[jochurch63]

I checked out the link to the leaky gut and it sounds like the issues that she is going through. I have a call into my vet to see what she thinks. I did some research into leaky gut and one of the causes is too much carbohydrates in the diet. I researched this on exactly what carbohydrates were bad what carbs are in the food I have been feeding her for years. One of the big culprits to this is potatoes. This is the fourth ingredient listed in wellness core reduced fat dry food. Hmm I’m wondering if this has been the cause of all her belly problems. The fortiflora I have been giving her seems to be keeping her belly in check but I think I will be looking to changing her food. Thanks shelties mom for this link. 🙂 Momof2cavs I am sorry to hear of your loss of Stella. This is one thing we are not looking forward to with 2 of my dogs hitting 12 yrs old soon and with all these issues with our dogs ( I have another one with many issues who we struggle just to keep him comfortable ) . I’m hoping to get all my dogs well and happy as soon as I can. Thank you

[Michos]

Greetings,

I just got on my hands a dry dog food called PET FOOD ACADEMY “the honest approach” Super premium Holistic dog Natural Mix. The package also has the site, http://www.petfoodacademy.com but is under construction.
Can I please have any information about this pet food before I give it to my dog. The vet said it is good but I want a more valid opinion from a specialist on dog food.
I can take a photo of the package if there is a way to send it.

Thanks in advance

Michel

[Mom2Cavs]

I’m not saying this is what you should do for your dog, it’s just my experience with my dog. Stella (and Laverne to some extent) had rumbly stomach. When she had this, she would not eat her meals. I started adding probiotics/enzymes but she would still have the rumbling. I feared it was pancreatitis or fat intolerance, so I switched her to a lower fat food….still happened. I also top with canned foods. I finally decided to put the dogs on a limited ingredient food (dry and can). I still added in the probiotic/enzymes. It worked in her case. Sadly, she went to the rainbow bridge in January with a neurological disease Cavaleirs are prone to. She was 12. I have determined that Laverne has mild allergies, and that she needs a chicken free, limited ingredient diet. I found that Natural Balance Swt. Pot. & Fish worked wonders for her (and all the dogs). However, with the NB/Del Monte merger I am very concerned about the food remaining a quality one. So….I have been transitioning over to 4Health grain free whitefish. I still use various canned foods and try to keep them as limited and lowest fat as possible. I only use probiotics/enzymes every so often now. I did try some other limited diets, such as Wellness Simple (Laverne had problems with the shape of the kibble pieces), Simply Nourish LID Salmon (dogs loved it, and small kibble, but stool wasn’t up to par). I’ve kinda figured out that tomato pomace and carrots bother Laverne, so I will keep those out of her diet from now on. I know that Wellness Core RF is a great food, but it is poultry based and has more ingredients than your typical limited ingredient diet. Perhaps you could change the kibble part of her diet, as well, to a more limited one.

[Gemma60537]

Hi Amy, I’m a Lab mom and I swear by Canine Caviar. I only learned of them 2 years ago from our friend/breeder, and it’s all my 2 year old lab has ever eaten…in the womb, through puppyhood, and to this day. The dry kibble has never had a recall and they are super cautious about their product. I LOVE it! We switched to a different organic brand for about a week when our dog was about 6 months because we have to special order the Canine Caviar…within that week he lost his shiny coat, so back we went, happy to special order it! We just stay a bag ahead. 🙂

Oh, and he smells amazing, breath, body, no doggie gas, and he doesn’t get bathed with shampoo but once or twice a year!

[Saireah]

I was compelled to post in this thread again after I read Hound Dog Mom’s post on the grain-free Four Star Nutritionals page by Fromm: “I think Fromm is a good company but their food is way overpriced for what it is. A 26 lb. bag of the grain free is (depending on the variety) $65 – $70 at my feed store. No way would I pay $65 – $70 for 26 lbs.of food that only has 28% – 30% protein. IMO – there are much better options where you can actually get some meat for your money.”

Can you clarify what other options you personally find suitable? I value your opinion from this thread and have been considering switching my puppy/adult to Fromm’s 4 Star Nutritionals — but am dismayed by the downgraded rating save the salmon recipe which was due to was “due to a change in our minimum protein requirements to qualify for the 5-star category.” (Thanks Dr. Mike!)

Updated stats: I have one 8 month old lab/mastiff mix (64 pounds) and a 2 year old lab/viszla mix (43 pounds). Currently, they are on Fromm’s Large Breed Puppy Gold and Large Breed Adult Gold. I’d love to switch them to something that’s:

* Grain-free
* Suitable for all life stages
* Has not had recalls

I’ve been intrigued by BOGO Bowl as it’s an Iowa company, but it’s simply too much money despite it being for a wonderful cause. What I absolutely loved about the idea of Fromm’s grain-free line is that there’s tons of flavors to choose from and I could mix it up a bit, but the price tag is just not wonderful for a bag of food that’s less than 30lbs when you have TWO big dogs.

I was considering Dr. Tim’s (grain-free Kinesis), but I noticed that they’re not on your list likely due to the calcium (1.51%)? I’d love to find something that’s a 30lb+ bag of food for $50 – $55. I as intrigued by Dr. Tim’s because both the grain inclusive and grain-free are 5 stars on DFA. Now that he’s passed 8 months, do you think I could switch him to Dr. Tim’s?

Would you mind sharing what you personally feed?

Also, as I’ve recently subscribed to Pawalla, they include wet foods in their boxes. Do you suggest adding wet foods to add some variety as a topping to dry every once in a while?

Thanks for your suggestions! 🙂

[jochurch63]

I have an 11 year old female shiba inu. She has had some stomach problems in the past year and we can’t seem to pin point the problem. She would have loud rumbling noises from her stomach. She would be in a lot of pain and distress. She could not sit or lay down comfortablely. She would cry in pain. The vet thinks that the bacteria in her stomach is not being digested properly or something in that idea. She has been put on fortiflora daily, which is a type of probiotic and a Pepcid in the evening. I’m wondering if I should be changing her food. She has been on wellness core reduced fat for most of her life. I would add some canned food to her dry to help her eat because she can be very picky. Recently i have used boiled chicken added to her food instead of canned in case there is something in the can affecting her. Could she be needing a grain in her diet to help with her digestion? I heard this from a pet store employee. I am not sure what I should do.

[mah4angel]

Hello all 😀

My silky Louie is just a mess.
Looking back at his history, I cannot honestly say that there has ever been any time when his stools were not loose, or were solid for more than one or two days. And his stools are always light-colored even when they’re relatively firm. Lately, it’s literally been borderline liquid all the time, and near the end of his walk (usually after two or three times of pooping), he’ll try to go and little specs of mush just come out 🙁
I’ll just go through his history, which I know much more about now. When we got him, we were told that he was currently eating Purina Puppy Chow, which we purchased so we could transition him off of it. We also now know that the owners simply buy whatever is on sale or whatever they happen to pick up at the store. So they’d just stop feeding the dogs the Purina then move onto Pedigree and so on and so forth. So this was his diet for about three years until we got him. We transitioned him from Purina Puppy Chow to Innova Prime Chicken and Turkey over a one-week period because we thought that was appropriate. We now know that it can take a month or more to transition to a grain-free kibble. So we understood the not-so-firm stool at that point. Then, the recall happened. I emailed CS and they never got back to me so, and their formula contains a little more carbohydrates than I would like so I decided to switch to Earthborn Holistic Primitive and the wet dinner tuns (we’re currently feeding him the lamb-based one). While switching him to the Earthborn, my jerk of a father-in-law decided I was incapable of feeding my dog and started feeding him Cesar wet food. I figured the switching over and the Cesar caused his loose stools (I know that it caused him to vomit, there was no other reason for that). Now that he isn’t eating the Cesar’s crap, his stools are awful. I give him 3/8’s of a cup of the dry kibble and then half of a tub of the wet food (because he needs restricted calories because he’s almost a pound overweight now).
So, I have no idea what’s going on with him 🙁 The only consistent thing about all of the dry food is that the main animal protein is chicken. Maybe he’s allergic to chicken? He’s had two ear infections since we’ve had him (since March), which may be a sign of allergies. He sometimes paws at his face but since he has an ear infection, that’s not surprising. It’s also very rare that he does that. I really don’t know! I don’t know what to do. I got the lamb wet tubs because I thought that lamb is better for sensitive tummies/a hypoallergenic protein source.
I’m thinking of switching to Dried N Alive (I was thinking of doing that before discovering that his stools are no better on Earthborn) but what if that’s no better? I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.

[mah4angel]

Yeah 🙁
Now that I look at his history with us, he really has never had consistent or healthy bowel movements. For the most part, his stools are always loose and light-colored. The only consistent thing about the three dry foods we’ve fed him (Purina Puppy Chow-not our choice, Innova Prime Chicken and Turkey, and Earthborn Holistic Primitive. is that they’re all chicken-based (or chicken is the main animal protein). We’ve been doing the Primitive with the Earthborn lamb-based wet food tubs as well. We’ve done plenty of fecal tests with the vet and no parasites… I’m just at a loss.

[Hound Dog Mom]

4Health canned (4.5 stars) is $0.99 per can at Tractor Supply. Pure Balance canned (hasn’t been rated yet but I’d guess 4 or 4.5 stars) is $1 per can at Walmart. ‘Ol Roy Healthy Mix Tubs (3.5 stars) are I believe $1.30 at Walmart. Variety canned foods and Natural Life canned foods (both 4 stars) are generally around $1.50 per can.

Some dry foods that are reasonably priced: 4Health, Pure Balance, Native Performance, Healthwise, Pro Pac, Eagle Pack, Victor (all 4-5 stars and under $50 for the largest bag).

[grover]

I think the Raw Food Advocates would point out that regardless of the quality of the ingredients, even in the 4-5 star levels for dry dog foods, that much is lost to the heating process. What bodes well for these higher levels is the lack of substandard or bad elements. Maybe this is the void that products like Dinovite fills in. Their product is freeze dried and has not been subjected to the heating process(?). Grover’s Mom quit feeding at about 6 weeks. Maybe if he was supported by his mother’s milk another few weeks he wouldn’t be so sensitive to his diet or environment and I wouldn’t be looking for additions to his nutrition now. He has always been on so called quality processed dog food but something wasn’t enough. To date he has been doing Dinovite for about 10 weeks and no paw licking, no ear infections. I am pretty happy about this direction. One vet had suggested I put him on a maintenance Benadryl type product. A ridiculous solution to a dog barely 2 yrs old.

[Crepuscular]

Hi GSDsForever – thanks for the reply. Based on your recommendation and additional research online I’m leaning toward the Fromm Family Classics Adult Formula Dry Dog Food ($37.99 with free shipping from Chewy.com)!

Thanks!!

[pent565]

I’ve been fermenting my chicken feed, which increases the protein count and the availability of nutrients. I was wondering if this can be done with dry dog food, or if the meat ingredients would simply cause the undesirable kind of rot?
A link to the forum on Fermentation: http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/644300/fermenting-feed-for-meat-birds

I mean, fish can be fermented, they do it in Iceland, right? It would be a good alternative for me to raw feeding, which I tried with ferrets some time back and found to be simply too much work and not cost effective. I can barely afford to buy meat for my family, much less my dog. Don’t get me wrong, she has a good quality food, it just in kibble form.

[LckyNmbr12]

Thanks! I’ll look into those. He’s currently on Fromm’s large breed puppy dry food.

[mydogisme]

Hay, I’m up most nights, just about all night reading this sight since my baby girl Dixie died May 8th. Nothing is the same any more. I miss her so much. Dixie would do exactly like your dog. I would spend 60.00 on wellness or natural balance and if we went to visit my son who feeds his dogs the kibb…bits…she would try to steal their food and then slide by me thinking I didn’t see her eating that stuff, just like a kid in the cookie jar!!! Sometime I would add boneless boiled organic chicken and carrot sticks or a sweet potato, but they will eat. They wont go hungry. Just like kids. My daughter when she was 6 yrs.’ old(now 34) only wanted oatmeal, breakfast, lunch and dinner. I took her to the Dr. He said don’t worry, she’ll eat, just offer her the different foods and she’ll come around. Well she did and Dixie did too when to my surprise. She would get up at night and I would find her eating her cereal in her bowl, dry food. Yes, she definitely was a girl eating cereal at night!!!

[echo07]

I have two 15 week old Great Danes. They are currently on Purina Select Large Breed Puppy only because breeder fed this. I would like to switch to Diamond Naturals Beef & Sweet Potato. I contacted the company & the calcium is 1.2% (as fed), 1.3% (dry matter). Protein 24.5% (as fed) 26.8% (dry matter). I’m getting so confused. Can anyone p,ease give me any feedback on this brand of food. I’ve talked to several people & they recommend it for quality & price. Thanks

[grover]

Update: so far no paw licking and no ear infection. Both were chronic ongoing symptoms before. Was it the Dinovite or did he simply outgrow his problems? Don’t know. I got him at 6 weeks and he has always been on grain free dog food, first Taste of the Wild and currently Earthborn. Both have decent ingredients for a dry processed food and both rank highly on this site. Something wasn’t enough however. I like the results so far so I’ll keep using the Dinovite. Its an ongoing rubber meets the road experiment. If we go a year with no ear infections I’ll be a believer.

[pugmomsandy]

Angels6121,

Look up these foods or brands and look through their different varieties:

Canine Caviar GF
EVO cans
Fresh is Best dehydrated
Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance freeze dried
Great Life GF
Honest Kitchen Zeal dehydrated
Hound and Gatos canned
Merrick 96% canned
Natural Balance LID dry
Nature’s Logic canned and dry
Only Natural Pet Easy Raw and MaxxMeat dehydrated
Pioneer Naturals GF
Sojo’s Complete dehydrated
Smack dehydrated
Tuscan Natural Simply Pure dry
Weruva Marbella Paella
Wellness Simple canned
Wellness cans – duck, turkey, venison, whitefish

[GSDsForever]

angels,

What about Stella & Chewy’s? Excellent food. They make raw dehydrated medallions that are meat & bone based, with organic fruits, veggies, seeds and do not contain any of those ingredients you listed. In fact they don’t include any starches or grains period. This is great brand and dogs seem to really love the stuff. With a maltese it would be pretty affordable to feed, vs a medium or large breed dog. They’re easy to feed too, can be fed either with water or dry, shredded/broken into quarters/whole. Try the DuckDuckGoose — has duck, turkey, goose. No chicken.

Also, I highly recommend Timberwolf, have fed it for years. The Platinum Ocean Blue (fish based) has sweet potatoes (which you said are fine), but no peas, white potatoes, or grains. It has sweet potatoes and garbanzo beans (chickpeas). It’s nutrient dense, very high calorie; so you would be feeding very little especially to a tiny dog. I’d recommend introducing this food slowly over 1-2 weeks to ensure tolerance, as it is very rich and contains ingredients not commonly found in other foods and all at once.

Aside from these, rather than trying a whole bunch of commercial foods, I’d try first pinpointing what your dog CAN handle by feeding ONE protein and ONE carb. And I’d try to make sure that something is an actual allergy vs an intolerance or upset, since they are different. I’d try boiled turkey or cottage cheese and sweet potato OR oats (since you know your dog is okay with either). (By the way, many dogs are intolerant of lactose & milk, but fine with yogurt or cottage cheese.)

[mah4angel]

Yes, yes, I know, feeding your dog table food is never a good idea. We should stick to our homemade, raw, dry, whatever dog foods and not feed our dogs table scraps.
However, my dog doesn’t understand that just because something fell on the floor, does not mean that he can pick it up and then growl at mommy when she tries to take it away from you and then eat it.
He did this with a feta cheese-stuffed olive the other day and today he stole a bit of my red baby bell pepper! The bell pepper was completely void of seeds, I checked about ten times before sitting down to eat it and my little guy snatched some up while I was at the stove and he ate it. I mean, I really didn’t expect him to want to eat my olive or my bell peppers. He doesn’t like Ziwipeak’s treats! He’s a very finicky dog. My dog is weird.
It’s not like children, where when they like a vegetable it’s really fabulous, I have no idea whether or not that but of bell pepper was good for him.
IF IT IS GOOD FOR HIM, should I give bell pepper slices to him as a treat as something low in fat, protein, and carbohydrates? I have no idea what kind of a monster I’ve created here…

[Hound Dog Mom]

You could try adding a limited ingredient venison-based canned food, dehydrated food or raw food to make the dry more palatable.

Canned Options:
-EVO Grain-Free 95% Venison
-Canine Caviar Green Venison Tripe
-Natural Balance LID Venison & Sweet Potato
-Addiction Venison and Apple Entree
-Wysong Venison Au Jus

Dehydrated Options:
-Grandma Lucy’s Artisan Venison
-Addiction Fig’licious Venison Feast

Frozen Raw:
-Primal Canine Venison Formula

Also, another dry food that’s venison based and limited in ingredients to possible try would be Addiction’s Viva La Venison.

All of the formulas I mentioned contain venison as the only protein source and some of the canned formulas contain only venison and no other ingredients (aside from vitamins/minerals) so they shouldn’t trigger any sensitivities.

I would also recommend supplementing his diet with a high quality multi-strain probiotic supplement and digestive enzymes to help strengthen his digestive system. A spoonful of pumpkin with each meal during the transition may help as well.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi wantthebest4myk9 –

I would be very interested in seeing these (non-existant) sources that prove protein causes kidney failure. Could you cite them please? I’m very familiar with the Merck Veterinary Manual, in fact I have a copy in front of me, and I can assure you it says nothing of the sort. The only instances in which high levels of protein can be harmful is if a dog has certain chronic medical conditions – i.e. liver shunts, late stage kidney failure, etc. – high levels of protein do not cause these conditions (there’s a difference).

Here are my sources. If you’d like to see more let me know.

Excerpt from “Small Animal Clinical Nutrition 4th Ed.”:

“Feeding protein above requirements to healthy dogs and cats does not result in toxicity because the excess amino acids from the protein are catabolized and waste nitrogen is excreted.” [this is a passive process that does not stress the kidneys]

This is an excerpt from “Pet Food Safety: Dietary Protein” by D.P. LaFlamme, DVM, PhD, Dipl ACVN:

“The ability of dietary protein to to induce renal pathology was studied in both dogs with chronic kidney failure and older dogs without chronic kidney failure. One study, undertaken to contrast the potential renoprotective benefits of protein restriction or phosphorus restriction, compared four carefully controlled diets. The results showed that protein had no adverse affects, even in dogs with kidney failure, although phosphorus restriction did protect against worsening [pre-existing] kidney failure. Two other studies evaluated older (age 6 to 8 years at the start of study) uninephrectomized dogs that were fed either dry diets containing 18% or 34% protein or canned diets containing 22% or 36% protein. No adverse effects from dietary protein were observed. On the contrary, mortality was slightly higher dogs fed the lower protein diet.”

The summary of LaFlamme’s article states:

“Based on a comprehensive review, there remains no evidence that dietary protein causes kidney damage, or any other adverse effects, in healthy dogs.”

This is an excerpt from “Focusing on Protein in the Diet” by TJ Dunn Jr. DVM:

“Ahhhhhh … I know what you’re thinking! Too much protein! Kidney damage! Well, guess what? The very early research that pointed a finger at protein as being a cause of kidney failure in dogs wasn’t even done on dogs! It was done on rats fed unnatural diets for a rodent — diets high in protein. (Were we tinkering with Nature during these “tests”?) Rats have difficulty excreting excess protein in their diets because they are essentially plant eaters, not meat eaters.

Dogs are quite able to tolerate diets with protein levels higher than 30 percent on a dry weight basis. Dogs are meat eaters; that’s how Nature made them! Rats are not. So some of the early research on rats was assumed to be true for dogs … and the myth of “too much protein in a dog’s diet causes kidney damage” was started. And just like any seemingly valid rumor or assertion, it derived a life of its own and is only recently being accepted as untrue.”

This is an excerpt from “Kirk’s Veterinary Therapy XIII, Small Animal Practice” by written by Finco, Brown, Barsanti and Bartges:

“…restriction of protein intake does not alter the development of renal lesions nor does it preserve renal function. Considering these (research) findings, the authors do not recommend reduction of dietary protein in dogs with renal disease or reduced renal function in order to achieve renoprotective effects.”

Dr. Kenneth C. Bovée describes using dietary protein as a nutritional management approach in dogs suffering from kidney disease as “a medical myth”. The common belief that moderate and high protein diets cause kidney disease is also unsubstantiated. According to Bovée:

“Results of the 10 experimental studies on dogs have failed to provide evidence of the benefit of reduced dietary protein to influence the course of renal failure.”

• This reply was modified 12 years, 10 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.
• This reply was modified 12 years, 10 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[sisu]

I have a 14 year old who has acid reflux since she was 3. If the situation persists I encourage you to make an appointment with a gastroenterologist who can scope the dog to determine if the cause is due to a weakened sphincter muscle between the stomach and esophagus. There is a surgical procedure to correct the condition. I wish vets would have taken me seriously when I mentioned the acid reflux as it is now too late for her to have the surgery.

As a raw feeder the journey we have taken has been against my belief in a high meat protein diet. Although fed 3-4 times per day there came a point were she could not tolerate the amount of meat needed to maintain weight without the severe reflux that was damaging her throat and mouth. Natures Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient Turkey did not work. After several brands and combinations I learned chicken, turkey or fish were the easiest for her to digest. Those proteins in a high calorie grain inclusive formula have proven to be the best option. She is currently doing very well on Innova Turkey and Chicken which is 548 calories per cup. The food is moistened to the point the kibble is fully expanded. It is almost mush when stirred. The food is fed 3 times per day as close to 8 hours apart as possible to avoid placing undue pressure on the weakened sphincter muscle.

I have also been adding Mercola probiotics and digestive enzymes. Neither has been added for the past 2 days and there is no difference.

Since Misty’s condition is due to the weakened sphincter muscle, not acid production, Apple Cider Vinegar did not work for her.

Before going to a primarily grain based diet as our situation requires try some of the 3 star grain free brands that would have lower protein and fat than Natures Variety Instinct. Some have 2 lb. packages which would allow you to try without investing in food that may not work. Donate any food that cannot be used to a shelter or local rescue.

[aimee]

Hi Alshasta,

The effect of food components on the pH of the urine can be complex. The sulfur amino acids cysteine and methionine are acidifying and I believe they are found more often in animal based proteins vs. plant protein which is why “meat” is considered acidifying. I’ve also read that corn protein is relatively higher in sulfur AA. However, sulfur AA are only one contribution to the resulting urine pH. Other players are calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium which are alkalinizing and phosphorus and chloride that are acidifying.

You can call the companies of the food you are interested in and ask what the average pH is of the urine of dogs on their diet. But many companies don’t track health parameters of the foods they produce. You can also predict pH based on the amounts of the previous mentioned components ( there are equations to do this). But the best information will be gotten from your own dog by measuring urine pH over various times of day while on a particular diet.

Increasing water intake to decrease urine concentration can also help decrease crystal formation. I’ve read that Apple Cider Vinegar increases urine pH because it has an “alkaline ash”. I don’t think I’d use Vit. C. I know it was tested in cats and it didn’t have an effect on urine pH but I don’t know what dose was tested.

[alshasta]

Thank you very much for your response. This helps me make a decision. I have heard about the apple cider vinegar so I will add that to his food. Thank you again.

[theBCnut]

The way I understand it is that meat protein is a natural acidifier, so look for foods that are high in meat content. What some people do is add a half teaspoon of apple cider vinegar per cup of dog food, or give vit C or cranberry capsules. As long as your dog is full grown, I wouldn’t worry about large breed formula and if he isn’t full grown, you should know that a lot of large breed formulas are not actually appropriate for large breed puppies because they were not formulated according to the most up to date research.

[LeahT]

I had looked at The Honest Kitchen, but that was another one that used rosemary as a natural preservative. There might not be anything behind the connection with rosemary and seizures, but I would like to try finding something without rosemary for now.

I will definitely check out those other sites though. Thank you!

I have been reading about Darwin’s raw, and those don’t seem to have rosemary. They are also running an introductory offer for 10 pounds for $14.95, so I thought I would try that with her. She has become a bit of a picky eater since our lab passed away, so I want to try finding a smaller amount before investing $90 in something she won’t eat.

The problem is though that I live in the middle of nowhere in Kentucky, so there aren’t all that many natural dog food options offered around here. Even Feeder’s Supply, Pet Smart, etc. has a limited selection and most of that is Blue Buffalo. Chances are we will have to order whatever we feed her online.

With the cost of any store bought raw I’m still hoping to maybe feed her half raw/dehydrated and half dry. Hopefully I can narrow down the dry foods I am considering once we get an allergy test.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Jazzy’s Mom –

To calculate the protein level of a food on a dry matter basis (the actual amount of protein) you want to do the following:

1) Subtract the % moisture listed on the package from 100% – this is the % dry matter.
2) Divide the as fed protein percentage found on the package by the % dry matter.
3) Multiply this number calculated in step 2 by 100% to get the actual level of protein in the food.

You’ll notice that the more moisture the food contains, the greater the actual level of protein in the food is in comparison to what’s stated on the packaging.

Adding vegetables to the food would decrease the level of protein, however, I’m not certain if you could add enough to get the protein where you need it to be without throwing off the nutritional balance of the food. No more than 20% of the diet should be unbalanced extras.

[NetG]

I currently feed my dogs purina dog chow but thanks to this site I will be mixing in a higher quality dog food, such as diamond or sportmix, with the intent of phasing out purina and phasing in the new food. With 3 large breed dogs I have been buying 40+ bags of purina for about $20, I was SUPER ecstatic when I saw that diamond is 30 pounds at around $30 at my local feed store, HEY I can afford that 🙂 But some of these were involved in recalls so now I’m a little worried 🙁

Now I would NEVER keep a bag that was recalled nor would I EVER knowingly feed contaminated food to my pups…but you never know your dog food is bad until it’s too late and the recall is out.

So here’s my question; can I heat the dry dog food in the oven (then cool) before feeding and kill any potential contamination without degrading nutrients? Would this add an extra layer of protection as I’m thinking or would it just be a waste? I’ve done this with purina just because it had been in the bin for a while. The pups seemed to appreciate the “refreshed” kibble but it never crossed my mind that I may be over-cooking and destroying nutrients. I really want to switch to the highest quality dog food I can afford to feed them but I don’t want to be counter productive. I know the risk of contamination is low but call me a worry wort. Thoughts?

[alshasta]

My giant schnauzer has crytals in his urine which can develop into serious health issues. He requires a low PH food. Right now he is on Hill Prescription Vet Formula. It is not a very good quality food and full of corn and other grains. Unfortunately PH is not addressed in the labeling of dog foods. Does anyone happen to know of a low PH, high quality large breed dry food? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you

[DieselJunki]

I too was very nervous about starting raw. It seems overwhelming at first. I’m starting mine on it next week. I asked a lot of questions and then read some more, joined a few raw food forums and Yahoo Groups. When I finally put together a menu for a month I put it on here and got lots of wonderful feedback. I adjusted my menu accordingly (well hound dog mom helped Alot with that) and put in an order.

But before, while I was researching, I’ve been feeding The Honest Kitchen. Reading about them (reviews on this site and others as well) and going to their website seeing that they only use human grade food in their food just kind of sealed the deal for me. However it is a bit pricey. Around $95 for a 10lb box. But your dog being on the smaller side it will last you much longer than it lasts me.

Some sites you can order raw food and have them ship it to you are:
My Pet Carnivore
Hare Today Gone Tomorrow
Carnivore Feed Supply (this is a yahoo group)
Or if you live close enough you can go and pick it up and save on shipping.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 10 months ago by DieselJunki.

[LeahT]

I would love to switch her to a raw food diet, but I want to make sure I have done enough research before trying something like that. I want to get her some dry food for now that will hold her over until I feel comfortable with raw food.

I’ll look into the special needs formula though. Thanks! The ones reviewed on this site were a little too high in carbs, but I’ll see if I can find a breakdown for that formula specifically.

Right now I’m looking into possibly Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural, Taste of the Wild, or Evo Turkey and Chicken Formula, and possibly mixing in some frozen raw or dehydrated/freeze-dried. We’ll see what the allergy test says.

[paige-s]

canine caviar special needs ingrediants: Whole Ground Brown Rice, Dehydrated Chicken, Whole Ground Linseed, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Sun Cured Alfalfa, Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Culture, Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Culture, Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Culture, Sun-Cured Kelp, FOS (prebiotic), Calcium Proteinate, Sodium Chloride, Lecithin, Choline Chloride, Parsley, Fenugreek, Peppermint, Taurine, Selenium, Whole Clove Garlic, Vitamin E, Zinc Proteinate, Vitamin C, Papaya, Rose Hips, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Niacin, Beta-Carotene, Manganese Proteinate, Vitamin D3, Biotin, Vitamin A, Riboflavin, Vitamin B12, Potassium Proteinate, Folic Acid.

Special Needs

[paige-s]

Raw food would be excellent for a dog with seizures – and a fish formula would be beneficial as well. you could try canine caviar special needs formula. I have alot of customers at the store i work at with their babies and seizures and these 2 options have been working fantastic. i am not a vet or trained pet nutritionist, just telling you what i have seen work for others in similar situations.

[LeahT]

Thank you HDM! It seems to be pretty much impossible to find natural dog food without rosemary, extract, or oil, but I have found a few. Wysong seems to be one of the best as far as high in protein and low in carbs/fat, but I can’t find any without rosemary. I’m hoping the new vet we are taking her to next week will be able to do an allergy test so that I know a little more of what I’m looking for, but I do have a few in mind now.

DieselJunki – I have been looking into dehydrated food as well. It looks to be pretty expensive, but I’m perfectly willing to give it a try with her if it will help. Is there something you would recommend?

[DieselJunki]

Have you thought about a dehydrated food?

Edit: Oh, well you did say dry food didn’t you. Well it starts off dry at least 😛

• This reply was modified 12 years, 10 months ago by DieselJunki.
• This reply was modified 12 years, 10 months ago by DieselJunki.

[Hound Dog Mom]

I’ve heard mixed information regarding feeding rosemary containing foods to epileptic dogs. I’ve read sources that claim it’s a neurotoxin and can trigger seizures and I’ve also read that in the form and amount it’s used in in pet food it’s not an issue. If it were me, I’d avoid it – better safe than sorry.

A “low fat” food would be a kibble having 12% or less fat, a canned food having 15% or less fat or a raw food having 17% or less fat. Dogs foods typically don’t disclose the level of carbohydrates (although you can find estimations for certain formulas on the review section of DFA) so for this reason I find it easier to focus on the protein level of the food rather than the carb level. As far as kibble goes, foods with 30% or more protein are going to be the “lower carb” foods. If you go with canned or raw foods you can find options that are much lower in carbs/higher in protein than you could if feeding kibble (although many canned foods and raw foods are high in fat so you need to be conscious of this).

[LeahT]

Thank you for the links! I read through them and they are all very helpful.

We have been going to the same vet for years, and my parents for many years before now, but I have been wondering for a while if he is sort of out of touch with more current practices. We had taken our lab to another vet about an hour from here, but he brushed her seizures off as being something genetic. He was the one who recommended we try Neurotrophin, but didn’t seem to have any concern about her food. I will definitely be getting her thyroid levels checked as well.

From what I read in those our Jack needs a diet without carbs, low in fat, and high in protein. I would love to put her on a raw food diet, but I honestly don’t know enough about it that I would trust myself to do that. I would rather, at least until I do some additional research, find a dog food brand to try with her that suits that diet.

I have also read online somewhere (I can’t remember if it was this site or somewhere else?) that there might be some link between seizures and rosemary in dog food. Does anyone know if there is any real evidence behind that?

So, does anyone have any recommendations for low carb, low fat, and high protein dry dog food? And possibly one that falls into that criteria that does not have rosemary? I’m not even certain what is considered “low fat” and “low carb” for dog food, but I found a few through this site that seemed to fit that: Back to Basics, Dried-N-Alive Chicken Formula, Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural, EVO Turkey and Chicken Formula, Primal Freeze-Dried Beef Formula, and ZiwiPeak Dehydrated Venison. I’m not sure what would be the best, but the freeze-dried/dehydrated seemed to have the lowest carb content.

Thanks!

[theBCnut]

I have nothing to add except to say that HDM gave some EXCELLENT advice.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi LeahT –

You vet obviously knows very little about nutrition, this is expected – vets receive minimal education concerning nutrition and what they do receive is funded by the big name corporations like Nestle (Purina), Mars (Royal Canin and Pedigree), Colgate-Palmolive (Science Diet) and Proctor and Gamble (Iams and Eukanuba). Purina and Pedigree are two of the lowest quality dog foods available. Personally, if I were in the situation you are in I would find a new veterinarian.

I would recommend checking out the following articles/videos from Dr. Karen Becker. Dr. Becker is a holistic veterinarian who is very knowledgeable about species-appropriate nutrition and alternative therapies:

“Treating Seizure Disorders in Pets”

healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/11/03/treating-pets-seizure-disorders.aspx

“Pet Seizures and Diet”

healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/02/22/pet-seizures-and-pet-dog-cat-food-diet.aspx

“Holistic Medicine Cures Estie of her Seizures and Allergies”

healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/03/11/holistic-medicine-saves-estie.aspx

[LeahT]

Seeing all the hype about Blue Buffalo and other natural dog foods we asked our vet about switching both of our girls over to something else, but he said that most of the research behind grains causing health problems is somehow funded by these dog food companies themselves. It makes sense to me, since it’s pretty much the same with human food products too, but I’m not all that convinced.

We recently lost our black Lab just a few months after her 13th birthday. She had had seizures for years, but we were told that with her age and being a purebred she was prone to epilepsy. She also had a surgery just a few weeks before the seizures began to remove a tumor in her neck that was dangerously close to her spinal cord, so we always assumed that something might have gone wrong with the surgery. Her seizures weren’t bad enough for Phenobarbital up until the very end, but she had been on Neurotrophin PMG (from Standard Process). It seemed to help for a while, but shortly before she passed away her seizures started getting closer together.

Now though, our Jack Russell Terrier is beginning to have seizures. She has had maybe 5 over the past 3 months, and although they are not extreme, I can see the same signs in our Jack as in the early stages of our lab. It seems to be too much of a coincidence to not somehow be related to the food they both ate. We are going to try the Neurotrophin with her as well, but we were planning to try changing her dog food as well. Our vet recommended Purina or Pedigree, and she has been on Pedigree for most of her life. Based on what I have found I definitely need to take her off Pedigree. We also have an appointment with a new vet next week, so we are trying all the options. All the research I have been doing on dog food is a little overwhelming though, so I was hoping someone could direct me toward a brand to try with her?

Thank you!
-Leah

[pugmomsandy]

Transitioning can be as slow or fast as you want but I would suggest going by how their output is. If your dog has only eaten one food for several years it might take longer to transition as they are not use to the different kinds of ingredients. I’ve even taken two months or longer on one of mine. Basically I got to 80% new/20% old for over a month but I was transitioning them to a high protein/fat diet – Instinct. I usually go with 25/75 for at least a week and if there stools look good then increase to 50/50 for another week until their stools look good, then 75/25 etc. I didn’t know about probiotics or digestive enzymes back then so those probably would have made transitioning easier. You can even feed a mix of kibbles. I usually feed 2 different kibbles together and mix them up in a 1.5 gallon container in different ratios everytime it gets empty.

Also are you feeding a grain food or grain free food? That might also factor in the transitioning. I went from 1 star food to 4 star food to 5 star food over the coarse of a year.

Of course my fosters get zero transition time. I have know idea what they ate in their previous life and what they ate at the vet. I just give them probiotics, digestive enzymes and ground psyllium and hope for the best. They might have soft stool for a few days and that’s it.

I have found that they transition well on Nutrisource grain free and even Nutrisca. Petflow (and probably other online retailers) offer free shipping when you order a certain amount. Petflow’s amount is $49 so a large bag is usually free shipping. I’d get two large bags at once. They’re packed in the box tighter than one single bag.

Once you know how to read ingredients on dog food, it should be the same for treats. I used to give Beggin Strips, Pupperoni and even cheese balls as treats. Even fed one of my fosters Moist and Meaty after jaw surgery not knowing any better. Right now I use Vital Essentials freeze dried nibblets and Dr Becker Bites and Nutrisca freeze dried for treats. For chewing treats I give dry roasted trachea and tripe chews (very stinky) and fresh chicken feet and fresh trachea.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/IMG_4047600x450_zpsf34c6610.jpg
Just remember to cut the claws off!

A whole sardine is an easy additon too.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/IMG_60801024x821_zpsad7d39eb.jpg

Duck and turkey necks are great for chewing and cleaning teeth also. I can find small turkey necks at the health food store sometimes. Chicken necks are always at the ethnic grocery store and so are chicken feet and other kinds of feet.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/IMG_3998594x640_zpsf920079d.jpg

I don’t think you even mentioned raw food so I’ll stop there!

Yes homemade jerky treats are a money saver. You can even use your oven. Set it to the lowest setting and bake for at least 3 hours thinly sliced strips of chicken or other meat/organs on a lightly greased cookie sheet. I guess the new silicone nonstick bakeware will work. Store in the frig.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 10 months ago by pugmomsandy.
• This reply was modified 12 years, 10 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[brianb22]

I was about to ask the same thing.lol. That’s some good info. Thanks! I was researching stores in my city that would sell any of the higher rated brands and I only found one unfortunately. Trying to avoid shipping costs if I can. The ones they have listed are: Advanced Pet Diets, AvoDerm, Blue Buffalo, Canidae, Merrick, Natural Balance, Nature’s Variety, Pinnacle, Royal Canin, Taste of the Wild, Zignature. Seems like they have some that you guys mentioned so I might try those and go from there.
You mentioned transitioning slowly at first and I’ve read that in other places. Exactly what’s the best way of doing that? I’ve switched types of food but the same brand with the small one and she has never seemed like it bothered her. The big one I’ve given the same stuff but have fed her the little one’s food some when I’ve ran out and didn’t have time to go to the store and she’s been fine as well. Would a slow transition mean doing half old, half new for awhile or something like that? I’ve been feeding them eagle pack dry food for the past few years which was given a 4 star review on here so I at least feel pretty good about that. There’s still some red flags but they seem pretty small. I’ll think about keeping that brand in the loop depending on the costs I take on with the new stuff.

[gram]

My question is an extension of the “which food is best”. If you feed a variety of 5 star rated dry foods (i.e. they meet the nutritional requirements), is it a good idea to supplement your adult dogs diet with fresh foods (e.g., tomatoes, apples, eggs, salmon oil, carrots, lean cooked meat, yogurt). All these are foods that my 50 lb. golden mix likes. I feed them to him occasionally as treats. However, should I be feeding them on a regular basis as supplements?
Thanks.
Leslie

[ramroxy]

Thank you all for your input. I am going to try the Acana dry kibble, and see how she does with that.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi brianb22 –

It’s great that you’re considering switching to a rotational diet – providing a wide variety of quality species-appropriate foods is the best thing we can do for our pets.

I currently feed a homemade raw diet with different proteins, different supplements and different fruits/vegetables at each meal. When I was feeding kibble, however, I switched to a new brand with a new protein source at the end of every bag (about every 3 weeks for my 110 lb. male bloodhound) – all the while adding a different canned food toppers daily. When you first begin a rotation diet you may find that it will be necessary to slowly transition between brands (because your dogs are used to eating the same thing daily), but once you do it for awhile and your dogs’ guts strengthen you should be able to switch brands with no transition.

Any of the 4 or 5 star foods would be good options to use in your rotation – which foods you choose will really depend on your budget. I used dry foods that were grain-free and had at least 30% protein, some of my favorites were: Orijen, Nature’s Variety Instinct and Acana. I picked canned foods that were grain-free, some of my favorites were: Nature’s Logic, Tripett, ZiwiPeak and Addiction.

I’d also recommend adding some fresh foods to your dogs’ meals occasionally. Some healthy fresh foods: plain yogurt or kefir (high in quality animal-based protein and probiotics for a healthy gut), tinned sardines or mackerel (high in protein and omega 3’s), eggs (high in quality protein and omega 3’s), lean leftover meat (high in quality protein) and steamed low glycemic veggies (high in antioxidants).

Good luck!

• This reply was modified 12 years, 10 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[brianb22]

I own a 4 yr old great dane(female) and a 5 yr old boston terrier/english or french bulldog mix(female). Have been feeding them eagle pack dry food and beneful wet food(periodically) for the last 3 years or so. Somehow I’ve been ignoring that little voice in the back of my head to pay attention closer to the food I’m giving them until today. Probably because I haven’t seen them have any problems but after reading only a fraction of what’s on this site and elsewhere that is irrelevant now. So even though I know these are hugely opinion based questions with a laundry list of choices and combinations I’ll ask it anyways.
1) What’s 2-3 good choices for a dry food?
2) What’s 2-3 goo choices for wet?
Not sure if it applies but if there’s pet specific ones that any of you all have found to be good obviously feel free to mention that. Otherwise just looking for some good ones so I can start getting them on a rotational diet and off this stagnate one. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
For those of you who do the rotational diet I’d love to hear what your routines entail. Same brand but different types? Length of time for dry and wet? Etc..

[Srmeadow]

My mini Aussie has been diagnosed with struvite crystals. She is 9 months old. Vet prescribed Royan Canin Urinary SO dry dog food and my dog only ate it for a few days and then refused to eat it. Vet then gave me the canned dog food and she does like it much better. However, I’m struggling with the fact that she’s on canned dog food and the only alternative dry food I know of is Hills Science Diet urinary food. I’ve heard that just increasing water intake and occasionally feeding canned food is acceptable. My only worry is if she does develop stones, this will require surgery. I’m avoiding this at ALL costs even if it does mean feeding her a lower quality of food. I’m at a loss and don’t know what to believe. The vet says one thing and many internet forums say other things. I want to listen to my vet, but does my dog REALLY need to be on prescription dog food forever to avoid further bladder issues. Help! Thanks in advance.

[rypke1]

Just curious if there is any information on this dog food, ADM Proud Paws dry dog food. I didn’t see it listed among any of the products. Thank you for any information you can provide.

[anakinthedog]

Good information here; it gives me a lot to think about.
I’m currently feeding 2 cups a day of dry Royal Canin Diabetic kibble and no more than one cup a day of Merrick’s Grain Free 96% Real Chicken canned- he refuses the dry without the canned on top. Urination is becoming more frequent as well as the accidents in the house the last two days. Ketones are normal; blood sugar is close to 600. He’s 34 lbs and consuming as much water as he did before diagnosis of diabetes a month ago. I’m taking him back to the vet this week as his sugar was controlled up until these past two days.
In the interim, has anyone tried feeding their diabetic dog Simply Nourish’s canned grain and gluten free stews? Anakin loved it before he was diagnosed and it seems to be a pretty good food. Low in carbs, high in protein.
Side Note: Im trying to keep his caloric intake around 780/ day. he gets 8 units of Humilin N twice a day after breakfast and dinner. I am not giving insulin with lunch.
Thanks for any feedback you may be able to give and for the OP as well.

[pugmomsandy]

I’ve used Mercola probiotics for about 2 yrs now but have just purchased some Dr Langer’s also (for me to use too). It depends on what I’m feeding. If it’s wet food, I like to sprinkle in the probiotics, if dry kibble, I just like to give them a pill without having to wet the kibble. It’s quite time consuming sometimes to wet the kibble with canned food. This week I’m feeding 12 dogs. Maybe it’s not so much time consuming but the dogs are sooooo impatient when I pop open a can and it can get quite loud!!