[DogFoodie]

Maybe I missed something Peggy, but why are you choosing to use flax rather than fish or some other form of oil for the Omega 3s?

[Naturella]

Hello here too, guys! 🙂

Ok, so for Peggy, I will post again the pics of Bruno’s menu and additives schedule, maybe she can choose some from there, and also check out the amounts for a 15-ish lb dog.

http://i1352.photobucket.com/albums/q644/aninova/Bruno2014-2015Menu_zps6ccc6e19.jpg

http://i1352.photobucket.com/albums/q644/aninova/BrunoWeeklyToppers_zpsdfd1a9be.jpg

Ok, so I feed the above toppers with the 1/4 cup of kibble as noted. You can use other fresh food toppers, like I see you have – raw or lightly cooked ground meats are great, raw or lightly cooked eggs too, cottage cheese, cooked veggies/leafy greens, some fruits (I give fruits raw), raw meats/raw meaty bones, canned sardines, jack mackerel, or salmon (not tuna – too much mercury I hear), yoghurt/kefir, coconut or fish oil (or both), canned pumpkin is good for fiber as is flaxseed meal (and the latter also gives Omega 3s), etc. There’s a lot to choose from that you can add, but let me recommend that you also add some warm water to the kibble. You may choose to soak it or not, but it does help with hydration and for ease of mixing oils, eggs, yoghurt, dehydrated foods, and just about anything else. It may look gross and soupy in the bowl, but it is so good to our furry friends, and they will slurp it all up nonetheless! At least Bruno does! 🙂

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

[Jamie H]

forgot to mention that a second X-ray several months later showed a perfectly normal sized heart and surprisingly good health for his age. Also that 1/4 fish oil thingy was 1/4 cup of fish oil-actually it was one or two glugs from a gallon jug so it might have been more. Gotta run, a big muzzle is knocking on my elbow. Somebody is wanting something… lol. Ciao

[Jamie H]

Greetings giant breed owners,

My current Dane is 10.5 years old and looks and acts like he’ll be around for a few more. He’s happy and and alert and active for his age. My buddy eats “Paleo” right along with me. Mostly Protein, (often red Pacific wild salmon–we live in Alaska) mixed with quality rice or root vegetables drizzled in olive oil and baked, carrots and celery (his fav) for snacks. He was boarded for a while when I couldn’t keep him and his caregiver gave him about 1/4 of fish oil in his dry food and and plenty of rawhide to keep him busy. When I got him back he was panting a lot and I assumed a heaet condition. X-ray showed a slightly enlarged heart. I did some research and discovered dry food is lacking in Taurine, L-Carnitine and Acytel L-Carnitine, among other critical amino acids and nutritional components. I started supplementing with the three amino acids, and adding squirts of liquid B-complex. His panting decreased and his eyes became focused and alert and his energy level increased. I abandoned my conventions on the focus of food “brands” and the idea of consistency. How boring. What do animals in the wild eat for dinner? Who cares? Its what ever gets them to the next meal! Variety and fluctuation is normal in the wild, and in fact stimulating for an animal. I mix table scraps with dry food. Dinner always taste different, what a pleasure for an animal whose sense of is also a form of communication! some days he doesnt get the dry food at all. Just after I started the supplemts I decided to feed him raw. I bought grass fed buffalo and he got 1/4 to 1/3 pound, give or take, twice a day. I’d recomend not using any grain fed meat for the reason it is sometimes 10x higher in the inflammatory Omega-6’s which is why we humans should avoid grain fed beef like the plague as well. Grass fed free range livestock has the balance of O-6’s to O-3’s that our paleo brethren grew up on and adapted to. But the most IMPORTANT thing one can do is treat your large breed friends as if they were your own grade school aged children. Get outside with them. Play with them outside like your own child. They DO have vocabulary you know. Just because they don’t show it in reciprocal speech doesnt mean they wouldn’t love to hear you talk to them about your activities. Label things when you are on walks. My buddy loves clover. When I get ready to drive him to a nearby trail i always ask if he wants to go smell “clover” or do you want to drink some water from the “stream”, excitement and anticipation dripping from my words. I don’t always know his choice but I always to to keep things varied. Satiate your large dogs with human interaction and variety. You’ll get more out of your companions than any top brand food can make a difference.

[DogFoodie]

I’d suggesting trying a limited ingredient food other than what the vet is offering first. The products you’re feeding now aren’t single sources of protein and have lots of potential allergens. Food intolerances are tricky. Sometimes you have to dig deeper in the list of ingredients to figure out what is the actual problem. It’s taken a long time for me to figure out that my dog cannot only not have any form of fish, but he also cannot have garlic, tomato, flax, chickpeas, lentil and I’ve just added barley to the list.

The only way to figure out what those intolerances are is to do a true elimination diet. Allergy tests are notoriously unreliable and give both false positives and false negatives.

The limited ingredient diet that I’ve had the best luck with, by far, is Nature’s Variety Instinct LID. Choose a protein that your dog hasn’t eaten before. As long as he can handle that, peas, tapioca and canola oil, you should be good. Wellness Simple has too many problem ingredients in it (fish) that my dog doesn’t tolerate, so I was never able to use it. It’s a good product though, and worth a shot. I’d prefer it over Royal Canin and Science Diet any day.

[Sarah W]

Katy,
The vet assumes it’s a food allergy because that is usually what it is. I feed them Merrick canned and dry and they both have Mike’s 5*’s. I can try a different meat because it is chicken which can usually be a culprit in food allergies. I’m going to try the Wellness turkey or duck. I give Sammy fish oil the vet suggested and he get’s it with breakfast. I have organic certified coconut oil in the house. I’ve never heard of giving that.

[George D]

A quick update, I’ve continued to feed BDN to both my dogs, all proteins but the fish, and so far they are all doing great on it, they just love this food and lick their bowls clean every time. I do feed a little more than suggested for my 1 yr old high energy Aussie. Stools are small and firm on both. Coats are shiny as well, I do add some wild salmon oil to their meals. I’m feeling more and more confident about this food as the weeks pass.

[l h]

a lot of the enzyme formulas have additives, flavorings something real simple as a binder could have your dog reacting or a protein source if stronger as BCnut said. If she is not chewing or having bowel issues with NO enzymes then why would you wish to give her them?

If you are home cooking adding the proper calcium, keeping it low gluten/grain then fish oil, and E, and a good probiotic may be all she needs.

My heart boy who passed had lots of issues was a sensitive pup to TONS… couldn’t do kibble either. If you would like to add something why not a good green supplement, again, you want to start 1/4 dose recommended as your baby is sensitive but would be a good thing for coat, allergy digestion. Again, you want to fine tooth comb check the bottles so many have added allergens, soy, alfalfa for some, wheat, etc. I can link you a couple really pure forms if interested. Again though sounds like the diet is good, and if they are doing well, perhaps don’t need anymore.

[Akari_32]

I’ve got a dog that hates fish oil. He gets coconut oil instead and he loves it.

Random question, this isn’t the only dog you have, it is?? She doesn’t need any larger than maybe a 12-15 lb bag of food for herself…. Lol

That said, I’ve been testing out Purina Veterinary Diet Joint Mobility on my 14 year old Dachshund. She’s only been on it a couple weeks and I already see a difference. A 6lb bag runs something $25, a 15(?) lb bag is $40-ish, and the 30-whatever lb bag is around $60. I pay half price working in the veterinary field, so I don’t recall the exact numbers, but i do recall the large bag being comparably priced to most other foods. I was skeptical at first, but having tried many other things, and with fish oil causing her terrible stomach problems, I was ready to try just about anything. Your case may be a point in where you might want to try this food. Just a side note, I’ve looked at other vet diets (for joint health and otherwise) and this is the only one I would ever consider feeding, as it has a good amount of animal protein in it. If you have other dogs, a big bag wouldn’t hurt anything at all, provided there are no allergies to any of its ingredients.

[Kristy C]

I have an 8 year 3 month old mix rescue dog (Pekingese, Poodle, Pomeranian, and they believe there is also another small breed but long body mixed) approx. 12lbs. She has never been a jumper because of her very short legs, and I use to describe her running and playing as a cat/dog. She would leap and pounce across the yard unlike most dogs that run. She’d leap off of her back legs, land on her front and so on and so forth. She suddenly stopped walking, running, playing, etc. She now scoots her back end and curls it to the side so her feet are facing up and shes dragging her very lower back. The only time she will get up and hobble is to potty and its only a few feet at a time. My vet recommended buying the fish oil capsules and mixing 2 a day with some wet dog food as well as half of a DOSEQUIN DS Joint Health Supplement, Maximum Strength Plus MSM daily. This worked AMAZING for the first 2 weeks, she was walking and moving around 75% more than she was. However she is a female and she became disgusted with the taste of popping the fish oil liquid pills and mixing it with her food, so she has quit eating the food and after 5 days of her only eating tablespoon or two of it she is back to barely moving. What is a good food/ supplements that I can give her (that don’t make her skin smell like fish oil and that she will EAT!)?!?!?! PLEASE! I will do the work if its having to make her food, but I will not pay $127 for a SMALL (32lb) bag of food! I AM SINCERELY THANKFUL FOR ANY AND ALLLLLL RECOMMENDATIONS. She still has her sight and full mind and is loving and wants to be playful, I’m just trying to get her body to agree with her mind and spirit!!

[Akari_32]

Been getting some kitty snuggles tonight :3

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/F6C7C8E4-2487-4A0F-9625-0448A6FD73C6_zps9uudgnra.jpg

I’m gunna try that gauze thing with him. His teeth are gross. He loves to chew things, so I wonder if those hard blocks of catnip are maybe worth a try? Something to chew on… PetSmart and Publix sell them for a couple dollars a piece.

Oh! And Publix has all their Sundown Naturals vitamins 50% off so I grabbed two of these for just $10!

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/61FD3B77-5359-491B-8993-89FB4BCC04B8_zpss7ha4hwo.jpg

I’m considering buying more lol I also bought three jars of fish oil pills for Haley and Dweezle for a couple dollars each :3

[Cheryl Pepper Millie Sophie]

Dori,
Your such a great wealth of knowledge, my little & i mean little experience with foods rotation is basically kibble with a lightly cooked topper of different proteins. I never fed canned.
i am sorry i am picking your brain so much, i really don’t know how to go about all this and then add in my fear well you can guess-
I used to feed Pepper a sardine every day until she couldn’t handle them, then I gave her fish oil-i would puncture a pill, she got beta glucan for her immune system coq10 for her heart 3x a week a Vit C, folic acid also-all human supplements just scaled down to her wt.
now with Millie I don’t want to overload her at this point because she is a puppy, i had planned to introduce the sardines a few times a week soon I think she needs the omega 3.
You know even though millie is eating a high quality kibble Orijen, Horizon legacy, I am starting to think she needs to get away from all kibble.
I have noticed,( funny that you mentioned this )Pepper’s stool has no smell since she has been eating THK, yet Millie’s does & I can only attribute it to the kibble.
I give Millie both the Orijen & Legacy mixed and she is ok with that.
I know she is ok with the orijen freeze dried (that’s what she gets for lunch alone)
I guess I made the mistake of giving her the HK with her kibble & chicken at nite.
I should have introduced THK alone with her protein as a topper.
Dori I will get this, i won’t be bothering you for ever, I am a Leo ,and we are perfectionists (that’s why I suffer from migraines) so i have to get this correct-poor Millie to have me for a mom 🙁
I did create a new topic on Puppy’s and supplements-i just haven’t had a puppy in ages & according to Millie’s breeder she needs nothing ( i don’t agree) but don’t want to go overboard.
I realize you don’t feed kibble but i saw a post where tripe is now made into kibble-petkind.com, I wanted your opinion, I have read here a lot of posters feed canned tripe-that it is good for them, I see that more of the large breed posters feed it, I just didn’t know if breeds like schnauzers would benefit. After all Pepper & Millie are not what you would call “working dogs’ Pep is in retirement & Millie is unemployed

[Cheryl Pepper Millie Sophie]

Good Morning,
Any opinions & input on supplements? Fish oil or a human grade all around supplement for a puppy? Is it something that can hurt or help. Her diet is good.I have read some many differing views on this, just wondered if anyone had any thoughts on this.
Thank you as always

[jakes mom]

Well I hesitate to post anything else here but I just got the KBPF and thought I’d list the ingredients for anyone who’s interested. It’s been a bad weather week in Ohio, lots of long commutes and snow shoveling and below zero temps so I have not had a chance to buy any meat to make the mixes. I have a few days off next week so will give it a shot then.
For the Better in the Raw mix: egg yolk, calcium lactate, beef liver powder, gelatin, whey protein, psyllium husks, EFA from fish oil, taurine, kelp, barley grass, Vitamin E succinate, Vitamin B complex.
Nutritional info based on “as fed” mixed food using ground chicken (average daily meal size 1/4 lb) :
energy 133 kcal
protein 17.29%
carb 1.2%
fat 6.0%
ash 3.19%
calcium 231 mg
phos 74 mg
mg 74 mg
sodium 144 mg
Potassium 201 mg
The U-stew mix for cooked meat has the same ingredients as above plus digestive enzymes.
The company suggests turkey, chicken, beef, venison, lamb or pork with 20% or less fat content.

[Cait Y]

Ok so I have lurked here for a little over a year, and recently started making my own raw cat food via Lisa A. Pierson, DVM because one of my boys almost died after getting into the Dry food AGAIN and his whole GI system blocked up because he cannot handle the lack of fluids in dry food. He is such a picky eater that I had put off the raw diet dreading that he would turn his nose up at it like he did the other high quality raw/semi cooked food I tried buying him. He LOVED the home made food, he even batted off his BFF to eat his food too!
HoundDogMom, other raw feeders please bear with me I know that the whole shebang I know as of now it is 6 pages long. I am trying to paint the whole picture with the dogs, their special needs and what is causing me confusion with the Raw feeding books I have read. There is so much going on right now in my personal life that I am having a very hard time understanding this and if anyone could help point me in the right direction or even a book or website or from experience I would be so very very grateful.
The biggest reservation I have about feeding Raw to the dogs (who LOVED the scoop of homemade cat food I gave them as a test) are the bones and sadly the limited ingredients I can use for my Special Needs Hound.
I have a 14 yr old Walker hound (Forest) who has like no teeth left and was just diagnosed with cushing’s disease but has some pretty abnormal liver tests because of the damage that was done while he went undiagnosed. His liver is so enlarged it displaces his stomach sideways and upwards which makes EASILY digestible food a must. He cannot have food high in phosphorus, copper or ammonia which means little to no red meat and lots of poultry, eggs and pork. He also has problems with chronic Constipation so I would have to be VERY careful about the amount of bone I add to his diet but I also want enough in there to give him the nutrients he needs. Since he is older he also burns a LOT of calories, He is on Vital Fresh pet Turkey or Chicken and gets 1.5 lbs a day. I don’t know what is causing him to burn so many calories except for old age or maybe his body is trying to repair itself – all he does is lounge in the lawn and do his hound dance for food – people or animal whichever he can mac on at the moment lol
My 3 yr old yellow lab (Nova) is also a high calorie burner but she is super active, we do scent tracking, retrieving, and lots of walking/running on the grass. She will go until she drops which I have never seen before, so now I watch her very closely for signs she is over heated. She eats up to 2 lbs of the above dog food a day but is still losing weight on occasion when her activity jumps up again. She has always had double the amount of Eosinophils in her blood that she should at a “normal” rate. She has been checked for parasites so the best I can come up with is that she might have GI issues going on intermittently – she doesn’t transition food gracefully and really doesn’t tolerate even high quality kibble (after research it’s not such a mystery anymore) which is in part what turned me onto Freshpets Vital.
To top it all off I have a Four month old female lab puppy (Ellie) that is still growing. I have her on 2 lbs of Freshpets vital but I am worried that she is not getting something in her diet as well. She has three white lines running across her nails – each nail on every paw. In my experience when the horses have white lines or even indents it means either they were very very sick or have a mineral/vitamin deficiency of some sort. I know when Ellie came to us she had a severe infection of hook and round worms. Her infection was so severe at 8 weeks old that the vet said she would have died untreated – thank you OCD and taking her to the Vet the same day she was brought home lol. They were resistant to the normal worming meds and for 2 months we battled with getting them under control and gone. If Dogs are like horses that would cause the lines because of how sick she was during this (Great going Lemon law Florida) yet I also worry because I know parasites in small animals or even large can cause a huge system imbalance with nutrients which hinders growth.
OK Limited ingredients – because of Forest I have to stick to Chicken, Turkey, and Eggs as a main protein source due to his liver problems and because Rabbit in completely unviable to me unless I want to raise them myself. I have no local butcher – the closest one is three hours away so Chicken and Turkey liver will have to do for organ meat – sometimes I can get chicken hearts once in a blue moon. For Fats I have to choose VERY easily digestible fats from an animal protein because with Forests Liver problems his biliary system can be overloaded very easily and that would be disastrous. Maybe I can add some duck occasionally to his diet?

Copper Issues:
If ammonia restriction is required, feed less red meats and organs since they produce the most ammonia. You may not want to eliminate them entirely though, as they have important nutrients that help with liver function.
Instead, cut back. Feed more poultry, fish, eggs, and pork. If feeding red meat, even in small quantities, buy the absolute best quality you can afford. Preferably grass fed, antibiotic, and hormone free.

Meats generally low in copper are:
• Beef (muscle meat, not organs)
• Eggs
• Turkey (white meat)
• Chicken (white meat)
• Rabbit
• Fish
Meats generally high in copper are:
• Lamb
• Pork
• Pheasant or Quail
• Duck
• Goose
• Salmon
• Organ Meats
When feeding organs for copper issues, some animal livers contain more copper than others. Beef liver is higher in copper than chicken or pork livers. Regardless, the zinc and b vitamins in liver help to reduce the risk of copper toxicity. Though if your dog has an issue with copper, opt for chicken or pork liver. (http://primalpooch.com/raw-feeding-guidelines-dogs-liver-disease/)

I have read Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet and Dr. Pitcairn’s New Complete Guide to Health of Dogs and Cats. I have some major issues with either of the books, UtCaD is so absolute – if you feed this protein then you need this oil. First of all Canola Oil? Corn Oil? Soybean Oil? Walnut oil? Flax and hemp seed oil? I own horses and I would NEVER give them Corn oil with the GMO crap going around I don’t trust Corn or Canola at all. If I am not comfortable feeding to my strict Herbivores I am definitely not OK feeding it to the other animals. By the way the 2,000 lbs animals have had major GI upset from Canola, Corn, Soybean and Flax seed oil. I’ve given it to them in small amounts – 3 tablespoons a day and I have seen a massive systemic effect that made me take them off of it immediately. It was supposed to give them the right ratio of Omega’s 3 and 6 plus help my older guys move and keep weight on since it was winter. The recommended Ratio of 6 to 3 fats are 10:1 to 5:1 for dogs – I have read that small fish or Krill are the best to supplement dogs with because of the low contamination rate and it should not carry Salmon Sickness. Soybean oil is also something I would never give my dogs or humans or anything because of the way it can mimic hormones and interrupt the function of the Thyroid. Also Kelp is recommended a lot, but there are so many negatives that came out during the feeding kelp to horse’s fad that I will not touch the stuff. If it can affect the horses with the amount of iodine to the point horses became toxic I don’t trust the manufactures. It was not that kelp was being fed in large amounts there was absolutely no regulation on what type they harvested or what it contained. Missing link for dogs is a product I am familiar with and they do make it for dogs with trace minerals but it is flax based. Won’t this completely mess up the balancing? Does anyone here feed this instead of kelp?
The Missing Link Ultimate Skin & Coat:
Active Ingredients (per tbsp)
Flaxseed Dried Kelp
Glucosamine Hydrochloride (Vegetarian) Zinc Monomethionine
Freeze Dried Beef Liver Lecithin
Blackstrap Molasses Chromium Yeast
Rice Bran Selenium Yeast
Primary Dried Yeast Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6)
Sunflower Seed Niacin (Vitamin B3)
Dehydrated Alfalfa Garlic Powder
Dried Carrot Yucca Schidigera Extract
Shark Cartilage Powder* Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
Freeze Dried Fish Protein Powder Thiamine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1)
Freeze Dried Oyster Powder Folic Acid
Barley Grass Leaves Powder Cobalamin (Vitamin B12)
Guaranteed Analysis Amount
Crude Protein (not less than) 18%
Crude Fat (not less than) 28%
Crude Fiber (not more than) 15%
Moisture (not more than) 10%
Linoleic Acid (Omega 6) 450 mg
**Linolenic Acid (Omega 3) 1000 mg
**Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO Cat/Dog food nutrient profiles.

Also if everything is so precise that does not leave room for error such as what if the chickens were raised on Florida soil which is heavy in limestone and deficient in other areas – rather than let’s say somewhere in the bread bowl what about if they were fed a corn based feed and another batch was fed free range? If the meat analysis is different it throws everything off and we all know that meat from south Fl is very different than meat from MI or IN – same principle goes with growing vegetables even organic. How much of a God Factor is there for the abundance of some micronutrients and lack of others? UTCAD also has an abundance of some nutrients way over the NRC guidelines – are dogs different in the fact that they can rid themselves of excess things very easily? I know in humans and horses Vit E and Selenium can be deadly because it builds up in fat and the body doesn’t flush it out like the water-soluble vitamins?
Dr. Pitcairn’s New Complete Guide to Health has a lot of oat meal, rice, beans?! Half and Half milk, whole milk, whole wheat bread corn? That sounds not so great for dogs and especially not for cats like it says it can be. What about kidney beans? With feeding my dogs I have learned they do OK on rice occasionally when they have an upset GI but if they are on a diet with rice too long they get backed up. Also the beans – the dogs seem to have issues with digesting them like people sometimes do – why are there so many carbohydrates? Why cannot I do sprouted microgreens or carrots or even baked potatoes because I know the dogs tolerate those vegetables very well. Also Brewer’s Yeast? Isn’t yeast as a whole bad? It’s in everything and I know Nova already is prone to yeast infections in her ears and when she gets a UTI – Also can Brewer’s yeast cause or attribute to bloat? Milk – isn’t milk products bad if they are in large amounts such as 2 cups milk plus 2 cups rolled oats and 2 eggs and calcium powder? Everything to me seems so skewed.
Also RMB are out of the question – Forest cannot eat them and Nova and Ellie are gulpers – they came from a large litter and it would be just my luck to end up in emergency surgery with one of them. I have a grinder to which I can grind the bone up with the meat and I know the purpose of the bone was for dental health but if I make Meat Jerky and other goodies can I replicate that without worrying about emergency surgery or broken teeth?
Since I own a grinder already for cat food why cannot I grind bones to supplement their food with? So far in my research the basic recipe and consensus I have come across is as follows:
16% Organ meat
10% – 25% Bone
The rest of the food would be muscle meat and muscle meat
Meat is very high in phos and the bone is high in Cal which means the Cal to Phos ratio should be 1.2 to 1.5:1 although 1:1 to 2.5:1 is ok as well. I just need to make sure the dogs consume more Cal than Phos but the question is do I need to add bone meal or can I grind my own bones to supplement?
Here is what the Article analysis the bone content to be in prey animals:
Bone Content In Raw Foods
When sourcing bones for your dog’s diet, it’s a good idea to know the approximate amount of bone in commonly sourced foods. Here is a quick guide to help you keep your dog’s bone content in the right range; between 10% and 25%.
Chicken Whole chicken (not including the head and feet): 25% bone/Leg quarter: 30%/Split breast: 20%/Thigh: 15%/Drumstick: 30%/Wing: 45%/Neck: 36%/Back: 45%/Turkey/Whole turkey: 21%/Thigh: 21%/Drumstick: 20%/Wing: 37%/Neck: 42%/Back: 41%
Pork Feet: 30%/Tails: 30%/Ribs: 30%
Beef Ribs: 52%
Rabbit Whole rabbit (fur and all): 10% Whole (dressed): 25-30%

From this can I remove the proper amount of bones or add more bones in to balance or would you suggest a bone meal powder? Also I have yet to factor in the percentage of vegetable/fruit/microgreens in the recipe – I am just so lost so if HoundDogMom could help or someone else could chime in I would be so grateful. I am trying very hard to learn as much as I can but between the animals and two sick family members and special needs animals by the time I have a moment to sit down I am out like a light for the night or my brain is so frazzled everything looks like it was written in French. Am I over thinking this? I just don’t want to screw Ellie up – she has already had such a bad start with the worm infection – and Forest needs nutrients to rebuild his liver correctly and I wanted to see if this change in diet would help Nova’s Eosinophils come to a normal level. Also has anyone ever seen white lines on every toenail that grows parallel with the skin? Any help would be so appreciated there is just not a lot of room for error with Forest right now with his liver Alt levels 4 times what they are supposed to be. They cannot stay on the Freshpet much longer because to feed the dogs its 19 dollars a day and that’s not a very good long term solution.
Thanks so much everyone~!~ I Hope everyone had a great New Year and wonderful Holiday
`RedMare

[Naturella]

Fade, hi.

I will second Marie on her comments:

1. Rotation is great, just make sure you do it over a few days. You can also add some canned/dehydrated/freeze-dried/air-dried/raw as toppers every once in a while, as well as maybe some coconut oil or fish oil (for Omega 3s), raw or lightly cooked eggs, and canned sardines, salmon, or jack mackerel (not tuna). Those are really good for dogs. For my 15lb terrier mix I feed one raw egg/week, 1/2 small can of sardines, and coconut oil every other day. I also use dehydrated/air-dried/freeze-dried as toppers on every dinner meal. I used to feed yoghurt too, but Bruno decided he’s had enough of it apparently, lol. But if your dog likes it, it is good stuff too. Kefir also.
2. Many dogs self-regulate, and many don’t. As Marie said, the bag directions are just guidelines, and many dogs require less than the recommended amounts. You should gage by body condition: https://dogchow.com/articles/1871/body-condition and adjust food amounts accordingly. My dog is at the caloric intake of 3/4 cups of food total, 1/2 cup dry and 1/4 cup (or so, calorie-wise) additives (“toppers”). This is within the recommended amounts, but when we used to exercise a lot, twice a day in the hot summer Georgia days, he would eat 3/4 cup of dry with similar amounts of additives. He was lean and mean even though he ate more.
3. As I have a small dog, I can’t tell you about good brands for large dogs, but this thread can: /forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/ Page 15 should have a link to a google doc with all brands written out, how they score, etc. It is an overall great resource for large breed owners.

Good luck, seems like Nala is in good hands! 🙂

[Akari_32]

Most antibiotics are free here. Probably because of all the old people? I don’t know. Too bad the cat doesn’t get the free ones when he gets UTIs lol Just ask your vet if they know of any human pharmacies that offer free or cheap antibiotics (or just ask the pharmacies).

You can find coconut oil in the baking isle, usually. I guess there’s a certain kind you are supposed to get (cold refined, or something?) but I just get the cheapy stuff, LouAna. Something is better than nothing, and Bentley doesn’t like fish oil, so I don’t normally force it on him lol

My cat started out liking it, and has now decided he hates it. Used to choose it over cat food! Now he won’t even eat food that it’s mixed In to. Dang cat…. LOL So try a small can first and if you can’t get them to set still while brushing their teeth with it, you can always give it to the dogs.

If you buy that water additive stuff, let me know how it works! My pain the butt never used his fountain so I just took it down. No sense in paying for the pump to run for no reason. I do always leave a bowl out for him, though, and there are two dog bowls out as well, so if he really wants to drink, he can.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Ezra,

Glad you posted over here. I was just trying to reply to you on the review side, but was having trouble.

A couple of things…, it’s odd to me that the fish oil supplement your vet recommended used peppermint as a carrier. I can certainly sympathize with your fish woes. You mentioned that your pup also has environmental allergies, but that the fish oil might have made it much worse. While you have things pretty well controlled, I think would I’d try adding fish oil to his food and see what happens. If he reacts, stop and you’ll have your answer about the fish oil. I’ve been using Ovega-3 and Springtime Naturals Skin and Coat Oil. Both are vegeterian and I’d recommend both.

The change in bowel movements could be the result of the increase in peas. Is he gassy at all? I believe, the other varieties of NVI LID, have a bit less pea protein. I really would encourage you to try one of those. I would also recommend adding a digestive enzyme to his food – I had great luck with Swanson’s BioCore, which works great at digesting carbs. Canine Caviar Lamb and Pearl Millet is fish free as is Canidae Pure Sky, which is a duck based food. Canidae is also a Diamond product if that concerns you. Addiction Viva La Venison is also fish free and uses potato as a binder. As we talked about on the other side, Acana Duck and Bartlett Pear (not Singles) and Lamb and Apple (not Singles) would both be good fish free choices, also.

I know you said you feed other proteins for treats, but I really think it’s important to rotate proteins in kibble, too. Even though NVI LID Duck is far and away my dogs best food, I’m constantly looking for others to rotate it with. I rotate brands with varying proteins and binders. I’d encourage you to rotate varieties of ZiwiPeak that you use also.

I think you also said that transitioning him from one food to another food takes a long time. That’s OK, he’ll adjust, the important thing is to keep rotating. If he’s not used to switching, he doesn’t have optional gut health; keep rotating and he’ll improve.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Walt,

If he’s been eating it for a while, the transition will take some time, especially if he’s got issues with a leaky gut.

Start with a very small portion of the new food and mix it with a reduced portion of the old food. If he he’s doing well on the new food, leave him at that ratio for a few days. His stool will be the biggest indicator of how he’s handling the new food. Only increase the portion of the new food to the old when his stool is firm. Let the transition take as long as necessary, it could take two or three weeks or more. If he has some loose stool, a bit of plain, canned pumpkin helps a lot.

I would also consider adding digestive enzyme and probiotics to his food for a while. I’ve had great success with Swanson’s BioCore and Soil Based Organisms.

Zignature has lots of legumes which are notorious for their ability to cause gas and loose stool. If your pup doesn’t do well on the Zignature, you might need something without chickpeas or lentils.

Don’t stock up on fish based food. Delicate Omega 3’s are best added at the time that you serve it in the form of fish oil or sardines. Here’s a great article on rancid fats: http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_12/features/Fats-Chance_20658-1.html. If you must buy fish based food, buy the freshest you can and smaller bags that you’ll use within a couple of weeks of opening. Once opened keep it stored in the original bag, with the top roles down and in an air tight container.

[DogFoodie]

Completely fish free, as in no fish oil either?

[DogFoodie]

Hi Samantha,

Sweet little Pennie has had some challenges. I bet she’s been lonely. I’m sorry that the elderly gentleman had to release her, but am glad she has found a living home with you. I hope he’s doing OK without her.

When it comes to fish, I feel your pain. It’s everywhere. I’ve tried several different types of fishes and fish oils, but my dog reacted to all of them. It is very difficult to find a fish free food. I’ll be reading an ingredient panel and think it looks good and then down at the bottom of the list I’ll see menhaden meal or salmon oil. It’s frustrating, I know. My dog has some other intolerances that make more challenging.

If I’m not mistaken, the only Victor that’s an option is Lamb & Brown Rice. That’s quite a step down from Orijen Six Fish. I have used, with great success, Nature’s Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient Diets. I know there are more options than those I’ll list, but those that I’ve found have to exclude other ingredients beyond fish…, so a couple more recommendations are Addiction Viva La Venison, Acana Duck & Bartlett Pear (the original, not the Singles), The Honest Kitchen Thrive, and Canidae Pure Sky (I HATE that it’s a Diamond product, but it works for my dog so I use it sparingly) and Wysong Fundamentals.

I’ll see what others I can come up with.

[Barbara P]

AQUARIANGT – Thank you for your suggestion of Nature’s Logic raw. It looked very healthy and good until I got to the eggshell meal, whole eggs and kelp. I didn’t realize kelp is in so many foods but we had to eliminate it after trying some we got and dried (kale chips) from our local organic farmer this summer. I have not tried sardine oil with him as I figured it would be the same as salmon oil, although he can tolerate catfish, cod, herring, mackerel and white fish. I’ll have to try it. His dog biscuits are Blue Seal Lobster Bisquettes and those have not been a problem for him so far but I’m holding my breath. Thank you again.

[Akari_32]

You guys know I’m always on the look out for a deal, and to better the dogs diets at the same time. I was surfing around and came across Hare Today. I know several of you guys use it, so I decided to check it out.

I’ve figured out that I need to keep it at $3.89 and less, to keep the price competitive to what I am doing now, which is See Spot Live Longer, and sale meats (lots of sale whole roaster/frier chickens @.@). Which should be easy, I think.

However, what is shipping like? Is there a “free shipping when you spend so much” deal they do? I need to stick with less than $30 a month. If it needs to be bought in bulk, thats fine with me. Shipping is a huge factor on this right now.

What makes me really like this idea, though is that the prices are cheaper than in store (which means nothing if shipping is too much lol), and I can get Bentley more than mass amounts of chicken, because the variety here sucks. Its either chicken, beef, chicken, pork, chicken, maybe some random organ someone ordered at Publix but never picked up, more chicken… Everything but the chicken and some pork is just so pricey, $5 a pound and up! I’m thinking he is still having problems with chicken though, because even though he’s been on raw for some time now, he still breaks out and gets red and itchy and yeasty at times. I know the grass and rain and other pollens has something to do with it, but I can’t help but wonder if completely cutting out chicken would help him even more, or maybe cutting out the pre-mix, if its something in the SSLL.

If I can cut out the SSLL, are the meat/organ/bone grinds on Hare Today balanced? Like this beef blend, for example?

“Ground Beef/Organs/Tripe/Bone, 5 lb $19.20

Hormone and antibiotic free beef. This is approximately 80% meat, 7% tripe, 7% organ [heart,liver, lung, and kidneys] and 6% bone.
Fine Ground

This food is low in Sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin B6, Phosphorus, Zinc and Selenium, and a very good source of Protein and Vitamin B12”

I would think yes, but I figured I’d make sure. According to the calculator, he’d only need about 3.84 oz. He currently gets a 5 oz chunk of whatever meat I give him and SSLL, and a little coconut oil because the princess won’t lap up the SSLL anymore without the coconut oil, or a good deal of blood from the meat. Rotten little dog lol

Also, since I’m considering cutting chicken from his diet, should I also cut out other birds, and stick with beef, pork and maybe fish? He didn’t really like fish based kibbles when he was a puppy, and he’s not a huge fan of fish oil, but maybe he’d like raw fish? The whole sardines or anchovies, or whatever they were, on Hare Today are right in my price range at $3.85 a pound, and I know whole fishes are balanced meals. I’d also like if you guys that know the site better than I do to recommend some goodies that are in my feeble price range. Mixes of meats to make balanced meals are also good, as well. Just keep the average price per pound in my price range 🙂

As far as bones and RMB, I can just get those in store, I think. Some prices are cheaper at Publix than Hare Today, so I’ll price shop for bones first before deciding where I’ll buy them.

I’d also like to know if there are any other sites like this that may be cheaper, or have other things. I’m also looking at complete freeze-dried and dehydrated meals, if anyone can recommend any that are going to be about $30 or less a month for an 8 pound dog.

Thanks a bunch guys!

[DogFoodie]

I assumed that he couldn’t eat those you indicated which is why I reported back with those that the research that I did for you found. It sounds as though what he’s currently eating is still not working for him.

Have you ever considered an elimination diet? They’re not simple and require discipline, but are the only way to reliably get accurate information. Through an elimination diet, I’ve learned that my Golden can’t have fish (all fishes), including fish oils, flax, tomato, chickpeas or lentils.

Allergy tests are notorious for both false positives and false negatives. Historically, they’re unreliable.

[Barbara P]

First let me THANK YOU ALL for all your time, questions, and recommendations. I truly, truly appreciate it. SUSAN – to answer your question, after 4 years of trying different foods and not being able to keep my golden’s ears clean and sore-free, his hair from falling out, and stop his constant licking, I finally had him allergy tested. Some of the major foods causing the problems are the ones I listed above. The company that evaluated him could only give me two food recommendations. The one I chose is causing his hair to turn white although he has stopped licking and his ears do not need daily cleaning but I feel the need to look for a healthier food choice. CRAZY4CATS – Thank you! You asked about fish oil and I tried that when he was having skin and hair problems but it caused more ear problems. Also, duck was tested separately and it also had a high level near the cutoff. The poultry test included just chicken & turkey. DOGFOODIE- All the items I listed he cannot eat. To PUGSMOMSANDY, GUIZMOMOM and AQUARIANGT – Thank you and I will research.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Sarah-
I’d definitely play it safe and feed your pup as if it is a large breed. There is a good chance she will be if she is 3/4 golden. She is going to be beautiful! Right now, I’d worry more about her joints than cancer. You can always supplement with fish oil or sardines/salmon if you can’t find an appropriate fish based food at this time. I have two three year-old 3/4 lab, 1/4 golden mixes and I give them each one tin of sardines per week and then a krill oil pill each on another day. I also feed them eggs, beef hearts a few times per week with their kibble as well. Good luck and have fun with your pup!

[DogFoodie]

Pinnacle Duck & Potato appears to meet your requirements.

Great Life Dr. E’s Grain-Free Limited Ingredient Buffalo has salmon oil as the very least ingredient. I wish it didn’t because I’d try it for my dog with food intolerance issues, but he can’t even have fish oil.

[crazy4cats]

Can it have fish oil in it? How about Natural Balance Rabbit or Back to Basics Pork?

[DogFoodie]

If it’s your hope to use a fish based food for the Omega 3’s, you’re better off adding sardines, fish oil or another form of Omega 3 supplement to the food you’re feeding.

Here’s an article written by Steve Brown, who many consider to be one of the authorities of raw feeding: http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_12/features/Fats-Chance_20658-1.html

[Akari_32]

Oh boy, this’ll be fun lol

Haley and Dweezle: Natural Balance Ultra Small Breed. Only got it because it was $1 a pound after coupons– I’m not very happy with, so after the two bags I have are gone, I’ll not buy it again. However, they like it. But they like anything, regardless of how eatable it is lol They also each get a salmon oil pill in their food. Next will be Wellness Toy Breed Complete Health Senior and Wellness Toy Breed Complete Health Adult, mixed 2:1. These dogs are 60 and 130 lbs, btw LOL after that will probably be Ideal Balance puppy, then Wellness Core Puppy and Small Breed mixed, then who knows. I have a good sized stash to chose from. I try to keep it interesting.

Bentley: SSLL mix, with coconut oil (won’t eat the mix plain, the little brat!) and a nice de-boned raw turkey leg. He gets a random pick of turkey or chicken (bought whole and cut up and separated into white meat, dark meat, and bone-in meat), ground pork, or beef or chicken hearts every day.

Ginger: half Wellness Small Breed Simple Salmon and Potato, and half Wellness Toy Breed Complete Health Healthy Weight. She’ll be moving to Purina Veterinary Diet Joint Mobility when I have the money in my account to order it, her Wellness Simple was running out, so I’ll put it off a bit longer, so she’s not switching arounf too much. Her stomach just can’t handle it. Nothing Purina is my first choice except for a very select few of the canned cat foods due to cost, but I’m at my wits end at what I can do to help her poor old joints, and not break the bank (not that there’s much of a bank to break at this point…). I can get it less than what the same size bag of Wellness is, so it’s worth a shot. Her treats today was a half of an Amoxicillin pill in the morning and tonight. She eats it like it’s the most delicious thing she’s ever tasted, so I just let her think that LOL

Usually they all get some form of Zukes or Pet Botanics treats, but no one got any of those today, except the cat, who did high-fives, shakes, and up’s for his G-Zees treats :p He also got 3oz Wild Kitty raw cat food mix (made with chicken) for breakfast, and a 5.5 oz can of Friskies Ocean Whitefish as a very special treat. I don’t do fish or any other Friskies other than two flavors of Special Diet for him very often, but I’ll grab something fish based every now and then for something that isn’t turkey, chicken or beef. Gotta have something different when your crazy mommy limits you to very specific flavors from very specific brands lol I’ve also been giving Bentley a few pieces of Natures Variety Instinct Raw as a treat a few times a day. He loves to eat the little pieces still frozen. I think he likes the texture, and the fact that it’s red meat, something I can’t afford for his rotation very often. Innova Prime Red Meat used to be his favorite kibble before we realized he had carb allergies and before Innova got bought out.

Just a side note on the Wellness Toy Breed Complete Health forumlas: I’m extremely happy with all of them. Typically, even in the rest of the Wellness line, senior and diet foods are just complete crap, but these are comparable to other puppy and adult grain inclusive foods. They have good protein (close to 30%), and low fat (which is what my three old farts need), and are still high calorie (high 400’s!). Would definitely recommend either of these to anyone with a dog that needs a low fat diet, or to any owner who likes to feed lower fat diet food, small or large breed. It’s pretty decently priced, too, especially if you have coupons 😉

[Naturella]

Today Bruno had 1/4 + 1/8th cup of Castor & Pollux Ultramix GF Duck and Sweet Potato, with 1/2 of a pouch of some new local food – Have Dogs – as a topper. It is chicken-based, with chicken, fish oil, bone meal, vitamin E, and egg. Normally on Tuesday he gets yoghurt or kefir on his kibble but he really didn’t like the plain non-fat one I got by mistake (I normally get plain full-fat yoghurt), so he wouldn’t eat it at all last week. For dinner he had same Castor & Pollux with 1 tsp. THK Keen. We just got on Castor & Pollux from Back to Basics Open Range, and next kibble up will be Wysong Nurture with Quail. Treats we use right now for training are are Fromm Pork and Pea and TOTW Southwest Canyon from sample baggies, and also Annamaet Manitok and Canidae Pure Bison and Sweet Potato as grand rewards or when he is simply irresistible. He didn’t have any of those today, but he did have 1 chicken heart and a piece of chicken liver as I had bought some and I was portioning them out, so I just HAD to give him some while they were still fresh and not yet frozen up. He gulped them immediately.

Tomorrow Bruno will have same kibble with raw egg as a topper for breakfast and BDN Tripe Supreme as a topper for dinner. Bruno’s menu is pretty predictable and set, written out even to help hubby if I’m not home. I will post a picture of it too. On occasion I do vary it though, like I will for Christmas and like I did on Thanksgiving. And I have several cans that are not penciled in his menu, just so I can spice things up. RMBs for him are usually chicken/pork/beef neck pieces.

I also, like Dori, feed Bruno nothing after 7pm or 8pm latest. He doesn’t eat breakfast until 9-10am or so. On occasion he fasts himself for 24hrs or so, if he decides he doesn’t like the yoghurt I have gotten, lol, or if he is just too full or something. He is decent with food and always happy to eat, as his meals are controlled so that he’s lean, healthy, and enjoys some variety.

I also have some Etta Says chews laying around, but the deer one gave him diarrhea, so I am cautious and want to be sure his tummy will be fully good when I give him another of the chews. I also only give him 1/2 at a time of those, and 1/2 of the biscuits (Annamaet and Canidae) when he does get them. From the kibble treats (Fromm and TOTW) he gets about 1/8th cup of either one when we do training or play puzzle games, which is about every other day. He can chew on his antler freely anytime, all day if he wants, and I also just got him a stingray tail chew, which may be a bit hard for him to get through as it is thicker than his usual ones, but he has unlimited access to it too. Other things we give on a whim are bully sticks, cow/lamb ears, pig snouts, chicken/duck feet, Himalayan Chews, fish skins, and the like.

[Naturella]

Today Bruno had 1/4 + 1/8th cup of Castor & Pollux Ultramix GF Duck and Sweet Potato, with 1/2 of a pouch of some new local food – Have Dogs – as a topper. It is chicken-based, with chicken, fish oil, bone meal, vitamin E, and egg. Normally on Tuesday he gets yoghurt or kefir on his kibble but he really didn’t like the plain non-fat one I got by mistake (I normally get plain full-fat yoghurt), so he wouldn’t eat it at all last week. For dinner he had same Castor & Pollux with 1 tsp. THK Keen. We just got on Castor & Pollux from Back to Basics Open Range, and next kibble up will be Wysong Nurture with Quail. Treats we use right now for training are are Fromm Pork and Pea and TOTW Southwest Canyon from sample baggies, and also Annamaet Manitok and Canidae Pure Bison and Sweet Potato as grand rewards or when he is simply irresistible. He didn’t have any of those today, but he did have 1 chicken heart and a piece of chicken liver as I had bought some and I was portioning them out, so I just HAD to give him some while they were still fresh and not yet frozen up. He gulped them immediately.

Tomorrow Bruno will have same kibble with raw egg as a topper for breakfast and BDN Tripe Supreme as a topper for dinner. Bruno’s menu is pretty predictable and set, written out even to help hubby if I’m not home. I will post a picture of it too. On occasion I do vary it though, like I will for Christmas and like I did on Thanksgiving. And I have several cans that are not penciled in his menu, just so I can spice things up. RMBs for him are usually chicken/pork/beef neck pieces.

[URL=http://s1352.photobucket.com/user/aninova/media/Bruno2014-2015Menu_zps6ccc6e19.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1352.photobucket.com/albums/q644/aninova/Bruno2014-2015Menu_zps6ccc6e19.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[URL=http://s1352.photobucket.com/user/aninova/media/BrunoWeeklyToppers_zpsdfd1a9be.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1352.photobucket.com/albums/q644/aninova/BrunoWeeklyToppers_zpsdfd1a9be.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

I also, like Dori, feed Bruno nothing after 7pm or 8pm latest. He doesn’t eat breakfast until 9-10am or so. On occasion he fasts himself for 24hrs or so, if he decides he doesn’t like the yoghurt I have gotten, lol, or if he is just too full or something. He is decent with food and always happy to eat, as his meals are controlled so that he’s lean, healthy, and enjoys some variety.

I also have some Etta Says chews laying around, but the deer one gave him diarrhea, so I am cautious and want to be sure his tummy will be fully good when I give him another of the chews. I also only give him 1/2 at a time of those, and 1/2 of the biscuits (Annamaet and Canidae) when he does get them. From the kibble treats (Fromm and TOTW) he gets about 1/8th cup of either one when we do training or play puzzle games, which is about every other day. He can chew on his antler freely anytime, all day if he wants, and I also just got him a stingray tail chew, which may be a bit hard for him to get through as it is thicker than his usual ones, but he has unlimited access to it too. Other things we give on a whim are bully sticks, cow/lamb ears, pig snouts, chicken/duck feet, Himalayan Chews, fish skins, and the like.

[DogFoodie]

Just adding this on to this old thread.

I just ordered a new Springtime Naturals product called Skin & Coat Oil for my fish intolerant dog: http://www.springtimeinc.com/product/Skin-and-Coat

Here are the ingredients:
Guaranteed Springtime Analysis
Super Seven oil blend ≈4,500 mg/tsp.
Ingredients: rice bran oil (minimally processed – high oryzanol), coconut oil (organic), extra virgin olive oil (organic), pumpkin seed oil (organic), sesame seed oil (organic), sunflower seed oil (high oleic-organic), walnut oil (cold pressed-organic).

I use Nature’s Logic sardine oil for my Cavalier and tried it on Sam and sure enough, his ears got gunky.

[karren w]

Hi I live in the UK and am having a nightmare getting food for my dog she is an american bull dog she is 9 months old she carnt have chicken /wheat /potato’s/sweet potato’s /rice / or she get yeast ears .and her whole body is itchy. She is on orijen six fish at the moment as its got the lowest carbs in dry food you can bye in the UK .we are giving that for 2 meals and 1 meal of just meat .we are also giving her coconut oil and fish oil to try and help her . at the moment we are doing a bit better her ears are all good but she is dead itchy. Dos anyone no any other foods in the UK we can try .

[Bellalab]

Hi all. I am curious to know if anyone has ever come across a dog that cannot tolerate ANY digestive enzyme. I have a Lab/Bulldog mix. She is almost 2 years old and she has been quite a challenge since I adopted her. She came to me on Pedigree kibble. I wanted to get her off that ASAP and slowly introduced TOTW. She did okay for 5 months or so and then had a horrible bout of colitis. During this time, (after a vet visit and meds) I fed boiled chicken/rice and things improved until I starting adding the kibble back into the diet. With each increase of kibble, the stools became worse. I experimented with several brands of kibble – slowly introducing which ever one I was trying but after about the 1/2 cup mark, runny stools. I finally gave up and started cooking for her. I rotate chicken, beef, turkey. Vegetables include peas, carrots, green beans. I use a limited amount of carbs – pasta, barley, sweet potatoes and not much of this is given. So far I have tried Dr. Mercola’s products, Enzyme Miracle (and probiotic miracle), Animal Essential enzymes, and Digestive Enzyme/Probiotic by Pet Health and Nutrition Center. While on the any of these there have been stool issues especially the Enzyme Miracle. That led to another vet visit with bloody stools. She has been on the last item I listed for about a month and problems are starting again. If I keep her off the digestive enzymes she is fine. Right now as far as other supplements all she is getting is fish oil and calcium. And the last few weeks all she has done is itch and chew. Since stopping the enzymes she is finally getting better with that too. Why aren’t enzymes helping her? I just don’t get it. She also had nasty diarrhea when taking heartworm meds so I stopped those. She cannot tolerate flea medication – makes her extremely loopy. I love her to pieces – she is the sweetest dog and so smart. I just feel so bad that she is so sensitive to things. But digestive enzymes???????

[frostyrockyk]

I started this in case other folks had the same problem . I saw in a post the use of cottage cheese in home made food & made me think of this . RE: calcium , I got the cook book ” REAL FOOD for healthy dogs & cats ” in the book they cover many , many things . I know too much of anything can be bad , like a belly full of rocks & a huge vet bill to cut him open to take them out ! I don’t recall word for word , but they talked about the need for Phosphorus with calcium . There are also charts of how much per weight of dog . Like many here I also mix up what I feed my dog , my guess I don’t feed enough calcium , I don’t give it every meal & also give her cottage cheese , milk , sour cream , cheese , ice cream , yogurt . She gets deer bones from the woods on her own & killed & eaten rabbits . RE: raw bones , most people likely can’t get them , but if you know any deer hunters , the full rib cage is good for them to chew on . The ribs are good because the dogs eat them like buggs bunny eats a carrot . They use their back teeth to nip off bits of about 1/4 inch at a time , so there are no shards that would cut their insides , just crushed bone . Their teeth come out super clean . I’m not a raw food kind of guy & am a little freaked out about what they may catch from the deer. But hunting season in MO. is mostly cold so I don’t think it will spoil too soon . Other than the ribs , I take away any bones they bring home . I have raised Grt. Pureness dogs for about 30 years & only had problems with 1 a few months ago , that’s why I’m here. They eat a lot & I have fed them LOTS of table scraps , deer & catfish for ever & had zero problems related to food . I don’t know what killed Frosty ?? The Med. College cut him up to find out because they couldn’t save him & they wanted to know why . Bottom line , they don’t know for sure , age 2 1/2 , possible toxin . The av. age of my dogs was 12 years , the ones not hit by a truck , shot , antifreeze, or just gone & never came back ??? Bo Bear was shot in one eye by a turkey hunter & later BLIND sided by a truck ! He was not fixed & 1 rainy night just took off running & that was the last time I saw him alive . I think it’s a good Idea to get them fixed if you don’t want pups . Every single one was the BEST DOG EVER!!

[DogFoodie]

It could be a food intolerance to many different things, Kathleen. Mine reacts the same way to fish (including fish oil), which frequently pops up down the list of ingredients in foods that are other protein based. My friend’s dog reacts the same way to tomatoes. You never know.

I’d suggest closely comparing ingredient panels to help you identify problem ingredients. It can take a while, but his problem ingredients will eventually become evident.

I’d be inclined to try a limited ingredient food for a while to see what happens. If you like NVI, maybe consider their LID’s. My dog with intolerance issues does very well on it. It’s single protein, tapioca, peas and no other fruits or veggies. I just don’t recommend the lamb formula any longer as a recent recipe change significantly reduced the protein and fat and increased the pea protein. Be sure to closely monitor portion size and keep track of treats and toppers, whether canned or fresh, whole foods.

[Susan]

Hi Erica, get a kibble that has lower fat% then the Kirkland, also look at the ingredients there could be an ingredient thats not agreeing with her, like my boy cant eat potatoes.. I didnt know & started a fish & potatoes kibble he didnt have diarrhea until 1 week later so when the vets said its the food, I thought, he’s been on it for over 1 week it cant be, then 4 months later I did an elimination diet, feed boiled chicken & a little pumkin for 1 week then when poos were great I started to add foods, 1 at a time when I got to boiled potatos he got a real bad rash all over his chest, then the next day was scratching, then that afternoon sloppy poos stated, so I stopped the potato & now I know dont feed potatos…You’ll work it out, I’d feed another kibble with diffferent ingredients to the Kirkland & maybe a lower fat kibble & see how she does….

[Akari_32]

I recently had the same issue with my older lab mix. It was to the point where I would run my hand down her back and come up with literally a handful of hair. And I could do it over and over and get the same results. Having a collar on just for a walk would also result in a bald ring around her neck. I finally took her to the vet thinking maybe it was a thyroid problem, and it turns out it was only seasonal allergies. Thankfully he didn’t charge me to tell me that! He prescribed prednisone, which I filled just in case but never picked up. She doesn’t do well on it, so I didn’t want to give unless she continued to get worse. I upped her fish oil from one pill a day to two pills a day, and it cleared up on its own in a week or so. I would take your girl to the vet just to be sure its nothing serious, and go from there.

That said, Eukanuba isn’t the greatest of foods, and I can assure you there is much better for the same price, and even less. Its also made by the same company that makes your candy bars (Mars), and before that, a chemical and “etc” company (P&G). I use a lot of Wellness, all varieties, and I couldn’t be happier with it. I’ve also used NutriSource Super Performance and certain Nutro Natural Choice formulas in the past and was happy with both of them. Breeders an interesting lot. They tend to use foods that have a lasting reputation, rather than foods that are actually healthful. Don’t let him force you into feeding a something you’re unsure of.

[Jonathan H]

My dog is shedding like crazy… I’m not sure how she still has hair but she doesn’t show any signs of balding or skin irritation.

I’ve switched her to partial raw, made by a local butcher who sources only grass fed and locally raised animals in the tristate area, as well as added some additional fish oil to help with her dandruff. The dandruff is gone now but the shedding remains.

We brush her once per week with a furminator and I use dog baths wipes to help keep her clean between actually baths which I don’t like to do more than once a month.

Has anyone seen Euk causing the shedding? I’ve been thinking about changing her food but the breeder / trainer we purchased her from said he has always fed this with no issues.

Thanks for the feedback

[Susan]

Hi this happened with my boy while on prescription food, he doesnt fart, oh he’ll pass a little gas but it doesnt clear a room has no smell put him on premuim commercial food, bad gas, Maybe try another brand one with less ingredients, NO peas, lentils etc, I think dogs arent suppose to have peas, lentils, beans & all the other things they add to kibble, in their diet… Maybe try a kibble that’s more like the vet presciption diet minus the bad things, have you looked at “Natural Balance” limited ingredients, the Kangaroo & Potatos or Rabbit & Potatos have the least ingredients, so less chance of causing bad wind, I had to go back to the Vet Diet as my boy has IBD (Lymphocytic Gastritis) .. Now I just add extra foods in his diet, bland foods like Boliled Chicken, pumkin, boiled egg, banana, sometimes fish, so he’s still getting good foods but the vet diet is helping & doing what it has to & stopping the rotton gas & wind, he’d fart then look at his bum & I’d say, yes that rotten smell is you, stinky bum…lol…the Wellness Simple Lamb & Oatmeal gave the worse gas then the other kibbles I tried..

[Dori]

Darn it!!!! I forgot about Sam’s fish intolerance. Okay so just ignore all I said about sardines and fish oils.

[DogFoodie]

I will try Ice on Ice, Dori! Thanks so much for the suggestion!

The problem with Sam, is that he can’t have any fish at all. He’s intolerant of any fish that he’s ever eaten and has even reacted to fish oil. Hence, my dilemma. : (

I’ll never forget the last time I tried to give him sardines. He sniffed around and wouldn’t touch them. He came back, sniffed again, saw the sardines were still there and walked away. That’s the only time Sam has refused to eat, when I tried to give him his sardines.

The Ovega 3 that I’ve been giving him is algae oil, so it should do the trick; but so far, it hasn’t.

It’s primarily his legs that are fuzzy. The rest of him is shiny and smooth.

Maybe when I get home tonight, I’ll see if I can figure out how to post a picture on the forum side.

[DogFoodie]

Got my Miller’s Forge slicker brush. I wish the bristles were a little stiffer and longer. Still, it works OK.

I took the pups to a lovely new groomer recently. She took a quick glance at Sam as soon as he walked in the door and said, “Ah ha, he’s been neutered.” She could tell because his coat on his legs tends to be more fuzzy and less shiny. I thought that was the result of my inability to give him fish for the omega 3’s, but it sounds like it must actually be hormonal.

He’s been getting Ovega 3 daily, and I route coconut and olive oil, but I haven’t noticed a difference at all. So, I wonder if the added Omega 3’s or the other oils will ever make a difference in his coat?

[pugmomsandy]

There are several supplements I like to give to seniors (and adults): joint, greens, ubiquinol, fish oil, bee pollen, probiotics.

[Cynthia R]

My 12.5 year old boxer had advanced arthritis in his knees and began staggering. We had to put up a baby gate around stairs because he staggered and fell down them:-(.
You may want to consider adding fish oil to his daily supplements.
My vet had our boy on 3 grams of fish oil daily (helps with joints along with many other benefits, so all my dogs are given this daily), loading dose of glyco-flex lll (our vet also likes phycox), prevacox, tramadol as needed the last year of his life. I raised him on a grain-free diet(raw).

[Nancy M]

Thanks to “theBCnut”, I appreciate your response. As you can probably agree, when there’s more than one change, it’s difficult to figure out which one is doing more responsible. The new food and the colder weather, both started around the same time. Putting the Advantix II on her the other day, probably made everything worse. But yes, I do have some Salmon oil that I was going to start her on, but not only was it expired, I just hate that fishy smell. I also have some coconu oil, so I’ll start with that first. I’ve also heard that Vitamin E liquid can help with this……what say you? I think I’ll transition her back to her old food and see if that makes a difference also. Then I can eventually choose a new food……I had reservations about the pork in the Victor formula, to begin with. But we’ll see. It will be a process I’m sure.

Thanks for the advice!

[theBCnut]

If the skin issues started after the food change, I would assume it was a food hypersenitivity issue. But for some dogs, cold dry air does cause skin dryness. Since I’m a big believer in the benefits of rotational diets, I would suggest changing the food, even if it is just a dry skin issue. Take the ingredient list with you to the store and get something that is as different as you can find. Keep that ingredient list though. If the food change solves the problem, you know that there is an ingredient on that list that your dog can’t handle. So then you need to start saving lists on all the foods you feed whenever you change foods and compare them to see if you can figure out what she is reacting to.

If you think it may just be dry skin, you can start adding oils to her food, like fish oil or coconut oil. Start with small amounts and work your way up or it will upset her system. She can have up to 1 teaspoon/20 lbs body weight added to her food, but start with about 1/4 teaspoon. Remember that this is pure fat and decrease her regular food as needed.

[Naturella]

Girl, you know I will, I’ve been eying Wellness for a WHILE! And with $12 off, HELLO! 🙂

Misty, thanks to Akari’s tips, I am able to feed my one 15-lb dog for about $8 or so/month (that’s about $2-$2.50/week) on really, really good dry, dehydrated, air-dried, freeze-dried, and canned foods, plus fresh food toppers, such as raw eggs, raw bones, canned sardines, yoghurt/kefir, and coconut oil. AND I have stocked up on food for him for about a year (until July/August 2015). So yeah, she is the ultimate coupon guru there is for dog and cat food and supplies. And fish and reptiles, if you’re into that. 😉

[DogFoodie]

I know how upsetting it can be. I’ve been there myself with one of my dogs. It’s extremely frustrating. I didn’t start having any luck until I started keeping a written record of advertising he ate. After a while, I started figuring out what his food intolerance issues and once I stopped exposing him to any of those ingredients, the yeast was gone and has stayed away ever since.

That said, you could be dealing with both or either food or environmental issues. Have you ever tried wiping his belly, or those areas affected by yeast with a diluted solution of white vinegar?

As far as good is concerned, I wondered if you had ever tried a limited ingredient diet. I had great luck with Nature’s Variety LID. But, there are certainly other brands to try. I picked that one because Ilike the brand, and its fish free. My dog can’t have any fish or fish oil. Maybe that could help you figure some things out. I would pick something fish free, that your guy has not regularly eaten and a single starch. One thing that frustrated me about Orijen is that it contains so many potential problem ingredients. All of those fruits, veggies and botanicals could also be contributing to your guys yeast issues.

I know now of this addresses the fever he’s having and I certainly hope he’s feeling better. 105 is scary.