[Susan]

Change the food, or change the flavour with a few different ingredients & see if it still happening, there’s an ingredient thats either giving her stomach acid or making her feel un-well, something that wasnt in the Merrick, this has just happened with my boy, the poos a great but after eating he wants his grass, so I looked at the ingredients again & realized it has fish oil & rosemary extract in the kibble, so its either the fish oil or the Rosemary, I keep smelling fish on his breath after he’d burp.. I google side effects to fish oil & rosemary in dog & it said both can give acid reflux, direhhea etc, now I have look for a new kibble again, the thing is you’d think they wouldnt eat it after they feel off…

[Harpers Mom]

Harper, my EBT has been eating Merrick for a few months now. We picked up a bag of earthborn GPF the other day and have slowly been transitioning her to the new food. There has been a decrease in stool, which I am not complaining about. But now she is eating grass. We let her out in the back yard and she goes straight for the grass. She will sometimes even eat it to the point she is sick. I’ve heard of adding a super green mix, but what other recommendations does any one have. If I do add a super green mix what do I put in it and how much ?

[andrew b]

So I have a Staffy who is almost 18 months. She has already been allergy tested, and on a scale of 0-4 scored a 2 on numerous things, different types of grasses/weeds, dust and so on, with yeast also registering. We have also done a food trial prior to intradermal testing with Royal Canin HP and her itching really never got better on it. The main issue is she scratches herself bloody. Her neck, under her arms, her face. It’s a sin. We use Temaril-P when needed and it does help, have tried Atopica which didn’t work at all, have tried a new medication called Apoquel that didn’t work at all. Usually when she’s extremely bad(she was at the vet Tuesday, she sees a dermatologist at UPenn), she comes back positive for a yeast infection on her skin. She also started immunotherapy 5 months ago.

The worst of foods(on a relative scale) she has eaten would be Taste of the Wild as a puppy, and when the itching started around 4 months, we have tried, all for nearly 2 month periods, Earthborn, Acana, Nature’s Variety LID and now back to Earthborn since it doesn’t seem to matter.

Where am I going with all of this? Before I fully delve into trying a raw or cooked diet and seeing if it helps, should I just try the lowest carbohydrate food I can find to try and cut down on the yeast issues? If this doesn’t work, I am going either raw, freeze dried or cooked at the end of May. I was going to try Brothers Complete Allergy Formula but I’ve read it’s fairly high in carbs. Would I be better going with something that is 25% or so carbohydrates based on this site’s calorie weighted analysis, perhaps Orijen or Nature’s Variety Raw Boost, or something else?

We’ve tried so much…supplements, oils, she gets Phytovet CK baths 2-3x a week, and it doesn’t improve unless she’s on Temaril and we obviously don’t want that, but when she’s bleeding and will scratch herself for minutes straight unless you stop her, you have no choice.

Any ideas welcome, especially food related. Thanks all, love the site, been lurkin forever.

[Susan]

Not eaten same food after a couple of days is telling me he’s feeling off, Has he had a Endoscope down his throat to look at his stomach.. Ive had alot of problems with my 5 yr old rescued Staffy, vets thinking its Pancreastis then stomach ulcers then stomach bacteria then Small intestine overgrowth bacteria, He was put on Metronidazole for 2 weeks, this helped I think as he wasnt waking up thru the night while taking this med, my boy has pain on his right side under his rib cage he’ll have this for 2-3 days then he’s fine again, did blood test but they came back normal but the test was done when he was feeling Ok & eating, so next time I have to do blood test when he has his pain, some mornings has to eat his grass some mornings vomites yellow bile, then the vet wanted to open him up I said NO, In February after being up half the nite with Patch in pain uncomfortable couldnt sleep pain right side, I booked him for a Ultra Scan but they couldnt do the Ultra Scan for 4 days, the day before Ultra Scan was due he was all better, playing, so I cancelled the Ultra Scan just in case it come back normal like the blood test he had done last September, I gave him a third of a Zantac 1 hour before food every 12 hours there’s been no more vomiting 3 times a week, he’s being naughty, so he’s feeling good again but last Monday he had his pain under the rib cage again & was uncomfortable when sleeping it lasted 3 days again, now he’s good again, I have him on a low protein kibble 22% Fat-10% fiber-1.70% Eukanuba Intestinal, its easier to digest less work on their stomach, Im in the middle of changing his kibble to another Limited Ingredient kibble with low protein again, Patch also has trouble holding his weight.
I’d say after ur dog has eaten he’s having his pain so then he’s not interested in that food again as its made him unwell…Have you tried wet instead, I would but my boy gets diarrhea, next time he refuses to eat lay him on his left side so u can feel his right side & have him real relaxed then start pushing around & under his right rib cage where it starts to go around & see if he flinches, I googled a dogs anatomy to see whats there & its their Gall Bladder, Pancreas & Stomach is towards their spine more… there was something else Ive forgotten I think it was their sspleen…If only they could talk…

[Honeybeesmom1]

Hi Akari, I don’t know why your sweet Bentley coughs. Maybe dry food on his throat?
I give my other 2 dry food w/ a tiny bit of water – but Honeybee only eats canned & dehydrated. He inhales dry food and he just doesn’t do good on it. He coughs when his trachea is acting up or when he gets itchy skin. I didn’t even see the pollen when I had him outside yesterday…or he never would have been out! Keeping him inside is easy…it’s COLD out and he don’t like it. LOL He also gets this way in summer with the grass. Breaks out in hives and skin turns red.
What do you think of Dr. Harvey’s Emune Boost supplement with bee pollen and other good herbs? Maybe that would do Bentley and Honeybee some good.
I rinsed his feet with water and vinegar and no outside for awhile for him. They can keep us on our toes, huh? Lil stinkers!

[Sharon Buchanan]

Interesting, Marie. I live in the Blue Ridge Mountains in NC and our local mom and pop pet store sells BRB. It was the first time I’d seen it so I asked the owner of the shop if he knew anything about where their meat comes from, grass fed, non-GMO… He got defensive. It was bizarre and I couldn’t figure out why. I didn’t buy any, as a matter of fact, I didn’t buy anything and probably won’t ever. A little research on BRB let me to the same articles addressed in your FB post. Now, I wonder what connection or relationship the owner of that shop has with BRB.

[Sharon Buchanan]

Lablubber ~
In answer to your question from the Large and Giant Breed Nutrition forum about raw sourcing:

I decided a few weeks ago that the best diet for Mystery would be raw. Having made that decision, I didn’t think I should wait just because I didn’t have a local source for meat so I started pounding around the raw food thread and large breed raw thread. I asked questions about how to start, what to feed… I knew I wasn’t interested in freeze-dried or frozen patties – my boy is going to eat “manly” meat, where I could find a reliable, trustworthy online place to get meat and poultry and any other essential real food to get me through a search period. Based on recommendations here, I chose My Pet Carnivore (MPC).

Since I would have to wait for my first shipment, I headed to the grocery store, picked up a non-GMO, organic whole chicken as well as some meat with bones in them. I pulled out my German meat cleaver and a cutting board with grooves and discovered an expensive knife and cutting board does not make one a butcher. Next time I’m just going to give it to the meat department and tell them to hack it up for me.

Last week I found a farm that grass feeds, no GMOs, but they do feed grains in the three weeks prior to slaughter (I’m still checking to see if that is standard practice and if not, why it’s done and whether it effects the quality of the meat (other than the tripe) – more questions for my conference list). I may be able to get half of a cow in a few weeks at $2/lb. So, I have a 20 cu.ft. freezer arriving on Saturday and I continue to look at local resources including a dairy farm where they usually put down male calves, as well as chicken, goat and other natural farmed animals. Until then, I’m happy using MPC for all of my meat. I received my second shipment from them today, thank goodness – twice what I ordered the first time and I feel better about the balance of foods. MPC sells a number of balanced grinds – chicken, tripe/organs/etc. They also sell fine ground meats (I assume for small dogs), as well as coarse grind.

So, the answer to your question is – yes, you can buy from a reputable market. It’s cheaper in the long run since you don’t have to pay high shipping fees to ensure frozen mean doesn’t thaw before it arrives. (If you live near MPC they have pickup points.) The first local meat market I called not only couldn’t tell me whether the meat they sell is GMO free but they seemed irritated that I asked. Not going there! I’m also looking for a co-op of folks who are feeding raw but that is turning out to be more difficult to find than I expected.

As for supplements, I’ve been giving Mystery garlic (pest control), and a vitamin C complex (gum health, immune support, antioxidant), from Springtime from the day I brought him home, that hasn’t changed now that he’s on raw. He’s also getting two 825mg capsules of curcumen (variety of cancers, inflammation, among many others), sprinkled on his food and about a tablespoon of coconut oil which I started him on for a skin condition that cleared up in a matter of weeks and continue to give him for a myriad of benefits. I may be adding krill oil to his list of supplements as well.

In addition to all the help you’ll get here, if you go to mypetcarnivore.com, whether you intend to buy or not, they have some links to some great articles on feeding raw – right side, about half way down the homepage. If you sign up for Dogs Naturally Magazine, they email you a link to download their Raw Food Primer.

There are folks here who are much smarter about all of this than I am (which is why I’m here), and they have been really helpful during my transition to raw. Keep asking those questions!

[Susan]

No good, a poo shouldn’t be too hard, sounds constipated to me, a poo should be formed & when u pick it up it feels soft, not too soft where it leaves a poo stamp on the grass, nice & firm like a un cooked sausage, what food do u feed him?? try giving him some boiled Pumkin & maybe a kibble that is higher in fiber, thats if he eats kibble..

[Sharon Buchanan]

The good new is that I received my package from MPC two days late due to all the snow up here but my UPS driver confirmed that it had been on his truck, outside in 20 degree weather. Everything was still frozen – yaay!

I let it all thaw just enough to be able to separate it into single serving portions and then repackaged it using my Food Saver. I’m not convinced this first shipment was the best I could do but I placed another order last night and feel much better about the balance of meats, organs and bone. We’ll get there.

The great new is that I have have a lead on half of a cow – from my UPS driver who’s been getting his half from a friend that has a family farm, raised on grass, not GM, local, $2/lb. A local meat packing company will cut it up for me. My husband has made me promise to not feed Mystery the filet mignon.

For the poop experts out there – I’ve been reading what everyone’s written about poop. So far Mystery’s runs everywhere from a dark umber to a light brown. He even had one yesterday that was mostly light but had a single dark stool in it. They’re definitely not the nearly black, noxious piles he used to leave and they’re much smaller. Does all this sound normal?

[raylene5]

Thanks so much everyone for the replies! It’s not so easy for me to just “not discuss nutrition” with my vet…maybe it’s something I need to learn 🙂 I just have so little patience and tolerance for someone trying to preach to me how raw is not good (and give really ridiculous arguments as to why it’s not).

We have a more holistic-type of vet near us who also does vaccinations and minor surgeries…full-service care. But they are so much more expensive than a traditional vet. The price for the initial puppy visit (not including vax) with the traditional vet was $60. At the holistic vet, the initial consult is $200!!!

Anyway, I will try the kelp or spirulina (maybe at Whole Foods or a nurtrition store?) and see if that helps with the grass. We don’t use pesticides or fertilizers on our grass so it doesn’t really bother me that he eats it, I just don’t want it to cause him to throw up.

Thanks again for all the help!

[USA]

Hi Jason

I’m happy to see that you are looking for safer alternatives for flea, tick and mosquito control!

Products like Frontline, Advantix, etc can buildup in the organs of dogs over time so even though you don’t see immediate side effects they are still dangerous. They are also neurotoxins and I am just glad you looking for alternatives!

Indoors
Wash their bedding at least once a week and add Borax (boric acid) to the wash.

Boric acid can also be rubbed into any fabric couches or chairs. Vacuum the cushions and rub the Boric acid into the fabric beneath the cushions.

Outdoors
Beneficial nematodes are effective for flea control. If your dog roams the whole nine acres that is a lot of nematodes you will need (like a billion!). I would do the area around your house no matter what. I prefer to use nematodes in vermiculite (scanmask) rather than nematodes on a sponge. The ones in vermiculite have a shelf life of 2 years, the ones on a sponge are probably dead or dying by the time they are purchased (shelf life of about 4 to 8 weeks).

Keep any vegetation as short as possible if you can. Ticks are usually in vegetation above 2 inches or so.

I don’t know how big your creek is or if there are fish in it but that would be the only place I might look into commercial mosquito control. The chemicals would not be on your dog as long as he doesn’t swim in it.

On your dog.
Bathe at least once a week for flea control. Use a flea shampoo that has essential oils in it. Natural doesn’t mean safe so try a small amount first and see how your pooch does. Just bathing with any shampoo will kill fleas as they will drown.

Essential oils
There are many that will kill and repel fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. I would say that they do not work as well as poisons such as frontline but they will not kill your dog along with the fleas!

Repel Mosquitoes and they smell lemony or floral,
Citronella
Citral
Lemongrass
Geranium oil or Geraniol

Kill fleas and the have a very strong smell. The ones that have a P contain Phenols which are very powerful and carry risks of their own
Clove P
Cinnamon P
Thyme P
Cedar
Peppermint
Rosemary
D limonene and orange oil (also have risks)

Ticks are hard to repel or kill naturally. Inspection is key to natural tick control.

It is best to spray your dog daily with a mixture of oils as applying like frontline requires spreading agents to be used.

Patty – I had to look up “vermifuges”

• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by USA.

[Dori]

I try not talking nutrition with my vet. Typically the tech will ask what I’m feeding now and she just types it into the computer. Sometimes I get a smile, other times a beedy eyed look but since I’m not there for nutritional advice I don’t care what their opinions are on food I feed my dogs. I do know that all the vets at the practice marvel at all three of my dogs health and appearance. None of my dogs have ever needed professional teeth cleaning and one of them turned 14 years old last Septemer 9th.

I have to admit I almost woke my husband cause I was laughing so hard at the thought of the cavemen sitting around all day digesting a meal. Was she for real. How did you keep from laughing. You must have left bleeding from biting your tongue so hard. I’ve heard some nutty things said from vets and even the odd poster on this site but this beats all.

By the way, some dogs eat grass simply because the like it and for no other reason. If you feel they are lacking something in their diet then by all means follow Shasta’s advice and see if it helps.

[theBCnut]

I had to laugh and hard when I read that cavemen sat around all day!!! That was one of the most idiotic things I have ever heard. Dogs do have trouble digesting raw PLANT matter, but not raw animal matter. What a ridiculous argument for why processed foods are better for you.

My vet doesn’t like raw, but other than that, she isn’t that moronic.

Try adding a supergreen like spirulina, kelp, or alfalfa to your dogs food and see if that curbs the grass eating. It did for mine, but some dogs just like to graze.

[raylene5]

Took our 12 week old Miniature Schnauzer puppy to the vet for his first check up yesterday and, like with most vets I’ve ever met, I sure didn’t like her. I had called ahead of time and asked if the vets at this office are supportive of raw feeding and was assured that they are. Well, as soon as I told her I was feeding raw (Primal Pronto and ZiwiPeak) she gave me the spiel about contaminating the kids with his kisses and salmonella.

So Kamper has been eating grass since he got to our place. He was born in Arizona and had not seen grass at all before so at first I thought it was just curiousity. When I told the vet I was concerned about his eating the grass, she said it was probably because he was on a raw diet and that dogs can’t digest raw foods. That, like our bodies, they can better digest processed foods (she brought up how when we were cavemen we ate a lot of uncooked food and just sat around digesting it all day). Now, the good thing was that she did suggest very high quality kibble (Orijen, Acana, etc…) and not the typical vet-endorsed Science Diet or anything like that.

Anyway, it was a frustrating visit. I just wanted to know if anyone else’s vet had said these things about processed foods being easier to digest for their dogs.

[Sharon Buchanan]

Jazz ~
Sorry I didn’t get back to you yesterday. It’s been a madhouse around here with my oldest daughter moving out yesterday, me trying to finish some reading on raw diets so I can order some food before tomorrow and trying to find the right adoptable Golden for my husband.

I appreciate that RescueDaneMom jumped in to give you some very good advice. Pattyvaughn is another great resource as are any number of people more qualified than I.

Although some of the papers from the Great Dane study indicate that a 6 month old LBP could effectively absorb calcium, I have to agree with GDM that waiting at least until 10 months to switch to a higher calcium diet is better. I would however, still feed LBP kibble until full grown, up to 2 years old – you’ll know when your pup has reached that point.

I did switch Mystery to Orijen, Large Breed Puppy a month or so ago and if I hadn’t gone raw I’d have fed it until he was at least 16 months old. I wouldn’t have moved to Acana LBP because their MINIMUM calcium is 1.6%, Orijen is 1.2/1.5 min/max. Some of the Acana Regionals recipes have a similar low minimum calcium of 1.2% but they don’t say what their max is. Additionally, the protein content is lower than Orijen LBP. For comparison’s sake – Orijen LBP and both adult formulas contain 14 proteins and then starches follow. Acana Wild Prairie 2 proteins then a starch while their Grasslands is a bit better at 4. 80% of Orijen’s ingredients are protein, Acana is 60%. Of the other foods that RDM listed, I have opinions on all of them, but you can do further comparisons.

IF I were going to continue into adult kibble, I would absolutely have stayed with any variety of adult Orijen and would have felt very good about my decision. All five cats are eating Orijen with the youngest, a five month old Maine Coon stealing a few ounces of Mystery’s raw. I spent a lot of time researching pedigrees and genetics and food so that we could avoid, to every extent possible, a repeat of the $10,000 it cost us to have double-hip surgery on Sunset before she was two and three months of 24/7 in-clinic therapy to teach her how to walk again. I’m by no means an expert, but I can read and the more I do, the better I feel about my food choices, and why I switched to Orijen at 9 months and then raw so soon after at 10 months.

I wholly agree with RDM on turmeric. Mystery is enrolled in the Morris Foundation’s lifetime study on the relationship between cancer and Golden Retrievers and since we just lost Sunset to cancer, I feel a duty to do everything I can keep Mystery from getting cancer. I do purchase some supplements from Swanson and I’ve had Mystery on Springtime’s Longevity but I’m not certain I will continue that. I do agree with your decision to limit supplements since most kibble already contain a variety of supplements – I recently read an article on supplement overkill. If I can dig that article up I’ll let you know.

I also give Mystery raw eggs on occasion. It’s my understanding that the shell of the egg has a perfect balance of calcium to phosphorus. So if you’re still feeding a low calcium kibble and you want to add a bit more without switching to a higher calcium food, break an egg! I usually break it over a bowl, break up the shell a bit with my hands and pour it over his food. He gets the same eggs I eat – Born Free, Vegetarian without the added omegas or any other organic, free-range brown egg when Born Free is unavailable.

One more note – Susan Thixton had her site truthaboutpetfood.com hacked a couple years ago and so opened another site adding a “2” to the end. The problem finally resolved, she’s moved everything back over to truthaboutpetfood.com but is in the process of cleaning things up – hopefully that will be finished soon. Keep checking back, sign up for her newsletter or “Like” her on Facebook. She’s worth following.

Whew! 😉

[Akari_32]

I’ve been bitten by fire ants and been left with dime to nickel sized welts. Then again, when I’m bitten by mosquitoes, they swell up to quarter sized. So maybe I’m the one allergic bug bites… lol

But anyways, we’ll take baby steps, to see whats really causing the itching, rather than taking all the factors away at once like last time, like a genius. I’ll start with grass, since thats the easiest, and we’ll treat the yard next weekend (mom works out of town during the week, and other people have planned our weekend this week– how nice). I’ll also be looking into a homemade flea repellant to help keep the fleas from getting on him in the first place, with out interfering or adversely reacting to the Trifexis. Both of those should yield pretty immediate results, correct?

Have you tried the Wellness CORE Wild Game, or know anyone who does?

[Akari_32]

Hey guys! Bentley is once again having itching problems as the weather stars to warm back up. We aren’t sure if it’s chicken, grains, grass, fleas or a combination of any of these. He’s constantly chewing his feet and tummy, and scratching his neck and chest, and his skin is bright red all over his body.

We’ve got a little (really little) problem with fleas in the yard, and he gets maybe 3 or so a day just from going out side. I wouldn’t think it’s enough to cause a problem unless he’s allergic to them. He’s on Trifexis, which kills the fleas after they bite. We have stuff to treat the yard, as well that we are going to try. He does get pretty decent sized welts, but that could be from fire ants (the dog is pretty stupid– he likes to play with ants), so it’s hard to say.

As for food, he used to be on the red meat Innova Prime before the recall. And before that we tried just about every brand and meat/grain combination all sorts of brands there is in the area, ending with chicken without grain, and non-chicken with grain, just to be sure. We finally settled on no chicken and no grain as it caused him to itch less and his skin looked better, and used $10 off any size bag Innova coupons, which is the only way we could have afforded it at the time. He’s been doing good since then so I figured I’d try him back on chicken, and he did good for a month or so, so I tried him back on grain. For the last 3 weeks maybe, he’s been on half and half, grain free and grain inclusive, with mixed protein sources, and it doesn’t seem to help much, but it has helped some.

We aren’t really sure on the grass allergy either, as it all started to die off for the winter when it occurred to us it could be grass/weed pollen and started taking precautions for that as well (wiping him down with a baby wipe after going outside). But now the grass is starting to grow back, so I’ll have to see about that.

So basically, we have all of these possible irritants back all at once, and we are back to where we were last year: he’s chewed his back legs almost bald, he’s scratching himself raw on his chest and neck, and his sole purpose in life is to chew the bottom of his feet.

Since fleas and grass are easy to take care of (sort of), I need some help on picking a food. The only catch is, it has to come from Pet Supermarket. It’s the only place close that isn’t a grocery store. AND…. Around here it’s pretty much either Natura or Diamond for (“good”) grain free. Lucky me. Being so close to the South Carolina plant (I live in Florida), I have my reserves about feeding Diamond products, but he’s been on most of the TOTW formulas and my other dogs have been on Kirkland with no issues. Here’s my list:

Wellness CORE Wildgame
Taste of the Wild High Prairie PUPPY
Taste of the Wild Sierra Mountain
EVO Red Meat Small Bites
Innova Natures Table Beef and Red Lentils (doesn’t appear to be available here yet, but I’d like to hear thoughts on it)

He doesn’t like fish, and it makes his breath smell nasty, or else I’d be able to add the CORE Ocean Fish in there, too. I was looking at Blue Buffalo, despite what ever they’re going through right now, but I’m fairly sure all their grain free foods have chicken, don’t they? Any thing else to add that Pet Supermarket carries?

If you could just pick one, because the chances of mom rotating are slim, which would you pick? And what are your top three, if I can get her to? And thoughts or concerns about any of these? Any other tips as far as natural flea treatments, itching relief, and whatever else goes are also greatly appreciated!

[Sharon Buchanan]

Sue ~

I wish there was a holistic vet near me but the closest one is in Charlotte – 2 hours away, so I would definitely be interested in what yours says about the raw diet.

I think a lot of my hesitation comes from not knowing exactly where to get fresh raw food. I initially thought that if I went to the grocery store I would be feeding Mystery human grade food. But then you have to find organic, grass fed, etc., etc. Of course, there are no chicken backs in the meat department, though I did find turkey necks. My local store said they could order some tripe but when that came in it was white, processed tripe – no good.

I’m going to try to find a local butcher, but how I’ll ever know if I’m getting quality meats. Oh, genius that I am – I just realized I could get a whole chicken and cut it up myself. Cows, maybe not.

I like your idea of a washable rug and towel for RMB eating but right now I can’t keep Mystery on an 8’x6′ piece of linoleum. I’m going to try some “place” training on his crate tray to see if I can get him to stay in an area that he’s familiar with – except without the bars. I can add a towel to that but like our other Golden did, Mystery thinks a towel is for rolling around on.

I look forward to hearing about your visit with Dr. Frick.

[KHouston]

Hallelujah! Other people with dogs with the same gulping/compulsion to eat grass, etc. I adopted a yellow lab 1.5 years ago. I am her fourth owner and I wonder now if this isn’t part of the reason her first two owners gave her up.

Her first episode was a year ago, right after Christmas. She filled her stomach with fibers from carpets and then tried to eat every toxic plant in my back yard — sago palms, acorns. Then she ate half a lace shirt and the legs off a pair of pajamas.

After a year in which I have learned to watch her carefully, I have concluded that there are both digestive and emotional components to this syndrome.

1) Stress can set off one of these episodes.

2) Digestive upset can set off stress and panic, which in turn sets off one of these episodes.

3) Treating both her acid stomach, digestive sensitivity AND her stress reaction to these problems can stop an episode from getting so severe she needs medical treatment.

The most effective thing has been to keep her on Prozac for her anxiety (you’d be anxious, too, if you kept getting given away!), a Prescription Diet for sensitive stomachs. And if she starts an episode, giving her a mix of valium-like medications (sorry, I forget the name of them — we just switched to a different mix).

She just had her first episode in a long time last night, probably the result of eating a bird. Normally they don’t upset her stomach but she really snarfed this one down before I could get it away. She doesn’t look like she feels good, but she is not making it worse by eating the laundry and poisoning herself.

(And yes, I ripped out all the poisonous plants in my back yard and replaced them with bamboo. Very, very expensive.)

[Shasta220]

Jeff, thanks so much for the info on honey!

We are by the Oregon Coast (the land of liquid sunshine…aka rain…aka sideways rain!), so luckily things stay fairly constant with us, and the dogs don’t seem to get seasonal allergies. I’m not sure what Loki had, but when we adopted him last spring, he was sneezing non-stop, sometimes if we ran him hard, it’d get to the point of where he couldn’t breathe and started choking. I took him to the vet and asked them, they looked up his nose and said everything’s normal, but he might have some grass seed lodged in his snout. I kept an eye on him, and within a couple weeks it went away. It hasn’t come back yet, but I will wait and see if something about the spring blossoms caused it.

Loki is totally healthy other than that, he has the softest, shiniest fur out of the 3 dogs. I wonder if his sneezing was just from his initial acclimation to a new environment? We adopted him from a shelter that was about 50mi away, in a city. We live out on 5acres, about 2mi away from the nearest small town. If the sneezing starts up in spring though, I’ll get onto that honey for him!

About the shampoo…that’s a genius idea! I just hope my super wiggly Loki would come to the idea of liking it, LOL! (He can’t hold still for more than a fe moments…but heck, he’s a 2-3y.o. Kelpie/Aussie, who can blame him?) Our lab randomly got a nasty hot spot on the underside of her foot – she gnawed in between the toes until it was raw. In all her 12yrs, she has NEVER gotten a spot on her foot, it’s always been her back/rump. Luckily, I put some ointment on it and it went away the next day, but should it happen again – should I try the wash method using her Virbac Hexadine shampoo in he he ziploc bag?

@Sue, that’s weird your vet said no honey. I do see why they might say it’s sugar, but if it’s local raw honey, and just a tablespoon, the benefits are WAY greater than the chances of your dog having too much sugar! Be sure your dog isn’t at all sensitive to wheat/grains when you put it on the toast though. 😉

[steve johnson]

My dog was having really bad bouts of wanting to go outside and eat grass and then would throw up. It was like the minute he saw the grass, he was obsessed with it. He would smack his lips and make a weird sound a few hours after eating like he was regurgitating. We also noticed that at night sometimes, he was panting. I did some research and found this article http://www.askariel.com/dog_cat_acid_reflux_treatment_a/277.htm about acid reflux in dogs. I tried the acid stomach product along with the digestive relief and it really got rid of the grass eating and stomach noises. I also started feeding smaller meals a couple times a day, like you all suggested too. Hope this helps!

[theBCnut]

For my grazing dogs, I give a supergreen supplement of some kind. Sometimes it’s spirulina, sometimes kelp, most often a combo of several things. It’s been so long now since I’ve had a problem with grass eating, it took me a moment to figure out what you were talking about!

I do think that the food can have something to do with tear and saliva staining, but I think it is individual to the particular dog what is causing the problem. For most dogs, it’s a bacterial infection in the tear ducts. The other poster here with the problem is Nectarmom and she found that when she switched to a different food, it started to clear up fairly quickly, but she has a dog with multiple issues and the new food didn’t agree with it.

The best I can suggest is to try something very different from what you are feeding now. As for the goat milk, I really don’t know if it has enough digestive enzymes, but I would assume not. You should be able to tell within a couple days.

[Cotons mom]

Thanks Patty, I just started yesterday giving them The Honest Kitchen Pro Bloom Instant Goat’s Milk (following directions on box), does this have enough digestive enzymes or do you recommend adding something else. You had mentioned that you started using something when your pup started to eat grass, is that something that I should also consider. I want to do the very best I can for these babies to keep them healthy. I’ve been thinking about adding a kibble to their diet because feeding them 3X a day is getting expensive and we are going thru a lot of canned food. Any suggestions on what to add? Does the type of food that I feed, in your opinion, have anything to do with the “pink” coloring on the hair under their eyes. I give them only filtered water.

[RescueDaneMom]

I live in South Florida and the fleas are a killer this year! We have been battling an infestation too. I think the key is to keep from bringing them back inside. We sprayed a yard spray by Virbac on the grass in the back yard where the dogs spend time outdoors. You can buy it online from Petco and Amazon but it was actually cheaper to buy from the vet. If your problem is really bad like ours was, I would recommend spraying the yard where your dogs spend their time then bomb your house a day or two after. You’ll need to treat the yard again in 10 days for the next cycle of fleas, but that should get most of them. That is what worked for us.

[FreeholdHound]

My boy eats around pills – I give him digestive enzyme tablet in the AM. I have to now crush it up or it gets left at the bottom of an empty dish. I open up capsules & sprinkle it on also. At least for now til he catches on I suspect.
I thought he was doing well on the K9 Liquid Health but as I slowly increased the dose to the reccomended level, he started gurgling, refusing meals & eating frozen grass. I’ll be researching new options for Joints Health. Ugh.

[Susan]

Thats what I’d like to also know, my boy doesnt have Pancreas but if it wasnt for his blood test coming back good, Id swear he had Pancreatitis, instead the vet said he has IBD & Colitis & Canin Atopy… Ive been looking & looking on the net for a low fat, low fiber premium food, the foods I like are in America, L.I.D Natural Balance & Canidae.. Im in Australia & cant get them.. So Ive come up with 2 that I really think are good..The Wellness Core Oringinal but the protien is 34% fiber-4% FAT-16% Wellness also have “Simple’or “complete Health” also Well Pet the company that makes Wellness also makes another kibble ‘Holistic Select’ Duck meal… Ive read & read all their ingredients & I like the ‘Wellness’ Core or the ‘Holistic Select’ Duck formula as the Holistic Select duck is only 13%-fat-3.9% fiber.. I suppose we’ll just have to slowley introduce one of the kibbles & pray that our dogs tummys & bowels also like what we have picked for them..Ive read that the food is very palatable but after my poor boy being on such a stricked diet he’d eat anything….So sad, I wish he could talk for just 20mins & tell me how he’s feeling & what feed makes him feel ill or better.. My Vet likes that his poos are good now but I know the Eukanuba Intestinal that we have him on makes him either feel sick or gives him stomach acid as he sometimes licks & licks his mouth after his kibble in the morning & wants grass & his breath smells like something fermenting. Then some days he doesnt do his licking & his breath smells good..
Good-Luck

[cbgmom]

Hi Molzy,

Notice any changes with switching to a harness? May still be a little early — I hope it is helpful for Quincy. I don’t even have Casey wear a collar for his tags — they are all on his harness. The food I fed to him never irritated him, just the treats. Quincy seems to have more damage to either the trachea or esophagus (or whatever causes these unfortunate spasms). I fed him grain free kibble (alternated between Orijen, Taste of the Wild, etc) mixed with Kirkland’s premium wet. However, Casey has recently developed a series of other health concerns so I am transitioning him now to commercial raw. I am hoping to learn enough to go the homemade route but for now, that’s what I’ve been feeding. Honest Kitchen certainly seems like a very good food choice for Quincy especially considering you can make it pretty soupy if nec.

I have not found a single person whose vet was able to diagnose this condition. Casey’s first attack was at 4 months and I ran over to the vet thinking he had something stuck in his throat. She insisted (even though my gut was telling me she was wrong and I told her as much) that frantic grass eating was nausea and he likely had something stuck in his stomach, even though it couldn’t be seen in an xray. $1,100 and an overnight stay for nothing. A few days later, I was walking him and my neighbor said, “I think that collar is bothering him” and I realized that may be the cause.

I don’t have any other real hints except during vet appts., remind your vet and techs that he has some kind of real sensitivity around his trachea. Casey is feisty and they would restrain him around the head (as well as other areas), which is pretty common. One visit he was gulping for a month afterwards. Now I tell them not to hold him there.

Anyway, keep me posted with how he is doing!

[Marylou]

Thanks pug mom sandy I have a lab pit mix that has developed allergy’s at age 9 to Peas,Sweet Potato’s, Chicken Meal ext…… How it started he would not eat first thing in the morning he would want to go outside and eat grass and vomit. So after some testing at the vets, we put him on d/d Potato & Venison Formula which he is doing excellent on this food. However the quality is not good. So I have been adding different foods in with the dry food to see what he has an allergy to plus adding a little dry food to the food to see if he has a reaction or not. To say the least I have not found a dry food yet that agrees with him. I just feel awful for him. My poor baby.

[kwass610]

My boyfriend and I have a 4 y/o rescue yorkie-poo that is most likely from a puppy mill, and is allergic to everything. We currently have him on Natural Balance Lamb and Brown Rice food, which the vet suggested, and cyclosporine. He is doing better over the past few months that he has been on these, but not perfect – his eyes still emit a sticky, chunky discharge and he has trouble growing hair around them, and he is constantly chewing his feet and legs, often until he bleeds. Sometimes he gets a black, rough pattern on his stomach skin, which I think was ID’d by a previous vet as yeast. What more can we do? The vet he used to go to just kept giving him steroids for years, which is why we found a new vet – I want to help him, not slowly kill him. He is allergic to bluegrass, fescue grass, ragweed, lambs quarters weed, marsh elder weed, sage, russian thistle, cottonwood/aspen trees, box elder/maple trees, walnut trees, birch trees, aspergillius, penicillum, candida albicans, nigrospora, phoma (all of these are fungi), mouse epidermal, dust mites, salmon, poultry mix, eggs, milk, wheat, white potato, cotton, staph, and malassezia. This is all from an official allergy test.
We also have two larger dogs (both around 70lbs) so its tricky to feed the little guy alone. Getting food that they can all eat is important, but we can give the little one meds and topical things separate from the two bigger boys.
Any advice is welcome, I am lost and frustrated, I just want him to be comfortable. It is so hard getting him sweaters, blankets, treats, food, bedding, shampoos, medications, etc. that do not have something in them that he is allergic to! We might have to replant the yard in spring if it turns out we have a type of grass he cannot tolerate.

[kwass610]

My boyfriend and i have a 4 y/o rescue yorkie-poo dog that is most likely from a puppy mill, and is allergic to everything. We currently have him on Natural Balance Lamb and brown rice food, which the vet suggested, and cyclosporine. He is doing better over the past few months that he has been on these, but not perfect – his eyes still emit a sticky, chunky discharge and he has trouble growing hair around them, and he is constantly chewing his feet and legs, often until he bleeds. Sometimes he gets a black, rough pattern on his stomach skin, which I think was ID’d by a previous vet as yeast. What more can we do? The vet he used to go to just kept giving him steroids for years, which is why we found a new vet – I want to help him, not slowly kill him. He is allergic to: bluegrass, fescue grass, ragweed, lambs quarters weed, marsh elder weed, sage, russian thistle, cottonwood/aspen trees, box elder/maple trees, walnut trees, birch trees, aspergillius, penicillum, candida albicans, nigrospora, phoma (all of these are fungi), mouse epidermal, dust mites, salmon, poultry mix, eggs, milk, wheat, white potato, cotton, staph, and malassezia. This is all from an official allergy test.
We also have two larger dogs (both around 70lbs) so its tricky to feed the little guy alone. Getting food that they can all eat is important, but we can give the little one meds and topical things separate from the two bigger boys.
Any advice is welcome, I am lost and frustrated, I just want him to be comfortable. It is so hard getting him sweaters, blankets, treats, food, bedding, shampoos, medications, etc. that do not have something in them that he is allergic to! We might have to replant the yard in spring if it turns out we have a type of grass he cannot tolerate.

[cbgmom]

My dog has had bouts of this too… frantically trying to get outside to eat grass until he threw up… gulping, bobbing, licking. First I found that it was primarily due to his collar. I removed it entirely and only use a harness. I know you said that you use a harness or gentle leader for walking but he wears a collar outside. Why don’t you try switching to a harness all of the time and see if you have any improvement? We have a cord (2 connected actually– you can get at home depot) that we have around a tree and connect it to his chest harness. That had the symptoms improve tremendously. It can also occur when he eats certain harder treats. I only give him soft chew treats and bully sticks now. The bully sticks don’t bother him. When he has an episode (which is very rare now), I give him a Pepcid once or twice a day with his food (for acid which can also irritate his trachea). My dog is about 45 pds so one tablet is his dose. Some dogs have very sensitive tracheas. If he had any damage to that area (choke collars, mean owners who pull by collar) or any hereditary condition, that may add to the problem. There is actually a Facebook page for Gulping Dogs! Not that much information, but you are not alone! Good luck!

[Brittany Mom]

I had a Brittany that was allergic to 26 different things. Among the foods he was allergic to were beef, pork, and lamb. He ate chicken, turkey and venison most of his life. He was also allergic to barley, tomatoes, soy, kelp, beets, and a number of grasses as well as dust, wool, and feathers. I don’t know how he could be allergic to feathers and be able to eat chicken, but poultry did not affect him. For chews, we used to get him ostrich and emu bones. He passed away at 10 1/2 years old from hemangio sarcoma.

[GoldenGuide]

Hello, I have a 3-yr-old golden retriever, and I am planning to switch him to a prey-model diet within the next couple months. The deciding factor of whether to start in January or December is my travel plans. Essentially, I am in college, so if I started him on raw next month, I would feed him grass fed animals from the butcher here for three weeks, then I would somehow have to work out food for the 1 week during Christmas break at my parents’ place, then the two weeks I will spend in Raleigh, NC afterward. I don’t want to start him on a raw diet here for a few weeks, just to switch to dehydrated or lesser raw meat so soon in the beginning. Should I just wait till all the traveling is over before starting him on raw? I don’t want to put undo stress on his immune system. He is a guide dog, so he will be going everywhere with me, including on the plane to and from Raleigh, and I’m not sure if switching to raw around this time is a good idea. Also, if I were to continue feeding him raw in my hometown and Raleigh, could I get him raw meat from a grocery store? Would this be a good idea? If so, what kinds of meats should I look for and stay away from?
Thank you.

[KatB]

Hello!

My kids seem to really love the Castor & Pollax Ultramix, and at first it also seemed to be helping with the itching of my yellow. As time has gone by, he has returned to his itchy self. although mostly in the mornings and he doesn’t seem too uncomfortable or stressed by it.

Some friends have an adopted golden who started itching a few months back. They changed food a couple of times, and then their vet recommended something called atopica. It seemed to work ok, certainly not miraculous but the itching was somewhat lessened, but then some side effects started. In doing research about this drug, turns out it is very controversial and not something I would put my guys on. Bottom line, they went back to the vet, who agreed, and she is now on a prescription diet food that is made by Royal Canin. It’s quite expensive, but will be interesting to see how she does on it and if that takes care of the problem.

I’m not quite ready to go that route yet, as I hate to keep switching their food, and especially since they love it so much. Yet another friend lives in Hawaii (I am in a mountain state so it’s quite dry) with a tropical climate, and still has an itchy dog. They are feeding natural, local dog food and supplementing with flaxseed oil. They also use noni oil specifically made for pets and mix it with coconut oil which they rub on his tummy every so often….it seems to help. I may give that a try……

I also had to take my female, the black lab, off of the pro-biotics and enzymes, as she suddenly started vomiting every time I gave it to her. This started a month or so after I started them on it. But her stools are nice and solid now, and she seems to be fine without the additions. Itchy boy I still have on them plus Omega fish oil, but a small amount. His stools can get runny with too much oil. My female still eats grass and is sometimes a little gassy, but it’s minimal.

I’ll be interested on any updates on what might be working, and I’ll let you know how my friends’ dog does on the Royal Canin.

Kat

[DogsAreMyLife]

Hi, I was wondering about other peoples opinion on this product. I emailed Best Bully Stick, and they said the Beef Trachea treats are sourced from their grass fed Brazilian cattle. I prefer to only give my dogs food and treats sourced and made in the USA. Thank you for any input.

[theBCnut]

AMEN!!!

[InkedMarie]

I don’t know why the dogs are doing that but the humans are the ones who need to keep the dogs out of the room where the baby gets changed.

[theBCnut]

I suspect that some dogs eat poo because it isn’t well digested and they know from the smell that they can get something out of it, some probably do it because they can use the extra digestive enzymes, and some do it because it is a disgusting habit that they like.

Grass is the same way, some like it, some need something out of it, and some need to vomit.

I had a dedicated poo eater and when I switched to a high protein food with good digestive enzymes, he completely quit, except when we babysit a friend’s dog that eats crap food. He no longer eats grass, since I started giving him a super green supplement. We haven’t had any vomitting issues, so I don’t know if he would still eat grass on an upset stomach.

[DogManDan]

okay this may sound disgusting or not for the weak stomach… but i need to ask this question, i now have a niece 🙂 and since im a great uncle.. my sister is just my neighbor and she sometimes brings over her month old baby and im not the only one looking forward on wanting to see the baby but my westies too.. okay to make the long story short my dogs are diaper nappers LOL… when the baby is being changed to her new diapers and once it has been placed down they immediately dive into it and run out of the backyard and saw them eating the baby’s poo.. i know the baby’s poo is clean and all since it only drinks milk for now but i have been telling this story to my friends and they say that their dogs eat poo as well but not from babies… why do dogs eat poo? is this a behavioral problem? before when i was young we had some dogs eat grass, my grand dad used to say the dog isn’t feeling well thats why they eat grass to heal themselves.. are these true?

[lilyh]

We have a 16 week old English Setter Puppy. Sometimes I catch Annie eating pebbles, dirt, grass, etc. Could switching her food help?

When we got her from the breeder she was eating Purina Large Breed Puppy Chow. We switched her to Wellness Core Puppy but her stools were incredibly loose despite supplementing with pumpkin etc, so then we switched her again to Nutrisource Large Breed Puppy. Any suggestions of the next food to try? Not sure her diet is related at all to her non-edible nibblings, but thought I would run it by the forums to get your thoughts.

Thank you.

• This topic was modified 12 years, 1 month ago by lilyh.

[Akari_32]

Thankfully I ruled out all food allergies with Bentley (thought it was chicken, then grain, and now we are certain it’s grass or something else growing in the yard), so I’m open to just about anything food wise. He likes red meats best, but eats anything other than fish no problem (and he’ll eat the fish, he just ain’t happy about it LOL). He esspetially seems to love the chewy bits of lamb in the Purina One… Yuck! The other dogs don’t care what it is, if it’s even slightly etable, they’ll eat it (this also includes the occational dead animal in the yard, and plants the little brats unpot if I don’t keep an eye on them -_-). My nonpicky dogs make choosing a food easy :3

[BRT]

Here’s an update: He’s finished his round of metronidazole yesterday. His poop is formed, but soft. I can picked it up, but some of it will stick to the grass. Now, he doesn’t want to eat his kibble by itself or even with a little pumpkin. He only wants the canned food that the vet gave us. He did eat breakfast this morning. This evening he vomited bile and when I took him out for a walk he just wanted to eat grass again. But, he didn’t poop.

For dinner I gave him some of the canned, which he gobbled up. He’s alert and is barking at everything as usual. He’s still chasing his brother around, but he just seems more tired than usual. Right now he’s just resting on my lap. I guess he just wants some extra TLC.

I’m taking him back to the vet on Fri. She might do bloodwork. They want me to continue with the canned food and Fortiflora until I get him into see his vet.

My poor boy. I hope he feels better soon.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 1 month ago by BRT.

[RescueDaneMom]

Does anybody have experience using Nature’s Logic All Food Fortifier? I bought this to replace my current whole food supplement: Fillin N the Wholes formulated by The Great Dane Lady. http://www.firstchoicenaturals.com/Index/showroom.php?pid=2

INGREDIENTS: Cereal Grass (Barley), Organic Sprouted Flax Seed, Dried Whey Concentrate, Ascorbic Acid (source Vit C), Arabinogalactin, Dried Milk (source of Colostrum), MSM, Brewers Yeast (Saccharomyces Cerevisiac), DMG-L, Carnitine, Humic Shale (source of extracted trace minerals), Lethicin, Chicken Cartilage (source of Glucosamine Sulfate),Type IV Collagen & Type II Collagen, (Direct Fed Microbials) & Digestive Enzymes) Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Extract Product, Dried Aspergillus niger Fermentation Extract Product, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium Thermophilum, Enterococcus Faecium, Bacillus Subtilis, Silicon Dioxide, Dried Yucca Schidigera.*Ascorbic Acid (Vit C) min 25mg/lb

The directions for Nature’s Logic say to give 1 tsp per 10 pounds of body weight. My dog weighs 154 pounds. I can’t see giving him 15 tsp per day. Any thoughts on this? I was thinking about giving him 1 tsp per meal. I feed 3 times per day.

Thanks!
-Caroline

[pugmomsandy]

I’ve heard bugs are a good source of protein. I wonder what this is going to be labeled as. Maggot meal? Although for me, I’d prefer it over feather meal that Royal Canin is developing. Now I wouldn’t feed a maggot food day in and day out just like I wouldn’t feed any other kind of dog food long term. I’ve seen the dogs occasionally eat grasshoppers.

[Akari_32]

Our little dog is always itchy too, but not the big dogs. Everyone is on Trifexis, as well. We are thinking its a grass allergy, since he’s been on grain free, soy free, and all kinds of different meats, and nothing makes any difference. Just something to consider.

[BRT]

All,

I have a 7 year old male maltese/toy poodle. He’s 19 lbs and has always had tummy and allergy issues. I’m currently feeding him Fromm Grain Free Game Bird dry, with a teaspoon of canned mixed in.

Twice a week for the last three weeks he’s had terrible diarrhea. He’ll eat grass like crazy and then his poop will be loose and mucousy. He’s fine otherwise. The first week it happened I thought it was just a fluke, so I gave him a bland diet and he was back to normal in a couple of days. It happened again last week so I took the stool in to the vet for a fecal test. Everything came back neg, even giardia. I didn’t feed him for a whole day, then a bland diet for a day, and he was fine for the rest of the week.

Now, this morning, when I took him out he was eat grass like crazy and his poor stomach was making noises. Again, he had loose, mucousy stools. He didn’t want any breakfast, but drank water. Other than the diarrhea he seems fine. So, I don’t know if I should take him to the vet or wait.

I would love any thoughts. I have some extra Fortiflora at home, which I might give him with his dinner.

Thanks!

[pugmomsandy]

It depends on the cuts of meat you’re using for the homemade raw and if it’s regular, free range, grass fed, antibiotic free, etc. You probably don’t want the regular chickens that have been injected but rather get some that are less processed, no antibiotics. You can find discount prices when the sell-by dates are coming up. At the health food store, I can get a package of turkey neck with giblets for around $1.49/lb. But duck necks are about $2.69/lb. Ground beef 80/20 is less than $1/lb and containers of heart and gizzard are under $2/lb. I guess it also depends on your area of the country. There is an initial investment of freezer space and a meat/bone grinder but they are well worth it. Or you can use boneless meats and supplement with bone meal or other source of calcium. The recipe book “Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats” by Karen Becker/Beth Taylor has simple recipes with and without bone. I would say my average (guessing) would be $2.20 a pound and my dog would eat 6 oz per day = 11.25 lbs per month = $24.75 per month PLUS supplements. Kibble would be $15.60 per month for me ($79 for 100 cups). I don’t ever use the $0.39/lb bag of chicken thighs!! But yes, you can get homemade to be real cheap. Let’s say a combo of ground beef 80/20 or 70/30 and chicken heart/gizzard and some supplements would be cheap, in rotation with the Core. I think it would work out. You can also join a local raw feeding group and order in bulk with them. I like to buy tripe which is $2/lb for me. I also feed raw sardines which I bought on sale for $1.19/lb. You can also add up to 20% of unbalanced raw food to his diet without having to worry about extra vit/min supplementation. Maybe give him a chicken wing, a heart and piece of gizzard a couple times a week.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 2 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[Akari_32]

I found a great $2 off any Prosense pet product, so I decided to try the fish oil for Bentley’s suspected grass allergies (it’s not chicken, it’s not grains, so maybe grass?) and the senior vitamins for Haley’s weight (we can’t possibly shove anymore food down this dogs throat, as she just can’t physically eat much more than 5 cups).

Bentley’s been on the fish oil for a few months, and it does actually seem to help him some. We’ve also been wiping his paws and tummy off after being outdoors with a baby wipe, and trying to give him a weekly bath. And, which I haven’t tried yet, I found hot spot shampoo of the same brand on clearence for $3 (use the coupon and it’s only a buck :D).

Haley, at just 65 pounds of ideal weight, eats 4-5 cups a day. She’s maybe 2-3 pounds underweight, healthy otherwise. The vet had her on vitamins last year durring some medical treatment, but she’s since been off them. Pretty much boils down to her being old at this point, and not being able to metabolize food as efficiently. Shes been on these Prosense Senior vitamins for a few days and I do already see her gaining energy, at least.

Regular feeding, for all three of the dogs, consists of 8-9 cups of dry food mixed with a 13 oz can of wet food, and usually an egg thrown in, as well. This is obviously divided up in appropriate amounts for each dog. The whole feeding routine has been made up specifically for Haley, as straight dry food really upsets her stomach, in an indigestible sort of way. Even if it’s just moistened with some water, it helps her tremendously. Poor girls got tummy troubles lol

I was wondering about these senior vitamins: they seem really high in calcium, which I’ve heard mixed things about for older dogs. I’ll get exact numbers in the morning, as I’m in bed now, but it’s several times higher than the adult formula. I want to say its 4-5% though.

This brand is only available at WalMart (locally, at least) from what I’ve seen. Not that I really have much problem with that. I don’t particularly like WalMart, but I’ll do what I have to.

Also, side note while were here, and I feel it’ll be brought up at some point– you guys know those powder Centrum probiotics for people? Would something like that he beneficial in Haley’s case? Doesn’t have to be that brand or kind, either. Anything along those lines. Just know I’m not made of money 😉

[GSDsForever]

Worth a quick read & considering . . .

These ingredients could be ingredients directly contaminated in commercial kibble and canned dog foods or homemade, or could be indirect hazards in animal feeds in the meats.

http://www.livestrong.com/slideshow/1007800-11-banned-food-ingredients-still-allowed-us/

I’m American, but I often like European standards better regarding additives, labeling, GMOs, even dioxin levels in grass fed dairy/meat. Funny, this article reminds me of why I just bought KerryGold Dubliner cheese (grass fed, from Ireland) vs. organic cheese from the U.S., at Costco, to share with my dog as a treat. Often, the safer, cleaner choice. Huge 2.5 lb blocks on sale there right now.

[weezerweeks]

Took my dog to vet yesterday because he threw up about 3 times. Thought it might be pancreatitus because I had given him a can of natures variety instinct and it is too high in fat for him after eating hk zeal. Test showed no pancreatitus. Vet gave him nauseau shot ofcerenia and wormed him. He was okay last night and today. He wouldn’t eat zeal today so I gave him his canned merrick. Tonight he is wanting to go outside took him out and he went crazy trying to eat grass and bushes. He is walking around in circles . What should I do? He has been in this food for several months. I guess I should have stayed on kibble. Do you think this food is too high in protein? I hope I get to sleep tonight if not I’ll be in the vet office in morning .Any suggestions on what u would recommend the vet to do. Thanks