[Anonymous]

I also have a Yorkie. I’ve had so many issues of him eating as well. He’s been on Pro-Plan as well as numerous of others to name. These are special dogs and can’t tolerate the natural no grain type of foods, such as Acana. I found this out when he had bloody stools right from the start of eating this brand. He’s back on Royal Canine for Yorkshire Terriers (again). At first he was eating this, now he’s not unless I add something. Then he went for it, then he didn’t. Heated it up and then he went for it for a while and now I’m back to just giving him dry. At times or should I say most times, he has to play before he’ll eat. Never a dull moment with the little guy. I’m sure you have experienced this and these little guys will hold out for the good stuff, but don’t worry in time they will eat. You need to stick to one food especially made for Yorkshire Terriers.

[Mom2Cavs]

Hi, jnconner. I supplement with canned food or freeze dried w/water added for moisture and variety and taste. Lots of people feed just dry, but I recommend adding something to the kibble, at least every now and then, for moisture or freshness, taste and variety. You can do lots of different things. Some people add veggies, fresh meat, sardines, egg, canned food, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. Also, Nature’s Variety is not sold at Petsmart, but is sold at Petco. Hope this helps.

[jnconner]

@suztzu @Mom2Cavs
All, thanks so much for the information. I did find the statement from the PetSmart associate hard to believe and I’m glad I was able to get some feedback here. I purchased the ‘Blue Buffalo Freedom Grain-Free Chicken Recipe for Puppies’ yesterday afternoon and the kibbles are very small. However, having read your post last night, I’m wondering if I should take the Blue Buffalo back and get the ‘Wellness Core Grain Free Puppy Formula’ since the crude protein content is 36%. You also mentioned supplementing with can to up the protein. Is there a reason you do both dry and can dog food outside of providing the additional protein? I’m wondering if this is something I should consider as well.
Does anyone know if the Natures Variety Instinct brand is sold at PetSmart I would like to stick with a 5 Star that I can purchase locally if possible.

[Mom2Cavs]

@Marie….yes, that’s me LOL!

@Betsy….Thanks! I also knew that Susan Thixton likes it. I think I’m gonna rotate it in next (I also change foods alot because I, too, get bored hahaha!). My dog owner friends laugh at me all the time because I’m constantly trying something different with the girls. Hazel (my Black & Tan) sometimes gets dry and flaky, so this might help her…worth a shot. I also found it at Chewy.com. I know who carries it locally, but they will have to special order it for me and sometimes their special ordering isn’t the greatest, so I’ll just order it online.

[DogFoodie]

I’ve used Nature’s Logic kibble for a couple of months, Jan. I started over the summer with their canned foods, which are also excellent. Both of my dogs really like both the canned and the kibble. Bella, my Cavalier was looking a little dry and flaky (when she was on the Canine Caviar rotation before starting Nature’s Logic) and she looks like my shiny, pretty little girl again.

In the canned, I’ve used the lamb and in the the kibbled formulas, I’ve used vension, beef and chicken ~ all with great results. It’s tolerated well… no gas, good stool quality and nice coats.

I’ve ordered it from both wag.com and petflow.com. I was also suprised when I used the store locator on the Nature’s Logic website because they happen to carry it locally at several natural food stores and pet boutiques near me. Try this, you never know: http://www.natureslogic.com/locations/. It’s really pretty affordable also. On petflow.com for example, it starts at about $2.20 per pound for a 26.4 pound bag. I buy the small bags only because “I” get bored quickly and change food on these guys A LOT!

Also, I discovered that Nature’s Logic is one of Susan Thixton’s favorite foods ~ which also meant a lot to me. : )

[PJsmama]

I have a chihuahua, female, about 2 1/2 years old. She weighs only 2lbs, 12 oz. I have trouble finding a dry food with small enough kibble that she can eat easily. Puppy food is not an option, although the kibble is small, she has a tendency to gain weight too easily on puppy food (her mother and a sister from a previous litter also have this problem). Anyone have any suggestions? She is not the only dog in the family but is the smallest by far. Everyone else is eating Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul. Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. By the way, “junk food” suggestions will not be considered. Thank you in advance

[crazy4cats]

Hi- I like http://www.catinfo.org. She does not rate dry food, but has a canned food chart that includes fat, protein, carbs and phosphorus levels in several different brands. I feel there is a lot of valuable information on this site. Good luck!

[weimlove]

All of the brands you’ve been feeding are very low quality. The best diet for your dog is a raw diet. If you don’t want to go the raw route, try to find a kibble where atlesdt the first three ingredients are meat and that is grain free. Some quality brands are orijen, acana, taste of the wild, natures variety, and blue wilderness. Another great option is freeze dried food which all you do is add water and it re hydrates. A great one is the honest kitchen. When transitioning dry dog foods, gradually mix in the new food and then add more new food and less of your old brand over a one or two week period. If you are switching from a low quality to high quality, you may experience some loose stool at first, but you will be very happy because you don’t have to feed as much because there are more nutrients in higher quality foods. Hope that helps!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Cate –

I agree, some supplements are harmful in excess. However, glucosamine, chondroitin and hyaluronic acid are very safe supplements. They can be consumed at many times the daily dose with no ill effects. The amounts in food are very low with most having only around 400 mg. glucosamine per kilogram of food – this equates to a mere 30 or so mg. per cup (just to give you an idea – a 50 lb. dog would have to eat over 30 cups of dog food a day just to get a maintenance dose of glucosamine). Dogs that are eating a natural diet rich in bones, cartilage and sinew would naturally be consuming these nutrients in very high levels (higher than anything in dry dog food). I’ve never heard of a dog “overdosing” on GAG’s.

[Shihtzumom20]

Thanks Hound Dog Mom,
I feel so much better feeding this to Dawson now that you have checked it out! I was very surprised at the price as well!
Would you recommend I give Dawson your vitamin/mineral supplement? I know I saw a couple variations on the raw food menu thread. If you recommend that how much would I give him? One of my good friends has organic cage free eggs, so I could get him some eggs for vitamin D, he would get just under 2 pounds of food a week. (2 pounds in eight days) I already have his Krill oil picked out, so I need vitamin e and then a vitamin d source, is that correct? I saw in one of your menus, you gave vitamin A reduced cod liver oil, would that be suitable?
And thank you for explaining how to convert to % dry matter, it makes a lot more sense now!
Thank you for your time and all your help Hound Dog Mom!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Oh and you can determine dry matter protein and fat as follows:

100% – % Moisture = % dry matter
[% protein (or % fat, whichever you’re trying to determine)/% dry matter] X 100%

So for example, the food you posted states 16% protein, 12 % fat and 62% moisture.

100% – 62% = 38% dry matter

[16% protein/38% dry matter] X 100% = 42% protein
[12% fat/38% dry matter] X 100% = 32% fat

[Anonymous]

I am by no means a canine nutritionist, merely someone who has put a bit of thought into what I feed mine. My knowledge is not specific to the medical condition and sensitivity of your dog. The guidelines that I found with a superficial online search for cardiac diet were:
– Provide your pet a high-quality natural meat-based diet with at least 25-30% protein (DM basis)
– Make sure your pet LIKES the food so that (s)he consumes enough calories to maintain BMI
– Mild to moderate sodium restriction (severe restriction in advanced cases)
– Supplements: omega 3 fatty acids, taurine, carnitine, B vitamins and Magnesium.
http://www.1800petmeds.com/education/diet-tips-pet-heart-disease-32.htm

I am going to assume that you are looking for a dry kibble based on your previous food choice. I feel that the top of the line dry kibble RIGHT NOW is Orijen. However, it does retail for $80/35lb. As I feed about 400 lb of dog, the budgetary compromise at my house is Merrick Grain Free at roughly $50/35lb.

Prior to Merrick Grain Free, I was feeding Taste of the Wild, but have decided that I prefer Merrick for not entirely nutrition-based reasons. While the protein content is slightly higher and the starch from sweet potato (rather than white), they are reasonably equivalent foods (in nutrition and price). However, Merrick uses all US-sourced ingredients (nothing from China). This is a political issue and safety concern of mine. The larger scale pet recall in 2007 due to melamine contamination was traced to Chinese product, and the more recent Petco recall of stainless steel bowls manufactured with radioactive Cobalt-60 scrap was most likely (while never publicly disclosed) of Chinese origin. Merrick also happens to be manufactured in Texas, where I live. Those variables may not factor into your decision at all, but are important to me.

I could not find a cardiac specific diet offered by Hill’s in their Science Diet or Prescription Diet lines and based my quick comparison on the Adult Advanced Fitness formula. The Advanced Mobility contained more Omega 3’s and Magnesium, but was lower in protein and higher in sodium. Orijen appears to be the best choice, but may not be an option for you dependent on your personal budget. Merrick Grain Free is my compromise, but is based on a few tertiary considerations that may not matter to you. I will be interested to hear what other posters have to contribute. (The following information was retrieved from those companies’ official website product pages and is as vague or detailed as they provided.) The summary comparison is this:

Hill’s Merrick Orijen
Protein 24.2 38 38
Fat 16.4 17 17
Carbohydrate 51.5 ? 25
Sodium 0.32 ? 0.4
Omega-3 Fatty Acids 0.67 0.4 1.1
Omega-6 Fatty Acids 3.33 4.8 3.0
Taurine (yes) ? 0.35
Carnitine ? ? ?
B Vitamins
B1 – Thiamine (yes) (yes) 0.9 mg/kg or 50 mg/kg?
B2 – Riboflavin ? (yes) 45 mg/kg
B3 – Niacin (yes) (yes) 450 mg/kg
B5 – Pantothenic Acid ? (yes) 50 mg/kg
B6 – Pyridoxine ? (yes) 38 mg/kg
B7 – Biotin ? (yes) 1 mg/kg
B9 – Folic Acid (yes) (yes) 5.2 mg/kg
B12 – Cobalamins (yes) (yes) 50 mg/kg
Magnesium 0.099 ? 0.1

Since the foods that I mentioned are simply those that I am familiar with and not anything that I originally researched with cardiac issues in mind, I would recommend that you use this as a springboard for your own research. Maybe there is a better option in Innova EVO, Artemis, etc. Finish out a chart similar to that above on each of the brands that this website lists as top-tier choices. Feel free to call companies like Merrick or Hill’s to ask about specific quantities of items on their ingredients list, but not in their analysis (like B vitamins).

You might also want to consult with a veterinarian that specializes in cardiac issues regarding dietary recommendations and possible supplements. Maybe it is more cost-effective or bioavailable to top-dress your pets dinner with certain vitamins (L-carnitine perhaps). As wonderful as your veterinarian my be, my experience is that the time constraints of their day-to-day rigamarole does not allow time for general practitioners to be current and thorough on more specific issues. Reading journal articles falls to the wayside. Specialist consultation and personal research are important any time you have a specific veterinary/medical diagnosis of concern. Your vet has to have a working knowledge of EVERYTHING. You can concentrate on the single issue that is of prominent importance for your pet.

Good Luck

[Hound Dog Mom]

I wouldn’t feed anything with less than 30% protein. To my knowledge, all of the dry Wellness foods are now being produced at the Wellpet manufacturing plant (Wellpet is the parent company which owns Wellness, Holistic Select, Eagle Pack and Old Mother Hubbard).

[Hound Dog Mom]

I’m not sure of any dry foods that are low fat and have not had any recalls (probably THK and Grandma Lucy’s). Personally, I wouldn’t rule a company out simply because they’ve had a recall. Recalls can happen to any company, the important thing to me is frequency of recalls and how the company handles the recalls. I wouldn’t feed a Diamond product because it seems like there’s a new recall every week and Diamond doesn’t handle the recalls well. I believe the Solid Gold formulas that are manufactured at Diamond are WolfCub, WolfKing, Just a Wee Bit and Hund-n-Flocken.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi sp464 –

I would check out Earthborn – it’s similar in price and rating to TOTW and Canidae but it’s not made by Diamond.

suztzu had a great suggestion with the canned food. Tripett is one food in particular that dogs love – I’ve never heard of a dog that turned their nose up to green tripe. Tripett is just plain canned green tripe so it’s to be used as a topper only, not a complete food. You can take some and mash it up with warm water to make a gravy and completely coat the kibble.

There’s also the option of feeding only canned or a fresh cooked food (such as Freshpet or use a Premix – such as THK’s Preference or Sojo’s) and adding your own fresh meat – dogs seem to prefer these types of foods to dry food, however it could get costly with a larger dog like a great dane.

Are you giving her anything for her joint stiffness? Wysong makes a great supplement called “Arthegic” that has boswellia, sea cucumber, turmeric, ginger, devil’s claw, yucca, red pepper and cetyl myristoleate – all powerful natural anti-inflammatories. I use it occasionally for my senior after he’s had some heavy exercise. You may also want to give her some fish oil daily, the omega 3’s act as a natural inflammatory and seniors can benefit from additional DHA in the diet.

[kmarron]

I am following Dr. Becker’s Real Food recipe for my dog’s raw diet. She says to add dry vitamin D 400 IU as a supplement. Which type of vitamin D is best? Thanks for your input!

[BeagleLover]

Hello,
We adopted our beagle when he was six-months old. At the time, he had ear issues-itching, excess wax, bad smell, etc. After the traditional vet treated him several times for the same symptoms, I figured it was related to his food. Back then I didn’t know about grain-free dog foods and simply searched online for allergy free dog foods.

I found the Holistic Select Brand-Duck & Oatmeal and he was on that diet for about three years. In November, my dog started developing stomach symptoms similar to colitis/IBD. Just last week I had him tested for food allergies using the saliva test-Nutriscan but won’t have the results back for a couple of weeks.

In December, I had switched his dog food again, just to get him off of the grains. The holistic vet I took him to said to feed him a limited dry dog food until his stomach issues are resolved. He recommended Acana Grasslands and my dog has been on that diet close to eight weeks. While his symptoms have not disappeared, they are much better than before. My only concern is that the Grasslands formula has duck in it too. Doesn’t this seem like an unlikely choice?

[thesamster]

Thx, did not know that. How about the other one?
Maybe I asked the wrong question first…
What brand of dry dog food low fat has not had any recalls?

[sp464]

I have an 8 old Great Dane who refuses to eat unless there’s lots of special treats in it – chicken breast, peanut butter, treats, etc. She’s on the skinnier side of healthy, getting too close to underweight for my taste and her refusal to eat is not helping! We use a glucosamine joint powder that mixes with water, so if she doesn’t eat her food within 20 minutes, it becomes soggy cereal. I’ve tried giving her dry kibble and using the joint powder separately and she still won’t eat the kibble unless she’s starving. She never says no to treats and will walk around sniffing things like she’s hungry but really waits for desperation to set in before she goes for the bowl.

I had her on Canidae, as that’s what she was fed in foster care (I’ve only had her 4 months) and she was fine, though never food motivated. She was also fine staying with my sister for a few weeks. In both places, she had another dog who would gladly eat her food if she left it so I think competition played a big role there.

I recently switched her to Taste of the Wild, as I thought the different flavors might be enticing and I’ve tried two different TOTW flavors but she’s had the same reaction as with Canidae.

Any suggestions of other foods in a similar price range to try? Apart from joint stiffness, she’s got no health issues or allergies that I’m aware of. I’m going crazy trying to please this stubborn old lady!

[Beachin]

Hi, I have absolutely had it with the Petsmart Store in my city. They are lazy, over priced and rude. I swore when I left there today to never shop there again. An item that was 9$ at Walmart was $19.00 there and it was “on sale”!!! I left the the item at Walmart because I looked it up on my cell phone and saw it on the first page of a sale advertisement… Checking out at Walmart takes for ever not to mention just parking and walking the length of the store. So, to have to go back in there on my day off AGAIN, just wasn’t gonna happen…. So, here is my question, I am unable to find the canned Simply Nourish Dog food anywhere to purchase on the internet. What food is similar in looks, natural Looking fresh looking chicken, fish etc… And that the dogs will eat. I was mixing this with their dry food…. Please help me on this. I have tried a lot of other food… This one has really worked…

[thesamster]

I have a 9 year old lab mix who had pancreatitis in the past.
The vet suggested low fat high fiber diet.
We have him on Hills Science diet large breed light dry but want something with better ingredients.
Open to suggestions-
thanks

[bluetry35722]

My dog has been diagnosed with an enlarged heart. His vet put him on Hill’s Science Diet and after reading the label and many reviews, I am no longer comfortable with feeding him this. My vet insists that this is a great dog food but I think she is upselling a product that her office carries. Can anyone please advise me on what to feed my guy. I’d prefer a 5 star reviewed dry kibble for dogs with heart issues.

[BryanV21]

Dump the Ol’ Roy. Corn is it’s main ingredient and corn is high on the glycemic index, meaning it can raise your dog’s blood sugar levels, which I’m sure you know is not good for a diabetic dog. Besides that there’s not a single ingredient in Ol Roy that makes me say “well that’s a good one”.

A popular dry food we recommend is Solid Gold Holistique Blendz, as it’s low protein/low fat food that isn’t full of corn, soy, by-product, or generically named meats/meals.

Some people believe that even a diabetic dog should have a high QUALITY protein diet, that is also low in carbs, but I’ll let our raw food feeders cover the benefits of that one since I’m not as familiar with the subject.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Betsy –

No, coconut oil wouldn’t be considered a significant source of linoleic acid. The best sources of linoleic acid would be: safflower oil, evening primrose oil, sunflower oil, hemp oil, wheat germ oil and walnut oil (all >50% LA).

Coconut oil did indeed used to have a very bad reputation. This was partially due to the fact that most of the studies done involving coconut oil’s effect on the body were done using partially hydrogenated coconut oil which is loaded with trans fatty acids, unlike virgin and extra virgin coconut oil. It also wasn’t recognized that not all saturated fats have a negative effect on health, so because coconut oil is comprised primarily of saturated fats many condemned it. Coconut oil is far superior to common vegetable oils (such as corn, soy, safflower, sunflower and canola oil). These vegetable oils are high in omega 6 fatty acids and the omega 6 to omega 3 ratios in the diet of most individuals is already skewed – so adding more omega 6’s merely raises the total amount of omega 6’s consumed further skewing the ratio. In addition, coconut oil is preferable for cooking because it’s highly stable under heat – most other oils oxidize when heated and oxidized fats cause a myriad of health issues.

[DogFoodie]

OK, so HDM, it sounds as though while coconut oil contains some linoleic acid, it’s not necessarily a good source of linoleic acid. Is that right? It obviously has a lot of great health benefits aside from that so, I’m definitely going to start giving it to my dogs again. I like to melt it and mix it into their food and recently, I’ve gotten lazy so I have been skipping that step altogether. So, rather than the krill for Bella, she’s going to get an egg lightly friend in coconut oil several times weekly. Sometimes a raw egg in her food seems to make it too sloppy for her preference.

When speaking of coconut oil for humans, ‘memba how it always used to get a bad rap? Would it be better to use coconut oil in cooking ~ better say than, vegetable oil? My dear old mom flipped when I told her I was giving the dogs coconut oil and I was trying to tell her (in layman’s terms) why it’s good for them. She was sure I was going to kill them.

Squid oil, huh? Sounds… interesting. : )

[Mom2Cavs]

Thanks, HDM! I’ll check into those suggestions. 🙂

[Hound Dog Mom]

Betsy – Coconut oil is more than 90% healthy saturated fats – with small amounts of monounsaturated fats in the form of oleic acid (~6%) and polyunsaturated fats in the form of linoleic acid (~2%). The saturated fat in coconut oil is in the form of medium chain triglycerides (“MCT’s”). The main component of the MCT’s found in coconut oil is lauric acid. The lauric acid is what gives coconut oil it’s anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. I give my dogs at least a teaspoon per day (although doses of up to 1 tsp. per 10 lbs. are acceptable). I’m currently using Jarrow Formulas organic extra virgin coconut oil.

Jan – If your dogs don’t like “fishy” tasting oils maybe try squid oil. I haven’t tried it for my dogs yet, but I’ve been reading about it and I think I’m going to order some after they use up their current bottle of sardine/anchovy oil. It’s low in contaminants because squid have such a short lifespan and very high in DHA (higher than fish oil and krill oil). Supposedly it’s not as “fishy” but I haven’t tried it yet so I can’t say for sure. Another option to get some bio-available omega 3’s and DHA into their diet without fish oil would be eggs. Cage-free omega 3 eggs generally have a little over 100 mg. DHA per yolk – not quite as rich of a source as fish oil, but better than nothing. You could lightly fry the egg in the coconut oil.

[Mom2Cavs]

Oooh..I’m sorry about your thumb! I guess I might not order the krill oil because they sure don’t like regular fish oils in their food. I don’t know about the coconut oil, but maybe HDM or someone will chime in later. 🙂

[DogFoodie]

Hi Jan!

Unfortunately, my Bella doesn’t like the krill and I got it specifically wanting to add Omega 3’s to her diet since she her coat was looking a little dry. Sam, my Golden pup, will of course eat anything I set in front of him and I regularly use fish oil for him due to his pano. For Bella, all I used was two squirts and it’s pretty concentrated so the fish oil equivalent wouldn’t been far greater ~ she obviously has a very good nose.

I swear it never occurred to me to use a thumb tack until I mentioned to Toxed once how I had literally sliced open my thumb trying to poke a fish oil capsule open. A thumb tack would definitely be much safer. My hands were a little wet and my knives are super sharp, but unfortunately have smooth handles and I slipped a bit and split my thumb wide open. : (

Edit: You just reminded me that I have organic coconut oil at home and maybe I’ll get that back out tonight for Bella. Is coconut oil a source of linoleic acid?

[Mom2Cavs]

Betsy, I always use a thumb tack lol! I don’t use fish oil that often, though, because the dogs don’t much care for it in their food, ugh! I use coconut oil more often because they gobble that up lol. I keep trying different kinds/brands, though, hoping to hit on one they’ll accept. I haven’t tried Mercola’s krill yet, but think I will.

[DogFoodie]

I bought some Mercola krill oil in the most incredibly convenient air-less pump bottle: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/krill-oil-for-pets.aspx.

You use one pump per ten pounds of body weight. No pills to poke open and no fingers to slice open while doing so. That said, I also really like Toxed’s idea to poke open a fish oil capsule with a thumb tack.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi LindseyPaterson –

Dr. Becker recommends the following daily dosages for fish oil:

-250 mg. daily for toy breeds and cats (1 – 14 lbs.)
-500 mg. daily for small dogs (15 – 29 lbs.)
-1,000 mg. daily for medium dogs (30 – 49 lbs.)
-1,500 mg. daily for large dogs (50 – 79 lbs.)
-2,000 mg. daily for dogs 80+ lbs.

If you’re using capsules they generally come in 500 mg. and 1,000 mg. and if you’re using liquid 1 tsp. = approx. 4,500 mg. Whether you go with capsules or liquid make sure you refrigerate the oil to prevent it from going rancid and only buy as much as you will use in 2 months. I personally prefer liquid as I find it’s easier to mix into the food and I don’t have to bother with piercing the capsules – I don’t use pump dispensers though. Also, I’d stick with oil from small fish (such as sardines or anchovies), krill oil or squid oil as oil from larger fish can be high in contaminants. Coconut oil may be something else to consider for skin issues – it’s high in medium chain triglycerides which are good for the skin and coat.

[LindseyPaterson]

For the fish oil. How much to use and how often do you recommend doing this?

[lewalk]

Okay, here’s my situation that I’m hoping to get some help with. There are no shelters or rescues in the parishes where I live and work so the animal problem is out of control. I have become the crazy dog lady around these parts. It’s to the point where people stop me on my mail route and offer me dogs. Ten years ago we bought our daughter a lab. I didn’t know better than to not shop, adopt. I do now. Actually I pick up starving and abandoned dogs rather than adopt. This has led to my having the lab who is ten and seven other dogs age three and under. I have realized recently that I need to change their food as they have an array of health problems. My lab is fairly healthy with the exception of dry skin and icky runny eyes. The three year old rat terrier has an itchy behind and has developed a darker pinkish tint bordering on a rash on his belly and inside his arms. The three year old pit mix is surprisingly healthy especially since she was starving when I picked her up. The one year old husky/German shepherd mix is healthy as well. I picked up four pit mix litter mates several months ago running down the highway in the rain. We have since learned they have an immune disorder which has led to them having red mange. The two black pups have dry skin and runny eyes like my lab. One brown pup has diabetes and one has recurring yeast infections on her belly. They are all on a mix of Red Flannel Adult and Purina Puppy Chow with Red Flannel Puppy recently mixed in. I feed them all the same food because it’s easier for me because they always want what the others are eating. I just realized their health problems could be from food allergies. Of course I feed the diabetic dog differently. She eats Science Diet w/d dry and canned food. I don’t have the money to spend a fortune on food as I have a lot of vet bills but I want them to be healthy and happy. Added to this is a puppy less than a year old who has IVDD. I had the sheriff go to the people’s house that had her and talk to them as she was barely able to walk and they weren’t caring for her. Cut to, me having another baby to care for. My saint of a mother is keeping her at her house while we give her the time she needs to rest and hopefully heal. I was also wondering if there was something I could feed her to boost her immune system as well. I was never really an animal person so I don’t know much. I’m trying to learn but am a bit overwhelmed. I will gladly accept all advice and be very thankful for it. I’m sure I haven’t included the correct info. I tend to ramble on and on when it comes to my fur babies.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Okay, in that case your vet’s suggestion makes sense. A liver shunt would be one of the rare instances in which a low protein diet would be preferable.

I would suggest checking out Addiction. They use high quality ingredients, however their foods are fairly low in protein. They have several dehydrated foods ranging from 18% – 22% protein. Sojo’s has 2 dehydrated formulas that are 23% protein. California Natural’s grain-free venison is 21.5% protein, the kangaroo formula is 21% protein and the lamb is 21% protein. The Honest Kitchen’s Keen is 21% protein and Verve is 22.5% protein. Blue Buffalo Basics grain-free is 22% protein.

[BryanV21]

I don’t remember you saying anything about skin issues in your original post that I responded to. If I missed it, my apologies.

Hearing that I wanted to say that if you continue to see any skin or coat issues after switching foods, then try adding some fish oil to your pup’s food. I’d recommend buying it in capsules, which you can break open and pour onto the food (as opposed to pumps, which allow air to get to the oil and can make it go rancid quicker).

[BryanV21]

I don’t know if you heard your vet wrong, but something he said doesn’t add up.

After you were told to stay at or under 21% protein, your vet then said it’s because of arsenic in rice. What does one have to do with the other? Rice doesn’t affect protein. If anything, going with a lower protein food oftentimes means more grains… such as rice.

Is there another reason he is recommending such a low protein diet? Maybe it’s higher quality/animal-based proteins that need to be fed, as opposed to plant-based proteins (for example, peas).

Like HDM, I wouldn’t recommend a food that low in protein unless there’s a legitimate health issue that calls for it. So I’m sorry, but I’m not listing any foods.

[Hound Dog Mom]

A food with only 21% protein wouldn’t be quality. That’s way too low, hardly enough to survive on! Unless your dog has liver disease or is in late state kidney failure I wouldn’t recommend feeding a food with any less than 30% protein. Most of the 5 star grain-free foods will fit the bill. All three of my dogs eat 45% – 55% protein – they range from 7 months old to 7 years old and are all extremely healthy.

Check out Dr. Becker’s articles on picking a quality food – the #1 think to look for is HIGH levels of HIGH QUALITY protein!

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/10/21/selecting-the-best-cat-pet-and-dog-pet-food.aspx

[Anonymous]

The vet recommends that our dry food contain a maximum of 21% protein. Partially due to recent reports of arsenic in rice, we’re also veering toward grain free. A few fruits and veggies would be nice, too. Does anyone know of a quality dry food that fills all these bills?

[LindseyPaterson]

I rescued a 1 year old Rottie. My vet recommend I put him on Medi-Cal Hypoallergenic. It seems to be helping as well as the antibiotics but I do not want to keep him on this food and people have suggested a few different foods. Merrick grain free, blue wilderness, acana. Im just wondering if anyone has a dog with skin issues and feeds them any of these foods or if anyone has any opinions or suggestions on these foods. Thanks.

[LindseyPaterson]

I have a 1 year old Rottie who is currently on Medi-Cal Hypoallergenic dry dog food. The vet recommended this because they think he has a food allergy (when i rescued him he had patches of fur missing and is itchy and scratches) he has been getting better since he has had antibiotics and on this food. But I have been recommened by fellow Rottie owners to switch to Blue Wilderness the Duck one or Acana (the one with duck in as well) Im just worried that the blue wilderness one might trigger the allergies as it has chicken in it as well and i was told to stay away from foods that have common ingredients in them because his old owners fed him cheap food and that could be the cause to his skin condition. Any suggestions or opinions would help. Thanks.

[mydogisme]

Just me, I wouldnt have my dog on S.D. Foods. I had mine on S.D. perscription brand,cd and id for several years. She continued to not do well as I also tryed several holistic brand and found limited ingredient brands that work much better. Try Earth Born Holistic or Mike has a list of 5 star dry and wet food that have limited ingred. I hope she does well.

[Melissaandcrew]

Hi DoggyDoc-

Does RC still give free food to the vets that sell their products to feed to their own dogs?

[Hound Dog Mom]

I’m not trying to argue raw versus kibble. I’m correcting the blanket assumptions that you were making labeling us all as Blue/Wellness/NB pushers fooled by product reps. There’s not one commercial product on the market – “holistic” or non-holistic – up to my standards for what I would feed my dogs.

[DoggieDoc22]

@Bryan at this point your level of ignorance is reaching a comical level. You have done nothing but spout opinions with no basis behind them at all. I at least have backed up my position with an article posted by a well respected veterinary school. I will take what they have to say over the opinion of some random label reader on the internet.

@Hounddogmom. If you want to argue raw vs. kibble that is a completely different argument. The original poster asked a question about dry foods, and that is what I responded to. Raw diets have their advantages for sure, and anyone that has the time and dedication to go the raw route gets my respect. Although feeding kibble may not be the best route, it is the most convenient for the majority of pet owners out there.

The point I have been trying to make is this, don’t fall for the typical bs that dog food manufacturers try to throw out there. All of this talk about grain free, and no byproducts etc. is nothing but marketing. What is important, as I said, is the nutrients found in the food. Royal Canin, although they may use controversial ingredients, spends more money than any manufacturer out there on research, quality control, and feeding trials. This isn’t opinion, this is fact. I much prefer a company that is going to invest their time and money actually trying to find a scientific basis for the amount of each individual nutrient they put into their food, rather than one of the “holistic companies” that bases the formulation of their diets on a preference to certain ingredients.

[Hound Dog Mom]

DoggieDoc22 –

You obviously don’t know my feeding philosophy – I don’t let any company influence my decision on what to feed. I’m not fooled by Blue Buffalo and Wellness commercials or the Blue Buffalo or Orijen rep at my local pet food company. I’m not fooled by dry weight versus wet ingredients or ingredient splitting, nor do I think white potato is superior to grains. In fact I wouldn’t feed any of the foods you mentioned to my dogs (Blue, Wellness, Natural Balance, etc.). My dogs eat real food. Raw meat, bones, organs and whole food supplements the way nature intended – no marketing spin there, no ingredient splitting, no reps selling me food and no need to worry about which ingredients are going in dry and which are going in wet. You’re bashing people for buying into the marketing of certain pet food companies when you are just as blinded by the marketing tactics of the big name pet food companies as anyone else is by the small “holistic companies.”

[BryanV21]

There’s no research? Are you kidding? There’s a TON of research that shows why corn, wheat, soy, and grains in general are not ideal for a dog’s diet.

And where do you think nutrients come from? INGREDIENTS!

Just quit… please. For your sake and mine.

[DoggieDoc22]

“There is also such a thing as consumers fooled by marketing tactics”

It’s funny that you mention that because that’s exactly the way to describe people like yourself, backyardwolf, and BryanV21. Who exactly is it that you ever hear bashing corn, wheat, soy, etc? Let me guess, Blue Buffalo commercials, Wellness commercials, etc. There is absolutely zero research out there that shows that any of the ingredients you list are harmful or of lower quality in any way than potatoes for instance (since that is the carb of choice in Natural Balance since that brand was mentioned in a prior post). The whole “grain-free”/anti-corn kick that has been going around lately is nothing but marketing spin by pet food manufacturers.

The reason is simple, humans, dogs, cats, gorillas, whatever animal you choose to speak of don’t need ingredients. They don’t consume food to fulfill a need for any particular food. They need nutrients. You could put together the most expensive pile of ingredients you could find, mix them all together and feed them to your dog. If they don’t meet your pets nutritional requirements then you just fed them a crap food.

I think a lot of you would benefit greatly from listening to someone other than the Blue Buffalo or Orijen rep at your local pet store and look at the science. Some companies actually spend money researching what is best for your pet and conducting feeding trials to make sure the animals they are intending to feed thrive on their diets. Believe it or not, you can find some actual research based information on the internet, rather than the usual baseless spin put out there by manufacturers. For your own benefit, here is a good place to start: http://www.tufts.edu/vet/nutrition/faq/general_pet_nutrition.html

You might find this section in particular quite enlightening:

“Is the ingredient list a good way to determine the quality of a pet food?

Although ingredient lists are commonly used by lay people to determine the quality of pet foods, this approach has many pitfalls and is very subjective to intentional manipulation by the food manufacturers. Ingredients are listed on labels in order of weight, including water, so ingredients with high water content (like fresh meats and vegetables) are going to be listed higher than similar amounts of dry ingredients even though they may contribute fewer nutrients to the overall diet. Additionally, ingredients from the same source (such as chicken meat, chicken fat, chicken by-product meal) can be split into component parts, further complicating assessment.

Pets require nutrients, not ingredients; a diet full of great sounding ingredients can be less nutritious than a diet containing less appealing (to people) ingredients.”

[BryanV21]

HDM is being kind calling it “mid-grade”. I consider mid-grade something like Natural Balance, which is a fine food, but a little low in meat for my tastes. Anything with corn as a main ingredient is “poor” in my opinion.

I can find all sorts of misinformation on the internet, so telling me I can find it on their website or any other website means nothing. I choose to learn about the ingredients and go from there. And why the hell would you take what the company selling the food has to say? That’s idiotic. I mean… what do you expect them to say? “Our food is filled with corn, which isn’t a great ingredient”?

[backyardwolf]

I have to agree with Hound Dog Mom. When did corn gluten meal and brewers rice become quality ingredients? Corn, Wheat, and Soy are the first 3 things you want to be certain are not in any food you feed your dogs. You will notice that all the foods that are 4-5 star foods do not have these three things. So that is always a good place to start. We all want what is best for our pets and time and time again we have found that these 3 ingredients don’t provide anything good to our dogs.