[Akari_32]

As you guys may know, I recently took in an old Dachshund with several health and behavioral problems, all due to lack of proper care and rough treatment.

One of her biggest problems is she’s always limping and when she hurts too much, she lashes out at almost any handling (mainly when being picked up). I know they are prone to back problems, and from what I’ve seen of her extremely limited vet records, she’s had no such problems. She does have problems with her shoulders and hips, though. Typical old dog stuff, really, but she’s learned from experience in her previous home that lashing out and biting when she’s in pain will get her left alone. I need to get her on some sort of good, but relatively cheap, joint/etc supplement (glucosamine is the first thing that comes to mind) that will help with any pain she’s having, and help prevent or slow down any further joint or bone damage and help with the arthritis I’m sure she has. I also need some tips on getting her to understand that biting is not the answer, if anyone has any.

She loves to be active, and I want to keep her that way. She does limp more after walks, but she doesn’t seem to notice, and loves the stimulation. It’s like she loves to just be so tired she doesn’t want to do anything. She just looks so happy after long walks, and you can tell that she is over all calmer and less high strung (she paces all day with no good walks) . Obviously, I want to keep her happy and active, but I don’t want to cause any more damage to her joints, so we need to get her on something good before she gets much worse.

I’ve tried Pro Sense glucosamine chewables from Walmart on my other dogs, and they really didn’t do anything that I noticed. Granted, they don’t really have any problems in that department, despite being large and freakishly huge, and 10 11 years old, so there is that. I shop mostly at Pet Supermarket and PetSmart, but can also go to PetCo and look at stuff online, and I work at Publix (only one dog joint supplement there, but it’s like $20, so I’m good on that, but people supplements are always an option, too).

And she is already on fish oil and coconut oil, rotated daily, so that’s already covered. So, anything you guys have, go for it! I’d like to only spend about $10 a month, if possible, but take that loosely when giving me suggestions.

Thanks guys!

[Hanna J]

Have you tried ZiwiPeak? It’s very expensive, but they ONLY use meat sources in their food, and one of their foods is Venison flavor.

Here are the ingredients:

Venison Meat, Liver, Tripe, Heart and Kidney, Chicory Inulin, Green-lipped Mussel, Fish Oil, Lecithin, Kelp, Vitamins and Minerals, Parsley, Naturally preserved with mixed tocopherols, Vitamin D3, Vitamin E, Copper proteinate

ZiwiPeak Daily-Dog Cuisine Venison Real Meat Dry Dog Food

[Akari_32]

So an update on Ginger is in order.

Mom, once again, is a complete idiot. She put the doggy stairs up to her bed, which in and of itself is great, and I’m glad she’s remember to do that, but her bed is a good 10-12 inch taller than the stairs are!! She expects this 7 inch tall (probably less!), 14 year old dog to get from the top of the stairs to the top of the bed. Even worse, she expects her to down. Ginger fell down the stairs getting down while I was at work the other day, and now she’s limping on her front right leg, flinching away from contact, and biting (mouthing and snarling, really) when being picked up. She’s also pacing the house, obviously uncomfortable, and doesn’t seem to know what to do. Hopefully she’ll just need some Previcox and down time to recover, and nothing more.

On the Previcox note, I can’t help but wonder if she’s at a point where she needs pain management to live comfortably. I’ve been thinking this side before the steps incident, because she never has fully stopped flinching away from certain contact. She’s also got another fatty tumor forming very quickly on the side of her stomach– I can’t help but wonder if it’s hurting her with how fast it’s forming, or if it’s something else. She also went out peed the other morning, then came in, drank a ton of water, then peed straight water on the floor. Had no color at all to it. The vet said she maybe be diabetic or have some other problems (just looking at her you can tell she’s not in the best of health), and to try and get a pee sample (he said that before the even happened). Either way, vet in the morning. Thankfully orthopedic exams are free, so that’ll save me some money…. Lol

Some good news though, I can’t believe how nice her coat has gotten over the last two weeks I’ve had her. She was eating Royal Canin Dachshund, and now I’ve got her on Wellness Toy Breed and various canned foods (was Pure Balance, now on Wellness Senior), as well as coconut and fish oil rotated on a daily basis, and kefir daily. She’s very soft and shiny and doesn’t shed as much. I may put her on Wellness CORE Small Breed. Depends on if I can get a good price, and how she adapts to changes in just the canned food for now. Lord knows she’s probably been on that one Royal Canin for her entire life.

[Punky T]

Hi! I have a 19 month old French Bulldog (Gigi). She developed small, crusty bumps under her fur (on back and upper legs). She was not scratching them. The vet said it’s staph infection and gave her 2-weeks on antibiotic. They cleared up about 95%, but within a week off the antibiotic they were back. So vet put her on another 2 weeks; they’ve started to clear again, and he will reevaluate this week. In the meantime I ordered Dinovite. Gigi is a small Frenchie, 16.3 pounds, so I have been giving her 1 tablespoon (or 1/2 scoop) with both meals, am/pm. She eats Orijens “6 Fish” dry food and loves it. Occasionally she has an itchy butt and licks her paws, and has some eye goo, too. I’m hoping that the Dinovite will help. I also got the Omega oils, but am finishing up the brand I already have for her first.

Any suggestions would be helpful. Also… do you store Dinovite in the fridge?

Thank you so much!

[Kristin C]

Hi Holly-I know you posted this a while ago and have probably figured some of this out. I feed my dogs mostly raw, but I think if you are using this only as a kibble topper and not more than 25% of their diet you can use whatever’s left over from dinner. I personally would avoid the fatty part of the meat. I use a ratio of 80% meat/organs, 5% fruit/veg purée, 15% sweet potato or pumpkin. You might want to omit the rice as that’s probably already in the kibble, if not another carb. Eggs are good, as is a little fish oil, vitamin e and yogurt. Any cooked meat is fine. I avoid pork and fish because I feed raw. There’s a book called See Spot Live Longer that has a few pages on how to supplement your kibble FYI.

[Julian R]

Hi Kristin,
I adopted my chow/akita mix almost two years ago and I started feeding him raw meats more or less after a month of his arrival. I started slow, mixing ground beef with canned wet food. I eliminated kibble right away or should I say he rejected it once he was presented with an alternative diet. After about a month of a raw/canned mix, I just fed him raw meats. Once I have made the full decision of a raw diet I searched for commercially available raw meats (http://www.darwinspet.com) but it was not a cheap option. I turned to my local meat markets and bought chicken (breasts, necks, hearts, thighs), turkey legs (cut in pieces), pork neck bones, beef kidney and heart, and ground beef. I followed the advise from (http://www.dogaware.com/articles/wdjhomemade2.html) to understand the proportions needed (lean meat:bone:fat:organs).
Now let me provide potential answers for some of your questions.
How much raw food per day should I feed him? Raw diet is more nutritious than kibble and canned food so there is not need to feed them as much. Based on your dogs desired weight I would estimate 3-3.5 oz daily.
Should I start out getting packaged raw food? It tends to be more expensive and if there are good meat markets in your area with a good selection, you can buy what you need at a lower price.
Should I just give him the bones or grind them up? Most dogs can handle bone (make sure they are uncooked) but one has to be careful since choking can still happen. Avoid chicken necks since they can cause choking in small dogs. Pork necks are a good option since they are meaty and dogs can easily break them (at least medium-large dogs). Now since you have a small dog you can give him small pork neck bones but not too small that he will try to swallow it whole. Supervision is key here.
What meats can he eat? chicken, beef, pork, venison, rabbit, turkey, duck, lamb, etc
What should his daily, weekly, etc… diet consist of? The article in dogaware.com provides a very straightforward guide to establish your weekly dog diet, in summary it states that it should be 30-50 % meaty bones, 45-65 % lean meat (including eggs and dairy products) and 5% or less of organ meat.
How slowly should I introduce him to raw food? Start slow mixing 3/4 of of his usual food with 1/4 of raw. Increase slowly over a 2-4 week period.
What meats are good to introduce/start out with? Chicken is usually a good start and lean ground beef is also good. Do not feed him chicken with the skin since it will be too rich for him.
What things should I get to start out with(what kind of meat grinder, what kind of storage containers, etc…)? I don’t use a meat grinder and most likely you can ask your local butcher to do the grinding you need. I ended up buying a freezer for his food and I thaw enough for 2-3 days inside the refrigerator. I keep thawed food in a closed large glass container inside the refrigerator.
How should I handle the meat? I have a cutting board, knife and other utensils to handle his food which I do not use for anything else. I wash everything with plenty of dish soap and hot water. I obviously I wash my hands thoroughly after handling raw meats. How much will this cost per month? For my 62 pound, I spend in average $70 a month. What veggies and fruits should I include in his diet daily, weekly, etc…??? About 6 months ago, I found out about a dog raw food vendor that distributes a great variety of raw food in NJ, CT, MA, NH, and VT. (http://www.topqualitydogfood.com/). They don’t mail so one has to picked up at specific services areas where they stop and it is once a month only. Anyway, they have meats mix with veggies and fruits which I give to my dog. You can see more information about giving vegetables and fruits to your dog. Keep in mind that vegetables should be preferably cooked and give as a puree mixed with meat for better absorption. How much low-fat cottage cheese, veggies, etc… should I feed him daily, weekly, etc…??? Cheese is as an occasional part of his diet but I dont feed him daily perhaps once a week but not too much.
What kind of fish can he eat? most fish except salmon or trout fromPacific Northwest. I feed my dog Chilean Salmon.
Should I add fish oil or probiotics or whatever else to his daily, weekly, etc… diet?? It is recommended to complement his diet with fish oil. I am not sure about probiotics, though.

I advise you to take a look at the books recommended if you can or at least check the websites. Also, try to connect with owners of small dogs that feed them raw. I strongly believe it is the best diet for dogs but it requires some learning from the owner.

[Akari_32]

Nails are done! Whoo! I tried to do them myself, but my clippers are just too small. I did trim them, at least.

But today at the vet, we had some down time, so I walked home and grabbed Ginger, and walked back over. Managed to muzzle her in one try, and got her flipped on her side to hold her down very easily.

I feel like if we had rushed into this sooner, she would have been so stressed and scared. But she didn’t even growl or try to bite. I held her down while the tech I’m shadowing did the cutting. When I get some bigger clippers, I’ll try it at home again, when it’s time to do it, of course. I’ll have someone hold her while I cut. Hopefully, though, daily walks will keep them down at this point.

Speaking of walks, when we were walking home, I started up the driveway, and she was still walking down the sidewalk LOL She really loves to walk. We walked about a half mile yesterday, and we got home and she was just so happy. I’ve never seen her eyes so bright, despite the fact she was so so tired out her tounge was almost touching the floor, even with her head held up LOL I always say I hate Flexi leashes, but I do walk her and Haley on one. She has such little legs that she lags behind if she’s not running (you know she’s excited when she’s running LOL), and I don’t want her to tangle in the leash. She also stops abruptly for potty breaks, and I don’t want to jerk her (and hurt her) on accident. And then Haley just needs a quiet verbal command, or even a just hearing the lock start to click on the leash to know what I want her to do. And neither of them approach random people we pass, either. But you’ll never catch me walking a dog like Bentley on a Flexi leash! He’s stupid enough to run out into the road or run up to dogs that clearly want to eat him. The only Flexi leash I would consider for him is the Flexi City, which is a 6ft retractable, and is absolutely genius. But I ain’t paying $20+ for a leash, so that’ll never happen unless I find one at goodwill (where I got my other two full size ones lol). He gets tangled in his leash all the time because he can’t just walk in a straight line like a normal dog. I hate walking him sometimes, but someone’s gotta do it… Lol

Anyway… Lol Ginger is doing good, and eating well. I started her on a 1/2 teaspoon of keifer every day, and her poops look much better than they have been. Not all runny and smelly like they’ve been the last week. I think I’ll just keep her on it every day. I’ve been giving it to Bentley as well, the same amount, to mix the SSLL mix into, along with some canned food and coconut oil or fish oil. I also need to up her food, I think. I’ve been giving her 1/3 cup with a couple tablespoons of canned Wellness Senior (my free cans! LOL), but I think I’ll start giving her a little more of the dry, especially since she loves walks so much. Gotta keep some meat on her bones.

That’s all I’ve got for now, I think. She’s passed out on the couch, sleeping off her nail trim lol

[TheNaturalDog]

I do not recall if this formula is manufactured by Diamond, or not, but it’s an option.

Solid Gold Holistique Blendz
Protein, Min 18%
Fat, Min 6%
Fiber, Max 4%
Moisture, Max 10%
Calories per cup, 340

Oatmeal, Cracked Pearled Barley, Peas, Ocean Fish Meal, Potatoes, Canola Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Dried Eggs, Dicalcium Phosphate, Flaxseed, Tomato Pomace, Natural Flavor, Potassium Chloride, Salt, dl-methionine, Choline Chloride, Salmon Oil (source of DHA), Taurine, Dried Chicory Root, Parsley Flakes, Spearmint, Almond Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Sesame Oil (preserved by mixed tocopherols), Yucca Schidigera Extract, Kelp, Thyme, Blueberries, Cranberries, Apples, Lentils, Quinoa, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Calcium Panthothenate, Riboflavin, Copper Sulfate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Manganese Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Cobalt Carbonate, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Rosemary Extract

[charles h]

Hey,

Thanks again for the replies…

She did have her monthly worming tablets about a week and a half ago.

The injections she had was one for antibiotics, one for Anti-inflammatory (as she was passing blood due to swollen intestines) and one for anti-diarrhea. I mean they work to a point as in she is not passing blood, she didn’t have diarrhea anymore, etc.

She does seem to be gaining weight well and when she is not ill I do tend to feed her a slightly higher % of her adult body weight to help her gain. We had her weighed about 2 months ago and she was 22Kg, six weeks later she was 27Kg so 5Kg in six weeks seemed like good weight gain to me. She has had two bad weeks so she might have lost some weight again now…

However she was fed with about 300 grams of plain raw chicken last night with some bone. She has not been sick or had any diarrhea, so no stool sample taken however I’m prepared with my little pots to collect it if she has another bad turn.

Moving forward I’m going to purchase these two items from amazon:

As well as keeping her on a chicken only diet with some fish oil to keep up nutrient levels. After four weeks of this I will judge if I believe she is better and ready for another meat to be added to her diet.. I’m also removing the Chicken skin to try and reduce fat levels as I know they can be hard to digest and cause loose stools…

What does everyone think of my plan 🙂

Charles

[DogFoodie]

Hi Jennifer,

The yeast (Malassezia) infection is secondary to the seborrhea. The seborrhea could be the result of a medical issue (like thyroid) or allergies, either environmental (flea bite dermatitis) or food related. If it were thyroid related, you might see issues related to weight loss or gain, as well.

First, I’d like to ask some questions: about how old do you think she is; how long have you had her; did she have the condition when you adopted her; has it ever improved or gotten worse (do you know what caused the change); how long has she been eating the Purina and has she ever eaten anything else? How are her stools?

Without knowing the answers to those questions, my first thought is that changing foods is such an easy way to see if that’s the culprit, that it’s worth trying.

I would choose a simple grain free food that contains a single animal protein. I would choose a protein that your dog hasn’t eaten. She’s been eating lamb, so maybe try something like duck or rabbit. Look for a food that that doesn’t contain other high histamine ingredients like tomato. I would avoid fish oils, in the event that fish is a problem as fish oil, in theory shouldn’t contain protein, but it isn’t a guarantee; same goes for chicken fat. Chicken is a common problem ingredient, so I might avoid all fowl for right now. Look for something that contains none of the ingredients she’s getting now.

I’d recommend Nature’s Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet in either duck or rabbit. Some other good limited ingredient foods are Zignature, Back to Basics, Wellness and Earthborn Holistics. I’m not a huge fan of Natural Balance or California Natural, but both are affordable.

Figuring out food allergies or intolerance, is very time consuming and can be very frustrating. Keep notes on what you’re feeding and how she reacts to it and be patient, give the new food time to work. A true elimination diet is a lot of work and can be very challenging to do. Feeding a limited ingredient food is easier and keep in mind that treats can be problematic as well.

[Kristin D]

I want to start feeding my 5 year old Miniature Dachshund,Oscar,raw or cooked food. Any advice at all would be SOOOOOO helpful!!!!!:) Oscar is a couple pounds overweight right now because I was on vacation for a week and he stayed at a family member’s house. She didn’t walk him because I didn’t think about asking her to(silly me!!! *Face palm* Lol!!!)and she has a dog who grazes, so Oscar would always eat some(probably most)of his food. Right now he weighs 13 pounds, but I would like to get him down to about 10 pounds(I walk him just about everyday, so he should be back in shape in no time!!!). Now for “some” QUESTIONS!!!!:D YAAAAAY!!!! Lol!!!;P How much raw food per day should I feed him??? Should I start out getting packaged raw food??? Should I just give him the bones or grind them up??? What meats can he eat??? What should his daily, weekly, etc… diet consist of??? How much of what should I feed him weekly, daily, etc…??? How slowly should I introduce him to raw food??? What meats are good to introduce/start out with??? What things should I get to start out with(what kind of meat grinder, what kind of storage containers, etc…)??? What are some good books I should read??? What are some good sources(websites)I should check out??? How should I handle the meat??? How do I clean up and things like that??? Where should I get the meat??? What should I look for in the meat??? How much will this cost per month??? What veggies and fruits should I include in his diet daily, weekly, etc…??? How much low-fat cottage cheese, veggies, etc… should I feed him daily, weekly, etc…??? What kind of fish can he eat??? Should I add fish oil or probiotics or whatever else to his daily, weekly, etc… diet??? That’s it for now!!! Don’t worry, I’ll be back with MORE!!!!:D Lol!!!;P Thanks guys!!!:D

• This topic was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by Kristin D.

[Naturella]

Cotons mom,

I have a 13.5-lb JR-Rat Terrier mix, so he’s right in between the sizes of your two dogs.

Once a week I give him either a chicken back, or a beef/pork neck piece (RMBs) as a meal (Sunday night). For recreation, I have given raw marrow bones, about 2-inches long, maybe a bit less, from my local Publix (they sell the longer ones and the short ones, they call them soup bones). Chicken backs and beef/pork neck pieces also come from there. I have noticed Publix is very responsive to customer demand and I believe they have had customers request those pieces so they decided to sell them. I would also give Bruno raw chicken necks, and turkey neck pieces. I have given him a rabbit neck before too.

He has never choked, and he works on them diligently. The marrow bone he gets once a month, so he doesn’t get excessive fat from the marrow especially because I also feed coconut oil a few times/week and canned fish once/week. Once the marrow is gone, sometimes I would take the bone and fill it with a variation of “doggie ice-cream”) – plain yoghurt, coconut oil, turmeric, peanut butter, pinch of cinnamon, pinch of ground flax seeds as a base, and either some berries and/or bananas, or some canned pumpkin/sweet potato. Blend together, fill the bone and freeze it, and give once/week until it is time for his next marrow serving – that’s what I do at least. Bruno loves it to bits.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by Naturella.

[Lisa]

After about 4 months of various symptoms my 18 month old male GSD was down to 64 lbs(normal weight was 80-85 lbs) we finally got a the EPI diagnoses from our vet. He was originally on Eagle Pack, then Taste of the Wild eventually we tried to Go!Sensitive and Shine and Grandma Lucy’s Goat. With these 2 foods he improved a little and gained about 5 lbs in 2 weeks. The vet prescribed enzymes but after doing some research we decided to try raw food including raw beef pancreas. We ordered beef pancreas and green tripe from http://www.hare-today.com and from the very first feeding we saw results. Green tripe is totally gross but Reggie absolutely loves it!
It took about 3 weeks for him to completely stabilize, he went from 3 meals a day to 2, his poops are perfect and he goes about 3 times a day, no gas or stomach rumbling, he sleeps through the night again. Now he is about 100 lbs and is full of energy he probably runs/walks about 5-7 miles a day, barely sheds and his coat super soft and shining.
We are been able to reduce the amount of beef pancreas per feeding so a 16 oz tube will last a few days and his diet is probably about 70% raw he likes ground meat,organ,bone mixed with Taste of the Wild kibble or Grandma Lucy’s with a occasional egg. We switch the type of protein(fish,chicken,beef, turkey, goat, even llama) he eats every few days and their is no change in his bowel movements. He gets coconut oil as a supplement as well as 8 Gentleman Chinese herbs. We got the Chinese herb from a local holistic equine vet, we believe it was a key component in his recovery.
I love to watch him eat RMBs he throughly enjoys laying in the grass and slow tearing into the meat and savoring every bite, just like his ancestors did..this is the way canines are supposed to eat!
Raw feeding takes a little extra work but it is definitely worth it. We have a freezer in the basement and we have a small refrigerator where we keep the raw food separate from our food. I know every dog’s situation is different but this solution saved Reggie’s life.

[DogsAreMyLife]

I mentioned to someone that I supplement my dogs’ meals with Grizzly Salmon Oil, and give them vitamin E a few times per week. This person acted like I was the worst person ever, and told me I’d end up with 3 dogs with mercury poisoning! Is there any truth behind that?

[DogFoodie]

Hi Dori,

I hope I didn’t come across as rude, that was definitely not my intent!

My point was that I frequently hear, from lots of folks, that allergy / intolerance, yeast or skin issues can be helped by fish based foods. I think that for many dogs that don’t have an intolerance for fish, that may well be true. Heck, if you search limited ingredient foods on any of the pet food shopping sites, you’ll find lots of them are fish based or have fish meals or fish oils added for the omega 3’s, and its often stated that it’s for skin and coat health. I wish Sam could eat fish, because he could surely benefit from the omegas. I think fish intolerance / allergy isn’t terribly uncommon, as far as those issues go.

I’m trying to find some kibbles Sam does well on before I start adding an algae oil to his food. He is not a fan of raw and I’m having trouble with canned foods as a result of his sensitive tummy. He does like raw, green tripe, so that’s one of the few toppers I use. In addition to fish, he can’t have garlic, flax, chickpeas or lentils. He also gets fresh eggs at least a couple times per week.

He does great on Nature’s Variety Instinct LID Duck – he likes it OK. He did fine on California Natural Lamb and Rice, but he didn’t really seem to care for it. And, while I hate to even admit that I tried it, he did well on, and liked, Canidae Pure Sky; although his anal glands started smelling a little strong near the end of the bag, his ears started clear. Right now, we’re in the process of trying Go! GF Turkey, and I’m really hoping this works. In the past, he hasn’t done well on foods with lots of fruits and veggies and this food has them. And, the Go! contains lentils, but they’re pretty far down the list of ingredients and the fiber is within a good range for him; so I’ll see pretty quickly if it gives him gas. I have big bags of NVI LID Turkey and Duck on deck to use next, or in case we have to make a quick departure from the Go!

I’m constantly searching for foods for him. I get a little frustrated at the lack of options for him. I wish that limited ingredient foods contained only one animal protein.

Thanks for asking, Dori! Sorry for the hijack, Lori!

[DogFoodie]

My Sam is so very intolerant of fish, so it always seems counter-intuitive to me when people recommend fish based foods for food intolerance / allergy dogs. My dog has reacted to numerous types of fish and even fish oils. I can’t give him any fish in any form. He would have a gunky right ear within days of eating fish. Fish shows up in so many different kibbles that it’s actually tricky to find one without it.

It’s why I always “preach” keeping track of ingredients and figuring out what your pup’s individual triggers are. Until you figure out his triggers, you’re just going ’round and ’round. Triggers can be obvious, like Sam’s fish, or more obscure, like his flax and garlic.

[Bobby dog]

P.S.
It would really be interesting if you had a pre-diet change picture to post to. I took one of my kitty before I started adding kefir, fish oil, msm, vitamin E, and pumpkin to his diet. I am glad I documented his progress with pictures.

[Susan]

Hi Tiffany, when I first rescue my boy he was doing sloppy poos with jelly on then & mucus, did the blood tests for parasites all blood test all came back good, vet said Colitis & he was put on Metronidzole for 2 weeks, I went back to feeding him chicken necks for breakfast & his Opitmum kibble & tin food at night again every 13 days he would be up early hours of the morning with his stomach/bowel making gurgling noises & he’d have to go out & do his jelly poos, I called them, then finally vet said looks like he has IBD, he can’t just eat anything, no more chicken necks there’s too much fat & just bone, he needs to be put on a stricted diet, so he was put on Vet prescription Royal Canin Hypoallergenic cause he also has skin problems being a Staffy but the fat was 19% in the R/C HP it was too high fat% then he got Pancreatitis, in the end he was put on Eukanuba Intestinal Low residue kibble, this stopped all the jelly poos stopped his gurlging bowel, I also cooked him boiled chicken breast mixed with a little pumkin, rice & a boiled egg, now Im giving him Wellness Simple Lamb & Oatmeal its a limited ingredient kibble & his poos are excellent better then when he was on the Royal Canin & Eukanuba Intestinal Vet diet, maybe look at the Wellness Complete Health range they have a large breed puppy formula & also give a cooked meal but keep everything the same, very simple once he gets use to the cooked or new kibble dont just change it or rotate it until you’ve worked out what he can eat & what he cant…once I had him just on the Eukanuba Intestinal & he was doing real good for 6moths, I started an elimation diet for breakfast only & his kibble for dinner & I found he couldnt eat Potatos or sweet potatos, he got a rash all over his chest & had diarrhea, if he ate a biscuit with wheat in it his paw would get real red & swollen.. unless thats what you do start an elimantion diet, you start with 1 protein normally boiled chicken & add rice then after 1 week & their poo is good add something else new to their diet for the next week, I saw an reaction within 2 hours of adding the potato, so the next morning I added the potato again to make sure it wasn’t from grass his rash & it was the potato, you can google elmination diets for dogs….
Have you tried a kibble where the protein% & fat% was lower then the Taste of the Wild & seen how he goes..
if you do cook make sure that he has the same meal for at least 4 weeks to settle everything as soon as Id change something in Patches diet he’d be pooing sloppy again, so I started watching what he was eating & writing it all down…can tin fish is good but not in oils, I use tuna in spring water & drain the spring water, I add a little boiled pumkin & a boiled egg you can also get salt free Salmon
another good site is yahoo group called “K9Kitchen” run be Monica Segal..also Lew Olson Book called “Raw & Nutrition for dogs” it has cooked recipes for dogs with health problems, that’s where I started with her book, its only cost $12 on Amazon she explains about using the egg shell after boiling the egg & drying the shell out & crushing the egg shell for their calcuim…..

[Kathy J]

Thank you. What a relief. If I have to cook for some time then that’s what I’ll do – she’s definitely keeping it down, recovering, getting a little spunk back and even reminded me it was time to eat tonight which I haven’t seen in a couple weeks. Before you know it she’ll probably be back to trying to fool us into a second dinner. As long as she’s doing good I won’t worry about the bland diet and we’ll go at her pace I guess. I am surprised about the potato though – I thought I was told once that potato was no good for them. Man, she going to get so spoiled :), but she’s worth it. Can’t wait to see what she thinks of pumpkin. In the meantime I’ll check out the canned options and Wellness and fish based stuff too a while and see if I can come up with a plan for what we’ll try when we want to start weaning her over. Thanks again.

[Naturella]

I use extra-virgin, organic, cold-pressed coconut oil at breakfast every other day. My Bruno also gets canned sardines in their own juices once/week. Haven’t used any type of fish oil specifically, but when he was on fish-based kibble with regular coconut oil intake, his skin and coat became the best they’ve ever been and the effect is still lasting even though the fish food has been switched out 2 months ago. So far I am satisfied with the effect of sardines once/week, raw egg once/week, and coconut oil every other day. Plus, I rotate kibbles, so every few months he gets a fish-based kibble. 🙂

Oh, and I also use a coconut oil-based concoction as a “conditioner” after a bath, as well as for minor wounds/cuts/scrapes. The blend is: coconut oil-olive oil-tri-vitamin oil (A, D, E)-chamomile oil-tiny amount of a Garnier blend of olive, shea, and avocado oils. It works miracles for softness and shine of the coat, and for healing small play wounds. I use it on myself as well, for my hair, or for wounds. I usually treat with just coconut oil the first 2 days, then with the blend.

For the paws I use tree oil – propolis mix (from Bulgarian honey bees) and it also works really well in soothing chapped paws from heat or cold.

[Paul B]

Krill oil or any fish oil that has higher omega 3 than 7 also coconut oil and kelp and turmeric pro and pre biotics with digestive enzymes and trace elements.

[Naturella]

Vianca, I am not a pro, but from what I know, different breed puppies mature differently – a small or toy breed puppy can be considered an adult and fully-mature at 6 months of age; large and giant breed puppies can continue growing and be considered puppies for up to 2 years! So I don’t know where the 5-month mark came from. I do know that adult dogs just don’t need the extra calories from puppy food, that is why the amount should be reduced, but as with every dog, you need to watch activity levels and overall body condition and adjust accordingly – for example, reduce food if she’s getting chunky or is in general not very active, and increase food if she’s too thin and/or very active. As for the dog being spayed, I don’t know if you have to reduce her food, maybe one of the pros here will jump in on that part. For my Bruno, I only reduced his kibble 1/4 cup from his 1 cup/day allowance after being neutered, but that coincided with him being 6 months old and an “adult” now. Also, now I complement the loss of kibble with various toppers (wish I did that when he was a puppy, but oh well, he got his fair share of bully sticks, fish skins, etc.), so he hasn’t really lost the calories, but he burns them just fine.

My Bruno is 13.5lbs and he’s at moderately high activity level. He is supposed to get 1 cup at most of food, I think, for his weight group. I feed him 3/4 (heaping) cup of dry food plus The Honest Kitchen as a topper and coconut oil/yoghurt every other breakfast, and a raw egg, canned sardines, and a raw meaty bone once/week for each. He is lean, muscular, and in good body condition.

I wouldn’t worry too much about the actual amount – just observe your dog and adjust accordingly, and eventually you will find an amount that works for her.

[Melissaandcrew]

Jan..google petbrosia reviews..it is very clear from those that there are several base formulas and one is choosen from those base formulas that most closely meet your pets needs. I thought it was fully customizable but it actually does not appear to be. One woman said her dog was allergic to fish and fish oil and she was told it was unable to be removed from the product. If truly customized for each pet it would be…

• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by Melissaandcrew.

[Susan]

I have found VetPro5 Kangaroo & Vegies, invented by a vet, (probably just a market thing to sell more cause its made by a vet).. in the dog & cat fridge section in supermarket, they’re little bite size balls in a 800gram tray, the little balls look cooked, this is what its says Guaranteed Composition per 100grams
Crude protein min-13% Crude fat min-8% Omega-6 min-1000mg, Omega-3 min-200mg, DHA & EPA min-20g, Lutein min-3mg, ,
Ingredients, Kangaroo, chicken, turkey, high protein cereal blend, vegetables (peas,carots,beetroot) vegetable oils, gelling agents, vitamins & minerals, marigold extract, yeast, salt, parsley, fish oil, green lipped mussel extract,
This is where I don’t understand, when I read a kibble bag, it will say protein min-23% fat min-10% but it doesnt say per 100grams like the VetPro 5, I dont know what kibble is based on, is it per cup, the Guaranteed analysis..
With this VetPro5 Kangaroo & vegies would it be like a wet tin food & if converted to a kibble the fat % would be very high at 8% fat….

[Dori]

LOL Cyndi. I was going to jump in on the amount of food you first mentioned. When I first read your post I thought. That’s a heck of a lot of food. That can’t possibly be right. Then GizmoMom jumped in.

Akari. From all that I know about pork, you absolutely have to freeze it a minimum of 2 weeks (longer probably better) to rid it of any parasites. Very important. Even if you buy it frozen at the store you still need to freeze it at home because you have no idea how long they froze the pork. I’ve got a 5 lb. Yorkipoo, a 6 lb. Maltipoo and a 7 lb. Maltese. They each get 1/4 cup of raw diet twice a day. Two to three times a week I split a small can (grocery store tuna fish aisle) of sardines in water to their meals. I don’t give them eggs because my Maltipoo is intolerant to any and all things poultry. On days that I do not give them sardines added to their meal I give them once a day a little squirt of Sardine Oil which I keep in the refrigerator on top of their meal. I use Nature’s Logic. I like the company and trust them. I also give them two or three times a week once a day only maybe about 1/8 tsp. (maybe a little less) of coconut oil. I just put it on their food and they eat it. I don’t give them more than that with the coconut oil because their poops will immediately get kind of soft, dark and gooey (sp?). Sorry for that poop description but that’s the only way I know of explaining it. Just in case it happens to you. I don’t think any of my gals digest the coconut oil too well. I have to say that sometimes weeks go by that I don’t bother with the coconut oil. I don’t see that it helps them one way or the other. I have tried the coconut chips that are sold but they come out looking exactly the same way they went in. White coconut chips in and out.

Oh! I forgot to mention that I feed commercial raw diets. I don’t feed any poultry whatsoever. Remember no bones that contain marrow. Way to fatty is the marrow. Beef ribs with a bit of meat (not a lot) are fine. If he actually eats the bone then you don’t need to also feed the meal. If he just chews the bone for entertainment value then, yes, feed the meal. Mine just think they’re toys. Will chew for a bit and then leave them laying around. The only dehydrated food that I feed (haven’t for a while) is The Honest Kitchen Zeal. The Zeal formula is because Katie (Maltipoo is intolerant of all things poultry. I don’t feed anything with potatoes in it. I had to stop feeding THK because of the alfalfa (again, Katie’s issues with alfalfa). They have started producing the Zeal without the alfalfa but are still trying to clear out their old stock and also their old boxes. Until their web site ingredient list does not include the alfalfa and the boxes do not say alfalfa then I’ll wait them out. I will go back to the Zeal at that time. OK. Sorry for such a long post. Anything else I can help with just ask, if not me, then someone else. Hey also I’ve been thinking for the longest time that you should change your name to The Coupon Lady or just Coupon Lady. Anyway anytime I see your name I always think…Oh? It’s the coupon lady. LOL!

[DogFoodie]

Hi BRT,

My dog with food intolerance issues sometimes will have a reaction to a food that slowly creeps us on us. It’s confusing and frustrating.

I still think I’d try another limited ingredient food, my two favorite bands of which are Wellness Simple and Nature’s Variety Instinct LID.

FWIW, one of mine reacts to fish; including fish meal and oil but he also doesn’t tolerate chickpeas, lentils or flax. NVI LID doesn’t contain any of those things out tomato pinnacle, another common problem ingredient. I would definitely consider that your pup’s problem ingredients could be another ingredient, like flax or something else.

If the Natural Balance worked previously, have you compared the ingredients of that to those foods you’ve tried? I just wonder if it could be a combination of problem ingredients beyond primary protein iin foods.

Coconut oil and diluted ACV might both help, but I think right now, I would eliminate supplements (non-prescription) and treats and just focus on finding one food that yours do well on.

One other thing, using kibble doesn’t make you a bad dog mom! I felt the same way, but when it came down to it, I just wanted to know my dog felt good.

[Holly C]

Hooray! I’d definitely go with Taste of the Wild (the fish one, probably for her coat). I think Chicken Soup for the Soul dog food is a good choice too. When I have budget issues, I always buy it. It’s the best bang for my buck, but I prefer ToTW when I can buy it. I also like Earthborn Holistic. Wellness and Castor and Pollux are great foods, but really pricey.

Stay away from Blue Buffalo (too much for what it really is, and it always gets my dog sick!), and the Rachel Ray food. I have tried both before, and it made my dog itch like crazy.

If I were you, I’d go for a smaller bag of ToTW. A 15lb bag of TOTW lasts my 55lb dog about 2 weeks (he eats 300 grams a day), so don’t buy big dog food bags. It might spoil and you’ll lose more money than you’d save.

Good job with helping this dog!

• This reply was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by Holly C.

[Nancy C]

A couple of thoughts: My 10 yr old Golden R will eat about anything but not in a gobbling it up sort of way. HOWEVER, I have just lately been adding TO the bowl some sample packs of The Honest Kitchen flavors (which they sent for free in a box) and I have mixed that tog with Fromm’s Four Star Salmon, Dr Tim’s Kinesis GF, and Acana Grasslands, and she has LICKED every food molecule out of THE BOWL every time! Each pack has about 100 calories, so I reduced the calories in the dry kibble to make room for the HK food. THK food is wet such that it will coat all the kibble in a nice way if you stir it. also, I have added Coconut Oil to the food, putting little dollops on top of the food. Both my dogs LOVE coconut oil and it is SO GOOD for them. (The substitute mailman just commented yesterday how beautiful the Golden’s coat is — that it is noticeably thicker and prettier. I told him I’ve been giving her coconut oil. He said it has made a difference.) Dr Becker recommends 1 tsp per day for every 10 to 20 pounds of weight. It’s like CANDY to them and I think makes contents in the bowl more interesting and tasty. I sometimes snip large fish oil capsules and drop the drops on the kibble. Also just bought some very high quality Norwegian Salmon Oil. The woman at the pet boutique said several pumps of this on top of kibble really upgrades the flavor.

[Naturella]

Liz S, I also think adding canned will do much, much good! When I use canned, I prefer the pate-style ones, and I add a bit of water with the canned and kibble (I mix dry and canned usually), and make it mushy/porridge-like/soupy, and this way I try to counter the dryness of the kibble.

My dog is small too (Jack Russell-mini Rat Terrier mix (we think, as he was found in the bushes), 13.5 lbs), but I never really fed him a small-breed specific food except for his very first one when we adopted him. Foods I have tried that he did good on (and could eat the kibble with no problems) are: Blue Buffalo Wilderness, Vets Choice Holistic Health Extension, Dr. Tim’s (slightly bigger kibble, but oh well, he managed it just fine), Nutrisca, Earthborn Holistic Grain Free, Victor Grain Free (lots of samples), Nature’s Variety Instinct (samples), Now! Fresh (sample), NutriSource Grain Free (samples), Annamaet (samples), Wysong (samples), and I have a lot lined up – Back to Basics, Canidae Pure, Dogswell LiveFree, Wysong, NVI, more Victor Grain Free (which, in my case (heads up to LabsRawesome), told me I could PURCHASE the samples at $0.33/baggie, but wouldn’t send me free ones, AND I had to pay the shipping… But I stocked up at 5 samples/food, lol).

All the kibbles aside from Dr. Tim’s were small enough and just fine to manage. For canned I have fed Wellness Core, Nutro Natural Source and Nutro Ultra, and now I feed The Honest Kitchen (THK) dehydrated with water instead of canned. I also add a raw egg once a week, coconut oil with some lukewarm water every other day, and yoghurt/kefir every other day, as well as a canned sardine and its fish juice from the can once a week too. So you can use some of these for variety and to cut the costs of canned.

[Lance B]

Hello,

I’ll be picking up my Great Dane puppy in a few weeks and was wondering if there are any supplements I should begin giving him?

When he got to 10 weeks, I was going to begin giving him Glucosamine/Chondroiton, along with fish oil, for life. However, is there anything else you all might recommend, particularly for a Great Dane?

[DogFoodie]

I’m not quite sure how I feel about those test results.

For example, in the green column it lists “fish,” herring/anchovy and salmon, but in the red column it lists “fish meal,” ocean whitefish and tuna as well as salmon oil.

I’d be curious to know how you did the elimination diet and what you foods you fed. Did any of them work?

I know how frustrating ear issues are and getting the food intolerances figured out can be even more frustrating. I know it wouldn’t stop the cycle and obviously, you’re doing the right thing trying to figure out the cause, but have you tried Zymox to keep it at bay somewhat? Works like magic.

I think I’d also try raw if I were you. I’m fortunate that I could find a couple of kibbles that worked and I do have to top them to keep mine interested because raw was going to be too cost prohibitive for me as I use commercial raw foods. I didn’t see whole ground turkey at My Pet Carnivore, but you might find another protein you could use: https://mypetcarnivore.com/index.php?lang=en

[crazy4cats]

Hi Akari-
No, I have not received it yet. I will try to contact them if it doesn’t show up today. It’s been almost two weeks since I ordered it. I agree, not too much info on their website. I was planning on just using ground turkey with the mix once a week.
I have emailed him twice with questions and he has responded both times within 48 hours. I’ll let you know how it goes if I ever get it. LOL!
I have been feeding sardines once or twice a week instead of adding fish oil. I got frustrated on trying to figure out which oil to buy and how much to give and if I had to give vitamin E with it too or not. Glad you found something that works for you!
Take Care.

[Akari_32]

BTW, this is the fish oil I use:

http://www.naturemade.com/supplements/cod-liver-oil

[Bobby dog]

It’s raining again, Bobby’s sad. 🙁

Akari:
aquariangt recommended Sojos pre-mix earlier in this thread; maybe catch up with agt and ask about it. Are you planning on feeding a pre-mix for each meal? Or will you be rotating canned with a pre-mix daily or weekly? Feeding a pre-mix a few meals a week rather than for an extended time would help keep the cost down and provide variety.

I posted links about eggs & fish oil on page 4 of this thread on 6/25/14 @ 2:14 a.m., to Anita that you should check out. Looking at info I have about feeding eggs I would feed a dog that size ½ egg/week; or as C4c suggests 1 egg every other week. Maybe someone else will have a recommendation for you. /forums/topic/maybe-its-time-for-a-diet-change/page/4/

Here’s a few links to fish oil supplementation, brands, and dosage. The link from Tufts contains information on how much to dose pets with heart disease; I only used the information from them to find a brand of fish oil with certain %’s of EPA & DHA and to help determine dosages for my cats’ and Bobby’s weights:
http://dogaware.com/diet/supplements.html#fishoil

http://vet.tufts.edu/heartsmart/resources/omega-3_supplementation.pdf

[Akari_32]

Bentley doesn’t like THK made straight for more than a day in a row. He also doesn’t like it too thick. God forbid the dog actually have to work for his food (rolls eyes). He doesn’t mind it, though, as long as its not too thick. He’ll eat it, but you can see that he’s not overly happy about it lol He happily eats it when I mix the rest of his canned food in with some every other day, though. Maybe it doesn’t taste meaty enough on its own?

I haven’t tried eggs yet, no. I don’t know how much to give him. He’s so little, only about 7 or 8 pounds, I can’t figure out how to feed him! I’m so used to my dogs where I just throw some food at them and adjust accordingly to their weight every few weeksLOL I also want to give him a fish oil pill like I give the big dogs every day, but again, he’s just too little for me to know much to give him and how often. Back to the eggs, I’d rather give him a raw one, so that it mixes nicely with his canned and THK (and I don’t have to screw with trying to not add too much water lol), but I know that too much raw egg can prevent them from absorbing protein, or something. I used to give the other dogs raw eggs every night before I realized that! Whoops! LOL

Whats the most cost effect pre-mix? I was looking at Urban Wolf, and thats pretty expensive. I don’t know how $50 a month (at the least!) would go over for mom. How do you guys like PureFormance by Grandma Lucy’s?

http://www.chewy.com/dog/grandma-lucys-pureformance-grain/dp/46165

I’d have to look a little more into it, because I recall their complete mixes being really low calorie, and a dog Bentley’s size would need a whole pound of it, which seemed crazy, but for now, the price point is good, and might be a good choice. I like that something sugary isn’t the first ingredient, given his yeast problem (Urban Wolf starts with carrots, and others I’ve seen start with sweet potatoes or white potatoes).

The Urban Wolf, how much does a 3lb bag make?

I’ll also be looking at Sojo’s, but I think thats low calorie, too. And I’ll see about SSLL, as well 🙂

[Naturella]

Lihan, there are many good foods out there. The best thing to do is rotate between brands and also protein types – some well-regarded foods are Annamaet, Dr. Tim’s, Victor, Wellness, GO!, Now! Fresh, Earthborn Holistic to name a few. I don’t think all of them are GMO-free, but they are quality foods nonetheless. You can also supplement with canned sardines, fish oil, coconut oil (those three do wonders for skin and coat), probiotics/digestive enzymes/yoghurt/kefir/canned plain pumpkin, cottage cheese, and if particularly “adventurous” – a raw egg here and there and maybe some raw too or Raw Meaty Bones (RMBs – like chicken wings, legs, necks, backs, pork neck bones, beef ribs, etc.) Or, even some good-quality canned or dehydrated will do the trick! 🙂

Shopping online is usually easy and convenient and websites such as http://www.petflow.com , http://www.chewy.com , http://www.wag.com , http://www.petfooddirect.com , etc. usually have good deals that you will know of if you sign up for their emails.

Good luck, happy feeding and rotating, and don’t hesitate to post any and all questons you have – the crowd on this site is amazingly knowledgeable and supportive.

[Kristin C]

Thanks for responding! She went on the meds last night after watching the rash ourselves for 2 weeks. At first we thought it was from the harness we left on her one weekend we went camping. There is some hair loss and grayish discoloration. At this point it’s definitely not worse, it’s better than when I first noticed it but took her to the vet because it’s not going away entirely. She has one hot spot on her back leg. I have added some additional fish oil plus coconut oil to her food at this point but not going to do anything else right now, not even the consult. Thanks for the input on that.

Dori-thanks for the info on your dog. I will keep that in mind if this rash goes away and then comes back. Guess I was just wondering if I am doing too much variety, the vet seemed to think so.

I’m not a fan of the medical community myself. I actually like our vet but was irritated she didn’t do any troubleshooting on this rash. Since my husband took her to the appointment I am letting him take the lead. I actually wonder if it was a harness rash she scratched, ran through all the woods at our house and got some bug in her system. She’s a very sensitive dog.

[Kristin C]

As a follow up, I feed Darwin’s and Nature’s Variety raw and Orijen 6 Fish kibble. I usually add cottage cheese or yogurt to the kibble meals. My homemade consists of 65% meat, 10% organ, 5% liver, 15% pumpkin or sweet potato, 5% veggie pulp from my juicer, plus eggs. I add a half teaspoon eggshell per each pound of meat and some fish oil and vitamin e. RMBs consist of chicken backs, turkey or duck necks. My homemade is chicken and beef, beef I can get more variety of organs. Sometimes I use a pre-mix (Sojos grain free) if I don’t have time for the veggie pulp. I usually give 1 or 2 small dried beef trachea during the week too, not too many other treats.

[USA]

Hi Leah

These are the ingredients from the MSDS sheet for the Allerderm EFA-Z Plus:
Sunflower Oil 85 – 95%
Fish Oil 1 – 10%
Borage Seed Oil 1 – 10%
Zinc Sulfate Monohydrate <1%

The fact that your dog’s “itching decreased by 90% or more” is remarkable and you are very lucky!!!!

If I were to evaluate this product based on the ingredients alone I would say that the Fish Oil (Omega 3’s EPA & DHA) and the Borage Oil (Omega 6, GLA) are two very good oils for reducing inflammation in a dog’s skin. The Sunflower Oil makes up most of this product and I think the Fish and the Borage oil are far superior for itch relief. Zinc Sulfate Monohydrate is actually a skin and eye irritant and I am not sure why it is in this product. It is sometimes used as a zinc supplement.

I would have recommended a Human Grade fish oil product first and a Borage oil supplement second as these are proven to relieve skin irritations.

Bus since you are achieving such amazing results with the Allerderm EFA-Z Plus I say count your blessings and if the time time comes when the Allerderm is no longer doing a terrific job I would try the Fish oil and the Borage oil.

As for changing her diet you might not get as good results or any results at all because we don’t know if the itching is food related but upgrading her to what you consider a better food is always a good idea!

Good Luck and give your little girl a scratch and a belly rub for me!!!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Omega 3’s are great for inflammation. I definitely don’t think it would be too much to use a joint supplement, fish oil, probiotics and enzymes. All of those supplements are generally well tolerated and have minimal side effects.

[Mike M]

Wally stopped liking the taste of the Urban Wolf mix, even though he was doing well on it so, I’ve substituted:

Nutri-Pet Research Nupro Dog Supplement and
Solid Gold SeaMeal Mineral and Vitamin supplement for Dogs and Cats
(these 2 supplements seem to be providing him with the necessary fiber – his poop looks “good.”)

Have also added ground turkey to the main protein items. Have also added TriCOX soft chews.

So, we now have:

Main proteins:

– Canned Crown Prince Natural Pink Salmon, no salt added
– Ground Turkey

Secondary proteins (in smaller amounts):

– hard boiled egg
– water packed sardine
– dollops of organic, plain yogurt here and there

Supplements:

– NuPro Dog Supplement, recommended servings for 15 pound dog
– Solid Gold SeaMeal Mineral and Vitamin supplement for Dogs and Cats
– Animal Essentials Seaweed calcium
– Salmon fish oil
– TriCOX soft chews
– Nutri-Vet probiotics

• This reply was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by Mike M.

[Susan]

Hi Kelly T, I belong to a yahoo group called “IBDogs”, a lady on the site uses horse meat, I too was a bit shock & thought poor horses but she said its been the only meat that has stopped the diarrhea & allergies with her boy, she uses Gabazo beans aswell, she has a balanced diet but I cant remember what it was..If I’m on the site I’ll ask her.. I remembered that she lived Perth Austraila, so it wont be too hard to find her again as we have to sign name & address at the bottom of our post…..I wanted to try a fish oil or Flaxseed oil with Patches itchy skin but I was worried about the oils giving him diarrhea again, I read when introducing a oil use an eye dropper at first & just add a couple of drops of oil with meal then after 2 days if poo is still good then slowly increase drops till you reach proper amount needed…

[Dori]

Hi Scottsmoma. Love your name. When you are done with the Wild Salmon Oil you should consider switching to Sardine Oil (Sardine’s don’t live long enough to accumulate a lot of issues that other fish do). Please make sure that you keep any fish oils in the refrigerator and add to the meal at the last moment. Fish oil goes rancid if left out too long pretty quickly. I use Nature’s Logic Sardine Oil (great product by the way) and keep it on the door in fridge. Prepare meals, squirt some in their dishes on the food and put oil back in fridge.

As Sandy suggested, you can add sardines that are sold at the grocery store packed in water two or three times a week. Don’t add other fish oil on the days you feed sardines. Scott will love the sardines. You didn’t mention how big Scott is so use your judgment as to how much of the can to add. I have three small dogs so I use one small can of sardines in water and separate into three equal parts. I do this three times a week. I feed twice a day, so only one meal of the day, not both.

I don’t feed raw other raw fish anymore because there have been too many authenticated stories of contamination in the waters so I just don’t want to take any chances. I also stopped eating sushi myself for that same reason.

[pugmomsandy]

It would still be ok to add the oil daily. Alot of kibbles are lacking in sufficient omega 3 or are not in a proper ratio with omega 6. But also, the fish oil in the kibble can lose it’s potency or start to become rancid once the bag is opened. Proper storage is a must. Another option if you want to add variety is to just give some canned sardines or other oily fish a couple times a week. Or you can even give raw fish.

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_12/features/Fats-Chance_20658-1.html

[Barbara O]

Bobby O

I am aware of the fish problem. The cats don’t get any more fish than the two humans in this house eat…I limit our fish due to mercury and now we have to worry about Japan’s radiation being sent to us via the sea…I agree that most Junk goes into a lot of our cat and dog foods…I know they would pick up spoiled meats from food markets, not unwrap a great deal of the food…just toss it into the pots with the styrofoam and plastic still on it…hopefully this has changed but I doubt it with the cheaper feeds…Purina was guilty of doing this…I took several meats courses in college and I won’t touch weiners….not eating something that mold grows on, then is cleaned off with a chemical and package and sold to the unsuspecting public…if they do this to humans, what do you think they’ve done to the animals?

I am also aware of the law regarding Taurine…there are actually some breeds of dogs that need taurine daily in their diets…You’ll note that Nature’s Variety canned food is the same for dogs and cats…and taurine is in both…

I also know if you withdraw taurine from wolf pups, they can develop cardiomyopathy, juvenile cataracts and reproduction problems…as will foxes….Provide them with the taurine early enough and all of these things can be reversed….

The problem with homemade raw diets is getting enough taurine included…that’s why I’ve always kept taurine capsules on hand…I actually sprinkled it over my foxes’ food several times a week. I know mealworms provide taurine but they still got a shot of the stuff weekly in their food…They were never ill…cats, like foxes have to have it and if a raw diet is used, jut add it.

[ScottsMomma]

Am currently using Wild Salmon Oil on top of my dog’s food to help with his dry/flaky skin..and it does seem to be working. Thinking of switching him over to a fish based kibble. Now-since it’s a dry food, would it hurt to keep adding the salmon oil on top of that every day? Or if not-a few times a week?

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Kelly T –

I’m a little shocked that your vet didn’t provide you with a balanced recipe to go along with this recommendation and I’m equally shocked at the ratio of lentils to meat recommended. The general rule of thumb is to use between 15% and 25% fruits/veggies/starches – with a ratio of about 50:50 being he highest I’ve seen recommended. But since this is what your vet suggested we’ll go with it!

What I would do is as follows:
1/2 C. Horse Meat
1 1/2 C. Lentils
1 Multivitamin Crushed*
1,000 mg. Calcium
1 tsp. Fish Oil
1 tsp. Hempseed or Walnut Oil or 2 tsp. Canola Oil

*My multivitamin of choice is Twinlab Daily One. I’m not sure if this is available in Canada. If not you want something designed as a “one a day” type multivitamin for humans. Look for one with under 10% DV calcium so it doesn’t skew the calcium to phosphorus ratio. If you do choose a multi that has a significant amount of calcium that’s okay but you need to account for it by reducing the amount of added calcium. For example, Centrum brand would be acceptable but contains 200 mg. calcium per capsule so you would only want to add 800 mg of calcium.

This recipe will provide roughly 300 calories per cup (will vary slightly depending on how lean the meat you’re using is).

The oil shouldn’t bother her – it’s generally the protein in an item that causes the reaction not the fat (although it’s possible). Getting the fats balanced should help out her coat issues as well.

By the way, nice name! My grandmother has a yorkipoo named Phoebe. 🙂

• This reply was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Cyndi]

Thank you Dori! I already give Bailey sardines a couple times a week and she loves them. Do you think that’s good enough or should I still get some fish oil and give her that on days she doesn’t get sardines? I could even give her sardines 3 times a week, instead of 2, I just don’t want to give her too much.

[Dori]

I use Nature’s Logic Sardine Oil. It comes in a pretty good size container. I keep it in the fridge and right after I prepare their food I just drizzle a little on it then put the oil right back in to the fridge. It should be the last thing you put in Bailey’s food. Fish oil can go rancid pretty quickly (reason to keep it in fridge). I like using sardine oil because sardines don’t live long enough to become toxic with whatever crap is in the waters. I know some use salmon oil but I don’t feed my dogs salmon (to much fear of the waters that they live in and possible contaminations) so I also don’t use salmon oil. Oh, on the days that I add some canned sardines to their meals I don’t use the sardine oil. If you buy Bailey sardines at the grocery store (they are pretty cheap) buy the ones in water, not oil. I buy the small cans and divide it between the three dogs. If you’re only giving it to Bailey then you can probably get three days worth. Only add sardine oil or sardines for one meal a day, not both.

If you find that he starts to get loose stools then back up a bit and give him the oil every other day or just 3 or 4 meals a week.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by Dori.

[Cyndi]

Thanks Dori, I’m pretty sure, so far, that is was the laundry soap. My son, when he was little, was allergic to unscented Tide of all things. He broke out in hives real bad. So I switched back to Dreft and all was fine. My vet is a moron, lol! I do really like them there, they are all so good with Bailey and stuff, but they more or less look down on me for the way I choose to feed my dog. Heck, they even had me considering going back to KIBBLE! So happy I didn’t!

I’m going to stick with what I’m doing, although the vet did suggest to start using fish oil, so, if anyone can recommend something good I’d appreciate it so I don’t have to go thru all the forum posts to find what people recommend. Dr. Dennis can kiss my ass!!!! 😀