[janet5130]

Hi there. I’m new to this site. I rescued a beagle/terrier/mix (maybe Jack Russel in her but must also be something bigger because she’s taller than a beagle and has a greyhound build) a few weeks ago named Sydney. Her foster was feeding her Purina Pro Plan Selects dry food and mixing in a tablespoon or so of wet Alpo canned food so I continued with this. I’ve noticed she scoots alot on the carpet and I see her licking her private area and butt and chews her paws sometimes. Her anal glands were expressed right before I adopted her so I don’t believe that is the issue. I also notice that when she does poo, it’s much more runnier than any dog I’ve had prior. I wouldn’t say it’s diarrhea but it’s mushy and you can’t really “pick it up” when she does it while I’m walking her.

I had a beagle prior to this dog and fed her Iams Healthy Weight dry dog food which I now see on this site is not good. She developed bladder stones later in life. I had to put her down a few months ago as she had cancer. :o( I’ve heard that feeding all dry dog food can cause bladder stones but I’m not sure that is true. I’ve also heard that feeding a dog dry dog food helps keep their teeth clean but I find that hard to believe also, since nobody brushes their teeth with a cookie. ha!

Anyway, sorry to go on and on…… My question is, bearing in mind that I’m not rich but I’m not exactly poor either, what would you all recommend I feed Sydney? I’m thinking of trying a grain-free food but there’s so much information on here I’m confused. I was thinking about Earthborn Holistic grain free but it is quite pricey. And then, I’m wondering, should I mix in some wet food also?

Also, what about better quality treats and bones? My hubby keeps telling me to stop buying the Dingo bones because they are made in China and probably horrible but what else is there?

Please educate me!

Thanks,
Janet

[DanielleD]

I have a 3 month old Cavalier King Charles and she has a sensitive tummy. What wet puppy food would be good for her? My vet gave me ID but said its really for older dogs, there for she can only be on it for a week. I just started to mix in her dry puppy Eukanuba food (which was what she was orginally on) with the ID. The vet told me to give it to her with the ID. She has giardia but the medicine made her sick so the vet is waiting for her tummy to get better before she takes a different medicine. She takes pepcid ac twice a day with meals. I would like to give her wet food in the morning and dry food in the evening. I would like to buy a good but reasonable price puppy food. I was thinking of the kirkland brand but someone told me not to buy anything that is made out of the US. Please give me advice.

[momofmutts]

Hi, I work in a pet food store, and I’ve come across some cans of Nature’s Variety Instinct lamb that have stale dated. I know that dry foods lose nutrients as they age and should be fed as fresh as possible, but what are your thoughts on canned food? We will definitely not be selling this food, but If it is still safe to be fed, it would be a shame to throw out such high quality food. I would much rather donate it to a shelter if possible.

I’ve always heard that with canned foods, if the tin isn’t bloated in any way, then the contents are still good.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[mydogisme]

hi, I had the same thing with dixie and she has been so sick i watch every sneeze. I had her on Earthborn then switched her to Instints. I gave her only a lttle dry with her wet food and the licking started so I know for sure there is something in the dry Earthborn.I bought the dry Instints to mix with the can Instints and she was still licking! so I took her off of all dry and she is eating 1 full can of eather chicken or beef Instints and she has stopped all licking. There is something in the dry foods,even the hosistic,grain free,the top of the best she cant eat. Somaybe its best to stay with a wet food.

[Rllshamrock]

Hi, I’m new to this website, and I would greatly appreciate some advice. We have an almost 6 year old female, half black lab/half pit bull, she weighs between 50 and 60 pounds. We had been feeding her Taste of the Wild for years, and it seemed to agree quite well with her, and the price was within our budget. We took her off of it as a precaution after a bunch of it was recalled (I learned recently the recall was not in our area…). We had to put her on what we could then afford at the time, which was not great, and it seems to be giving her skin issues now (thankfully, she has no other major medical issues). She has only been on this particular food for a few months, thankfully, and I’d like to get her switched over to something actually good for her ASAP! I was just wondering if anyone could tell me their top recommendations for a grain-free dry dog food, and what I could expect the price to be. Would it be safe to put her back on Taste of the Wild? I have had someone recommend Innova or Orijen, but I think those might be a bit out of our affordability range. Thank you in advance for anything you can tell me!

[theBCnut]

A lot of it sticks to the oils on the food. I feed dry kibble once in a while and just sprinkle the powder on top and stir up the bowl. But it sounds like she likes her arrangements just fine and doesn’t intend to change them until something forces her to. To each his own, live and let live, and all that.

[DogFoodie]

I thought about that Patty. I even brought “extra” Mercola probiotics and enzymes to work the other day in case she was interested, but she feeds her Cocker and a second, much bigger dog, out of the same bowl of dry food. She doesn’t add anything to the dry so the powder would sit there and get sifted to the bottom of the bowl where it probably wouldn’t be ingested.

[Becky]

I have a 1.5 year old pug who started with those exact symptoms at about that same age. We went though all kinds of tests and could find nothing wrong. After trying different foods, including prescription, I’ve discovered she can’t eat dry food. As long as she eats canned food, she’s OK. I figure it must be some kind of preservative on the dry food that she just can’t tolerate. She gets baby carrots for treats and chews on nylabones and the vet said her teeth will be fine.

She’s been eating the canned Nutro Limited Ingred Lamb & Rice and now I’m hearing some scary things about them, so I’m a little worried. I came here to see what I could find out. Does anyone know anything about this?

[Melissaandcrew]

Hi Nectarmom-

I have been trying to reply for two days, and finally its letting me at least post to this thread. My crew eats a variety of food without issues and none have become picky eaters as a result. If anything, they have become more excited about eating to the point of being obnoxious when the bowls come out(working on that!) However, I do agree that a sensitive stomach dog is a “beast unto itself” My dobergal has had issues on and off for 4 years-and only recently have we started getting it under control. The Abady granular worked well,. and now the Victor Ultra pro dry food. However, rotation for her is not the same as the rest of the crew. Her baseline food will stay the same-Victor Ultra Pro, but we will rotate her commercial raw, as well as her canned to offer her some variety.

My point being, not all rotation will be the same for each and every dog. By rotating out the topper portions, we will be able to offer her some variety in her diet. While it will not be as frequent or as extensive as the “normals”, something, imo, is better than nothing.

[donnaf]

I too am very confused. I’m told certain fillers/ingredients (presently using Iams dry food) can cause the dog to smell – mine stinks! He’s a 4 month old golden . We’ve tried several tactics – different shampoos, powders, sprays – he still smells like wet dog at all times!! Anyone have any suggestions as to what food may help ?

[stormaf]

I notice that you have no reviews or ratings for Nutro Natural Choice Ultra dry dog food. Do you plan to do one soon? Thank you very much.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi hassiman –

Your breeder could not be more incorrect. You can’t feed a dog “too much” protein – excess protein that is not used by the body is passively excreted though the urine causing no stress on the organs. Protein is very important for all dogs and especially growing puppies. I wouldn’t even feed a food with 21% protein to an adult dog, let alone a puppy. I always recommend picking a dry food with at least 30% protein and topping with high quality canned foods, raw foods or healthy “people” food (sardines, eggs, lean meat, etc.) to boost protein further. I have 3 bloodhounds – an 8 month old puppy, a 2 year old adult and a 7 year old senior – that all eat a raw diet with protein levels in the 45-55% range. It is now known that reducing protein levels does nothing to prevent renal failure and that protein levels should only be reduced in the late stages of renal failure. Orijen is a wonderful food (the best dry food available in my opinion) and I think you made a great choice that you should stick with regardless of your breeder’s (incorrect) beliefs. If you go to the “library” on Orijen’s website they have some wonderful articles about the importance of dietary protein and the myths surrounding high levels of dietary protein. I’d highly recommend you read these articles to ease your mind. The three I’d recommend you read are: “Myths of High Protein” which was written by Kenneth C. Bovee, DVM, MMedSc at Penn State’s veterinary school; “Effects of High Protein on Renal Function” by Delmar R. Finco, DVM, PhD for the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at the University of Georgia’s school of veterinary medicine; “Pet Food Safety: Dietary Protein” by DP Laflamme, DVM, PhD, Dipl ACVN. To get to the articles from Orijen’s homepage click “FAQ” on the top menu, then click “Library” on the new top menu that appears. You may also want to refer your breeder to these articles before he/she provides any more unknowing puppy buyers with such misguided advice.

[Hound Dog Mom]

The same kibble day in and day out with no treats, canned food or fresh food – I guess that is tough love!

I’m a firm believer that feeding the same food daily – no matter how high quality it is – and denying a dog fresh food (healthy “scraps”) is the worst thing anyone can do for their dog nutritionally.

You ask – “I was lead to believe that dogs do not need variety like we do so please enlighten me where it is stated that dogs need a variety in their diet?” Well, let’s think about this – what living thing, if left to their own devices, would eat the same food every day (especially dry pellets)? Do you honestly think there is one food that can provide every single nutrient a living thing needs to thrive (note I said thrive, not survive)? Different proteins have different amino acid profiles, different proteins have different balances of fatty acids, different trace nutrients, etc. etc. Rotating foods allows you to mitigate the shortcomings of any one food – and every food has shortcomings. It is pet food companies themselves that create the “dogs don’t need variety myth.” They do this to create brand loyalty – don’t be fooled. If you went to your doctor and he handed you a meal replacement bar and said “Look, this processed meal replacement is all you need to eat for the rest of your life. It it 100% complete and balanced and if you try to eat other foods you’ll cause digestive upset.” What would you do? I know I’d laugh and find a new doctor. I hope you understand how ridiculous the idea of feeding one food for life and denying a dog fresh food is.

[Hound Dog Mom]

A balanced raw diet would be best, canned would be second best, dry would be worst (granted they all have the same rating). Pick something that’s convenient (some people don’t have the time to prepare or properly research a raw diet) and affordable (raw and canned foods are much more expensive than dry foods) to you. If you go with kibble for convenience and budget reasons (which is understandable), I’d recommend picking a 4 or 5 star kibble and, when possible, topping the kibble with a quality canned food and/or healthy fresh cooked or raw leftovers (lean meat, eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt, tinned sardines, low glycemic veggies, etc.).

[petshop18]

Dry food,canned, wet food, raw food … it’s all so confusing. So, What kind of food should I feed my dog?

Pet Shop 18 – Online Pet Shop

[Mom2Cavs]

While Natural Balance does use Diamond for one of their manufacturers (and I won’t feed a Diamond food), they might have a food that fits your bill in their LID food, Potato and Duck. They have it in dry and canned form and even biscuit treats. And since you’re already using Blue, have you considered trying their Turkey and Potato grain free Basics food? I also want to mention that I’m using Acana Duck currently and it seems to be working with my sensitive stomach dogs. It does contain potato and while it has your normal vitamins included it doesn’t have many ingredients and is considered hypoallergenic. Pinnacle is another brand that has a Turkey and Potato food that might be worth checking out. Wellness also has Simple Solutions, which is their hypoallergenic food and I believe it may have a Duck formula. I hope this helps some.

[Wellington]

After months of trial and error, our 7-year-old female Boston terrier is finally settled down with a mixture diet of Blue Buffalo’s wild mixture of grilled chicken and salmon (canned) and boiled fresh potatos. I mash and mix them, then warm the mixture in the microwave and serve.

We would like to not have to cook potatoes two or three times a week, and have tried different no-grain dry foods. But, so far all have resulted in either allergic reaction (scratching) or a return to the watery stools she had before we got her stabilized on the current diet.

Yes, I know–if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. However, I would like to experiment with a dry food that contains the basics of potatos and some kind of fowl such as chicken, turkey, duck,etc.

If it doesn’t work, we go back to boiling potatos.

If you know of a product that tends to be pure without a whole lot of additives such as blueberries, cranberries and multi-vitamins, please let us know. We would be most grateful for any recommendations.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi hwballew –

If you go to the review section of DFA and read the reviews for Purina and Iams you’ll see that they are all very low quality foods. Dry food is definitely more convenient, but a balanced home prepared food is the healthiest. By type – from worst to best: kibble < canned < dehydrated < commercially prepared fresh food < balanced home cooked < commercial raw < balanced homemade raw (granted the foods are rated the same). If you want to stick with kibble for convenience reasons, I'd recommend picking out 2 or 3 (or more) 4 or 5 star dry foods and rotating – top the dry food with a quality canned food, raw food or healthy "people" food (eggs, tinned sardines, leftover lean cuts of meat, etc.). Canned foods, dehydrated foods and commercially prepared cooked and raw foods would be a step up from kibble and wouldn't require the time and knowledge that a home-prepared diet requires. These options are more costly than dry, but if cost isn't an issue they'd be a big improvement over dry food. If you do want to home prepare her meals, research first. It's not difficult to prepare a balance diet but it does take some research. There are many great books available with recipes formulated by veterinarians and nutritionists. Dogaware.com is probably the best online resource for homemade diets. The homemade food and raw food forms here have some useful information – my dogs' menus are posted on the suggested menu thread in the raw food forum.

For digestion problems I would supplement with a high quality probiotic supplement, enzymes and a little bit of plain canned pumpkin. Remember, because she's eaten lower quality foods for so long she may experience some digestive upset when you switch foods. These supplements will help a bit – make sure to do a gradual transition.

Is she on a joint supplement? I just posted some supplement recommendations to another poster on the "Mercola Joint Supplement vs. Others" thread under the "Dog Supplements" forum.

Good luck!

[hwballew]

I have a 7 year old Clumber Spaniel.

I’ve been feeding her Purina her whole life, switching between Pro Plan and One. She has also been fed Iams.
She’s very active for her breed (which to any other breed would still be incredibly lazy), and has never been overweight.
She is having digestion problems recently, and with the death of her littermate last Thanksgiving, she has dropped to 48 pounds when she should be between 55-65 pounds.
She shows signs of hip dysplasia, and I was wondering if there is a better diet for her. She just had entropion surgery a month ago to preserve the eyesight she has left, and is doing very well, but I would like to know if there is a diet out there to help protect her eyes.

As a college student, I would prefer dry food recommendations for convenience, but would be able to prepare food for her if it would be best. I’m not worried about cost, I will do anything to lengthen the life of my best friend and keep her healthy. I would love to have my dog for many years to come.

[ptoe]

I have a very picky 15 mo CH Cardigan Corgi.
He will go days without eating.
Turns up his nose at Purina Pro-Plan, Artemis, Taste of the Wild.
He loves 4Health dog biscuits.
Tough love started yesterday. No treats, just kibble.
Didn’t eat last night, so sick in the night.
Today around noon he chose some (very small amount) Nutro Max over Artemis and Pro-Plan.

Any suggestions on irresistible kibble?
He is just a bad about canned food.

I’d love it if you would include a palatability rating on the dry foods as well.

[NectarMom]

I would not give her steroids unless you just have too. I can speak from expierence on this level because time after time my vet put one of my dogs on steroids and now from her being on it so long it is taking her longer to go through a detox period. I wish I would have found Dr Karen Beckers info a long time ago because then I wouldn’t have to be dealing with so many issues with my girl.

I feed her now Brothers Allergy Formula and I use Mercola brand probiotics and enzymes on her food. Dr Becker and Brothers recommend a no potato, grain and no sugar diet. Now I have been on Brothers Allergy since Sept 2012 and it has been a rough road and still is a bit bumpy at times but things have improved alot. My girl still would lick her feet constantly and so I read Dr Beckers solution for this and it has worked so far. She advises to mix 2 cups of white vinegar to one gallon of water and soak your dogs feet and do not rinse but towel dry. ( Keep mixture away from your dogs eyes) Also when giving your dog a normal bath only use a shampoo that is tea tree oil and Aloe. Using oatmeal baths only feeds the yeast. I don’t mind getting my food shipped in if my little dogs are going to be comfortable with the out come of their diet. Now I tried the white meat formula from Brothers and this made us go on a set back once again because of the sweet potato and fruits added in it so we are back on the Allergy and things are getting back to almost where they were. Good luck with your sweetness. Oh and if your dog has problems with yeasty ears then Dr Becker has recommended “Witch Hazel”

[konamisan]

Hi ALL,
I’m new to your forum and truly new some advice! My JRT is 6 yrs old. 2 1/2 years ago, she woke me up at 3am in the morning whining. I turned on the lights to see what was wrong. To my shock and amazement, you could see how red her body was through her white fur. Her body had small lumps and her face had literally changed and looked like a pug! She was scratching, runnining round the house, jumping in & out the tub it was totally frightening and horrible for her. I rushed her to the ER pet hospital. Where she was given a cortiszone injection and Benadryl. I, half bent over the metal cold table coddling her as the lumps, redness,scratching and whining subsided and a whopping bill. It was ok to take her home a 8am in the morning and told to give her the Benadryl 2 times a day for 7 days. 6 months after that episode, she started scratching her ear and body, shaking her head excessively, her shedding, I could have made another dog with the fur that was falling off her although she wan’t balding. So I took her to the vet and he too gave her meds and irrigated her ears. It wasn’t ear mites. She scartched her ear so bad that it bled and she had to wear an e collar in total about 4 months. This went on and off for another 6 months. Her vet never tested her for what could be the problem. He said it may be allergies. Maybe is not the answer I wanted to hear and my JRT & I were both miserable not to mention the bills which was exhausting my finances. I love my Xena and could not stand to see her suffer any more! So I started doing some on line research of what could be the problem? I learned that putting her on a “Raw Food Diet” might be the answer. So I set out to find which one would be helpful.
I stopped feeding her chicken, anything that had potatoes in it and any other grains & cut out the dry kibble. I started her on Steve’s. After about a month, I started seeing that the scratching had subsided the shedding had not. I kept her on it for another half month then introduced her to others like Bravo, Primal, Darwin’s Instinct & Stella and Chewy’s. I even tried shampoos with out success making sure there was no oatmeal in it. For sure that made her scratch & ear cleaning products. I also founf Dr. Karen Becker’s site and bought the “Probiotics, Krill Oil & Ubiquinol” The last 3 products I ran out of. When I can afford it, I’m thinking of purchasing Dr. Becker’s product the “Detox” bites.
Her coat is soft and shiny, but the scratching has come back, she is licking her paws now and her privates & the shedding continues which I serioulsy vaccum 3 times a week. Don’t wear black to my house 🙁 lol although not really funny. Please someone HELP!!!!!!!!!
Konamisan
Well here I am again and the scratching has crept up on us both.

[BennyB143]

Going to try and make this post brief..
Recently got a puppy – 3.5 months old , yellow lab mixed with Shar Pei
When we got him he was eating diamond (I think) brand food and we never fed him it and just got a new type right away , the new type was IAMS Premium Protection Puppy or something similar to that. Well he ran out and I couldn’t find the same food type because the store ran out, so I had to get him IAMS ProActive Health for puppies. Both are dry food obviously.
My question is that, what are the negative effects of this, my roommate seems to think our little pup is soon to be dead or something because he is being really outlandish about this whole thing how I had to get a slightly different type. The pup ate it up just fine; though being a man of logic, I’m assuming the worst possible outcome would be a little upset tummy? We had no time to ease him into the new food type, just poured him a bowl and he ate it up. Any information is greatly appreciated.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi crazy4cats –

The subject of bloat and what factors increase or decrease the risk is very controversial. These are my tips on avoiding bloat based on what my breeders have told me and my personal experience owning large dogs:

1) While a dog can bloat on any type of food, a dog fed a moist diet (raw, canned, etc.) is much less likely to bloat. When feeding kibble you should soak the kibble in water until it expands – this will decrease the risk of bloat and also add moisture to the diet.

2) Don’t allow your dogs to exercise for an hour after eating.

3) Don’t allow your dogs to inhale their food – for some dogs this may mean investing in a portion pacer or a slow feed bowl.

4) Don’t let your dogs drink large volumes of water immediately following a meal.

5) Make sure the dog is getting probiotics and enzymes (unless you’re feeding raw these will likely have to be supplemented). Dr. Maniet, a holistic veterinarian, states “Probiotics and enzymes can help reduce gas, do I’d expect that they also will help reduce bloat.” (Whole Dog Journal)

I’ve had breeders tell me that large dogs should be fed on raised feeders to decrease their risk of bloating and I’ve read the opposite – that raised feeders increase the risk of bloating. I feed my dogs on raised feeders and haven’t had a problem. The raised feeder factor is one of the most controversial.

Some believe that if a food contains citric acid or a dry food with a fat source in the first four ingredients it will be more likely to cause bloat – I wouldn’t hold too much stock in this theory (jmo).

Stress plays a role as well, stressed/nervous dogs are more likely to bloat.

[crazy4cats]

Hi-

I have been trying to find out a little bit about bloat. Unfortunately a co-worker lost her Great Dane to this awful condition. I had never heard of it. Anyway, I have read on a few sites that adding some water to dry food helps reduce risk and I’ve read on others that adding water increases risk. Any advise or words of wisdom as I have large dogs.

[Anonymous]

Need some help here…I have a 8 month old great dane (have had danes all of my adult life). For the last 6 weeks, his stools have been runny..but no discoloration. I had fed him Nutro Max (large breed) from 2 months to 6.5 months. Then problems started…first eating his stools and daily runny stools. The vet has done extensive blood work and found nothing wrong. I changed his dry food to Natural Choice with chicken, brown rice and oatmeal mixture. He has been on different remedies for the loose stools (no-poop pills from the vet, pouring hot sauce on poop and now recommended alfalpha pellets). Also, different vet recommendations for loose stools (pepto bismo, slippery elm, metronidazole and immodium). This is a vicious circle. Can somebody please lead me in the right direction.

[Hound Dog Mom]

abby13 –

All oil has the same amount of fat and all is high in fat – oil is pure fat. 1 tsp. of krill oil has the same amount of fat as 1 tsp. salmon oil. I’m not sure what the fat levels are in the foods you’re feeding but if you’re keeping fat levels low this could be a big reason why she has dry skin. Fat is necessary for healthy skin and coat (in addition to many other things). If she has dry skin I would keep her on a food with at least 15% fat. Supplementing with fish or krill oil would be a good idea too – I’m not sure how big she is, but I posted a dosage chart above. Coconut oil is another fat that is known to help improve skin and coat quality. Remember, dogs have no dietary requirement for carbohydrates and can thrive on protein and fat alone – dogs utilize fat for energy and can tolerate much higher fat levels than people. I’m not sure if you bathe her, but if she has dry skin I’d also watch the number of baths you give. If you bathe her too frequently that can dry the skin. When you do bathe her, make sure to use a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner. Daily brushing can also help to distribute the oils in the fur and help moisturize the skin.

[abby13]

I have a dog that has super dry skin. I have her on a rotational diet and its the same with all of the food she has tried. I’ve considered trying Salmon oil but it’s so high in fat. How long has the krill last with your dogs?

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi tracyx –

You should rotate foods and you should add fresh or canned toppers to dry food. Feeding the same food day after day is very unhealthy, all living things need variety. Switching will strengthen your dog’s digestive system. Another benefit of switching foods frequently is that if there is an issue with a food like an ingredient change and it doesn’t work for your dog, you’ll have lots of other go to options and if there is an issue such as recall due to contamination, your dog will be less likely to be affected if you don’t keep him on any one food for an extended period of time (often times the contaminants are in trace amounts and take months of feeding to build up to a toxic level). Dry food is the worst thing a dog can be fed, it’s not species-appropriate (it’s low in moisture and higher in carbs and protein than fresh meat based foods and canned foods). For this reason it’s a good idea to always top dry food with some quality canned food, a commercial frozen or freeze-dried raw food (rehydrated) or fresh cooked or raw meat. My three dogs eat a homemade raw diet and get something different at each meal. Prior to feeding raw I rotate kibble brands at the end of each bag (about every three weeks) and rotated canned toppers daily (I also added things like raw eggs, tinned sardines, plain yogurt, healthy table scraps, etc.). I know rotating hasn’t made my dogs picky, they’d gladly eat the same food day after day but I would never allow that. I do have hounds though – if you have a more picky dog topping with fresh or canned could make them picky towards just dry. I wouldn’t let the possibility of your dog being “picky,” however, deter you from feeding a healthier more species-appropriate diet. I personally feel that feeding a dog only dry food and feeding the same food continuously is one of the most unhealthy things an owner can do for their animal.

[Mom2Cavs]

Yes, it is your decision and your dog. You are doing what you feel best and I’ll refrain from commenting anymore. We all do what we feel is best for our pets because we love them.

[Anonymous]

I have done what I thought was best thru all of his years and fed him all the natural foods, but always had problems from bloody stools and/or vomiting. Finally, I’m listening to my Vet and feeding him this brand. I’m sure you all are going to argue about how Vet’s don’t get the nutrimental education and etc. But I go to the best Vet in the city and fly in from all over the USA to have them care for their pets since they care for more than dogs, cats & birds~!

[Mom2Cavs]

veggienut, I understand your frustration and I’m usually a firm believer in using what works, but I do have parameters and corn cannot be in my dogs’ food, so I would be looking for a new food still, if it were my dog. Alas, it’s not my dog, so….

Btw, I posted on the Acana Intolerance thread, as well.

[theBCnut]

Then instead of arguing about why the food is “good” just admit you feel safe feeding garbage. Now is not too soon to start researching what you want to switch to if he starts not doing so good.

Oh sorry, that didn’t come out quite like I meant it to. I guess I have strong feelings about these companies that are deceiving people.

[Anonymous]

He’s eating it without issues, and I’ve switched so much due to him having bloody stools from various foods or not liking the food. So if this is working, I’m not switching~!

[Anonymous]

Whoops, I just missed it~! I just checked the bag again, and it’s the 5th ingredient.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Yes, it does contain corn.

Royal Canin Yorkshire Terrier 28 Formula

Ingredients:
Chicken Meal, Brewers Rice, Brown Rice, Chicken Fat, Chicken, Corn Gluten Meal, Dried Egg Powder, Barley, Natural Chicken Flavor, Cellulose, Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed), Anchovy Oil, Dried Brewers Yeast, Potassium Chloride, Soya Oil, Fructo-oligosaccharides, Salmon Meal, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Choline Chloride, Dried Brewers Yeast Extract (source of Mannan-oligosaccharides) , Taurine*, Vitamins [DL-Alpha Tocopherol (source of Vitamin E), Inositol, Niacin Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C*), D-Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B2), Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Vitamin A Acetate, Folic Acid, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement], Magnesium Oxide, Borage Oil, Trace Minerals [Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate], Glucosamine Hydrochloride*, L-Carnitine*, DL-Methionine, Marigold Extract (Calendula officinalis L.), Tea (Green Tea Extract), Chondroitin Sulfate*, preserved with Natural Tocopherols (source of Vitamin E), Citric Acid and Rosemary Extract

Brewer’s Rice: Leftover debris from human-food production, no nutritional value.

Corn Gluten Meal: 85% of corn in the US is genetically modified, according to the NCAP corn gluten meal is “a by-product of processing corn to make corn starch and corn syrup.”; gluten is cheap and of low bioavailability and used to falsely boost the protein content of a food; corn is also highly susceptible to aflatoxin contamination.

Natural Chicken Flavor: Source of MSG

Dried Beet Pulp: 95% of sugar beets grown in the US are Monsanto’s genetically-modified variety.

Dried Brewer’s Yeast: Potential source of MSG.

Soya Oil: 93% of soy is genetically modified.

And look at that huge long list of synthetic vitamins and minerals at the end – they need to add all those because the main ingredients are of little to no nutritional value.

If you can afford this, you can afford much better for your dog. You’re paying a premium price for a mediocre food.

[BryanV21]

4th ingredient

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4006848

BTW, if you get a higher quality food you don’t have to feed as much. Therefore, over the course of say a year, the cost difference is negligible.

[Anonymous]

I just checked the bag of Royal Canine, and it doesn’t have any corn in it….and I can afford to pay for it~!

[Hound Dog Mom]

doggiedog –

No single food meets all of a living thing’s needs and whole food derived nutrients are far superior to synthetically added vitamins and minerals. I “supplement” my dogs’ food – but not with synthetic vitamins and minerals. They get super foods such as spirulina, chlorella, bee pollen; healthy fats such as fish oil, coconut oil, etc.; foods rich in enzymes and probiotics; healthy herbs like turmeric and garlic; etc. What I feed my dogs is so naturally rich in vitamins and minerals that I don’t need to add anything synthetic. I don’t trust a dog food company to add everything needed to keep my dogs’ immune systems in peak condition – because there is no dog food that does this. Chemically synthesized vitamins and minerals are more likely to be tainted, pose a greater risk for overdose and aren’t utilized as efficiently by the body – in whole foods, nutrients work synergistically with hundreds of other compounds and many of these compounds have different forms in nature and can only be found in whole foods. Synthetic supplements have been linked to increased risk of cancer and increases in lifestyle diseases in people – why wouldn’t it be the same for our pets? Many medical organizations advise against the consumption of synthetic vitamins and minerals for humans. This is why foods should be rotated so a dog isn’t overexposed to anything. Your statement that different breeds need different foods isn’t accurate – or at least shouldn’t be accurate if a dog is eating an appropriate food. “a bulldog, which is prone to digestion issue, excessive gas, and weight gain” – probiotics and enzymes address digestive issues and gas, if a dog were eating a fresh species-appropriate diet rich in natural enzymes and probiotics this wouldn’t be an issue; dogs that are overweight don’t need a special food, they need their portion size (calories) reduced, weight loss is based on calories in and calories out not fat content or caloric-density of a food. “Poodle, which is prone to cataracts, dementia, and has a fully curly coat” – again, if eating a high quality species-appropriate foods the chances of any of these “tendencies” causing an issue would be greatly reduced. High quality foods have balanced ratios of quality omega 3 and 6 fatty acids for the coat health and whole food antioxidants help with health issues such as cataracts and dementia. Low-grade foods like RC, SD, Purina, etc. have to add supplements because their base ingredients are so low quality and nutritionally devoid. Luckily for these companies there are tons of people out there like you and veggienut that actually believe synthetically supplemented corn puffs with a picture of your breed on your bag are the best thing to feed.

[InkedMarie]

Veggienut: any time you have a dog with issues, you need to keep tract of what you’ve fed along with the ingredient listings.

[theBCnut]

If you really are a DoggieDoc, you should read the commenting policy for this website. Then you should read up on what nutrition experts have learned in the last several years. Processing food destroys many of the nutrients in said food and just adding them back will never be as good as eating whole non processed or minimally processed foods. Getting a majority of your calories from starch, otherwise known as empty calories, is bad. No dog food is perfect, just like humans need a varied diet, dogs do too, for optimal health. Tell me how healthy you would be if you ate cereal bars for every meal, day in and day out. Garbage in, Garbage out goes for our pets too.

[BryanV21]

What if a dog DOESN’T need a supplement that’s already been added to a food? What then? You can’t take it out of the food, let alone be able to purchase said food cheaper. And speaking of money, RC is a rip-off. Why in the World would you want a food that’s mainly corn? Whether that be for a human or a dog. Corn is a filler, and a poor one at that, so it’s insane that a food whose main ingredient is that should cost that much.

[BryanV21]

Acana is a good dog food. Hell, it’s MUCH… MUCH… MUCH better than Royal Canin. In fact, I could literally name a couple dozen other brands I’d feed my dog, or recommend to others, before Royal Canin. So right off the bat there’s a problem.

With that said, even if somebody fed Acana or almost any other food but RC, their dog may need a supplement(s) of some kind. Take larger dogs that are prone to hip and joint issues… you may want to add a chondroiton/glucosamine supplement to their food. Or say you have a dog prone to UTIs… add a cranberry supplement to their food.

As for your last eye roll inducing paragraph… just like not all different breeds have the same dietary needs, neither do two dogs that ARE the same breed.

I really shouldn’t need to explain this to somebody with “doc” in their name, but alas…

[DoggieDoc22]

“Breed specific foods is a marketing ploy… plain and simple.”

That is another pretty silly and baseless comment. So you are going to tell me that a Poodle, which is prone to cataracts, dementia, and has a fully curly coat has the same nutritional needs as a bulldog, which is prone to digestion issue, excessive gas, and weight gain?

What’s next, you are going to tell me that all humans have the exact same needs too and a professional athlete and a plumber don’t have differences in what they require from what they are eating?

[DoggieDoc22]

“It’s better to buy a good adult food and then add supplements to that. Most dry dog food makers add supplements to their food before cooking, and the food is cooked at such a high temperature that the supplements are all but gone.

Besides, wouldn’t you and/or your vet rather control the amount of supplements in a dog’s food, rather than having somebody else do it for you?”

Or you could feed your dog a complete and balanced diet so that there would be no need for supplementing. By supplementing the food that you give to your dog basically what you are saying is that the food you have chosen to feed them isnt providing all of the nutrients that they need so you are then going to go out and spend MORE money to buy a supplement, rather than just feeding them something that met all of their needs in the first place.

[BryanV21]

It’s better to buy a good adult food and then add supplements to that. Most dry dog food makers add supplements to their food before cooking, and the food is cooked at such a high temperature that the supplements are all but gone.

Besides, wouldn’t you and/or your vet rather control the amount of supplements in a dog’s food, rather than having somebody else do it for you?

[Anonymous]

In my opinion, I believe specific dog breeds need certain ingredients in their diet and a regular adult dog food would not have the specific ingredients of nutrient and vitamins for a Yorkshire Terrier.

[BryanV21]

Breed specific foods is a marketing ploy… plain and simple.

[Anonymous]

I was told by my Vet that “Acana is too rich for my Yorkie & I need to switch him again. I hate to admit that he’s been on over 10+ foods that I can’t keep track. But after I think he’s doing fine on the food, he doesn’t like it and literally has gone 3 days without eating. Recently for a week he only ate once a day and not the whole amount. But we’re sticking to the same food (RC) and just not heating it up anymore.

[Hound Dog Mom]

“These are special dogs and can’t tolerate the natural no grain type of foods, such as Acana.”

Huh. I know a few people with Yorkies who feed high protein grain-free foods and their dogs do great. My grandmother has a Yorkie/Poodle mix that eats a rotation of high protein grain-free foods and Acana is in the rotation, the dog is very healthy…