[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, 4 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, 4 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.

[lovemypets4life]

I am not a spam!!!!! I am promoting a dog food that im very trusted in. ive tried all of there products they r just amazing, and affordable

[Sussieque]

Dear ORENC26,

RE: Diarrhea in Puppies

I also recently got a Cavalier King Charles puppy. She had the same problem with diarrhea (really bad). When I first got her @ 9 weeks old, the previous owner was feeding her Purina Special Blend (i think).

Anyways, we had rain here for over a week straight. Poor baby had to do her business in the rain and walk on the wet grass. I took her to the vet for her second vaccination and was told that she had a Yeast infection (in her ears which also gets in their digestive system) The vet gave me an anti-fungal med., an ear med. (Zymox is better) and a stool hardener. You can use Imodium Advance. ONLY 1/4 tablet daily and for just a 2 days!!! (go by weight of dog) Brandi was 5 lbs. then.

She (Brandi) got a little better but still had some diarrhea problems. I researched the internet and spoke with the vet & a local breeder.

They all suggested to feed her Boiled Chicken (white meat to start) with cooked white rice, mixed with some 100% Pumpkin. I fed this to her for 2 weeks. (note: adding a good vitamin may help but check the ingredients carefully!). After feeding Brandi the Chicken-rice combo for 2-3 weeks I wanted to get her back on a dry (kibble) puppy food. I chose “Orijen” Brand 80/20 Puppy dry food. Available at most Pet Stores and online.

I mixed it 50/50 with the Orijen and Purina One Beyond (White Meat Chicken & Whole Barley flavor) and 1 heaping Tablespoon of 100% Pumpkin. (NOT the pumpkin pie filling!!!) I introduced this mixture over 10 days (see the internet on how to do this). On the 10th. day she was eating just the dry kibble food with the pumpkin. At this point I added a Probiotic (you can pick up at pet stores – capsule form and read how much to add per day – goes by weight). Come to find out that the Orijen 80/20 puppy dry food has natural Pre & Pro Biotics (for GOOD bacteria for their digestive system) in their puppy food.

DIARRHEA IS COMPLETELY GONE!!!!! Thank God!

I still give her the Orijen and the Purina One Beyond with pumpkin (she is 3.5 months old now) Still NO diarrhea. : ) HAPPY MOMMY HERE.

I think I will switch to Acana Brand – Wild Prairie dry kibble soon because it is a bit less expensive and made by the same company. Plus it has less of a high protein content. Below are their websites:

Orijen: http://www.orijen.ca/
Acana: http://www.acana.com/products/regionals/wild-prairie/

These pet foods are made in Canada with only natural products (Grain Free). They have their own Processing Plant and process ONLY their dog and cat foods. BTW – My cats love their 6 Fish Dry Cat Food.

These foods are a bit more than your cheaper store-bought brands but worth getting rid of the diarrhea for good. Plus knowing she is healthy, happy and growing as she should be.

Hope this helps and good luck with your new baby cavalier. Precious, aren’t they? ; )
Sussieque

[mssmiley]

my boston terrier has been diagnosed with alopecia…. she is balding on her chest and hind legs. The balding is all symmetrical. The vet has done a skin scrape and tested for other known causes of hairloss. All these tests come back negative. Now she says that the hair loss is going to be a result of a thyroid issue or hormore issue. We are going to start running more tests to look into which it might be. Have any other owners out there had to deal with alopecia in their dogs??? She’s perfectly healthy otherwise, but what concerns me is how these thyroid/hormone issues may affect her later on in life. For those of you who are dealing with alopecia or thyroid/hormone issues…. what food are you using to help your dog? Are there foods out there that can help bring the re-growth of the dogs hair back? She is currently of blue buffalo freedon small breed dry food. We switched her to the freedom line when the hair loss began bc we wanted to rule out allergies for the hair loss reason.

[Anonymous]

i would never feed my dog food from big lots or any of those “cheap stores” there most likely to sell non known name brand foods. would you feed yourself non known name brands foods? I only feed my animals holistic health extension dry/canned food. it is 95% real meat and has tons of vitamins and minerals in it

[Hershy]

HDM or anyone else,
This may be a really dumb question, but I’m not clear on how to rotate food for my almost 16 week old puppy and big dogs. Is it best to rotate to another brand after emptying a bag, or have 2 or 3 brands open at a time for rotating daily? I have finally chosen some brands for my pup’s food rotation (fairly reasonably priced 4 & 5 star foods) :

Innova Large Breed Puppy Dry Dog Food
Pro Pac Performance Puppy Premium Puppy Food
Nutri-Source Large Breed Puppy-Chicken and Rice

Does this look like a good list for my pup? It was difficult finding locally,so needed to order from a couple places, since no one had all of what I wanted.
I am topping with tripe.
What is the best way to rotate these? I plan to keep searching for foods I can afford, for changing to after these.
Thanks for your help!

[Kona the blue pit]

Not sure if this is the right place to post this but my 2 year old blue pit is getting crusty lumps on his body and he has diarrhea. All through the winter months he was doing ok maybe a lump here and there but otherwise ok. I was feeding him California Natural Kangaroo for about 5-6 months until the recall. Then I had to start feeding him Addiction Kangaroo for about 2 months and he was still doing ok. Now this past 2 weeks I started him back on the California Natural Kangaroo and his problems started. So I’m not sure if it is the food or if it is because it is Summer now.
Could he have become allergic to the kangaroo or maybe California Natural messed up on the formula?
I have also been giving him Benadryl so that could be causing the diarrhea also.
Not sure what to do should I switch his food already or give it a month or two?
Thanks
Brad

[SandyandMila]

Can I just use the one I got periodically, it’s a big bottle that I really don’t want it to go to waste. I can add the green superfood to her diet once I get it and give her less of the multi. If I feed Preference with her homemade raw which has vitamins and minerals including kelp and alfalfa do I still need a green or multi supplement? I know HDM said u can’t overdose on them, just want to make sure I know what I’m doing. She’s already been getting bee pollen and the commercial raw she’s had has coconut oil, salmon oil, and ACV so I’d just be giving those with the homemade raw, right? The dry and wet food is only one or two days a week and will be less once my Hare Today order comes in.

[Jessica1]

Hi H.D.M,
Thank you so much for all the information you have given me on grain vs. non grain, mixing etc. I felt lost before I came across your helpful advice. You have made this learning experience a lot less confusing.
I am now giving my boy the topper of Wellness just for puppy, which he loves, and I did start to slowly start the rotation process with Wellness Core grain free, unfortunately he will not eat it. He just does not like it. The Organix he will eat, of course he loves the topper and eats that first and only eats the dry when it’s all that’s left but he will eat it. But for some reason the Wellness Core he will actually spit out! Brat! He is as picky as my daughter! So I am going to try some other grain free brands. I would like to only give him the can but that going to get costly at $2.60 a can. (Still looking into the whole raw thing and building up my courage about that, ha ha) Takoda is now 10 to 11 weeks and at 18.4 lbs, the vet is happy with his weight and growth, I was wondering if you could tell me what you know about Kirkland Cuts. I see that it has 5 stars on this site but one I wasn’t sure it was suitable for large breed puppies and the protein level seemed a little low compared to Wellness puppy but I was hoping you could give me your advice on this. I have been looking for another can food to use as a topper (I don’t want to be locked into just one) do you have a suggestion for me, I’ve been looking at all the 5 stars on this site but I know that puppies requirements are different and they really are not laid out for these big guys. Thank you so much.

[weezerweeks]

I received my yorkies Ph level today and it is still8.5 but there was no sign of crystals this time. About a month ago it was 8.5 with crystals so i switched him from dry low protein to a higher protein wet food. My vet says he is not concerned because he has never had uti’s, and 50 % of dogs have agalinity levels. He is on merrick’s cowboy cookout wet food. He has only been on it a few weeks so he wants me to continue this diet and not add anything to it but his digestive enzymes and probiotics and in a month he’s going to check it again and do another culture.I’m glad the crystals are gone but I’m wondering if I should try some different food.

[Woodcutter]

Hi folks. This being my first topic I’m not sure if this is where to start it so here goes. This afternoon I was at Big Lots and found this food. It’s .90 cents a can and the ingredients look good but, I can’t find anything on it here. We are on a fixed income, more or less, and this looks attractive right now. We all know that Big Lots will have products on a temporary basis and may or may not see it again. Anyway I got 6 cans for our two dogs to try- 3 chicken entre’e and 3 beef. They eat “Victor” brand dry in the purple bag and for a weekly surprise I will mix some wet food in. Usually TOTW or maybe “Chicken Soup”. It doesn’t matter to them, they tear it up. It’s distributed by Performance Pet Products out of Mitchel, SD. Has anyone seen this food? Thanks.

[ebk]

Who’s the moderator of the forum? This example is pretty blatant.

[theBCnut]

I wish you could flag stuff here!

[ebk]

Yes, reading all of the replies from the two id’s, I can see it very clearly and now understand your response re spamming. Looks like a clear infringement of the forum’s Terms of Use.

[InkedMarie]

ya think? Pretty sure they are on another forum I’m on, touting the same foods

[theBCnut]

I think lovemypets4life has a new identity.

[Anonymous]

I use holistic health extension LITTLE BITES for my maltipoo but I just found out he has a grain allergy so im about to switch him to the grain free food. im sticking with the same brand because its the only brand I trust to feed my animals.

[Duke The Boxer]

Okay hound dog mom. Thank you for your response. I was talking to dr Tim and he said it was okay for puppies and it had a pretty low calcium %. I just got in the mail today wellness core puppy formula and I will follow up in a couple weeks to say how duke responds to the food. One question I have is that he has been kind of itchy lately even though he has no flees or ticks; I also saw some scratch marks under his arm from him scratching himself, can the dryness of his skin be because of the chicken based nutro that I have been feeding him?

[k9cancer]

I have a 14 week old Pyrenees pup. He weighs 45 lbs and 2 weeks ago we put him on Raw food Primal and Instinct.

His gas and diarrhea problems have disappeared but he is eating me out of house and home.

The package says to feed him 4% of his weight or 2.6 lbs daily of raw food.

I feed him 2 patties in the morning, 1 at lunch and 2 at night.

I use Primal and Bravo because it has a 75% protein 25% vegetable mix.

If I feed him 2 patties at night he acts like he is starving.
I was feeding him grain free dry mix with the recommended calcium levels mentioned on this forum however he would not sleep well at night and had the runs or soft poo almost everyday.

My other dog eats kibble and if my Pup, Harry gets to it he gobbles it up.

He is growing like a weed and has gained the proper weight.
Im just wondering if I should add a little kibble but then I will have the digestion problems.

Any advice would be great. I am wondering if he is just a dog that wil eat/over eat if given the chance. I was also wondering if adding sweet potato or something ese might be better. Maybe he likes the crunch….sigh I sure am driving myself crazy huh?

Any advice would be great.
D

[Ambystoma]

I am getting a GSP puppy and have narrowed down the foods, or so I thought.

I think we are going to start him on Fromm Gold Puppy, but I like the look of Taste of the Wild as well for variety once he is out of the puppy stage. However I saw Native being recommended for this specific breed. Of course, I will probably give variety in the form of cans, fresh, and perhaps raw later like I do with my beagle-terrier mutt (he’s on Fromm now but has eaten Wellness and Blue Buffalo as well).

For a puppy, would you stick with Fromm Gold or go ahead and do TOTW or Native Puppy or something else? I can’t quite afford to do all fresh with 2 dogs, so I’m looking for dry with cans/fresh/raw as a supplement.

Thanks!

[Lagotto]

Hi Shawna, my 10 weeks old Lagotto has just been diagnosed with serious kidneys problems her BUN is way off chart her urine is almost as clear as water . She drinks over a liter of water a day. I have her for 21/2 weeks she hardly gains any weight. She is taller but very thin. The breeder offered to take her back and put her down. Apart from excessive drinking and urinating and not put on weight she is full of energy and really playful.I decided to keep her,the vet didn’t recommend any diet plan for her just told her to let she eats normal food, she eats puppies musli mix with raw met and let nature take it course. Her musli comprise of roll oats, dehydrate pea, carrot, bone meal plus all essential vitamins and minerals. Since she has been diagnosed I stop feeding her those food and go on low protein, low phosphorus, low sodium,. She got her appetite back with the meal I made which is 1 cup cooked white rice with one whole egg, two eggs whites, a spoonful of low fat ground beef. Cook in 1 Tb coconut oil. I sprinkle one capsule of fish oil, and grind 900mg of calcium carbonate to it. She has been eating this food for 3 days. Her weight is up for almost 200 g. I am not sure this diet is good enough for her growth. I ask the vet or phosphorus binder and start to sprinkle on her food. The vet now recommend pediatric junior digest & dental 29. I mixed a little of the dry food into home cooked . Her water intake is almost double her usual high intake. Your Audrey story is really inspiring . What do you feed Audrey? Home cooked or dry food.what is your strategy with Toilet train?

Many thanks, Lagotto

[katj813]

I know I may not receive specifics but I find info on the web too general so here’s a few specifics on my dog:
He’s an 11 year old terrier mix @19lbs. He has two heart conditions treated with Enalapril and fish oil. He has occasional arthritis in his back legs which is treated by dog aspirin as needed. He has an activity level between low and medium. Some days he has bursts of energy and likes visits to the dog park but the high energy is limited and he mostly sleeps. I currently have him on taste of the wild because while I do my best to get the best food I can, I have a college student budget.

I want to make sure my dog is getting the nutrients he needs to stay healthy so what sort of things should I look for in his food to meet his requirements and do you think TotW is covering it? I don’t have the time for raw and home made diets so I want to stick to dry food, he gets wet mixed in but it’s only for supplemental feeding so I don’t rely on it for nutrients even though he gets at least some from it. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[ShihTzuOwner]

To start things off, I am a first time puppy/dog owner so I’m a rookie but I’m getting the handle of my 2 month old Shih Tzu.

My puppy was eating Purina Puppy Chow [GARBAGE] before he became mine and I knew that the food was just not healthy seeing as how a large bag was just $8 at Walmart. So I Googled around and found out that Blue Buffalo’s Puppy Food as seen below….

was an excellent alternative. Grain-Free, No Preservatives, generally much better then most dry puppy food selections out there.

As a first time puppy owner, I did make the mistake of switching the food in just one day and suffered the dreaded diarrhea problem but some white rice with chicken relieved it and I did the whole 50/50, 75/25, 100/0 new to old dog food trick.

My MAIN problem and I do not know whether it’s the food I’m giving him, is that he itches ALOT. He always scratches near his ears and his neck constantly. Now, I didn’t keep him on the Purina Puppy Chow long enough for me to find out if the issue was also relevant with that dog food as well or JUST Blue Buffalo. I took him to the vet and his ears were fine. There appears to be no flea problem so my only conclusion was that it could POSSIBLY be the food.

So I wanted to know if there are any recommendations you guys can give me based on the age and breed of the puppy and his troublesome itch. I heard Blue Buffalo has a Basics Formula but the review it got on this site [which I trust] makes me hesitant to buy that alternative. I’ve heard of Orijen but that seems to be too much of a high protein formula for such a young pup and for Shih Tzu’s.