask… , but I would like to hear what people are thinking about dry-food AUTARKY.
And if it’s so healthy as they say….
I’m very thankfull for all answers and very sorry that I put my question on the reply Kirkland v Diamond.

[chartoll]

Hi, Don’t know where to post this, but I would like to hear what people are thinking about dry-food AUTARKY.
And if it’s so healthy as they say….

I’m very thankfull for all answers!

[dalaimo]

Let me ask it another way: Is the Diamond dry dog food and the Kirkland store brand Diamond makes for Costco basically the same?

[DogFoodie]

Hi guys!

I feel like Sandy would recommend Nutri Source Small & Medium Breed Puppy at 513 kcals/cup. I haven’t personally used it, but I know she’s mentioned before that the kibble size is very tiny. Since I haven’t used it, I can’t speak for the kibble size personally, but I trust Sandy’s advice. It’s not grain free, but it’s well tolerated and I trust the brand and I know Sandy and Patty do as well. Nutri Source is also a very budget friendly food. They always offer coupons (text “source” to 55678 for a chance to win a free bag and a $2.00 coupon if you’re not a winner) and have a loyalty program (buy 12, get one free on dry and cans).

Nature’s Logic and Amicus are very small and when I last used Canine Caviar, that seemed small as well if memory serves. Orijen Puppy is the only Orijen formula I haven’t used, but all of the Orijens that I have used are some of the largest kibbles I’ve used. Abady granular would be easy for her to eat and is very nutrient dense (over 800 kcal/cup) ~ it’s grainy like brown sugar and the philosophy behind the food takes some getting used to. Abady isn’t rated here and gets a bad rap from lots of folks, but I tried it and had no issues with it whatsoever. My Cavalier is currently eating Castor & Pollux Ultramix right now and she loves it ~ they’re small kibbles and they’re really cute…, if that matters! They’re little hearts. : )

Solid Gold Just a Wee Bit is tiny, but is one of their products that’s made by Diamond, so I wouldn’t recommend it for that reason. I’ve used Wellness Small Breed, which is tiny, but my pup wasn’t thrilled with it, same with Artemis Fresh Mix.

What about giving her kibble a whirl in the blender, coffee grinder or hand held food chopper?

I still need to start the card file I keep saying I’m going to start and take pictures of all my kibbles when I open something different. : )~

[Puppygirlsmom]

Good idea, Patty Vaughn, to blend the chicken livers in the blender and making them into a gravy to freeze. I will try that. She may get more of it that way. She has such a tiny little mouth and tiny tiny teeth, we can see her struggling to eat the TOTW kibble. So we do think that she needs a kibble that is smaller. So my search is on for a grain free Puppy kibble that is tiny. If anyone knows of one for sure, please, let me know. Even though Orijen has been recommended, I do not know the size of the Puppy Kibble. I would hate to have to buy too many bags of food in order to find a small Puppy Kibble. We adore Ellie, but we also live on a pretty strict budget and cannot afford to do that.
So anyone out there…do you know of a grain free puppy kibble that is high in fat that is also a tiny dry kibble for our 2.5 lb. Yorkie, Ellie??????????????????????????????????????????
She needs to gain some weight and get healthy again.
Thanks!

[theBCnut]

Thanks little pea, that’s sweet of you to say.

[dalaimo]

Are there any significant differences between the dry dog food Diamond makes for Costco under the Kirkland brand and the food it sells under its own brand? Can the two be fed interchangeably without problems. Thanks.

[little pea]

Thanks Freeholdhound.

After days of sorting through many things. Nature’s logic was on my list of choices.
So much confusion out there.

We came to play, we came to work, we came to be the best and in trying, we shared our love for pets.

[little pea]

PattyV

The leaky gut. I read about this a few days prior and was shocked. Especially because the girl’s highest allergy was to yeast. And I knew stolen loaves of bread from the counter were having some effect.
In addition in Feb/March we had one of the worst bouts of overall scratching, paw chewing and ear infection. The weather was wet and she had been recently professionally groomed. And dog loves to just stand or lay down in the rain. Primary suspect yeast infection . So began a steroid, pills, and medicated ear wash… the ears taking over 2 weeks to clear.
She looked and acted perfect in April/May.
Late May blowing coat and itching, itching and coat continues to fall well into June. Itching starts up, I don’t recall heavy paw chewing. I flew in a professional newf groomer prior to a late June show and we had long talks on coat care, drying, etc etc… and etc And a steroid shot.
I do not think we have leaky gut, but my gut says yeast is on a high watch list.
I did talk to a Holistic vet clinic and they even suggested a special Derm vet…which does scratch test as opposed to blood. I thinks it is too far to go.
The dog’s skin at this time is in perfect condition and has been since April. Yet we continue with the face, ear, and frequent scratch to those areas and a frontal paw chew. After switching to Ziwi peak venison in June red eyes and the clear discharge have pretty much been eliminated. No red eyes.

The newbie in me is digging for answers, but I feel some simple solutions are more practical.
A raw diet…with supplements. Just need to figure it all out.
Thank-you.
You seem to be, a pretty sharp cookie.

[FreeholdHound]

Little Pea- check out Natures Logic. Maybe the duck, rabbit, or venison may be okay. My hound has similar “avoid” ingredients : chicken, turkey, venison, salmon, white fish, corn, milk, soy, oatmeal & sweet potato. He’s been doing really well on Natures Logic.

[kobe]

to hound dog mom

i need your advice—i have a 5 month old gorgeous bernese puppy in new york city–
unfortunately,he came to me 2 months ago with giardia intestinal infection from the breeder-therefore he required hills I AND D kibble along with boiled chicken and rice from a restaurant

i have been now converting him slowly to natures variety large puppy kibble–BUT i am fearful that this is not a good preparation-i value your advice
if you have a minute please call me on my cell 9177166149 to briefly discuss

thanks so much

[Puppygirlsmom]

We have a female Yorkie, who was 9 years old this past May. At her heaviest weight she weighed 4 1/2 lbs. She is a petite little thing. But she had tonsilitis a couple of times and lost some weight. Once she started losing, she continued to lose and now she weighs only 2.5 lbs. She has never gained the weight back. She eats, she eliminates fine. She just does not gain any weight.
We have had her teeth cleaned, even though it was a high risk to have it done. She came through it and she had no loose teeth nor any cavities. So that is not the problem. All of her extensive and expensive blood work has come back fine. She checks out fine at her physical. She is just skinny. She is a picky eater. We have tried to get her to eat high calorie soft food, but she will not. We have tried many many kinds and flavors and have wasted a lot of money on soft food, but she will not eat it. We have tried mixing a little with her Taste of the Wild dry kibble, but she still will not eat it. We had her and her Puppy sisters on Blue Buffalo, but they all started refusing to eat it, so I did a lot of research for a good grain free food and asked our Vet and “Taste of the Wild” has been what they have been eating for at least a year or more now.
Our 3 1/2 yr. old Yorkie, Abbie, is around the same height and she weighs close to 5 lbs. Our 3 yr. old Biewer Terrier, Zoie, is also around the same height and she weighs around 4.12 lbs. So it is only our older tiny Ellie who is skinny and underweight. She loves chicken and bacon from the table, but they do not put any weight on her either. And our Vet says that the bacon is not good for her. Does anyone have any suggestions? She looks like an anorexic dog and we are concerned that she will start having a lot of health issues due to malnutrition. We just spent close to $200 on tests and they found nothing wrong with her! Her stool was tested, too, and no parasites. The Vet says that she is healthy, but too skinner.
He suggested putting her on Royal Canin Puppy Food dry and wet. But it has grain in it and not sure how she will do on that. Plus we cannot feed her separate from our other two. We have tried that and she barks not wanting to be away from them to eat. It is a big problem!
Any suggestions that anyone has, I am willing to try!
Thanks!

[Puppygirlsmom]

As for Grain free food, we and our Yorkies love Taste of the Wild dry kibble. It comes in a variety of flavors and is reasonably priced. You can buy it at Pet Smart and Pets Supply Plus. It gets high ratings and our Vet says it is a very good food.
Try using white vinegar to mop all hard surface floors and use as a fabric softener. It kills bacteria and odors, too. Use 1 cup of vinegar to a gallon of hot water to mop with.
Also, you can use Vinegar to spray your yard for weeds and pests. It works great and is not harmful to pets. I have a lot of allergies to cleaning products, so use as many natural items as I can.

[theBCnut]

We’ve all been there!!!

ETA: You may have a “leaky gut” situation going on. It leads to increase in food intolerances and yeast overgrowth. A regular vet might not even know what I’m talking about, but a holistic vet will get her straightened out and back on the road to good health in no time.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 7 months ago by theBCnut.

[little pea]

Thanks ebk—going to make a call now. Please do not misunderstand the girl is pretty healthy. We just have a consistent scratching mainly to the face, ears, and neck. Some paw chewing depending on ???? can’t pin it down, but after three steroid shots over the course of a year and half I decided I was spending as much and went forward with the allergy test. Equally her brother has even more severe allergies. I did the full panel and we have environmental as well.
As I occasionally show, optimal health and coat are a must! Showing a compromised dog is unspeakable. Thanks again

[little pea]

Thanks PattyV sometimes a little push to go just a few steps further is all that is needed.

I should have posted …HELP! newbie lost in the dog food world..

[ebk]

Western medicine typically focuses on the symptoms vs the root cause of the problem. They also tend to deal with organs and systems within the body separately, which is just nonsense. The body going into hyper mode overreacting to many foods, to me smells like there is another problem that needs to be addressed. See if the holistic vet thinks a liver function test would be in order. That’s where I would start.

[theBCnut]

A holistic vet should have no problem helping you with a recipe that meets all your dogs needs, and coming up with a good recipe is more than half the battle.

[little pea]

I am entertaining that idea, but the more I read the more daunting the task it seems. The majority of her allergies are borderline. Beef, Yeast, Lamb, Cow’s milk, Rice and soy being positive or close enough. There is a good holistic vet I may consult. It’s overwhelming and I just had no idea, so I am very pleased to have found all the wonderful help here.

[theBCnut]

Hi ebk

We have a small farm and if they want something from me, they better be willing to do something for me in return. All money they get is tied to chores, but I do have to take into consideration what their strengths and weaknesses are. My son could never put drops in the eye of the dog that hurt herself, but my daughter can. My daughter would die if asked to do more than 5 or 10 minutes of work outside, but my son will go until the job is done. Don’t worry, your daughter will come out the other side some day and realize that you really aren’t the worst thing that ever happened to her. I bet your twins have been a bundle of fun! We have twins all over in my family, so we have a family history of twin stories, and they are always the best.

[Hound Dog Mom]

If you have the time making homemade raw would be much cheaper and it would be easier to tailor the diet to your dog’s specific food issues.

[little pea]

Thanks… I saw some of the notes where people had posted unfavorable things, but too late I had ordered it. I looked into Nature’s variety and a second choice. Will go back and check it again. I liked Primal raw but at close to $400. minimum a month it was not realistic. I appreciate the heads up and will be following the forums as in addition I am truly in need of coat growth. Since yeast came back as her highest allergy and the testing center could not break out any different strains I am afraid of all that use brewer’s yeast etc. Inflight was recommended.
Thanks again I will be checking the Great Life closely and may forgo the switch.

[ebk]

Sorry, Little Pea. I am not familiar with the hardcore allergy foods. Sounds like you have a lot of ingredient issues to deal with. I am sure someone can give you some knowledgeable advice. You might also look at making it at home. I am sure there are directions and recipes out there to be had. Also, severe allergies are a symptom of some environmental or internal issue. For example, if the liver is not doing it’s job, you are more likely to have allergy problems. You might want to try and find a holistic vet who can connect all of the dots and get to the root of the problem. Good luck and perhaps you will get more detailed feedback from other members.

Good for you, Pattyvaughn, for getting the kids involved and doing it in a responsible way. My brood consists of the following: 14 yo daughter (who can’t be seen with her parents right now, because we couldn’t possibly understand what she’s going through, as if we never went through adolescence. My daughter and son are 11 yo twins, and of course, my two 6 or 7 yo furry children, Angel (Black Lab/Husky mix) and Princess (Malamute) They rarely leave my side and they treat my children like they are their own.

[Hound Dog Mom]

I have used Great Life in the past and my dog did well on it, but I’ve heard some shady things about the company lately and I’m not sure as I’d use it again. I would recommend checking out Nature’s Variety’s limited ingredient diets.

[little pea]

I am new to this website, to all of these discussions, but would love to get some advice as I am searching for a dog food. My Newf came back with allergies to beef, chicken, lamb, cow’s milk, eggs, potatos, sweet potatos, rice, soy, yeast was very high, carrots, shell fish mix and fish excluding salmon. Can anyone suggest an excellent food? Ziwi peak is a bit expensive for such a large girl, and contains green lip mussels. Has anyone heard of Great Life or tried it?

[theBCnut]

ebk

How old are your kids? The reason I ask is because from the time mine were old enough to understand that their hands were dirty I had them help me feed the dogs and then we went and washed our hands because dog food can make our hands dirty. If they found a stray piece of dog food on the floor, they knew that they had to go wash their hands after they gave it to the dogs. Same with dog treats. The oldest will be 18 in a couple days, the youngest is 13. They have never gotten anything from the animals and they have always had their own chores to do, but the lesson about washing stuck. We have a ton of animals.

[InkedMarie]

ebk: Pretty sad, eh? I’m to the point that there are many quality foods out there from good dog food companies and I refuse to give any money to less than reputable ones.

[ebk]

Thanks as well, Inked Marie! The Evanger’s story goes into the “incredible but true” category.

[ebk]

Holy felony, Batman! Wow and thank you, Hound Dog Mom! They sound like some really nice honest folks. Thanks for sharing before I gave the food to my dogs. I will take that one off my list. Great websites, btw. Also, thanks for your thoughts on Natura. Do you think that have gotten past their issues? Salmonella has been a know risk with pet food for some time. This why I have never let my kids touch it. Perhaps it’s the tip of the iceberg and the FDA will ultimately effect change throughout the industry. Thanks again!

[InkedMarie]

HDM beat me to it, about Evangers!

[Hound Dog Mom]

BTW – I would steer clear of anything made by Evanger’s. They scare me more than Diamond. Go to truthaboutpetfood(dot)com, poisonedpets(dot)com or google and search for Evanger’s.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi ebk –

To tell you the truth – I really like Natura’s beyond the bag website. I don’t have any issues with the fact they’ve been purchased by P&G. The recall also doesn’t deter me. These issues were likely going on before the recall and they are likely going on in with most other companies. The reason the recall was made is due to the FDA’s new zero tolerance policy on salmonella and Natura was likely one of the first brands targeted as they’re a larger company. I’ve used their treats in the past and will continue to do so.

What companies are you interested in manufacturing and ingredient sourcing information for? I can probably get the information for you if you want.

[ebk]

So, here’s where I am on my EVO replacement journey. Interesting that, if you go to their web site, they do a great job of identifying where their ingredients are sourced from. It’s actually quite impressive. However, the fact remains that a number of pet owners have noted observed differences between their old EVO and new EVO foods, in addition to the reactions from their pets. If it comes back, great. If not, many of us have already found alternatives. I’ve tried the Merrick Texas beef variety. Seemed like a very good food, but the kibble was small. So small, that my dogs would only be able to chew a small percentage of the kibbles and then just swallow the rest. I tried the Now Fresh Large Breed Adult dry food. Nice sized kibble, even bigger than EVO’s large kibble, and the dogs seem to enjoy it and what comes out the other end is well formed.

To complicate matters, my Malamute is a very picky eater. Her food tends to sit until she gets around to it or until my Lab eats it. The Malamute actually lost 15 lbs on her last visit to the vet, coming down to 110. The Lab is the alpha of the two and thinks all the food belongs to her. So, I have started to use canned food to add to the dry to stimulate the appetite of the Malamute, in order for her to get a full meal and keep my lab from getting heavier than she already is.

I have purchased a variety of canned foods: Fromm. Evanger’s Against the Grain, Merrick beef, Wellness Beef, Wellness Lamb. They seem to be enthusiastic about all of them so far (haven’t tried the Evanger’s yet). Interesting that you seem to have to dig a little harder to get to the bottom line on the canned foods. Some of them, dry foods as well, are outsourced to other suppliers. The companies don’t reveal who makes it for them. We tend to only find out when there is a recall, e.g., Diamond. I sent a message to Wellness, who used Diamond at one time, asking them if they outsource any of their food production to them. I also asked where their canned food ingredients came from. It’s been 1 1/2 weeks with no response.

So, with very loose controls over the pet food industry, the bottom line is caveat emptor. It is in forums like this that we can share with one another and get to the facts. Hopefully, with enough public pressure, the pet food industry will become more transparent and we won’t have to dig so much. Unfortunately, there are many people (majority?) in the world only do the right thing when they must. For those who do the right thing, only because it is the right thing to do, I salute them.

Sorry for the babbling and TMI. Thanks again for all of your help and advice!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Vitamin A can be harmful in excess because it’s a fat soluble vitamin – however you need to feed too much of it in order for it to build up. A capsule of cod liver oil per day would not come anywhere near toxic vitamin a doses. One capsule of Carlson Super Cod Liver Oil provides 2,000 IU vitamin a – the toxic dose (which needs to be given daily for months to create toxicity) is 113,600 IU per pound of food consumed on a dry matter basis. So assuming your dog eats one pound of food per day (dry matter) the dog would have to eat 50+ capsules of cod liver oil per day to result in vitamin a toxicity. I’ve ran a full nutrient analysis on my raw menus and they are well below the AAFCO’s safe upper limit for vitamin a levels. One of my menus I analyzed came out to 52,412 IU/kg and the other to 78,326 IU/kg – the AAFCO’s upper limit is 250,000 IU/kg. The problems arise when people substitute cod liver oil for fish body oil and use it to meet their dog’s omega 3 needs. Cod liver oil should not be used as an omega 3 supplement – it should be used in small doses as a whole food source of vitamin d. One of the reasons I use Carlson, in addition to the fact that their products are stringently tested for contaminants and contain high levels of vitamin e to preserve the fats, is that their cod liver oil is lower in vitamin a than many other brands.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 8 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[InkedMarie]

Lovemypets, I don’t care what you’re recommending, you were posting the same thing over & over here and on DFA. That’s spamming.

[love_my_fuzzies]

I have two collies and a cat that are sensitive to just about every food I have tried in the past. Between both my boys suffering from environmental dermatitis and my cat Sasha having frequent UTIs it was a long hard battle to find a product line I was comfortable feeding them. My vet recommended Vets Choice Holistic Health Extension to me and I couldn’t be more satisfied. The Grain free dry kibble does wonder for my large collies and nearly cleared up all the uncomfortable dry skin and the cat food has a very low magnesium content and has cranberries as an active ingredient. Shes been UTI free for 8 months now. I highly recommend this food to any animal lover.