[ab1028]

I do rotate foods. Right now he is eating Orijen adult, and he has also eaten Acana Pacific, Wild Prairie, Grasslands, and Now! Fresh. I am wondering if it is seasonal allergies as well. There is also a strong possibility that he is getting bitten from mosquitoes. During the winter, we were supplementing his food with fish oil and he was definitely not as itchy. Not perfect, but not bad either.

Thank you so much for the links!

[Bobby dog]

Hi Akari:
Glad he’s showing some improvement. Since he is not well I would check with my Vet before administering or supplementing him with anything.

If you do decide to supplement with fish oil you need to find out the EPA & DHA %’s. If it isn’t on the label, check out their website or call them. The PDF link in my post from yesterday has the %’s for cats. I am not sure how often you would want to give it to him. Google it or you could also check out different sites that sell fish oil specifically for cats and read the directions they have posted.

Fingers crossed you find something in the litter box tonight! 🙂

[Akari_32]

Hey guys. He’s doing much better today. He was his usual self this morning , just a little less feisty. I called the vet, told them how he was, and they said they didn’t need to see him, but to watch him, and feed him in very small amounts. I mixed a sugar spoon full of olive oil into his days worth of food (just one can– left over from yesterday’s rations), and he’s eaten two or three times for me (I’m not sure if he ate one of the meals, or if Bentley did). I went ahead with the olive oil because I looked around online and a lot of people say it’s good for passing hair balls. I’m at work now, but I did buy a small thing of coconut oil to try him on.

I had my mom call the neighbor (moms out of town) to go over and check on him, and she said that he’s sleepy looking, but still alert to sounds. I also had her check his gums, and she said they were kind of pinkish, but she’s going to stay with him until get home.

I also left him a dish of water, and he drank it all since I left him about 4.5 hours. Considering this cat doesn’t drink water, you know he must not be feeling good, poor guy. If he’s still like this in the morning, I’ll call the vet and see what have to say.

So all in all, he’s better than he was last night, but still not feeling well.

Also, I have some fish oil pills, but it doesn’t say anything about how much is in them. Just says, for humans, one pill three times a day. I give Haley (65 lb) one a day, and Dweezle (130 lb) two a day. So maybe one every few days for him?

[Bobby dog]

Hey Akari:
I don’t know about olive or vegetable oils, maybe someone else will have some info for you.

I use coco oil for hairballs and because it has other benefits too. My older cat (not the hyperthyroid kitty) had a terrible hairball issue. It was my fault though because I did not brush him enough. He coughed one up that was the size of a mouse one day. From that day forward I give him daily brushings and coco oil 2x/wk. Most of the time the brushing is only a couple of minutes, but brushing has made the most difference.

I also supplement all my cats with fish oil; it can help with hairballs too. Since they still get some fish in their diet, I don’t supplement anymore than once a week. I use CVS 1000 mg capsules. It’s purified to remove mercury and made without dairy or soy products. The EPA & DHA percentages are the same as other pet products for example Dr.’s Foster and Smith Premium Plus® Omega-3 Gel Caps. I poke a hole in the capsule and squeeze the oil over their food.

I used this PDF from Tuft’s Vet school for dosage amount/lbs, ingredient %, and brand information. The information in it pertains to heart disease so I do not follow the daily dosage instructions. I researched how often and how much to dose the cats from other sources.

http://www.google.com/url?url=http://vet.tufts.edu/heartsmart/resources/omega-3_supplementation.pdf&rct=j&frm=1&q=&esrc=s&sa=U&ei=apyOU7TcBNSxsQSvsIA4&ved=0CBcQFjAA&sig2=0_LYv32HiEiInKcfDfNOvQ&usg=AFQjCNHTgzeaTJ04dtmqZQ9Uenp1rqGVCQ

Here’s some information on hairballs:
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/01/16/chronic-hairball.aspx

[Akari_32]

After his visit to the litter box, he’s perked up much more. I threw a toy in with him and he’s been chasing the thing almost non-stop. He went in the litter box again not too long ago, but I’m in bed and don’t feel like getting up to investigate lol He’s getting more active, and I suspect it’s only a matter of time before he starts crying that he’s locked up lol Do you guys think I could give him a little olive or vegetable oil in his food a few times a week to keep something like this from happening again (I also have fish oil *pills* I give to the dogs)? I really do feel like it’s hair stuck in there. You should see how obsessively he grooms himself…. Lol He’s been pretty bad with hair balls lately too. He’s puked up a couple of them, and he’s been hacking and coughing away for a few days trying to get one out (which I haven’t found. I bet I know where it is…. <.< …..)

[Jess S]

Wow Sue that does all ring very true! Bella hates the wet grass so much she won’t go to the toilet on it and messes on the patio! And I actually bought the holistic select on sunday and started her on that 🙂 I have the 1% cream gor myself also so will try that and the soak and look into the demotic with my vet 🙂 I also rub coconut oil in her ears and fish oil tablets which she gobbles up like lollies which I find has helped when she is super itch too! What type of antihistamines should I use Sara? She is 15kg

[ab1028]

I have been considering adding coconut oil to my poodle’s food. He has a tendency to get itchy (tried to figure out what it is by limiting his food, but he just seems to be an itchy dog). I was wondering what the specific benefits of coconut oil were. I have heard it helps with the skin and coat, but does it help itchiness as well? He had fish oil added to his food for a while and didn’t seem to mind that and helped his skin throughout the winter. Also, how much coconut oil would I add to his food? He is about 13.8 pounds.
Thanks!

[Kate B]

Hey guys! This is my first time posting. I have a 15 pound schnoodle that I adopted almost three years ago. I’m not entirely sure how old Wilson is as his surrender paperwork had a few different ages on it but I think (as does his vet) he is between 6 and 8 and in good health.

He’s always, always, always been a picky eater. He’s my first dog and I honestly didn’t know anything about feeding a dog beyond kibble and canned at first. I fed him Vet’s Choice Health Extension for a while and then Acana but they took inordinate amounts of coaxing or soaking in water or additional treats (i.e. cottage cheese or some eggs, etc.) to get him to eat. Meal time would become sometimes a 15-30 minute exercise in who was going to be more stubborn. He would also occasionally throw the kibble back up (anywhere from 30 minutes to hours after he ate). Clearly, this didn’t seem like the best possible diet for him anymore.

I had considered transitioning him to raw, using a commercial raw diet like Stella and Chewy’s or Primal. Well, we tried for about a month and he really struggled with it. A) he hated the Primal with a passion and B) had trouble keeping both of the diets down. I instead decided to try home-cooked and use Grandma Lucy’s as a pre-mix. We’ve been doing this for about three weeks and it has been super successful so far which is a huge relief to me. I want him to have the healthiest life possible! I’ve been rotating him through several kinds of protein (chicken, ground turkey, ground beef, eggs, salmon, tuna) and it all seems easy enough to combine with the pre-mix. I give him 4 oz of the pre-mix and 6 oz of protein (I’m using Primal’s recommendation to give protein between 2-3% of a dog’s weight) split across two daily meals. I haven’t been following Grandma Lucy’s pre-mix recommendation (they recommend 1-1.5 cups per day for dogs between 10-20 lbs) because that seems really, really high to me in contrast to the protein. Any thoughts there?

Here’s my question: do I need to add any additional supplements? Like I said, this isn’t raw meat and it’s making me nervous that I might be screwing something up with the calcium and/or phosphorus. I’m assuming I should also add some sort of fish/krill/flax oil as well and would love some advice! So far, I had looked at Wysong’s Call of the Wild as a possibility but wasn’t sure if that was overkill (Grandma Lucy’s pre-mix has 1% calcium). Any advice would be much appreciated!

[Jim H]

Hello everyone,
I’m new here and I need some advice. I want a food that has between 25-30% protein. My dogs are not herding sheep all day and do not need a grain-free, hi-protein food. I also want something easily digestible with little waste. I do not want corn or soy and I would like it be a lamb based food with whole eggs, fish oil, vitamins and chelated minerals. I used Canidae for years, but they changed the formula, so they’re out. I next found Dog Lovers Gold. It was a great food, but they changed their formula too and now they’re out. I searched the internet thoroughly and found Dr. Tim’s. My girls ( Great Pyrenees, Golden Retriever & Shih Tzu ) are doing great on Dr. Tim’s, shiny coats, firm low-odor stools, nice breath. It has everything I want except it’s chicken based instead of lamb. I can get Dr. Tim’s delivered for $1.52/ lb and this is the best “good food at a good price” that I have found. Does anyone have any suggestions for something similar, only with lamb?
Thanks
Jim

[Susan]

Hi, when I first rescued my boy he would have the gurgling Bowel, I took Patch to the vets & vet said it was Colitis & to put him on a low fat diet, so vet put Patch on the Eukanuba Intestinal this kibble has stopped the gurgling bowel & rumbling, its a low residue kibble that breaks up easily & the fat% is 10%..I also could hear his bowel from another room & he too would not eat when this was happening of a morning he’d only eat grass also I would make him a piece of dry toast with either honey thinly spread or a fish paste very thinly spread as soon as he’d have his toast the gurgling would stop..Try a kibble with a low fat% 10% or under also watch what you feed at night… I dont give Patch no treats, nothing at night after his Eukanuba Intestinal kibble, this has also helped him….Have you tried the Wellness Simple range Limited ingredients they have the Duck & oatmeal & fat is min-11% u’d have to email Wellpet & ask what the max fat% is, they have the Simple Healthy weight at 8% fat its Salmon & Peas formula Im not sure about the peas thats why I havent tried as peas would give more wind pain..Ive been introducing Patch to the Holistic Select Senior also made by Wellpet cause the fat is min-10% I emailed Holistic Select & they said that the max fat is 11.98%.this kibble is a Hydrolized kibble & breaks up real easy.. I found when Patch ate real hard kibble he’d get the noisey tummy/bowel, so what I do know if I try a new kibble I boil the jug I put about 2 kibbles in a class of boiled water, I count to 40 sec then I get 2 small teaspoons & I place 1 of the kibbles that was in the boiling water on one spoon then I get the other spoon & push down, a good kibble should crush easily, a hard kibble wont crush & sometimes flings away..thats why I put 2 kibbles in the water just in case this happens but the Holistic Select Senoir or any of the Holistic Select kibbles are nice & soft after being in water after 40sec as the protein is hydrolized better on their digestion, Ive been trying to work out Patches health now for 1 year & we have it just right at the moment with the Eukanuba Intestinal & the Holistic Select senior Chicken meal & rice I only mix the Holistic Select & Intestinal for his lunch meal at the moment, But he was just on the Holistic Select for about 7months before I found the Holistic Select Senior, I did try a few other brand kibbles but they were too hard to digest.. Good-Luck also watch the fat if you give any treats or meats I do boiled chicken breast & boiled pumkin for breakfast as the rice irritates Patches bowel I have also tried the Eukanuba FP as Patch has itchy skin & the fat% was 15% too high gave him the rumbling tummy/bowel then diarrhea, the Eukanuba Intestinal is for their tummy/bowel & for skin problems it cleared all his itchy skin up but at the end of summer he gets seasonal allergies from pollens & grasses & there’s nothing you can really do for that except put him in a plastic bubble & keep him looked up all summer Lol

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi zolicylus –

Supplementing a raw diet with items such as those suggested above – RMBs, sardines, oils – will not result in the components “digesting at different rates.” Why would a chicken neck digest at a different rate than ground chicken?

In fact, it’s very beneficial to supplement any diet with healthy fats such as coconut oil and sardines, as Sandy mentioned. Coconut oil offers many benefits – it has natural antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties and may help improve skin and coat health. More info here.

Darwin’s does not add a source of available omega 3’s (DHA/EPA) to their foods so it would actually be advisable to feed sardines (or another fatty fish on a regular basis). The only source of omega 3’s in the Darwin’s recipes is flax. plant based omega 3’s (with the exception of algal oil) contain omega 3’s in the form of ALA. ALA is a a short-chain fatty acid that is, essentially, a pre-cursor to long chain omega 3’s DHA and EPA. It is DHA and EPA that the body utilizes and because ALA is poorly converted (in most cases less than 10% actually gets converted) it’s necessary to feed foods naturally rich in long chain omega 3’s (EPA/DHA) such as fatty fish, algal oil or cage-free eggs.

Feeding RMBs in conjunction with a balanced ground raw diet (such as Darwin’s) will provide the dog with the dental benefits they miss out on when eating ground food.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[mogavero1955]

I had replied under shiatsu then read advice on how to post. I am desperate. My vet said science diet for sensitive stomachs but it is junk I’m told…..One of my beagles has beef allergy. The last two years, I have been testing and searching for a dry kibble that won’t make his stomach so loud and gassy in the morning where he wants grass and will vomit. He will eat boiled chicken but I need a limited ingredient, sensitive stomach food. He’s been on Eukanoba Response FP (just disliked after ten years), TOW venison, Acana fish, Fromms fish, Blue Wilderness salmon, Earthborn lamb, Blue Wilderness Chicken SENIOR. He likes chicken and lamb. Problem is the gurgling and he won’t eat in the morning. He throws a few times a week. I hear his tummy across the room. Blood test good, stool test good. HELP!! ,

[mogavero1955]

One of my beagles has beef allergy. The last two years, I have been testing and searching for a dry kibble that won’t make his stomach so loud and gassy in the morning where he wants grass and will vomit. He will eat boiled chicken but I need a limited ingredient, sensitive stomach food. He’s been on Eukanoba Response FP (just disliked after ten years), TOW venison, Acana fish, Fromms fish, Blue Wilderness salmon, Earthborn lamb, Blue Wilderness Chicken SENIOR. He likes chicken and lamb. Problem is the gurgling and he won’t eat in the morning. He throws a few times a week. I hear his tummy across the room. Blood test good, stool test good. HELP!! ,

[pugmomsandy]

You can give them about a tablespoon of oil – olive, fish, coconut, etc, would be easy. Or maybe give them a couple whole raw sardines or a couple of eggs a week.

[Bobby dog]

Archie update: His fur is really growing in nicely. Still a little sparse in places and his skin is still dry. However, the dry patches are past the point of scabbing over and it is more like a bad case of dandruff in those areas. Still giving him probiotics, coco oil 2x/wk, fish oil 3/x week & MSM in his morning food. The most improvement in his skin/fur came with the addition of probiotics.

Akari:
Can’t wait to see the videos, I love watching cat tricks!

Here’s my coupon questions:
What is the original price/can of the Sheba?
Is it on sale? If it is, what is the sale price/can?
Are you using the $3.00 off/24 cans coupon?

Jakes mom & C4c:
Okay, I have fallen behind a little on my ABC diet, but I did take out some beef liver that I froze the other week and will be adding it to Bobby’s dinner this evening. Although I gave him a few raw pieces as I was preparing to freeze it, which he seemed to like, I decided I would lightly cook it.

Since the few raw choices I have made so far have not gone over well, I thought I might need to take a different approach with him. I will lightly cook, then serve. In the future I will try cooking a little meat and serve it with a little raw and see how that goes. He did end up eating the chicken gizzards and hearts I first tried after I lightly cooked them.

[Naturella]

Hello, DFAers!

So, for a couple days Bruno has been throwing up once a day, once on my roommate’s shirt and another at a friend’s house. The only “new” thing in his diet is frozen canned pumpkin that was thawed to use in frozen treat mixture, and then re-frozen as treats again. Could that have caused it?

I haven’t seen the color or consistency of the vomit to be able to tell if that’s what he’s vomiting mostly, but all other things and add-ins in his diet he’s had before and has had no issue with them (coconut oil, raw egg, plain yoghurt, RMBs, raw fish, THK is what he’s been having this week). Plus the treats that contain several fats (coconut oil and butter, peanut butter, tahini (sesame seed paste), turmeric, shredded coconut and almond flour, flax seed meal, honey, a pinch of cinnamon, yoghurt) and the pumpkin – the latter being the “new” thing although he’s had it before with no issue. But he’s had those treats since the day before yesterday and he’s thrown up yesterday and today, so unless he’s gotten into something (which is entirely possible), it might have to be the pumpkin I guess…

What do you think?

[Naturella]

I will have to look into that too as my supply is going down… I just made the richest, most amazing chewy chocolate chip cookies with part coconut flour, almond flour, (regular flour), coconut oil, coconut butter, and regular butter. Um, I’m cookie-drunk! LoL. But nom!

Anyway, Akari, I bet fish oil does awesome things for Dweezle and Haley – coconut oil should too. Haven’t really tried fish oil on Bruno yet, but coconut oil made him super soft and shiny! 🙂

[Akari_32]

I’ve yet to find decently priced coconut oil around here. I have tons of fish oil though, that I get with (what else??) coupons. Three a day between Haley and Dweezle means they go fast. I usually get paid for them though, so that’s ok :p Some day I’ll try them on coconut oil!

[Susan]

Hi, the Royal Canin gastro is a low fiber kibble at -1.7% & dietary fiber- 8.6% & low fat-7% as my boy suffers from IBD & Pancreatitis, I could either pick the R/C gastro or the Eukanuba Intestinal.. I picked the Eukanuba as there’s was no by-products & the kibble breaks up real easy (low residue), the Eukanuba cleared his diarrhea up within 2 days.. the vets first tried a higher fiber kibble the Intestinal Plus at 4% fiber which made him worst…my vet wanted Patch on the Eukanuba Intestinal for 1 year to heal the bowel, dont rush these things as you can have a set back & ur girl may get her diarrhea back again, I know the vet prescription food has ingredients that no one likes but it has helped her, the vet prescription diets are made for a reason, Im not a fan but I too got all excited when Patch was pooing beautiful & I could go on a walk & pick it up, so I did the same thing after 3 months I went looking for a better kibble last Nov-Dec, 1 week into slowly changing Patches kibble he got his diarrhea real bad again as soon as he’d eat he’d run to the front door to have to go poo, it was water no blood thank god. I had to put him back on his Eukanuba Intestinal & then 2 days later he was all good again.. Im in the middle of changing is kibble again thats after Patch being on the Eukanuba for 9months now to the Holistic Select Senior he’s only 5years old Patch but the Holistic Select Kibbles are all Low Residue kibbles & they break up real easy… I do my hot water test.. I put a couple of kibbles in boiling hot water, I count to 40 then I pull out 1 kibble, I put the kibble inbetween 2 small teaspoon & crush if it crushes real easy after 40 sec without much pressure I know its a good kibble that will break up easy in his tummy, I’ve tried the Nutro Natural Choice Chicken & rice as this kibble is guaranteed that your dog will do firm poos, Patch did firm poos but he got stomach reflux from the kibble so I tried the lower fat Nutro kibble Lamb & rice he still got his acid reflux, when I did the hot water test the Nutro was a hard kibble it didnt crush easy very hard, so back to the Eukanuba Intestinal, now we are trying the Holistic Select as there’s a good range of flavours & the fiber is low 3.50%…Just take it so slow & its not that bad that she’s on a vet prescription just for now & Ive being soooo slowly changing Patches kibble, Ive been doing it for 1 month now just mixing about 1/4 of a cup to his Intestinal, I also give boiled 1/2 shreaded boiled chicken breast & 2 tablespoon of pumkin mashed together for breakfast his poo is a bit soft eating the chicken & pumkin, I know cause he does 2 poos a day the morning poo is brown/orange (pumkin) & a little softer then his lunch poo which is nice & firm that must be his kibble poo… Lol if you change find a kibble with the same % fat & fiber at first, but Im pretty sure the R/C gastro is a low fiber diet so is the Eukanuba Intestinal at 1.7% fiber..Good-Luck..also you can email the kibble companies for more info as some will say min fiber 3% or min fat% 10% I email them asking for maximum fiber % & fat %, Wellpet is very good they respond within 1 day, Holistic Select is ‘Well Pet’ so is Wellness range & Eagle Pack another low fat & low fiber kibble but I havnt done the test to see if the Eagle Pack breaks up easy..I know the Wellness complete health & Core kibbles are very hard that’s the one that gave Patch the runs again the White Fish & Sweet potato complete health kibble…

[Shasta220]

I’ve only skimmed through the posts, so I’m sorry if I’m butting in lol!

Our lab used to be on Dog Chow as well. She always suffered mildly from otitis (skin and ear infections). It eventually got so far out of hand. The poor girl was covered in gross raw patches. We put a sweater on her and a cone, but that was just preventing her from scratching, and not helping her feel better. Took her to the vet and they gave us tons of medications (they were really very little help. They just said “well, she has an allergy to food, environment, or fleas. It’s your job to find out which one, not mine!”)

I knew as soon as we ran out of those meds, then she’d be back in itchville. So I found DFA and then got her on a food without corn, wheat, or soy. In all her 12 years, I have never seen her NOT shake her head constantly and rub the ears after I clean them out. She stopped stinking, her fur grew back, she never scratched again, and now her ears are soft and she lets us pet them! Before, her ears were waxy and gross, and if we even touched them, it’d send her into an itching spree…

She also gets a raw egg, fish oil, and coconut oil daily (she gets a bit under 1tbsp, she’s 70lb. She was getting a bit over a tbsp, but then she refused to eat the oil. I dropped it for a few days, then offered her less, and she ate it all). I’m trying a grain free food with her right now, just to see if it’ll help with her dandruff. It’s very mild dandruff, so if the GF doesn’t help, I’m not worried at all.

So that’s my success story of a very similar situation 🙂

she’s pretty rotational with the kibbles. Let’s see, she’s successfully been on Dog Lovers Gold, Pure Balance GF, Diamond Naturals, Wenaewe, Paramount GF, and one or two others, can’t remember off the top. Right now she’s on the pure balance GF – I’ll probably move to NutriSource GF when this bag is empty. I tried her on NutriSource grain-inclusive…I don’t know if it was coincidence or what, but she broke out horribly (I might try it again in the future, as she’s been on worse foods without a problem)

[Nicole V]

Thank you HDMom! I appreciate the feedback. Yes, I wish the transition was easier, but I’m glad that she seems to be okay with, and enjoying, the freeze-dried food. I’m also happy that she’s finally eating her kibble with gusto. When I first adopted her, she was underweight, and never finished her meals…even with the fish oil. The Fromm’s seems to be very enticing to her, and although I’m sure it’s a healthy kibble, I prefer to also offer her the benefits of the raw as well. 🙂
Thanks again!

[InkedMarie]

Well, after a few hours online, I have all I could find:

Addiction: Perfect summer brush tail 20% protein, 10% fat
Kangaroo Feast: 21% protein, 10% fat
Steakhouse beef & zucchini: 19% protein, 10% fat
Figalicious: 19% protein, 10% fat

Natural Balance limited ingredient diet sweet potato & venison: 20% protein, 10% fat

That is all I found. You weren’t specific so I looked at nothing with chicken, duck or turkey. I also looked at nothing that has any type of fish oil.

Not many options with the max protein & fat you’re looking for.

[Naturella]

Christina, I would say probably give it a few days (2-3-ish) before you add a new ingredient just so you know if he would react for sure. As for tomatoes, I guess you could put them in a blender or food processor for a few seconds until they are pretty much mush, then try them. Make sure the whole elimination diet does not last too too long, as it is not a balanced way to feed a dog, so hopefully within 10-14 days you will know if he reacts to a particular ingredient. If he doesn’t react to any of the ones listed above, I would go with a grain-free diet, or a rice-and-maybe-oatmeal-or-millet-or-barley-as-the-only-grains diet. But grain-free is generally safer for an allergy-prone dog.

One of my classmates and friends told me that her dog was extremely itchy eating Pedigree and Beneful, so I told her what I know, and she got him on a grain-free diet – said the itch has been considerably reduced to just an occasional “normal” scratch here and there. She didn’t do an elimination diet, just straight up eliminated the grains, and she was lucky her dog did not react to anything else. So that is also another way you can approach it – just try a good quality fish-based kibble and add the THK Beams as treats and coconut oil, and see how that goes. I would probably still do an elimination though, just to be sure for myself. But, it may work out that he just needs good-quality grain-free kibble.

In case you want to just try the kibble round, some good grain-free kibbles (I will just list them for your ease, in no particular order) are:
Wellness Core – I want to feed in the future
Holistic Select
Orijen – I want to feed in the future
Acana Grain Free – I want to feed in the future
Victor Grain Free – I feed now
Earthborn Holistic Grain Free – I feed now
Dr. Tim’s Kinesis Grain Free – I have fed, no issues
Holistic Health Extension Grain Free – I have fed with no issues and I feed one of their grain-inclusive formulas now
Now! Fresh – I have fed a small bag (less than 1lb) with no issues
Nutrisca – I have fed, no issues
Nature’s Variety Instinct – I will feed (have a bag lined up under the sink, lol), and I have fed samples with no issues
Back to Basics Grain Free – I will feed the grain-inclusive one (have a bag lined up under the sink also)
NutriSource Grain Free – I have fed samples with no issue but it is severely overpriced in my area so I’m not sure I would buy a bag to feed it
Taste of the Wild – some don’t like it as it is produced by Diamond and that company had a huge recall issue in 2012 that they handled poorly, but 3 friends feed/have fed it with no issues
Blue Buffalo Wilderness – I have fed with no issues but some owners report tummy and stool issues with their dogs when on Blue food. However, 2 other friends have fed/still feed Blue with no issues.

I am sure others can pitch in with more recommendations, plus, if you can afford it/want to, it really is better to feed canned/dehydrated/homemade/raw. Or you can mix them up – I feed kibble and canned/THK food/fridge add-ins (like eggs, yoghurt, raw bones, etc.). But yeah, just start off with determining what works for Chance, you can always add new things once he is at least on better food. 🙂

[Naturella]

Christina – if you want to try the fish kibble, you should – what Sue recommends are good foods, also Victor Yukon Salmon and Earthborn Coastal Catch (what I currently feed) are good. Others are Wellness Core Ocean-something and Nutrisca Salmon – also pretty good. Just make sure the food is meat-rich with fish and fish meals.

But definitely try an elimination diet so that you know what to avoid because otherwise you may find yourself constantly switching between fish kibbles because one or another ingredient may cause him to flare up. The THK beams should help though, and hopefully he won’t be allergic to fish. Definitely start him on good raw UNREFINED coconut oil at 1 tsp/day and work up to 1 tbs. daily.

Good luck, keep us posted! 🙂

[Susan]

Hi, what foods do you feed Chance, I put Patch on an elimination diet about 2 months ago cause of his itchy skin & red sore paws inbetween his toes & itchy ears… Patch has seasonal allergies around Summer & Autumn at his worst, when I started doing Patches elimination diet he was doing good then as soon as I added sweet potato with his boiled chicken breast 2 days later his ears started to itch & I had to use his Dermotic ear drops, excellent product clears his ears up straight away, so I stopped the sweet potato & he stop ripping at his ears.. Ive read you need to choose foods with low Gi carbs for itchy skin problems helps to keep the sugar levels constant…stay away from kibbles with potatos, sweet potatos, peas found in a few grain free kibbles…Have you tried a good fish based kibble…Holistic Select has Anchovy Sardines & Salmon meal, this kibble helped my friend Staffy, he had terrible red itchy skin when he was 9months old, she tried vet pescription diet kibble, then she tried the Wellness complete health the whitefish with sweet potato recipe & it didnt help, then she tried the Holistic Select Anchovy,Sardines & Salmon meal & now Bronson has beautiful itch free skin, she also mixes a couple of tin sardines in spring water with his kibble..but not all dogs are the same, you can only try & see if you see any change… look for a low carb diet with fish as the protein & see if things improve…

[Christina K]

I might have to try that elimination diet. He’s just on Dog Chow right now, because he was living with my parents and their 3 other dogs. I really want to get him on a healthier diet. I started pouring a multivitamin on top of this food the other day. I thought he was going to take off my hands to get more of it.

I also got Chance some fruit based treats, but I’ll definitely be picking up those Honest Kitchen’s Beams. I saw the worst case of fleas on him too. He was far more affected by the fleas than the other 3 dogs. Hopefully the fish and coconut oils will help rid him of his remaining wounds.

Thank you so much for the advice. At least now I can narrow down to fish-based foods. I think that will help him a lot. My goal now is to get him out of that cone.

[Naturella]

The best thing for you to do is to see what you feed him now (maybe let us know), and then do an elimination diet – I think it’s something like cooking a basic homemade chicken and rice diet and slowly adding other ingredients from the food he is currently on to see if he reacts to one or more of them. But some of the pros on here could maybe able to better explain how to do an elimination diet.

Some more common allergens are various grains, corn, sometimes chicken or another protein, sometimes peas or tomatoes (or tomato pomace), sometimes yeast. So doing an elimination will help you know what to avoid in a food and it will make it easier for us to know what to recommend.

As for skin/coat issues, fish oil and coconut oil do some miracles. Also fish-based foods and treats. For my dog who had the worst case the vet has seen of fleas and wounds and hair falling out when he was found and taken to a vet, The Honest Kitchen’s Beams (dried fish skins to be given as chews/treats) did some miracles and then a teaspoon of coconut oil every other day continually enhances this miracle and his skin is nice and healthy and his coat is as soft and shiny as ever, I love it. No trace of wounds or missing hair – he is double-coated and his coat is very thick, soft, shiny on top and healthy. 🙂 He is also on mostly a fish-based food now so that probably helps too.

But as for pet dander – sometimes the above measures may help, sometimes not – the dog may just be genetically predisposed to extra dander. But it’s worth a shot to see if you can help it some too.

[DogFoodie]

I didn’t know they were discontinuing the Mulligan Stew chicken. I have a big bag I’d give you if you were near me. I feed one of my dogs the lamb variety in his rotation and once ordered the chicken for something different. The chicken contains fish oil, which is one of my dog’s food intolerances.

I agree, I think that MS is a great product. It has a very unique ingredient panel.

Have you ever looked at Nature’s Logic? NL is a whole food ingredient kibbled diet with no added synthetic vitamins or minerals and nothing from China. In just looking at the ingredients in the chicken, it doesn’t contain barley; but, I didn’t check the other varieties.

[Naturella]

All of the above are great responses, but one think I recently learned about are “satin balls” – you can look it up on Google but here is the recipe:

“Ingredients:

10 pounds hamburger meat [the cheapest kind]
1 lg. box of Total cereal
1 lg. box oatmeal
1 jar of wheat germ
1 1/4 cup veg oil
1 1/4 cup of unsulfured molasses
10 raw eggs AND shells
10 envelopes of unflavored gelatin
pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients together, much like you would a meatloaf.
Divide into 10 quart freezer bags and freeze.
Thaw as needed and feed raw!”

It is supposed to help with skin/coat and keep weight up and on really well. Also, you can use the Joint Gelatin or another oil (preferably flax seed and/or fish oil (but if fish oil mix it with another oil I would think) – they are more beneficial for their Omega fats content).

Good luck!

[Mike M]

Things apparently going well with the diet so far, if poop status, etc. is any indicator.

Wally is a 17 pound 15 year old Chihuahua mix.

So far, daily, using 93% lean ground turkey mixed with Urban Wolf, 1 sardine packed in water, no salt added (Trader Joe’s), a little canned Alaskan pink salmon (TJ’s, no salt, no oil), Alaskan salmon fish oil and 1 probiotic capsule. Several pet vitamins per day; Puritan’s Pride … they have some calcium/phosphorous in the right balance but not a lot of other vitamins and minerals, which I know the Urban Wolf has … the pet vitamins are more of a crunchy treat.

Several times per week – 1/2 boiled egg, a small dollop of cooked yam (wondering if that is too much sugar though), 1 200 IU Vitamin E twice oer week (guesstimating) which I have read may need to be boosted because of the fish oil consumed. Thinking of adding the occasional well cooked/processed broccoli …..

Resisting adding other meats like beef and pork because of my own vegetarian leanings and the reasons for that but remain open to it. Understand the nutritional benefits of some of the animal organs like heart and liver but am not using those. Always researching …..

Always looking for input – thanks.

[Naturella]

I second Sandy’s advice – Bruno’s add-ins (various canned such as Merrick, Wellness, Nutro Ultra, etc.; THK Love, Embark, Force, Keen; yoghurt/kefir, cottage cheese, coconut oil, raw eggs, pumpkin, flaxseed meal on occasion, canned sardines on occasion, RMBs (pork necks and chicken backs at the moment), and raw spelts (small fish), and natural dehydrated chews – bully sticks, ears, snouts, chicken feet and necks, tracheas, etc.) constitute about 1/4 (25%) of his daily intake. However, THK and canned are also considered balanced foods (right?), so I think I am at below 20% with unbalanced additives. I just use his body condition as a guide, and will start keeping track of his weight (IDK if I will measure him though) – he is very active and runs a lot, and appears to be in tip top shape.

Also, I will give you Bruno’s weekly sample menu. He is an about 13lb, 1 year old, active Rat Terrier mix.
Kibble mix is: Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch:Vets Choice Holistic Health Extension Original:Victor Yukon Salmon in 3:1:1/3 ratio.

Treats: above kibble mix or NutriSource Seafood Select or Castor and Pollux Organix Adult (the last 2 are from samples). Also available are Nutro and Old Mother Hubbard biscuits for special occasions. Also for special occasions (or to keep him busy when I’m busy too) I make him ice-cream with yoghurt, peanut butter, coconut oil and coconut butter, and a sprinkle of cinnamon and turmeric, and I fill anything I can – his Kong, marrow bone, hoof, other toys with holes – and freeze. Rarely I give raw veggies/fruits like carrots, cucumbers, watermelon, apple, pineapple core, mango, raw coconut, etc. (safe stuff).

Monday:
Breakfast: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon coconut oil and water to make it soupy
Lunch: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon THK chicken and water to make it soupy
Dinner: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons canned and water to make it soupy

Tuesday:
Breakfast: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons yoghurt/kefir and water to make it soupy
Lunch: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons canned and water to make it soupy
Dinner: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon THK turkey and water to make it soupy

Wednesday:
Breakfast: 1/4 cup kibble with raw egg (no shell) with a sprinkle of flaxseed meal
Lunch: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon THK beef and water to make it soupy
Dinner: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons canned and water to make it soupy

Thursday:
Breakfast: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon coconut oil and water to make it soupy
Lunch: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons canned and water to make it soupy
Dinner: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon THK turkey and water to make it soupy

Friday:
Breakfast: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons cottage cheese and water to make it soupy
Lunch: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons raw organ meat (whatever I have) or raw meat/fish (whatever I have) or 2 teaspoons of canned and water to make it soupy
Dinner: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon THK chicken and water to make it soupy

Saturday:
Breakfast: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon coconut oil and water to make it soupy
Lunch: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon THK turkey and water to make it soupy
Dinner: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons canned and water to make it soupy

Sunday:
Breakfast: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons pumpkin with a sprinkle of cinnamon and water to make it soupy
Lunch: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons canned and water to make it soupy
Dinner: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon THK beef and water to make it soupy
RMB to cap it out

On days when Bruno runs a lot (i.e. Dog Park days) I may switch his next meal’s add-in with raw egg or raw meat/organ meats/fish (or canned sardine) for added natural protein “post WOD”. Or give him a dehydrated natural chew like a bully stick, a cow/lamb/pig ear, or tripe stick, or you know – “richer” stuff to make up for the calories burned and supply some lean meat for his muscles. I really just kind of gage his body condition and appetite for stuff as far as additives go. And sometimes, if I’m out of canned, I put his plain dry kibble in a dispensing toy and let him play with it and eat it as is. I also do some training daily and reward with about 20 kibble bits, and, if I want to stress on something – an Old Mother Hubbard or Nutro biscuit. Oh, and I almost always add water (as you can see) for added hydration. But yeah… So far so good with this method of mine. Hope I’m doing it right too, lol.

But I’m sure you will figure out how to balance it for Jake. 🙂

[weezerweeks]

I noticed when I bathed my yorkie today he was shedding a lot of hair.I noticed this last week but I thought it was because it was the first bath after he was groomed.The only thing different is I have added another canned food to his rotation that he’s never had before. It is Go Fit chicken,turkey and trout stew. He has never had trout before. I also started springtime joint supplements for a switch from mercola’s’ which I love.This is so unusual because he never has this much hair in the sink. I also give him Nordic natural fish oil every other night and krill oil the nights I don’t give fish oil. Any ideas what could be causing this. He’s not scratching at all. Thanks

[Naturella]

Hm, that’s odd – that he got dry skin on fish-based food when usually fish-based foods help with skin issues (or at least fish oil does). Bruno is as soft and shiny as ever (then again, he also gets coconut oil at breakfast every other day as well and that helps with skin and coat too).

I have not gotten the lamb yet, I have the poultry one and the bison one lined up to feed Bruno.

Anyway, hope they respond soon!

[Mike M]

I could put this in one of several forums but chose this one since it has more posts.

Our dog – Wally, almost 15, small mixed breed, about 17 pounds, working towards 15.

Health issues – “sore joints” (we have set up a system of pillows where he jumps down from the couch or bed and in fact, I am considering having a trampoline floor installed though it could interfere with our getting around and cause some queasiness and vacuuming issues), collapsing trachea with an extra cough chaser that seems to have gone way down, after a course of antibiotics and changes in his diet and the addition of salmon fish oil.

I am brand new to making my own dog food, spurred on by Wally’s health issues and a change to the formula of Wally’s canned food (Wellness Chicken/Sweet potato) where they seem to be adding more “chicken broth”, effectively a price increase and it changed his poops. Anyway …. good that I’m doing this.

Have been researching and so far, am relying on (because they have the ring of truth):

Hound Dog Mom and others here
“Unlocking The Canine Ancestral Diet.”
Dogaware.com

Will be starting with the Urban Wolf mix and other supplements to add to my meats.

There is a lot to digest re supplements, fat balancing, meats, etc and I will have questions and comments as I go along. Appreciate any input – thanks!

[Hound Dog Mom]

If I’m not mistaken (it’s been awhile since I’ve used Urban Wolf) I think the recipe on the package calls for the addition of fish oil or canned fish so I’m sure that’s factored in. You can also use the canned salmon that includes bones. Either way, you usually have the leeway to add up to 20% unbalanced extras without throwing off the balance of an already balanced meal. Another option to consider for omega 3’s that a lot of us here use are tinned sardines packed in water. I personally rotate between canned salmon and tinned sardines for my dogs.

[Mike M]

At the risk of being a nube posting redundant questions that have been answered (I did do a search and didn’t find specifically what I needed), I am trying to find out if there is something — vitamins, minerals, protein — in liver that my dog needs that cannot be gotten from other sources because …. I do not want to feed my dog liver if I don’t “have to.”

I’ve done my research and will be making my own dog food with cooked ground turkey and canned unsalted Alaskan salmon as the main meats, with the occasional eggs and packed in water unsalted sardines, some added fish oil, a bit of calcium, yam/carrot/garbonzo beans, the occasional cooked/processed veggies, nutritional yeast, etc. Lucky dog.

I will be using the Urban Wolf mix and it recommends adding the liver powder to that, along with the meat but I haven’t been able to find out why I need the liver and/or if there is something else I use or can use that will provide what the liver does.

Thanks – Mike

[USA]

Hi Leslie

Would you consider making your Jack a homemade diet? If he has no food allergies or intolerances a homemade diet using chicken, beef, turkey, fish, pork and other meats would be beneficial for your pup. You would use lean meats, 10% fat or less. Lightly cook the meats. Add about 20% non-starchy pureed veggies and fruits. Occasionally add some organs and sardines.

Supplement with Omega 3 oils, digestive enzymes, probiotics and a vitamin mineral mix like Steve Brown’s See Spot Live Longer Dinner Mixes and you have the basics of an economical, highly nutritious, species appropriate low carb diet that would help your precious pup do the best he can!! Turmeric is an excellent supplement for dogs with cancer. Slight adjustments to the diet with fiber would depend on the needs of your dog.

This is not that hard to learn and there are plenty of people here to help you along the way! I wish you and your pup the BEST!!!

[Bobby dog]

Marie: For ticks you use it like a flea powder

Akari:
I used to buy Shoo Flea by the Natural Vet, really liked it but just didn’t fit into the budget anymore. The main ingredient in Shoo Flea is food grade DE and it is scented with a capsule of herbs and essential oils. I began using plain food grade DE several years ago as a flea powder and for treating pet beds, floors etc with good results. Keep in mind it does not kill them immediately.

I have seen warnings about DE clogging vacuums, it has never happened to me. I just make sure I take their bedding outside to shake them out then throw them in the washer. I have only had to use DE on the floors in my basement so I swept the floor well before vacuuming.

Be careful not to inhale the dust or let your pets inhale the dust.

I have never fed it to my cats or dogs.

The one drawback I found using it as a flea powder is that it can dry their skin. I always use organic unrefined coco oil as a food supplement when using it. Fish oil would probably be a good choice also. I use CVS 1000 mg fish oil capsules for Bobby and the cats. The good thing about coco oil is it can be applied externally. As a flea deterrent I had the best luck using coco oil applied directly to the skin, but it can be messy for your furniture. Coco oil does very well at soothing skin irritations like flea bites. I apply DE first, then coco oil if needed in certain areas. I used coco oil daily on Bobby last summer. Hopefully I won’t have to treat flea bites this year because his yeasty smell is gone and his skin is healthy since I have improved his diet. So far so good!

Good thing I checked the links I saved on DE, some of them no longer existed.

http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/degen.html
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/benefits-diatomaceous-earth/
http://www.vetinfo.com/using-diatomaceous-earth-to-worm-pets.html
http://www.diatomaceousearth.com/?gclid=CJ2Dt8S5p74CFaQF7Aod5g4AcA
http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/parasites/a/Diatomaceous-Earth-For-Flea-Control.htm
https://www.google.com/url?q=http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/defaq.html&sa=U&ei=9l5xU7PaKPLHsATEvYCQCA&ved=0CB0QFjAA&sig2=DCYxeQKLHzMoXm6BYZtcxw&usg=AFQjCNHLDmVU6sLMs22UbzqWxC0OnCzAVw

[Ally Kloes]

Does your dog have dander? Well, my dog does. When we went to the vet, the vet said that my sweet little boy had dander. But I also figured out that dander can be controlled by omega 3 Fish oil. You can get them in 500 milligram caplets, just like the one you take at home. For weight loss, you can give your dog a few Cheerios. They’re less than a calorie a piece, and whole grains speed up metabolism, which makes your dog lose weight. Everything is inexpensive, so it bring joy to you and your soon-to-be-perfectly healthy dog.

Have fun!

[SandyandMila]

I’m actually thinking of doing the same at the moment. I was doing just raw (commercial and RMBs) for awhile but because of availability or cost I am now back to canned and dry with a periodical commercial raw (Answers recently). My dog is about the same weight and activity level as the dog above. If I make a meal from the RMB (adding organ/muscle meat, chicken feet, green supplements, fish oil, eggs, etc. ) would I have to feed it for the same 3 meals a week as the person mentioned above or is that if it’s not balanced? If I use a bigger RMB like a turkey neck or chicken leg quarter and make a meal of it would that be a one meal day, with her eating about 1 1/2 lbs a day? Would that be enough to fill her up for the whole day? Since chicken is easily available and usually on sale I wanted to start feeding RMBs again and eventually feed her more homemade raw. Any help is appreciated, thanks.

[T]

Hey, everyone! Glad to see this discussion… One of my favorite topics.

As for proteins, different people classify them in different ways, but in general:
Hot: venison, lamb
Warm/hot: chicken
Neutral: Beef, rabbit, duck
Cool: turkey, fish, pork

Some people say beef and turkey are also warm. Since most animals are eating chicken, or lamb when I meet them, I end up recommending beef, turkey, duck, rabbit and fish a lot. I am in Phoenix, AZ, very dry and hot much of the year. Seems like animals can tolerate the warmer proteins in the winter, though. Seasonality should influence food choice as well as the constitution of the animal (hyper/”fire” animals may benefit from cooler foods).

It’s OK to feed a little bit of warming food with the cooling diet! Balance is the key word. Also, the cooking method has influence on food energetics. For example, raw lamb would be cooler than boiled lamb. Boiled lamb would be cooler than baked lamb, etc. Green veggies are cooling, in general. Dairy is cool and damp (now I know why I get sinusitis from eating a lot of ice cream!).

I am dreaming of putting together a seminar on the topic of pet foods, food energetics, etc. one day.

Tabitha Thompson, DVM CVM
http://naturalalternativesvet.com

[Shasta220]

She does have medicated shampoos. They only help temporarily.

Hmmm…. Treat recipe? I guess I don’t really measure the fat/carbs in mine. Possibly keeping it simple with just grinding/blending some lean meat (maybe some white meat and hearts), 2 eggs, and any desired veggies/fruits/herbs (I like potatoes, carrots, apples, mint, and parsley), and if it needs a binder then you can use a flour (maybe something like oat, coconut, or almond?) and some oil (I like coconut). If you want to get fancy you can add some ground flax, fish oil, or anything else that sounds “healthy” 😀

Either roll into little “meatballs”, or just roll it flat on a cookie sheet then slice into squares. Bake at about 325-350 for probably 40-60min, you’ll want them pretty crunchy. Put on a cooling rack immediately to let steam escape. Store in an airtight container in the fridge 🙂

• This reply was modified 11 years, 11 months ago by Shasta220.

[Shasta220]

My Cassy is on Diamond Naturals currently. She’s gone through horrible allergies before, and is itch-free now that I’ve finally been able to get rid of corn/wheat/soy.

She still has really bad dandruff – no itching, just flakes. It’s sometimes off and on, too. I’ve given her coconut and fish oil (sardine/anchovy), but it didn’t really seem to help.

So I finally found some GF food (Pure Balance salmon) for about $1/lb, and I’m trying it to see if she is possibly slightly reactive to all grains (or maybe chicken, for that matter. Doubt the chicken tho as she’s been on lamb formula w same results).

My question is how long would it take (estimated) for her flaky skin to go away if it /is/ a grain allergy?

[pugmomsandy]

There are several low fat choices to choose from. The list is here in case you haven’t seen it: /best-dog-foods/suggested-low-fat-dog-food/ And Fonzie can have some additional fish oil (omega 3) which might help with the shedding. Some folks even give organic coconut oil and it seems to help with skin and coat as well.

[DogFoodie]

I love them both. The kibble sizes are very similar, both tiny, perfect for everything from toy breeds on up. I use the CC Lamb & Pearl Millet and Chicken & Pearl Millet; and all of the Nature’s Logic products. I like that both use gluten free pseudo grains and choose both over grain free products that contain legumes. I’m OK with peas, but try not to over do them. My sensitive pup cannot do chickpeas or lentils. CC is a great more limited ingredient product. I love that NL is a whole food product with no added synthetic vitamins or minerals.

All that said, I can now no longer use either for my sensitive dog who cannot do fish, fish meal or fish oil and apparently, his newest sensitivity, garlic, which is in the CC formulas I was using. NL contains sardine meal. I’ll tell you, is very hard to find a fish free food – CC is fish free. I’ll continue to use both for my dog with no food intolerance issues. The fact that my dog can no longer eat either, in no way diminishes my opinion of either.

[Bobby dog]

Hi C4c:
Among other things that is one of the drawbacks of Purina, not only do they add fish to just about all cat food, they also include the bad K3 in just about every recipe they make for cats and dogs. 🙁 I have found a few canned dog foods without K3.

Jakes mom:
Sounds like he had a good day! What size of dog is he? I lightly boiled the gizzards and hearts and Bobby is happily eating them. I froze most of them.

BCn:
I am going to keep an eye out for pork, lamb, goat and beef necks too.

Akari:
Did the cat get fleas from your dogs? Or is this as you wrote a preventative measure?

[Bobby dog]

Hi Jakes mom:
Yes, I agree we are doing better! 🙂

I love the kids pool idea!!! You were a crazier cat person. lol

I don’t mind cheating once in a while. I am always thinking of what to give them for a meal a few times a week, other then cat food, that is good for them for budget reasons of course. Only a few of them will eat boiled chicken.

My hypo cat (11 yrs) is doing well also, has energy, seems happy, always loveable, but I have been battling dry skin. Fish & coco oil has helped a great deal and it is much better now that winter is over. Fingers crossed, Kefir will help also.

Did you give them the livers raw? I am so jealous, my cats walked away from the gizzards and hearts, Bobby just played with his. Maybe livers will be next to try, I am not going to give up. lol Let us know how the chicken back went.

[Bobby dog]

C4c:
Purina loves to put fish in everything. But at least there is the Pro Plan Finesse chic, One Turkey & Fancy Feast Turkey varieties to give a whirl with the coupons (every little bit helps). I feed something with fish once or twice a week because the cats go on hunger strikes if I don’t; they are such brats.
Last Sunday I started giving my older kitty with hyperthyroidism kefir daily to see if that will help with his dry skin. He had a round of antibiotics about a month ago when he lost his tooth. He developed a small infection but had no other problems with the loss of his tooth and his bloodwork came back excellent. I don’t know if it’s my imagination, but I swear the dry spots don’t look as irritated. IDK…
If I had to do it all over again my cats would never had eaten any dry food, fish, corn, wheat, or soy. They would also eat pumpkin puree’ and coconut oil without any issues. Oh well, now I know better. I am going to give Chicken Soup a try for my kitties since you and Jakes mom have had success with it. They are getting tired of Wellness and Merrick. I am going to see if I can find out where Natural Balance and TOTW is canned too.

Akari:
I wish Petsmart was closer to me! ugh It just isn’t worth the gas even with the coupon because I just stocked up, oh well. They also irritate me because they don’t sell canned food over the Internet.
I think you will be fine trying some dry food. You know what to look for as far as his litter habits are concerned. I think the dry with the fish ingredient will be fine also. I feed dry too just not as much as they would like to eat. I actually bought three small bags of the Wellness kitten that has fish meal in it for $3.24 each that were on the clearance rack to mix in with their regular food. I couldn’t pass up that bargain! lol
See what happens when you give up on a cat!! Next thing you know they start doing what you wanted them to do; I’ll write it again, they are such brats. 🙂

[Bobby dog]

Hello All:
Happy Easter to all who celebrate!! 🙂 Does anyone know who cans Chicken Soup, Natural Balance, or TOTW? You both (C4c & Jakes mom) mention you feed them and I have not tried those yet.

C4c:
Love the Easter photos, they are precious!
I think the Pro Plan and One are overpriced as well, but if you catch a sale or have coupons the prices are okay. Their ingredients are a little better than Friskies and my cats certainly eat it like it’s Friskies. Gives me a few more choices for their rotation.

There are several lines under Pro Plan, One, Fancy Feast, and Sheba. I chose the recipes below based on having a named meat as the first ingredient, ingredients, and low carbohydrate content; no recipes contain wheat, corn, soy, glutens, or starches. Of course Friskies Poultry Platter is listed! 🙂 I have fed everything listed except the Pro Plan Savor and Focus lines, and my cats loved it all. I listed the undesirable ingredients included in each brand or noted if a recipe did not include them. Most of the Purina lines contain fish; Sheba doesn’t unless it is in the name of the flavor. Here’s my “grocery store” list of cat food:
Pro Plan –
• Finesse – K3, artificial flavors, meat by-products
• Chic & Liver Entree Classic
• Savor – K3, artificial flavors, fish, meat by-products:
• Beef & Carrots Entrée Classic
• Chic & Spinach Entrée Classic
• Salmon & Wild Rice Entrée Classic
• Turkey & Veg Entrée Classic
• Focus – K3, artificial flavor, fish, meat by-products, added color:
• Chic & Beef Entrée Classic
• Kitten Chic & Liver Entrée Classic

One – K3, artificial flavor, fish, meat by-products, poultry by-products, added color, corn oil, sodium nitrate
• Classic Turkey (no fish)
• Classic Beef
• Classic Chic

Fancy Feast – K3, artificial flavors, meat-by products, poultry by-products, added color, and fish
• Turkey and Giblets Feast Classic (no added poultry by-products or color)
• Tender Liver & Chicken Feast Classic (no added color or fish)
• Kitten Tender Turkey Feast (no added poultry by-products or fish)
• Fish & Shrimp Feast Flaked (no added poultry/meat by-products or color and contains sodium nitrate)
• Kitten Tender Ocean Whitefish Feast (no poultry by-products)

Friskies – K3, meat-by products, poultry by-products, artificial flavors, and fish
• Poultry Platter

Sheba – K3, meat by-products, poultry by-products, added color, Sodium Tripolyphosphate
• Beef entrée
• Beef & Chicken entrée
• Chicken entrée
• Chicken & Liver entrée
• Cod & Shrimp entrée
• Salmon entrée
• Salmon & Shrimp entrée
• Turkey entrée

[Naturella]

Amy, this is quite helpful! As theBCnut said, maybe you can try 2 teaspoons/day of coconut oil, or continue with the 1 teaspoon/day when you switch to Primal Raw Turkey and Sardine (I’d give it a try because of the fish). Remember, you can always adjust the amount if her skin is still too dry and go on with the 2 teaspoons of coconut oil/day even with the fish Primal.

I am not familiar with brewers yeast so I can say nothing about it. Hope someone else chimes in on that.

Also, not all coconut oil is made equal… The best stuff with most benefits is cold-pressed, extra virgin, raw, UNREFINED, the latter being the most important part of the equation. Refining the coconut oil takes out a significant amount of its nutrients.