[Worrier]

Have been feeding my diabetic dog EVO weight management “lowest carbohydate” dry food for 3 years. Her insulin dosage is stable based on her stringent diet. When the EVO was recalled in March, I managed to keep her fed because of the kindness of my retailer who gave me all of the samples they had that did not have the recalled lot numbers. The day I ran out of food, I found another retailer some distance away who had pulled all the recalled EVO and said he had received the new supply of EVO weight management in the 28 pound size. I drove the distance, paid a hefty amount for the food and rejoiced that I had my dog’s regular food (I mix some shredded boneless skinless chicken breast that I bake on the kibble for some flavoring). I felt confident that her levels would remain stable. Well this evening I got the dog advisor alert that the recall had been expanded. Does this apply to the EVO that has just been redistributed to the retailers? I have fed my dog from this bag three times already. Thanks for your help.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi jayjacobs –

As a fellow large breed owner I can tell you that large breed dogs do not need low protein foods. I have three bloodhoubds ranging in size from 68 lbs. to 110 lbs. and ranging in age from 9 months to 8 years and they all eat 45% – 55% protein at every meal. I would never feed my dogs a food that low in protein. I suggest picking another 4 or 5 star food with at least 30% protein. It’s also better to rotate brands – it provides your dog with variety and in case of a recall you’ll have other brands you know you can use.

[jayjacobs]

I have a 5 year old great dane. He has been on Innova Large Breed Adult dry food. As you know the brand has been recalled. Now I need a quality replacement. What do you suggest? I read that great danes need a protein less than 24% and a fat content of 12-14%..not sure how accurate this is for an adult great dane.

Innova was:
Protein-25%
fat-14%
calcium.6%

What would you suggest?

Thanks Jay

[Crepuscular]

Best bang for the buck? We have adopted a 6 month old 30 lb multigeneration mixed breed dog. She is very active (particularly with our twin 6 1/2 year old boys). We are of modest means. I’ve been considering Innova Prime Grain Free (Dry), Wellness Core Dog Food (Dry), and NutriSource Lamb Meal and Rice, or Kirkland Signature Nature’s Domain. There are so many great foods on the site and we want to give “Mitzi” the best food we can afford. Any recommendations for the best possible food that is still reasonably priced??

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi ksufan –

Pooping 3 – 4 times and day and not being able to hold it for more than a few hours is not normal for a dog that’s over a year old. I’d suggest just giving another 5 star food a try. If you could feed all canned food or raw food or substitute half her kibble for canned or raw that may help too as canned foods and raw foods typically contain less filler than kibble and are highly digestible. I’d also recommend getting her on a digestive enzyme supplement to ensure she’s digesting all her food as efficiently as possible.

[ksufan]

I have a 15 month old female great pyrenees that I got from an animal shelter. She is 75 pounds and is eating 4 cups of Taste of the Wild Bison a day- 2 cups in the morning and 2 cups in the evening. She has 3-4 bowel movements a day. Is this normal?? Her previous owners did not crate train her. I tried for 6 weeks but she was so fearful and anxious in it that I would have to give her a bath every time she was in there because she drooled so much.

I have been leaving her out if I have to leave and she doesn’t chew anything up, but WILL go to the bathroom. Because she has such frequent bowel movements, it’s difficult to be able to leave the house for more than an hour or two.

Is there another dry food that would produce less stool??

Thanks for any advice you have!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Has anyone used “Healthy Pet Products” brand raw food? I got a 5 lb. roll of the beef I was going to try out. Dr. Mike hasn’t reviewed it but it doesn’t look too bad and the price was reasonable for a pre-made beef-based food ($3.39/lb.).

Ingredients:
Certified Organic, Range-Fed and USDA Beef, Beef Hearts, Beef Lung, Beef Liver, Beef Kidney, Beef Tripe, Ground Beef Bone, Fresh Whole Eggs, Carrots, Celery, Sweet Potatoes, Garlic, Apples, Cranberries, Vegetable Fiber, Calcium, Dicalcium Phosphate, Choline Chloride, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Niacin, Iron Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate, Copper Sulfate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Managanous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Biotin, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Sodium Selenite.

General Analysis:
51% protein and 25% fat (dry matter)

Not a huge fan of the inclusion of synthetic vitamins and minerals and the fat content is a bit lower than what I’d typically feed my crew but I figured it’d be worth a try and it’d be something different for the dogs (they don’t get commercial raw too often).

[catherine_mcdaniel]

Can anyone recommend a dry dog food that is both chicken free AND grain free, but does not have potatoes (sweet or other) as the main ingredient? Thanks for any recommendations…

[Anonymous]

Hello everyone,

I am using nutritiondata.self.com to find out exactly what nutrients are in my homemade dog food, but does anyone know how to calculate the percentage of carbs/fat/protein in homemade food? Since I don’t know the dry matter basis, I’m not sure how. I tried dividing the total # of grams by the grams of protein, but the result seemed absurdly low, and of course I don’t know the moisture content of the food. That website does show the “caloric ratio” of the recipe though, the percentage of calories from fat/carbs/protein.

I would appreciate any advice on calculating the percent of carbs, fat, and protein in homemade food!

Thank you,

Heath

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi NectarMom –

If Darwin’s telling you the fat levels aren’t what I told you then they’re likely trying to give you the “unconverted” fat levels. To obtain the true fat level it’s necessary to convert the fat to a dry matter basis (same goes for protein) – to get an accurate representation of the nutrient values this is especially crucial for foods with high levels of moisture (raw and canned). Darwin’s general analysis states that the food has 7% fat, but the food is 74% water (this means the fat levels are much higher they’re just diluted by the water). To calculate you first need to determine the percentage of dry matter, we’ll do this by subtracting the wet matter from 100%: 100% – 74% moisture = 26% dry matter (this means that for every 100 g. food you feed 74 g. are water and 26 g. are actual food, this is why the fat levels appear lower than what they actually are on the general analysis). Next, we divide the “as fed” fat level provided on the general anlysis by the percentage of dry matter we just calculated: 7% fat/26% dry matter = 0.26923. We now want to convert this value to a percentage: 0.26923 X 100% = ~27% fat. This is the only accurate way to truly compare fat levels because for example, the fat levels for kibble are practically on a dry matter basis. Kibble is generally only 10% moisture so if the fat level is, say, 15% on an as fed basis the “true” fat level is 17% (doesn’t change much). I hope all that makes sense.

My question is this – did Darwin’s tell you the fat levels I stated were higher that what the actual fat levels after you told them your dog got pancreatitis? They should have a general analysis with all the nutrient values on a dry matter basis and to try and fool you into believing what I told you is not accurate – especially after when you have a dog with pancreatitis – tells me they’re either 1) clueless or 2) trying to be deceptive in an attempt to sell food. I’m not a fan of Darwin’s customer service so neither would surprise me.

I’m going to have to agree with Patty – use a pre-mix and make your own food using extra lean ground turkey. Steve Brown has a great balancer powder that’s specifically designed to balance the fats in poultry (seespotlivelonger.com).

[jmurphy6]

Thank you very much for your response, it was very helpful! I actually do live new a farmer supply store that carries premium brand dog foods (this is where I saw the diamond gran-free). I went by there just a little while ago and got a sample of the diamond. Their prices are very good and only $21.00 for the medium size 14lb bag. I am a little weary because of the recalls in the past but am hopeful all has been resolved. I’m going to try the sample and see how my dog reacts to it. Hopefully it will be a good fit for him. Thanks again for your reply! Have a good day/

– Jon

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi jmurphy6 –

Are you located near a Tractor Supply? Tractor Supply’s store brand 4Health has a new grain-free line of food out that is running $36.99 for 30 lbs. They have a poultry, beef and fish formula – the poultry and beef formulas both contain 28% protein and the fish formula contains 25% protein. The other great thing is this food is manufactured by Ainsworth (not by Diamond like the grain-inclusive line of 4Health). From what I’ve seen the Diamond Grain-Free food is running over $40 for a 28 lb. bag (2 lbs. less than the 4Health) and the formulas only contain 24% protein. Diamond has also been involved in a long string of recalls making many question their level of quality control. So, if you’re trying to cut costs and you’ve got a Tractor Supply nearby I’d highly recommend checking out the new 4Health Grain-Free. If you’re located near a Petsmart another option would be their new Authority Grain-Free – 26% protein and $18.99 for a 15 lb. bag.

[jmurphy6]

Hello,
I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with Diamonds new grain-free dry kibble. I currently feed my dog Wellness Core but it is a little pricey and Diamonds new formula is $15 cheaper for a comparable sized bag. I’ve scoured the internet looking for reviews but haven’t found anything (probably because it’s such a new product). Anyways, I would greatly appreciate any information regarding this food.

thank you,

Jon

[Mom2Cavs]

I don’t know about all the ingredients, but Wellness Core Small Breed meets a lot of those criteria. My Cavaliers are eating it as their dry now and Lucy is eating the Small Breed Healthy Weight (not gf).

[Kevinh219]

We just got a french bulldog pup, shes currently on dry puppy kibble by Fromm.

We were talking to our vet, and they reccomended for our frenchie, that we should find a food with:
-Grain-Free
-Over 30% protein
-Glucosamine
-L-carnitine
-Chondroitin

I know that our Fromm exceeds the protein, but i’m having trouble finding a food that has all of these in it. And when i was at the vet i figured i’d ask after we checked out and didnt see her again, we’re going back in two weeks, but i’m just trying to figure this out now if possible.

Thanks!

[Mom2Cavs]

Hey all! I was at a local specialty store that carries name brand dog foods and noticed a new food from Natural Balance. It’s actually called FAT DOG food lol! They have one for cats, too. Anyway, it is not grain free, but it is a decent protein percentage (for dry food) and very low fat and high fiber. It might be a good food for a dog that has pancreatitis or other fat issues. The calories are very low, though, so you would have to feed more. They are claiming that the food will satiate a dog so it won’t beg for food and that the dog will lose weight. Hmmm…..just an fyi. I was surprised to see it.

[suztzu]

I am looking to add more moisture to my dogs diet he’s been eating Natures Variety Prarie Dry he does not do well on grain free foods. I want to add canned to his diet or a premade raw for variety and a little more protein without all the extra fat. I cannot decipher these canned labels ( I try but am not very successful) I would like to have something in the mid-fat range hes a shih tzu and gains weight very easily. The canned food reviews Ive been looking at are 20% and higher do I need to worry about the fat levels if it is not his main diet ? Even the 4 star foods are really high in fat. Am I missing something, I would feed him canned all the time if I could figure out how not to turn him into a blimp in doing so I know canned/raw is a healthier option for him. Any advice to alleviate my confusion would be helpful Thanks

[BJJ42055]

Any suggestions for storing dry dog food? I am considering the Pet Silo or the metal Simplehuman pet food stainless Steel container w/sealing gasket. If I used the stainless steel bin, I would store the food in its original bag inside the bin. Would opening the bin and exposing the dry food to air degrade the food faster than using the pet silo system? I would consider buying smaller sized bags and buying more frequently in order to use the kibble up before it could spoil.

Thank you for your thoughts.

Beverly

[Cherrie]

Hello!

Over the years we have adopted 4 stray dogs who have drifted onto our small acreage. For the majority of those years I fed them Solid Gold……until the the size of the largest bags became smaller.

I wanted to ask the forum for recommendations on the best quality and quantity for the buck.

I have tried Canidae…..the best option for size @ 44 lbs. Around $60. But it’s also manufactured by Diamond. I realize Solid Gold is packaged by them as well, but all S.G. varieties smelled great and my dogs loved it!

I have also tried a couple different varieties of Tractor Supply’s 4health. And Diamond Naturals. 35lbs @ $35 or $37. And each type r-e-e-k-e-d of the most horrible dogfood smell. Surprise, surprise: Made by Diamond.

Currently I feed them Merrick’s Whole Earth Farms Adult Food. 35 lbs for around $40. Made by Diamond. *Sigh* But at least it passed the smell test!

I have been trying to find a premium dry kibble in the largest bag possible (35+ lbs) for up to $60 (hopefully not packaged by Diamond)……but I have run out of options and I am hoping the members of this forum could make suggestions for me.

Thank you in advance!

[rustyhorse]

I need help also. I have a seven year old female lab/pointer mix. She was found abandoned as a puppy, full of ticks, mouth sores and mange. About two years ago she started scratching under her mouth and licking her belly so much it became raw and infected. I visited several vets who would put her on antibiotics to clear up the belly, but it always comes back. It is now mostly cleared up and itching controlled somewhat with Benadryl. I have talked with the canine dermatologist at the local university and she wants me to do the 8 week food trial before she does a blood test for allergies. She said use a food that has only ingredients that the dog has never had before. Therein lies my challenge. She has previously been on many different foods. I did an 8 week trial using Canidae Pure Sea, but she is still scratching, has terrible flatulence and gurgling stomach. Can anyone recommend a food to try since it now appears she has a sensitive stomach also. The vet also said to avoid grain and chicken. Thanks in advance for your help.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Lola –

I wouldn’t say that holistic foods are any less safe than non-holistic foods and I wouldn’t shy away from higher quality foods just because some have issues or have had issues in the past. For every holistic food with quality issues there’s a non-holistic food out there with quality issues as well. It’s important to research the manufacturer prior to feeding the food. Call the company and ask questions – ask if they’ve had recalls, if yes – ask what the recalls were for, ask if they outsource production, if yes – ask where, ask where they source their ingredients, the grade of the ingredients, etc. etc. Check online forums such as this before feeding a food to read the opinions of people who have actually fed it. It’s important to do your homework. There are many very reputable companies that make natural foods. Also, keep in mind no company is immune to experiencing a recall. A recall can happen to any company at any time and shouldn’t necessarily be grounds for dismissing a company – some very reputable companies experience recalls the important thing is how they handle the recall and what measures they take to ensure the same mistake won’t happen again the future.

[Lola]

Hi again,
I agree that we need to stop the Blue Buffalo but am just having difficulty trusting these newer, holistic foods since so many of them have been having problems. As I mentioned, I had one of my girls for 17 years until 1991. There were no holistic foods and no recalls, sick dogs, etc. I fed her the old standard Purina products and she did great. I want to do what is best for my baby but am really worried about all of the recalls. I had purchased Natures/Natural? Balance at the store mgrs. suggestion and got it home to find that they were having some problems and that’s why I switched to the BB. Have you found that the Fromm, Merrick, etc. have been better than the more standard foods? Thanks so much for all of your help and advice.

[InkedMarie]

Lola, you have to do what you feel is best. Me, I could not feed a food that has been making dogs sick. There are so many good dog foods out there to choose from; some have never had a recall: Fromm, Dr Tim’s, Annamaet…

[Lola]

Okay, so it is true that dogs are getting sick. That is what I had heard and read and why I am concerned. It’s only been 2 days that she is on 100% BB & I hate to have to have to change her diet so soon but it seems the best option. Honestly, I wonder if the old “tried and true” Pro Plan could be the best thing for her. I don’t ever remember these problems in all the years that we used Pro Plan and they have now improved? their line of products. It just seems that there have been many more problems with the newer, holistic, grain free, specialty foods than there have ever been with the premium, older major brands. So confused. Thanks so much for everyones help.

[InkedMarie]

Lola, it may not have been a recall, now that I think about it. Read the Blue thread on Dog Food Advisor; I think people have had dogs sick on it.

[Suresh PM]

Fact is one of the raw material of dog food is meat and bone waste taken from slaughter house as dry product and they are unfit for human consumption since it contains blood, hair, hoof, hide rumen etc. companies don’t provide the information about the animal they use to get the meat. it may be goat, cow, chicken or even dogs and cats. Also the meat which is stored for long days may turn poisonous even its preserved sometimes. So, i decided to avoid pet foods which does’nt contain these meat.

My doubt is- i know many types of grains has proteins, fiber contents than meat….. is it advisable to avoid meat?.. will my dog fall ill if i don’t provide him the food with meat content.?
If no, kindly provide me with brands which produce meat free dog food…

Pls Mail me to [email protected]

• This topic was modified 12 years, 8 months ago by Suresh PM. Reason: Spelling mistake

[NectarMom]

Wow I thought I was the only one with a dog with such horrible symptoms as this. My chihuahua is like a walking epi pen I have to keep injectable steroids and injectable Benadryl on hand in case she gets stung by or bit by an insect. Shes highly allergic to them. I could loose her in. Matter of 2 seconds if I don’t inject her. We were using Acana and she had bad gas and bloat ( she has intestinal food allergies too) I don’t know what ingredient she is allergic to but I know for certain chicken does not agree with her. She also got bad acid reflux on it and so did my other 3 dogs. From what I gather they could not handle the high protein. We switched to Brothers Allergy kibble and the Allergy symptoms eased up but did not totally go away but improved a lot but the acid reflux stayed. ( For a kibble I would still recommend this food) I am still feeding it until I run out and we are now feeding Darwin’s Raw which in only 2 weeks doing a half Darwin’s half kibble a day plus probiotics and enzymes the results for all 4 dogs is amazing. Acid reflux is gone and no gas and stools are always firm. No licking feet and they all seem to have more energy. My oldest just got her teeth cleaned yesterday and my vet made the comment about her fur and asked what I was bathing her in because she had the softest fur. I told him its not the shampoo it is what I am feeding her “Raw”

Seriously, I am not one to push food on anyone with they’re pets but I swear by Raw now and only wish I would have started mine out when they were puppies on it. But if you just cannot feed Raw then I recommend Brothers Allergy or at least a limited ingredient kibble and possibly grain free. Good luck to you. This is one of the best sites and the people on here are very knowledgable and wise.

[Lola]

Thank you so much. She seems to like the fish alot and I always heard the BB was an excellent, premium food. I’ve also heard good things about Merick’s. I remember a much simpler time when there were only 2 or 3 brands of food and no recalls. I had one of my girls for 17 years before there were any premium foods and Alpo was at the top of the list until Pedigree was developed, lol. Why did it have to get so complicated? Thanks again 🙂

[dowsky]

we feed our dogs raw and merrick’s grain free, have had no problems. if your worried about blue buf then I suggest you switch to keep your peace of mind. there are lots of good foods to choose from, I suggest you look right here at 4 and 5 star foods. a few suggestion are merrick’s, fromm’s canidae all grain free would be my suggestion. sometimes the grains can cause loose stools. good luck

[Lola]

I recently weaned my 8 year old Belgian Malinois onto Blue Buffalo. I have had her since she was 7 wks. old. I know that there were some issues starting to crop up lately but couldn’t find anything concrete to substantiate them. Some people said that their dogs were getting sick, loose stools, etc. My girl has not seemed to have any problems but I am still concerned about keeping her on Blue. Any advice/suggestions? She is a rescue from a breeder that recommended Pro-Plan Large Breed and that is what I fed her (with some rare exceptions having had to mix with other dry foods) She is very active only when out in our yard but is usually taking it easy when in the house. I am so confused about what is best for her at this stage in her life and worried about so many recalls and problems with Dog food lately.

[pugmomsandy]

Since you have a small dog you might look into ZiwiPeak. They have dry and canned.

[CrystalGray804]

I need some help and advice. My dog Titus, a 12 year old Pit Bull, has terrible allergies. Well after one vet is now denying service because I am not satisfied with them after a $211 visit, one vet who I found is pretty decent I am at a stand still. His blood work is great, his lungs and heart clear, not really overweight it has been determined “ALLERGIES” We cannot afford to see a dermatologist or get the spots biopsied, can anyone, lol? So we were told change the food. She has recommended Hill’s Prescription Diet Z/D Canine Ultra Allergen-Free, I cannot afford this. Does anyone have any recommendations to an alternative? He will not eat dry unless I mix it with canned. He gets 1/2 can + same amount of dry mixed 2 times a day, vet is fine with this. She said change treats or do not give him any… does anyone want to tell him he cannot have a treat, lol? Please give me your ideas, thank you.

[pvelandia86]

Hello Pattyvaughn,

Yes, we have tried canned food for all kind of dogs, puppy, sensitive stomach, senior. All kind of dry food of all existing brands, chicken and rice as some other vet recommended and its always the same, its good for a couple of days, and then he vomits again. With some food, he vomits the food as not even processed, and some others is just water, large quantities of water. We do not know what else to try and what is wrong with him 🙁

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi taylorjesset –

The only K9 Natural’s formula I would consider feeding is the chicken. The beef and lamb formulas are way too high in fat (and this is coming from someone who feeds their dogs a high fat diet). For the average dog fat should be 50% of protein, for more active dogs or dogs prone to weight loss it’s fine to feed fat levels up to around 90% of protein, but unless a dog is a serious working dog (as in a sled dog in training or something similar) fat should never exceed protein. My dogs are extremely active hounds, I generally keep their fat levels between 60% and 80% of protein. The K9 Naturals Beef formula is 27.8% protein and 57% fat (on a dry matter basis) and the lamb formula is 28.9% protein and 53.8% fat on a dry matter basis! These foods have almost twice as much fat as they do protein. Eating a food this dense in fat could cause your dog to eat it’s daily amount of calories without fulfilling protein requirements. When foods are this high in fat it’s also a good indication that the meat used is very low quality (fatty cuts unwanted in the human food industry).

[taylorjesset]

Hello,
I was wondering if anyone knew anything about K9 Natural Frozen Raw Dog Food (Not the Freeze Dry food)? I was at Pet Food express and I was told this dog food is the way to go. My pup is my baby and I want the best for her!

[Hound Dog Mom]

My suggestion would be to just feed a quality food and brush your dog’s teeth. Feeding raw meaty bones will help or specially designed dental chews (in addition to brushing, not instead of) will help too. Other than prescription foods specifically designed for dental health (which contain low quality ingredients), there are no dry foods that are proven to improve dental health.

[rosek]

Hi I have only recently registered here, but have mooched lots of free advice and support over the past year or so. Hopefully, someone has some specific advice for me.

I have a recycled teacup Yorkie, Chanel (or rather she has me, but I digress…). She had a pretty rough life before she came to me, very underweight (less than 2 #), which we eventually got up to a stable 3.5 #. She has always been finicky, but I eventually figured out that, at least in part, her finickiness is sometimes due to a tummy ache/ gastric discomfort which resolves within 18/14 hours. Belly ache or not, she has also been very picky about her food. She would eat something well, even greedily, for a few days or a week, then go completely off it. So I would start again with a series of canned or dry food, finding something she would like.

Mind you, if this munchkin goes more than about 12 hours without eating, than I have to resort to a high calorie supplement (like nutrical), which she HATES. So I do whatever it takes to get her to get some calories on time (at least 3xday). She is otherwise a very healthy senior.

Anyway, I recently discovered a new pet food “boutique” here in Miami and the owner sold me lots of stuff that I asked for for my next “experiment”, but also highly recommended “Farm Fresh Pet Foods”, fresh, frozen pet foods. At this point, Chanel cannot get enough of the stuff, she jumps, spins, barks at the cats, I have never seen her so excited to eat in 2.5 years. She has been eating it for about 2 months.

My Concern is that no one I know has ever heard of it, and even this site has not yet reviewed it. It may be that they are a great product (as Chanel believes) and just haven’t done great marketing and distribution … Is there any one with specific knowledge of this product? They have a good website, but I would love to hear of personal experience.

thanks to all,
Rose

[Anonymous]

Hello Marcella. I recommend because I have started using with great success Nature’s Logic. You must order on line most likely but it is so worth it. You can contact the owner very easy too, he always answers my emails immediately with any info. Nature’s Logic has even signed the Susan Thixton’s pet food pledge. I use the cat food and I have a pitiful old cat who has always had a brown discharge from eyes and I have used many brands hoping to clear this up. Nothing worked until I tried Nature’s Logic. They have dry kibble, canned and raw. Just wanted to let you know. Beth

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Rambo and Fancy –

Another “prescription” option that would be much higher quality than the Hill’s prescription food is one of the formulas from Rayne Clinical Nutrition. They have a low protein formula for dogs with liver issues. The ingredients are: sweet potato, water, egg, butternut squash, canola oil, sunflower oil, vitamin and mineral mixture, fish oil, calcium. It’s 11.2% protein on a dry matter basis. The foods come in trays, probably similar in texture to a canned food, and are made using human-grade ingredients. I have no idea what the prices are (not cheap, I’m sure), but if it’s something do-able for you it’d be something to talk to your vet about. I’m not sure if you have your dog on a support supplement – but Standard Process has some good supplements that are available through veterinarians only. They have a “Canine Hepatic Support” supplement that utilizes herbs and glandulars that are known to support the liver. Just some more things to think about.

[Rambo and Fancy]

17.8 % protein dry weight

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Rambo and Fancy –

The problem is the minimum protein level allowed by the AAFCO for adult maintenance is 18%, so you’re probably not going to find anything lower than 18% (dry matter) unless you go with a prescription food. If your dog can handle 18% protein some options would be Addiction’s dehydrated line (they have a couple formulas that are 18% protein), Solid Gold Holistique Blendz, Flint River Ranch Senior Plus, Verus Weight Management (this formula actually has 17% stated, would be 18% dry matter), First Mate Trim and Light and First Mate Pacific Ocean Fish Senior/Weight Management.

Here are some links with information about homemade low protein diets for dogs with liver disease if home-cooking is something you’d be interested in:

www(.)dog-health-guide(.)org/canineliverdiseasediet(.)html
www(.)canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels(.)com/liver_diet(.)htm

(you’ll have to remove the parenthesis around the periods, for some reason whenever I post a link the forum puts my post in the spam folder so I have to disguise the links lol)

[turtlemom]

I have a couple Great Danes. I am always researching food and comparing dry kibble labels. They were on Blue Buffalo but my local store went up on the price to 65 bucks a bag I had to re evaluate my budget for dog food. I went to a crap food and they are eating twice as much so the search is on for a good food again. I loved Blue Buffalo but is there a better dry food out there????

I’d love a high calorie food so they don’t have to eat as much (less poo)
I’d love glucosamine and Chondroitin and Omega’s

What is a great dog food for Danes? I’d love to eventually do a raw natural diet….. but that is for another research day 🙂

Oh and sorry if this is already answered … I tried to search but only found large breed puppy info.

Thanks !

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi jlake88 –

No one can really tell you for sure if the calorie count is too low to too high because calorie requirements can vary drastically from dog to dog based on factors such as the obvious size and activity level, but also lean body mass, stress level, age, whether or not the dog is spayed or neutered, environment, breed, etc. For example, I have a 110 lb. unaltered 7 yo. male and a 8 mo. 70 lb. altered female that are both currently eating 2,500 kcal. per day and then I have a 2 yo. 68 lb. altered female that is eating 2,700 kcal. per day. All three are the same breed, kept in the same conditions and have roughly the same activity level. It would seem that my large unaltered male or my growing pup would need more calories than my spayed adult, but that’s not the case – I recently had to bump her intake up because she started to lose weight she didn’t need to be losing.

What you need to do is closely monitor your dog’s weight. If he starts dropping pounds really quickly – feed him more. If he’s not losing at all – feed him less. I’d say that he should lose no more than 1 – 2 lbs. per week, if he’s losing more than that it’s too quick. A good general recommendation is to feed him the amount recommended on the bag for what he should weight – not what he does weigh (although that’s just a guideline).

Another thing to look into – although I understand it can be a little pricey for large dogs – is a dehydrated or canned food. Not only are dehydrated and canned foods healthier than dry foods (more protein, more moisture, less processed, less carbs), but (due to high moisture content) they are much less calorie-dense so your dog can eat a higher volume of food. I think they’re great for weight loss. For example – on average most kibbles have roughly 400 kcal. per cup; most dehydrated foods have around 500 kcal. per cup but they are re-hydrated with around 1 1/2 C. water bringing that calorie count to 500 kcal. per 2 1/2 C. or 200 kcal. per C.; most canned foods have around 400 kcal. per standard 13.2 oz. can which equates to about 250 kcal. per C. Just some options to consider!

Remember, ultimately, weight loss is about calories in and calories out. If he’s consuming more calories than he’s burning he will not lose weight no matter how little it seems like he’s eating and if he’s burning more calories than he’s consuming he will lose weight. If he’s not losing he’s eating too many calories and intake needs to be decreased and/or exercise needs to be increased.

Good luck! 🙂

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi texasniteowl –

Completely understandable that you can’t do raw, it’s not possible for the majority but I thought I’d put it out there is case it was a potential option. I raw feed my crew of three large, extremely active bloodhounds and it gets very time consuming and expensive.

As for toppers – yes, all you would need to do is account for the calories. Generally speaking, the average 13.2 oz. can of dog food as roughly the same amount of calories as an 8 oz. measuring cup of dry kibble.

For fish oil you will want to go by combined EPA/DHA amounts. 100 – 150 mg. mg combined DHA and EPA per 10 lbs. is the general recommendation and what I’d suggest starting with, although I’ve seen sources recommend up to 300 mg. combined DHA/EPA per 10 lbs. for dogs with health issues. The product you’re looking at has a combined EPA/DHA of 610 per serving so that would be just about perfect for your 62 lb. dog.

Human probiotics are perfectly fine for dogs. In fact, I feel that they’re generally higher quality and (oddly) they typically cost less per dose. You certainly can go with a probiotic supplement marketed for dogs, but it’s not necessary. Just look for one with as many strains as possible. If you go with a human supplement, adjust the serving size accordingly. I’d give a 62 lb. dog 1/2 the recommended human dose (although there’s no need to stress about dosages too much as probiotics aren’t something that will harm your dog if you were to accidentally “overdose”).

[texasniteowl]

Thank you both Patty and Hound Dog Mom for your input. I recognize that RAW may be best but it seems intimidating and/or time consuming and/or expensive…and prepackaged/prepared *is* expensive. (Wilson weighs a little over his target weight of 62lbs…we’re currently at 66lb and going down slowly.)

So we do need to stick to dry kibble…at least for now.

I guess I’m leaning towards sticking with the bag of Earthborn Great Plains…at least to finish it…don’t know that I will buy it again. I do have some pumpkin I can add to his meals so I hope that will help with the alternate straining/soft movements. (Also, for what it’s worth, the Great Plains has a guaranteed protein of 34%…lower than the primitive at 38% yes, but much higher than the Fromm’s he was on (27% iirc).)

I will start looking at the options again to try to figure out which to try next. Also, I *am* open to using a topper…either freeze dried or canned. I suppose I just need to account for the calories, right? The rough calorie spot for Wilson’s kibble is 950-975 calories/day. He’s not extremely active…we do around a 1 mile walk daily and he doesn’t get all that many treats. On the Fromm’s, this target had him losing very slowly so I could cut it slightly a bit more, but I’m OK with the extra 5-6 lbs coming off slow.

I have been planning to add fish oil…or Omega 3…supplements. Am confused on amount…do I worry about the amount of epa/dha individually or combined? Example, one product I am looking at has a serving of 2 capsules. That serving contains 360 epa and 250 dha (with the two combined being 610). Is that enough for a dog his size or should I be looking to double that?

I had also been starting to look into Probiotics…HDM I see you listed several human probiotics…no problems with these? I had been looking at Nusentia’s Probiotic Miracle or NWC Naturals Total-biotics but the Swanson for example would be much less expensive.

sigh…apparently I can write novel like responses as well as original posts ;>

[Marvins mom]

Anyone try these “Dinovites” as advertised on the radio? What exactlly are they made of and are they even good for your pets? We’ve swtiched to a 4 star rated dog food for our older dog. He’s always had a bad itchy/smelly problem form about June- Oct comes on slow and then progresses…..seems to be seasonal, but since we’ve switched to NO grain dog food – 4 star – he doesn’t get as bad and doesn’t last as long. Also, in that period of time we us probiotics and extra fish oil….sometimes Benedryl.
Anyway, just want to know about Dinovites?

[texasniteowl]

Hey all…I’m completely new here but have looked at a ton of the reports on the 4 & 5* rated foods. I have a 6yr old mixed breed (some lab) that we adopted at the end of December.
(Also, thru these descriptions, pls keep in mind that it’s been 20 years since I had a dog. We had some dogs when I was a child, but I haven’t had one as an adult.)

Anyway, Wilson came to us on Purina One Smartblend Lamb & Rice. I already knew that wasn’t a great quality food, so after a couple weeks I moved him to Fromm’s Duck & Sweet Potato.

That transition went pretty well but we’ve been fighting allergy issues since we got him. Now, it may turn out that he is just allergic to our grass (bermuda) and there is nothing to be done really, but I’m willing to experiment. (Also, he came to us with an ear infection, so we had lots going on there initially.)

About 3 weeks ago I bought a bag of Earthborn Holistic Great Plains Feast grain free (bison meal and also some lamb meal) from my local pet store (and they carry a great selection of grain free lines…Orijen, Acana, Wellness, Canidae, Cal. Natural, Taste of the Wild, Earthborn, Fromm’s and more…the only main one I wondered about was Merrick which they do not carry). We started off with a 1/4 new to 3/4 old. Wilson had some soft stool (but not diarrhea) for several days…it was almost a week before I moved the ratio up to half and half. We stayed on half and half for two weeks. Initially he also had soft stool again…but it also seemed like it alternated more…very firm (seemed like he was straining) one time and the next time, soft. Sometimes hard and soft at the same trip outside.

Also, he’s developed dandruff and is shedding a lot. Now, we are in Texas and we are having weather in the 70’s to even low 80’s one day already, so part of that is just the season. However, thru Jan. & Feb. he hardly shed at all. But the dandruff? And he also seems to me to be doing more butt dragging than previously. And he’s been doing a lot of paw licking and chewing the whole time we’ve had him.

Just yesterday, I finally upped his kibble to 3/4 new and 1/4 old. His morning poo was hard and seemed straining. His late afternoon poo was soft. (Not soft serve ice cream soft, but soft.)

I know it may be hard to separate the food reaction from the season or other issues (dryness in the house?/low humidity?) but all these things together have me leaning towards ditching the Earthborn and going back to his Fromm’s Duck & Sweet Potato for a bag and then trying a different grain free.

Any feedback or suggestions? I was thinking that I should maybe look for grain free that is duck or fish based since he did well on Fromm’s Duck & Sweet Potato? Also I noticed that the Earthborn is potato free (has peas and tapioca)…maybe I should try a grain free with potato or at least sweet potatoes?

I guess any feedback or suggestions you have as far as what to try or what to look for in behavior/reactions when changing food would be welcome.

Thanks.

[lori]

I would like to know if there is a problem/your experience with feeding 1/2 kibble 1/2 raw in a single meal. I also add a Tbsp of yogurt, fish oil and probiotics, I am currently using Great Life Probiotic & Enzyme. Their other meal is kibble with veggies, yogurt, coconut oil and probiotics. I use commercial raw like Vital Essentials or Small Batch Pet or K9 Natural. They expect something on the top of their food that is why I don’t do veggie and raw as one meal. I do also feed freeze dry raw instead of raw a couple times per week so they get variety. Maybe too much variety? I have one dog with a gurgly stomach the younger one is fine.

[Dolphina13]

Hello
I have a 2 years old lab/australian cattle dog mix and lately he’s been vomitting and having diarrhea quite a lot lately. He’s been fine on Pedigree puppy and adult up until now. I am some sort of on a budget and I can’t afford vet brand dog food so I was wondering a good pet store name brand for gastro diet dry food anyone would recommand.
Thanks for your help :o)

[doberdog]

Wow! Very impressed you make your own food for 3 dogs. That definately is something I need to consider. Thank you for your commercial suggestions. You have been very helpful!