[Tim D]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread – however, my bag of the fresh fish also has this yellow-ish oil in it as well. I didn’t notice it right away, it’s in a sealed dog food container – though, I can see at the bottom of the container it’s there.

Has anyone heard what this is? Needless to say I will not feed my guy the remainder of this food. I only wish I caught it sooner, we went through about a quarter of the bag before noticing.

[Spy Car]

As I mentioned in the other thread, both you and your dogs are likely to be a lot better off following a Prey Model diet as opposed to using recipes by Dr Pitcairn that undermine the advantages of a raw diet by including unnecessary (and counterproductive) grains and vegetables and excluding highly positive soft edible bones.

Feeding whole foods in the right ratios will eliminate the need for supplementation, and optimize health. Also easier on you.

Dr Pitcairn’s approach is outmoded and not widely followed or esteemed in the raw feeding community. It is too much like trying to emulate commercial food at home, instead of feeding a natural whole food diet.

As to bones, I don’t personally feed turkey legs, but some people do. I do feed turkey necks. All chicken bones (raw) are good.

Oily-fish is good, but limit to twice a week feedings (not daily) as most of the most-beneficial fish species have a substance that can block Vitamin B12. This substance, called Thaminaise, passes quickly. It is not a big deal unless you feed a lot of fish on a daily basis.

What are health cuts for dogs are cuts that include plenty of fat. Lean cuts, like inexpensive trimmed beef heart and be supplemented with animal fat. Dogs need to transition to fat burning, so better to being with lean meals and work up slowly. And you need organs.

Once growth plateaus you are better feeding once a day (post wind down from the day’s activities). When not fed grains/carbohydrates (as it ideal, and a prime reason to do a raw diet) dogs turn to the superior (for them) fat metabolism. When fat burning dogs have nearly unlimited stores of energy, so don’t need multiple meals throughout the day. Better if durning their active time they run and play on empty stomachs (especially in large breeds that have risks of GVD aka bloat/torsion).

I’d ditch Dr Pitcairn, which is what I’d suspect you’ll hear from virtually all the raw feeders you encounter. It is both a hassle and a diet with highly questionable downsides.

Bill

[Susan]

Hi Caryn, you have to realise vets aren’t nutritionist & some vets know stuff all about nutrition for dogs & cats….. a good vet would be telling you to feed a balanced raw or cooked diet to your dog & cat, not a kibble….
You should always rotate between a few different brand kibbles & different proteins when feeding a kibble, never just feed the one brand & same protein their whole lives like some people do….also add fresh whole foods to the kibble…. They have found by adding 1 tablespoon of cooked veggies/fruit or a protein to the dogs kibble just 3 times a week can reduce the chances of them getting cancer.. …follow “Rodney Habib” the Pet nutrition blogger on Face Book he’s excellent & it’s so easy to make your dog healthier, happier & live longer…since dogs have been eating just kibble they aren’t living as long as when they were fed table scraps & cooked meals..

When picking a good kibble, look at the ingredients, a good kibble should have at least 3-5 proteins as the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th ingredient, then should have a carb like sweet potatoes as the next ingredient….. also when the ingredients are written, the ingredients are raw, not cooked yet except if it says meal eg, chicken meal, lamb meal, duck meal etc also the ingredient list is written on weight, so when ingredients are cooked the ingredients shrink, especially proteins/meats, a good kibble should read Lamb, then Lamb Meal, chicken meal, or turkey, turkey meal, chicken meal etc when it says meal there’s more meat cause the meal is cooked meats dried & made into powder form (meal) but when it just say chicken or lamb or duck, it’s raw & hasn’t been cooked yet it needs the meal to follow, duck then duck meal or chicken then chicken meal etc… also if it say’s fish or ocean fish you want to know what type of fish it is?? it should say salmon, salmon meal or Whitefish, Sardines or Anchovy …..
Have a look at “Canidae” Pure formulas grain free & their Life Stages formulas, their Life Stages, All Life Stages formula is a good kibble, it has 4 high quality meat meals, chicken, turkey, lamb & fish & is a pretty good price when you buy a 20kg bag, then look for another premium kibble & I rotate in the same day some times, I give Patch his “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain for breakfast then he has Canidae Life Stages formula for dinner when I forget to take out his cooked meal out of freezer…. Some people rotate when the bag of kibble is down too 1/4 of the bag left then start adding & mixing in the next new kibble your going to feed, after you have rotated a few different kibbles you don’t really need to slowly introduce anymore……You will see a difference when your dog is feed a better quality kibble that agrees with him, they have more energy, their coat shines, their poos are firm & smaller…. then pick about 3 different kibbles with different proteins & fed them but still keep your eye out for another kibble to try that’s on special or new..
Go onto the “Review” section & start looking at 3-5 star kibbles, I prefer a kibble with less ingredients, limited ingredient kibbles & I add fresh cooked food to the kibble, tin sardines in oil/spring water are excellent, I add tin Salmon in spring water, you ban add the salmon bones, you give about 3 small sardines or 1/4 of the small tin, also veggies broccoli, berries, apple, I fed pieces of peeled seeded apple, watermelon, rock melon as treats also yogurt Patch gets 1 heap spoon yogurt at 11 am every day now….3-4 years ago if I gave Patch anything different in his diet he’d have diarrhea, gas/farts, bad wind pain, rumbling, grumbling bowel noises, he’s a rescue that was feed a very poor diet & now has IBD & Skin & Food sensitivities…. Good Luck
*Canidae- http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
*Sport Dog Elite Series- http://www.sportdogfood.com/dog-food/active-sporting/performance/
*Taste Of The Wild- http://www.tasteofthewild.com.au
*California Natural- http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products

[Maria K]

We’re feeding Acana grasslands right now:

Deboned lamb*, deboned duck*, whole eggs*, lamb meal, goat meal, catfish meal, whole green peas, red lentils, pinto beans, lamb fat, chickpeas, green lentils, whole yellow peas, rainbow trout*, duck meal, herring oil, sun-cured alfalfa, quail (ground with bone), natural lamb flavor, lamb tripe*, lamb liver*, duck giblets (liver, heart, kidney)*, duck cartilage*, dried kelp, whole pumpkin*, whole butternut squash*, kale*, spinach*, mustard greens*, collard greens*, turnip greens*, carrots*, Red Delicious apples*, Bartlett pears*, freeze-dried lamb liver, freeze-dried duck liver, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, zinc proteinate, mixed tocopherols (preservative), chicory root, turmeric, sarsaparilla root, althea root, rosehips, juniper berries, dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried bifidobacterium animalis fermentation product, dried lactobacillus casei fermentation product.

[Susan]

Hi Kelli, I’m curious why didn’t you try the Canidae Pure Sea instead of the Pure Land? dogs with skin problems seem to do better on a fish protein then red meats, also Canidae is money back or you can change formulas, maybe change to the Pure Sea there’s also Pure Wild its Pork…
Inked Marie has suggested raw diet, Raw diet is the best to feed, start with a novel protein your boy hasn’t eaten much of or never eaten before…If your worried you can’t balance the raw diet properly then start looking a Pre-made raw diets..
Pitluv is also correct about yeast , its not the sugary carbs causing the yeast, you need to find out what food sensitivities he has & what in the environment he’s might be allergic too, that’s what causing his yeasty skin problem. Some dogs can eat rice, oats, barley, potatoes, peas chicken, beef etc & have no problems, then there’s dogs like ours that can’t eat certain starchy carbs, they start to react too whatever they’re sensitive or allergic too & start to smell like a smelly yeasty dog…
I also have a yeasty, smelly, itchy boy & I’ve finally worked out when Patch eats a kibble with barley, oats, wheat, corn, chicken there’s probably a few more foods as well, he starts to smell itch & have red paws-(chicken & wet grass), it’s sooo hard to pin point what foods are causing this when they’re eating a kibble.. Foods I thought were the problem years ago I have re-introduced this year & Patch is OK with them, your best off doing an elimination diet & not feeding a kibble unless you can get a kibble with just 2-3 ingredients, there’s “California Natural” Lamb & Rice it has just 3 ingredients.
http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products

Environment Allergies is way too hard to work out but there’s a test called “Intradermal Skin Test” here’s a video showing what’s done. this test is best done after you’ve tried eliminating foods on a raw or cooked diet, bathed twice a week & if he’s still having problems then its probably environment allergies.

As time goes by you will start to have an idea, what he’s sensitive/allergic too, keep a diary & write down times, dates & months when he’s having a flare, my boy has Seasonal Environment Allergies fine thru the winter months as long as he doesn’t eat any food/ingredients he’s sensitive too & then Summer months come & he’s a mess with hive like lumps all over where his fur is white & where his fur is white the skin goes red……
Baths are the best to relieve their itch & calm down the skin, I use Malaseb medicated shampoo, it works the best for Patches yeasty itchy skin & creams, I use Hydrocortisone
1% cream when his paws are red & around mouth & chin is red.. Every night before bed I check his whole body & apply the cream…
Also start adding tin sardines in spring water/oil to his kibble add about 1 spoon a day, make sure he’s getting his omega 3 fatty acids & vitamin C is suppose to work as an anti- histamine.. http://naturalanimalsolutions.com.au/Shop/2016/03/22/skin-allergies/

[Susan]

Hi, from another aussie, love her name Opal……We have a few Australian made foods, there’s “Meals For Mutts” & “Stay Loyal” both Australian made premium kibbles…..Stay Loyal only makes the 1 kibble & doesn’t sell thru on line pet stores or thru Pet Shops you have to buy from the Stay Loyal site, I think their kibble is an All Life Stages formula, you’d have to email Stay Loyal & ask….
“Meals For Mutts” is Gluten, Dairy, Sugar & Potato FREE, excellent for dogs with food sensitivities & skin problems & they have excellent treats with no added ingredients like Ivory Coats treats have….MfM treats are all natural, MfM also make, Omega 3 6 & 9 Oil, Probiotic & a new Tripe powder has just come out, you add to your raw or cooked food, follow MfM on their Face Book page to keep up to date, they are always bringing out new things..
here’s their site http://www.mealsformutts.com.au/index.html

Also try the Ziwi Peak air dried raw you can use as treats for training, Ziwi Peak rung me yesterday, I have just got a 5 month old kitten from RSPCA & I sent Ziwi Peak an email asking is their cat Air Dried food an all life stages formula & can it be fed to kittens, the man that rung said, yes it can, the cat Air Dried can be feed to my kitten & they will have a freshly made samples next week & he’ll be sending me out some samples, send them an email & tell them about your new pup & ask for some samples to see which flavour she prefers of all their Air Dried formulas my boy loves the Venison & Fish, also send MfM an email they also will send you out some samples, so Opal will have a heaps of healthy training treats…. http://www.ziwipeak.com

[newmom]

Thank you so much..I will definitely look into the shampoo. Charlie is a Black Mouth Cur, the AKC also refers to the breed as Black Mountain Cur. Their coats are very thick all year round as they were bred for the outdoors–herding, hunting…(not your pointer type dog, he basically searches for quarry and keeps it at bay) guard duty (boy, is he good at that!) and general outdoor work. He is happiest roaming the fields and “helping” when my husband goes out to work. He has become a bit spoiled as he spends the snowy winter days in the house more than outside as he does in the other three seasons. He doesn’t mind the cold, but he hates the snow.

I’m glad to know that the human capsule of fish oil is okay for him. He has his own peanut butter jar, now he will have his own fish oil bottle. He’s kinda special!

I will check out Chewy.com right away.
Again, thanks a bunch.

[anonymously]

Malaseb shampoo is gentle, my dog with allergies is bathed once or twice a week with it (per instructions from her dermatologist).
Check Chewy.com

What breed is Charlie? Some breeds just naturally shed a lot…

PS: A fish oil capsule per day may help, I just use the human kind from the local drugstore.

[Jenny C]

I’ve been Googling this and can’t find any research, but wondering if anyone here has any information on histamine intolerance in dogs? Not food allergies, but histamine intolerance. I, myself, have histamine intolerance and have to be very, very careful about the meat I eat. It has to be as fresh as possible, and quickly thawed (either in microwave or water), cooked and eaten immediately. No leftovers- the reason for which is that bacteria release histamine (and other amines) as the flesh decomposes. So the longer it’s been since meat was butchered, the higher the histamine content.

My 2 yr old shih tzu has been having very bad itching this entire summer. I’ve tried adding ACV to his food, fish oil, quercitin/bromelain, and switching to “cool” foods via TCM/Yin-Yang theories. So far, no success. I read somewhere that histamines in dogs are released mainly into their skin (whereas in humans, it can affect SO many different parts of the body). I’m wondering if he has seasonal allergies due to pollens, trees, grasses, etc and it’s been exacerbated by the raw food I feed him. I get my food from a local raw food processor, it’s mostly ground meat/bone/organ- and just the act of being ground at the butcher and sitting out in their deli case or freezer means that it’s not as fresh as a cut of meat would be, therefore the histamine content is already higher. Then I take it home, thaw it, portion it out, refreeze, then thaw again the day of feeding, adding more to the histamine content. So even though it’s fresh, local meat- it’s not actually “fresh” in the sense that it’s probably been at least a few weeks since it’s been butchered, and probably has higher histamine content by the time I feed it.

If you’re not familiar with histamine intolerance, they often talk about a “histamine bucket” whereby every little bit of histamine put into the body (food, stress, pollen, etc) builds, until it spills over into a reaction. So that is why I’m wondering if summer pollen plus the “not the most fresh” raw food I’m feeding could possibly be causing his severe itching. Start googling “histamine intolerance”- it’s really interesting and it was the answer to a lot of my own chronic illness issues.

Has anyone here experimented with feeding their dogs the absolutely freshest meat possible with the lowest histamine content and had any success with cutting down on allergy symptoms?

I’m wondering if there’s really a good way to feed raw and extremely fresh at the same time- I’m not really into the idea of buying huge parts of animals from local farmers and butchering them myself! I might try feeding my dog the fresh/cooked meat that I eat for a few days and see if I notice any difference in his itching.

In this sense, there’s probably no kibble or prepared raw food out there that would be considered “low histamine” then, right?

[Susanne M]

I will go back and look at the list again. I am new to this whole arena–esp w allergies issues. Do you know what the ingredient methedrin oil is? It seems to be related to fish and either this, or fish meal is in most of what I have looked at in the stores. I thought the Dr.Tim’s had fish in it in the form of this oil or fish meal. As far as budget goes, I would like her to be less of a Kardashian! Ha! I’m joking. She is currently on Royal Canin, per my previous vet’s recommendation. The cost is about $92 for 19.8 lbs. and I get it from Chewy. I’m hoping to find a high-quality dog food that’s less expensive. I appreciate your suggestions!

[Raava]

Hi all, just joined b/c I have an unusual question…

I just started my dog on a full raw diet again. He’s a 30lb, 10yo husky mix. Tried it before but couldn’t keep up the expense, and he’s eaten raw on and off throughout his life.

This time I’m a little bit “OCD” about making sure he’s not lacking in any nutrients. lol I give him a pretty balanced diet: Mostly red meat like beef and pork, pork bones, chicken quarters, gizzards, eggs, chicken and beef liver, beef kidney, canned mackerel, salmon, and sardines, kefir sometimes, and salmon oil (b/c I’m paranoid about the mercury in even small fish). I’m swapping the chicken out for turkey now though (both ground and bone-in) b/c I kind of suspect a chicken allergy, but I’m not sure. He even gets oysters for the extra zinc, and a liquid vitamin E supplement.

I recently noticed that iron seems low though, and I got him some baby clams to supplement it since those are super high in iron, but then I read about cadmium in them and other heavy metals that can accumulate (might be the same with oysters, I don’t know anymore). -_- It’s always something. I discovered that spleen is high in iron too, but I can’t get my hands on that.

So I was thinking about how wolves in the wild eat… they kill their prey and eat/drink some of the blood as well while they’re gnawing on their meat, right? Well blood has plenty of iron in it… but I can’t buy fresh blood. I’ve even read it’s illegal to sell (not sure on location). So the next best thing is blood meal.

Would adding blood meal be a good idea as an iron supplement? (I’ve calculated the amount of iron in it and know how much he would need, roughly 2g, give or take.) Or do I sound like a lunatic? xD I’m just slightly paranoid about him getting ALL the right amounts of nutrients he needs. I know they say “balance over time”, but even then, the raw diet seems low in a lot of things. Particularly, zinc, iron, magnesium, potassium, vitamin e, and manganese.

Since I added more red meat and the oysters to his diet, his coat is getting a lot better. It was unusually dry-ish before, and not soft and shiny like you typically see with a raw diet.

And to add another thing: I really wish I knew the nutrient content of bones! I read there’s some magnesium, potassium, zinc and other things in them, but there’s no info to say how much. So there’s no telling what he’s getting from the bone content too.

As I mentioned in the beginning, he’s 10 years old already and I want him to live forever, basically…. lmao So that’s why I’m a little paranoid about him getting everything he needs. Sorry for being long-winded, and thanks to anyone who reads this. lol

• This topic was modified 9 years, 4 months ago by Raava.

[C4D]

Hi Kyle E,

That seems to be Merricks new marketing tool. Your dog would have to eat roughly 1 kg or 2.2 pounds of food to get a 1200mg dose of glucosamin and chondroitin on the Backcountry Game Bird and Great Plains recipe. The other 2 formulas have 800 mg/kg(2.2 lbs). Most joint supplements have a higher dosage than that and when you have a dog that already has joint or hip issues you definitely need separate supplementation. It doesn’t necessarily have to be from the vet. Some of the supplements Susan mentioned could be a good possibility. I use a supplement that has Green Lipped Mussel. I haven’t used the Turmeric Golden paste yet as my dog hasn’t showed any symptoms of pain. Anonymously is right about the senior blood panels and feeding a lower calorie food if your dog is getting on the heavy side. I do yearly blood panels on my dogs. It gives you a heads up on possible issues before the symptoms appear or have progressed too far.

I also have an almost 12 year old Lab that has bad knees due to torn CCL’s several years ago. I have been supplementing with fish oil (human) and joint supplements for years now. She does well, even though she has diagnosed arthritis in both knees. She goes for a brisk 1-2 mile walk daily, with her choosing to jog most of the way. The other most important thing you can do is to keep your dog on the lean side and daily walks to keep the joints from getting stiff. If you haven’t been walking or exercising your Lab on a daily basis, start very slow.

Edit: I don’t know how much 1 cup of Merrick weighs (I couldn’t find it on their website) and all dog foods are different, but as an example, I use Earthborn in my rotation and it states on it’s website that an 8oz cup of Great Plains holds 4.8 oz of food. So, if Merrick’s weight is comparable and if I did the math right, that would be feeding over 10 cups of food to get the 1200 mg dose of supplement. That’s a LOT of food.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 5 months ago by C4D.

[Susan]

Hi Lynne, stop feeding the boiled rice, my boy can’t eat boiled rice, it irritates his bowel causing Colitis…Feed your dog foods high in omega 3 like fish, start feeding white fish even raw grounded almonds are excellent source of vitamin E, change her protein & carb to sweet potatoes or potatoes instead of the rice also I keep Metronidazole tablets, every now then I put Patch back on 200mg at night with dinner for 10 days the Metronidazole is an antibiotic for the stomach & bowel & has an anti-inflammatory in it to help with inflammation…I try to change Patches food I cook & rotate between foods he can eat, I’m feeding Lean Pork & Sweet Potato & “Taste of The Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb kibble there’s also a wet tin food.. then I change the protein, he doesn’t do well on chicken no more, so I changed it to lean Turkey breast, the tin Salmon, then lean Beef, then lean Pork then I start again..

[Maniza D]

HOMEMADE DOG FOOD FOR DIGESTIVE AND SKIN ISSUES
My 13 month old Tibetan Terrier has been sick on and off since I got him at 14 weeks old. After spending thousands of dollars, I decided to cook for him. After doing a lot of research, I discovered that the Acana Pacifica he was on was too rich for him. Acana, like most dog foods does not have a balanced protein to fat ratio (1:1). It is a very fatty kibble. Also it has quite a few sources of carbs lentils ( which are also a source of protein) etc. Lentils are hard to digest, even for humans .. see Indian cooking where Hing is added to aid digestion of these pulses. The Acana ingredients may work well for other dogs but not mine. I decided to switch to homemade meals and the recipe below cured him of stomach ailments overnight!

I was able to create this recipe using BalanceIt website. Couple of important things to note : I added in one capsule of Slippery Elm, great supplement for digestive issues, rosemary, one teaspoon of fresh garlic-ginger paste, parsley, a half teaspoon of bonemeal, and substituted out a portion of the corn oil (causes inflammation) for 1/2 tsp of high quality fish oil. I also adjusted the ingredient quantity to cook for 14 meals ( 2 per day). I cooked the base consisting of the cod, salmon, sweet potatoes and pumpkin and froze the portions. The fresh veggies in the recipe are par-boiled and pureed in the water they were boiled in, and added on a daily basis, along with the above ingredients and a VITAMIN SUPPLEMENT. Very important to add the vitamins and bonemeal (for calcium) to create a nutritionally balanced meal. I add in the bonemeal because the calcium to phosphorus ratio is off in the BalanceIt Vitamin powder.

The following homemade recipe was specially created for a 28 lb healthy adult dog who requires 659 Calories per day. The following recipe provides 692 Calories, enough for 1 day.

TOBY’S HOMEMADE PET FOOD RECIPE
Ingredients Grams Amount
(1) Sweetpotato, baked in skin, without salt (BalanceIT.com; flesh fed only) 200.0 g 1 cup
(2) Fish, cod, Pacific, baked 159.5 g 5 5/8 oz
(3) Fish, salmon, Atlantic, wild, baked 74.4 g 2 5/8 oz – *I used canned
(4) Pumpkin, canned, without salt 61.2 g 1/4 of a cup
(5) Celery, cooked, boiled, drained, pureed, without salt 56.2 g 3/8 of a cup, diced
(6) Spinach, cooked, boiled, drained, pureed, without salt 45.0 g-1/4 cup
(7) Squash, summer, crookneck and straightneck, cooked, boiled, drained, pureed without salt 45.0 g 1/4 of a cup, sliced
(8) Apples, raw, with skin 40.9 g 3/8 of a cup slices
(9) Oil, corn, industrial and retail, all purpose salad or cooking 18.7 g 1 3/8 tbsp – *I use only 1.5 tsp.

You MUST also add the following supplement(s) to prevent essential nutrient deficiencies:
2 3/8 teaspoons (4.75 gram) of Balance IT® Canine – I give Toby half the dose.

Per Above Recipe: 692 Calories; 33% protein calories (228 Calories); 34% fat calories (238 Calories); 33% carbohydrate calories (226 Calories).

[anonymously]

Environmental allergies wax and wane. Maybe this is why the dog was given up?
If the dog is suffering I would advocate for the dog, ask the vet to recommend to the shelter to have him seen by a specialist (as described in my previous posts). In my opinion, it will be cheaper in the long run. The best part is, the dog may feel and look better and therefore become adoptable.

Why would he want to walk and move around if he is bothered by pruritus.
You could try a dome dish to slow down his eating, the rescue may have one you could borrow.

Above comment is in response to:
“Regarding the allergy testing. I don’t think the rescue is going to do that at this point unless it’s recommended by the vet. His allergies are not severe I would say (not like our late dog who had terrible allergies). We just notice a bit of paw chewing/licking.”
And:
“He had a severe yeast infection and lost a lot of hair and was severely matted and had to be shaved down. His hair is growing back now and we’re giving him some fish oil supplements as well. He has been on occasion chewing or licking his feet/paws. I think that might be our grass and we’ve had another dog who was allergic to the grass and I can attest that it is very itchy for me to walk in it (I have grass allergies).”

[Elizabeth A]

Thank you for all the posts regarding the allergies. I will definitely look over the links and do some reading. The rescue had recommends feeding grain free for skin issues. Most of his skin issues have cleared up. He had a severe yeast infection and lost a lot of hair and was severely matted and had to be shaved down. His hair is growing back now and we’re giving him some fish oil supplements as well. He has been on occasion chewing or licking his feet/paws. I think that might be our grass and we’ve had another dog who was allergic to the grass and I can attest that it is very itchy for me to walk in it (I have grass allergies).

Regarding the allergy testing. I don’t think the rescue is going to do that at this point unless it’s recommended by the vet. His allergies are not severe I would say (not like our late dog who had terrible allergies). We just notice a bit of paw chewing/licking.

Also, we brought the Limited Ingredient back and got the Merrick Lil’ Plates for him since it was 5 stars and the other was 3.5. I started feeding him 5/8 twice a day plus a spoonful of can food just to mix it for him. The can food he’d need 1.25-1.5 cans a day if we fed him entirely canned food so I’m not too worried about the calories in one spoon or two.

I’m just confused should I feed him to his ultimate goal weight of 15 lbs or should I feed him to 20lbs and when he reaches 20lbs feed him the 15lb guide? And thank you for pointing out the guides are too much on a lot of dog foods. We definitely noticed this with our other dog’s food (Nutro Ultra). We have one that’s overweight by about 1 – 1.5 lbs (small dog–12-13lbs) and we were feeding the guidelines too! I wish they would just put Calories/kcals on the serving size on the bag of food. It’s much easier for me to relate to and then I could find out exactly how many calories she should be eating.

We’re trying to exercise our foster as much as possible but it’s a little hard with the heat here. Today’s heat index was about 110! He is so overweight and had a lot of breathing trouble (recovering from kennel cough) so we didn’t want to walk him too much. He does like to walk he just can’t go too far. We’ve gone down a few houses each way and he’s huffing and puffing when it’s over.

[Kelly R]

The ingredients are INGREDIENTS: Organic chicken, Organic chicken meal, Organic tapioca starch, Organic dried pea, Organic chickpea, Organic flaxseed meal, Organic potato flour, Organic poultry fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Organic pea flour, Organic chicken liver, Chicken liver meal, Menhaden fish oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Choline chloride, Salt, Natural mixed tocopherols (preservative), Ascorbic acid, Vitamin E supplement, Zinc proteinate, Zinc sulfate, Manganous oxide, Manganese proteinate, Inositol, Ferrous sulfate, Niacin, Vitamin B12 supplement, Zinc oxide, Iron proteinate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Riboflavin supplement, Calcium pantothenate, Pyridoxine hydrochloride, Sodium selenite, Copper sulfate, Vitamin A supplement, Copper proteinate, Citric acid (preservative), Vitamin D3 supplement, Folic Acid, Potassium iodide.

I bought a 20lb. bag from Flintriver.com. Flintriver stopped selling their food, and replaced it with this. My dogs like it. I’m currently trying to find something comparable to this as it is quite pricy.

[pitlove]

Hi Valarie-

My pitbull experiences several different symptoms, each related to different sets of allergies. When he has a reaction to food he develops a red mouth, acne bumps on his mouth and inbetween his digits becomes raw, red and yeast starts to grow. When he is having symptoms of his allergies related to the outside environment he gets sores and flakey oily patches of skin on the under side of his belly (similar to yours) and on his sides by his ribs.

For his food allergies, we did a food trial through the vet using Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein for 2 months, to diganose it. After that we switched to Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach. It is corn, wheat and soy free, but not grain free and is fish based. This cleared up all of his food related symptoms and he actually likes it. He is not a fan of fish based foods normally (we have tried many of the “higher end” brands). We stay away from all red meat for my boy because he has been known to be sensitive to beef and lamb. Fish is usually safe for most allergy dogs (but that is not always the case).

Unfortunetly for the environmental allergies, he will continue to get those symptoms every year around this time. We live in Louisiana, so we don’t really have a true winter and our summers are terrible. It’s not a great place for dogs with allergies lol. Best advice I can give you is limit exposure to the outside (no more laying outside on the porch 🙁 ) and bathe him twice a week in Malaseb shampoo. If he does have any excess yeast from his immune system being suppressed by the allergies, this will kill it. It is also very gentle and makes their fur nice and soft.

Don’t forget though, your boy could also be reacting to something in his indoor environment. This is where environmental allergies get very complex. These things can be dignosed vis blood tests through a dematologist or the vet, but it is expensive. Very expensive. If you can afford it though, it’s worth it. Also consider washing his bedding etc in something like ALL free clear which has no dyes or perfumes.

You can purchase it here: https://www.chewy.com/malaseb-medicated-shampoo-dogs-cats/dp/119234

We changed Bentley’s diet many times too before realizing that we were just changing his diet to different brands with similar proteins and not trying something new for him (in his case fish). I would highly recommend doing a food trial through your vet with the Royal Canin prescription food if you think food is an issue. Personally though, your pitties symptoms to me, don’t sound food related, but you never know.

Hope this was helpful!

[anonymously]

https://www.chewy.com/nutrisca-grain-free-salmon-chickpea/dp/35033
Ingredients
Salmon, Menhaden Fish Meal, Peas, Chickpeas, Salmon Meal, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Sunflower Oil, Pea Fiber, Flaxseed, Calcium Carbonate, Salmon Oil (a source of DHA), Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Dried Eggs, Natural Flavor, Tomato Pomace, Carrots, Cranberries, Apricots, Choline Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Iron Proteinate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Folic Acid, Calcium Iodate, Cobalt Proteinate, Biotin, Selenium Yeast, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Rosemary Extract

PS: I just noticed the rosemary extract (probably minute amounts) check with your vet first.
I have good results with this limited ingredient product.
Seizure disorders are often idiopathic, unknown cause. Sure there are triggers, some as benign as the weather….
Consult a specialist for a more detailed evaluation if the regular vet isn’t being helpful.

[Carina M]

Thank you for the suggestions. Right now she eats Honest Kitchen Kindly base mix with chicken mixed in and occasionally sockeye salmon. I will start adding some fresh veggies and fish oil and look into homemade food at least some of the time. I’d also like to incorporate turmeric. And I’ll be more careful with her jumping; I’m not sure why I was thinking of her leg length as opposed to back length.

[Jeffrey S]

I honestly think and so does my Vet that it is better to add fresh omega 3 to the diet either with fish capsules, oil, or adding a sardine (low salt in water) daily. I have had excellent results using this with my precious baby toy poodle. Of course your pet has to be willing to eat it, but it probably will like some fish supplement or canned fish. Just watch the salt.

[Megan W]

My 7 year old pit bull was diagnosed with low grade lymphoma last December. The vet put her on a home made low carb, high protein and fat diet. She put her on immuplex, livaplex, thymex, catalyn from the Standard Process company and wei qi booster and stasis breaker chinese herbs. As for her food i have been giving her 1/2 cup of veggies (dark leafy greens, pumpkin sweet potato or squash, red peppers, alfalfa sprouts, blue berries, black berries, ect) and 1 cup of whole chicken quarters (minus bone) or ground beef, fish, lamb, ect with chicken liver or gizzards added in smaller ammounts. All food is lightly cooked, not raw. I add nordic naturals fish oil, and olive or coconut oil to her food. I also add seaweed calcium and a pinch of tumeric. I add a raw egg to her breakfast every other day.
So far Natalia has been doing great and her monthly CBCs have been relatively stable. Around Febuary she did start a Chlorambucil/ Prednisone regiment because we found lympoma cells in her mammary chain. The vet wasnt too concerned but we felt like it was best to stay ahead of the game and stop any progression with some light chemo.
My question as far as diet is this. Can I do anything better or different? I know there are people on this site who have been doing home cooked for a long time and i just want your input.

[pugmomsandy]

Fish oil and a multi strain probiotic is a good start.

[anonymously]

Five is young. As far as supplements go, most of them are a scam and a waste of money.
You may be better off saving your money for other age related issues that come up.

Fish oil is the only one I use for just general issues…
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/herbs-and-supplements/

PS: Don’t underestimate genetic back concerns….use doggie steps if need be and don’t allow the dog to jump in and out of high places, like the car.
I just went through this with a poodle mix that has a long (dachshund like) back. She does not have short legs.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/supplements-and-safety/

[Susan]

Hi does she lay on grass?… Staffy’s & Pit Bulls lay like a frog, with their back legs spread out the back & front paws in from of them & their stomach touching the grass….
My boy has food sensitivities & seasonal environment allergies… look at feeding a grain free fish kibble with limited ingredients, like Salmon & Sweet potatoes Canidae Pure Sea is suppose to be excellent http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
When she comes back inside, I use the Huggies baby wipes Cucumber & Aloe & I wipe Patches paws, head, stomach, bum…I use a fresh new baby wipe on different parts of the body, so I’m not spreading any allergens… I also bath weekly in Malaseb medicated shampoo, the Malaseb relieves the itch & redness… sometimes I bath twice a week in the Summer months, Baths wash off any pollens & allergens.. also I’ve started adding dog Omega 3 6 & 9 oil to diet.. When they have yeasty skin they smell, as soon as they have a bath they smell the next day real bad like a corn chip…Change diet if she smells & start giving a dog probiotic, best to give probiotic on an empty stomach first thing in the morning or night time 3-4 hours after dinner… why you give a probiotic on an empty stomach is the stomach acids are low, if you give probiotic with food the stomach acid are higher when digesting food & kill the good bacteria in the probiotic.. I was mixing 1 teaspoon probiotic powder with 10-15mls water in a bowl & Patch just drank it, same time every morning then I was giving it at night 9pm…
I use Hydrocortisone 1% cream at night when Patch is sleeping, I look all over his body & thinly apply the Hydrocortisone cream & next morning all the redness is all gone.. you could also try Sudocrem for her stomach, it’s in the baby section at supermarket the Sudocrem acts as a barrier, I use the Sudocrem on Patches paws, he cant walk on wet grass, his paws get red & sore especially in between his toes & around the pads..

[anonymously]

What are you feeding him? My dog that has a sensitive stomach does well on Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea as a base, no supplements except a fish oil capsule every day.
You could try presoaking the food thereby making it easier to digest.

Has he had a senior workup recently (labs etc)? There could be something else going on…..
I lost a corgi at that age due to an aggressive form of cancer that showed up suddenly without warning.

Some Science-based Veterinary Medicine here: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=probiotics
If you are interested.

[suz h]

I have to say that after MANY years, MANY dog foods, many homemade recipes… We finally have found only ONE that actually has cleared up our precious boy. Part Pit, Part Beagle … Has been tested, but still new allergies showed up. So much $$$ wasted on this useless method, to also include the desensitization injections…

NOW: For months, he has cleared up that stinky, awful yeast, the horrific bleeding from scratching, and oily skin with dark patches. We tried medicated shampoos, natural remedies, to Prescription dog food (What a Waste), and finally Steroids, etc., etc.

It is: NATURAL BALANCE L.I.D. Sweet Potato and Chicken – I myself am completely shocked, as it has potatoes which i thought were part of the yeast problem. Nope…. A Miracle for us personally.
NOTE: Per the report, he IS Allergic to: PORK, WHEAT, LAMB, BARLEY, BREWERS YEAST, GREEN PEA, AND Borderline is RICE. They did not test him for Trout, Sweet potato, Salmon

NOT ALLERGIC:
FISH MIX= Catfish, Cod, Herring, Mackerel, White fish
POULTRY MIX= Chicken, Turkey
BEEF , RABBIT, VENISON, EGGS, MILK, SOYBEAN, CORN, PEANUT, FLAX, OAT, WHITE POTATO, KELP, ALFALFA, CARROTS, DUCK

BUT, he is highly allergic to DUCK, and Salmon makes him much worse as well. Go Figure…

[Amateria]

Wow Susan you go all out when you respond haha.

Rusty is about 8-9 at this point, I don’t think we have his papers and so were not 100% sure if it’s 8 or 9 but he’s definitely getting old, I have ordered and received samples of Totw, they were pretty reluctant to send them to me because of postage charges, but I don’t live anywhere near a shop that stocks their samples, so they let me have 2 samples in the end, high praire I think and coastal(should be bison one and fish one).

He has done well on black hawk fish and potato, I wanted to add some oils to his food because of what I’ve read about them, they help me with my joints and nerve so I figured it would help with his joints and coat and it did.

But it also seems that after the dry and the blend he started to have more problems, so maybe it wasn’t the best idea in the end, I’ll make sure to tell mum to feed him the kibble once a week as a treat instead.

His teeth are generally awful looking, he does need a professional anaesthesia cleaning that’s for sure, he’s impossible when it comes to brushing, I’ve tried and failed like a pro every time, he’s super strong and he scratches me up real good so I stopped trying.

I will definitely be taking him to the vet for a more thorough check up, because he means the world to my mum, as in if she looses sight of him for 5 minutes she starts to panic and I would hate to see him die from something that could of been prevented(if it’s anything bad to begin with, could just be pancreatitis pains).

He’s also a white cream chihuahua 😛 and the puppy is white with tan spots she’s so gorgeous everyone always complements the way she looks when we’re out its super cute.

And for you Susan the kibble is just a treat, we actually feed homemade cooked, he’s always been on a chicken and rice with veggies diet, he does the best on this diet and hardly ever has flare ups, when he does it’s usually my fault because I try to add some variety to his food and some extra vitamins and minerals and than he gets sick and I don’t mean to, it just happens.

I think because of how well he did with black hawk if I feel like adding anything for his joints in the future I might add that and he did really well on the k9 natural venison freeze dried and super well on ziwipeak venison, I might just buy those from time to time as I know he did well on them, he’s gone through 5 ziwipeak bags with only two flare ups, so yeah I might just stick with that and stop trying new things that clearly aren’t working in his favor.

I’ll keep an eye on Anja while she’s on the supplement and kibble, she usually eats like 3 of them, she’s not a very big eater, but I hope she continues to do well on the blend, as I’d like to cure her leg drama before it becomes permanent.

Thanks for the help though, I wanted to be 100% sure about a few things and you guys cleared that up for me so thanks a lot 😀

[Susan]

Hi, from another Australian, I was taking Blooms Green Lipped Mussel capsules & I got bad indigestion, acid reflux, I also took the capsules with a meal…. then I google side effects Green Lipped Mussel & it said Nausea & indigestion…So I have stopped taking the Green Lipped Mussel capsules, I was going to give Patch 1 green Lipped Mussel Capsule with a meal & see how he goes…..

Ivory Coat’s Ocean Fish & Salmon is new, I got some samples the kibbles felt very greezy & has fish oil, Patch gets acid reflux when he eats any kibbles with Fish or salmon oil… Ivory Coat kibbles are hard to digest I found & the kibbles are too big, so the dog needs to really chew the kibbles… Probably the Sasha’s Blend & the Ivory coat kibble has either made Rusty feel sick or given him indigestion (Acid Reflux) irritated his stomach. .
I’m waiting for Pet Circle online pet shop to get in more “Holistic Select” Chicken Meal Senior, it’s a 5 star kibble, ingredient’s are healthy & the kibbles are smaller & easy to digest & its high in Glucosamine….Patch is 7yrs old, he’ll be 8 in November, his joints seem OK at the moment but I want to prevent any joint problems, I have Arthritis & its very painful & I can’t take NSAID pain relief irritates my stomach…
http://holisticselect.com.au/senior-dry-dog-food-chicken-meal-and-rice

I also feed Patch K-9 natural Green Lipped Mussel Snacks, Patch loves them, he gets 2 treats a day, they’re high in omega 3 fatty acids excellent for brain, joints & skin
http://www.k9natural.com/dog-food#catpage=2

This way I’m not giving Patch any supplements but I’m feeding him foods that are high in omega 3 fatty acids. I have found Patch doesn’t do well on any Fish or Salmon oils when in foods or as supplements…
also next time you try another supplement give with a meal, so you line Rusty stomach with food, sounds like he has a sensitive stomach, you don’t mention what breed your dogs are?
I’d still give Anja the Sasha’s blend cause it’s expensive & feed Rusty a senior kibble like Holistic Select Senior that’s high in Glucosamine… ask vet or look online what’s doesn’t cause stomach upsets supplements for dogs joints….
if you want to feed a Grainfree kibble have a look at Artemis Osopure there’s Salmon or Bison or Duck I sent Artemis a stamped address envelope & got samples of all the Osopure formulas, they’re small kibble, easy to digest & Patch loves them…
http://www.artemispetfood.com.au/products/osopure-dog-products/

How you test a kibble is get a cup of very warm water & put a couple of kibbles in cup, look at the time & see how long the kibble takes to go soft….Ivory coat kibbles sank (No good) & took over 2 hours to soften, a good easy to digest kibble only takes about 20mins to 50mins & it’s soft….
I also rotate Patches kibbles I feed a grain free Taste Of The Wild Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb at the moment but will be buying the Artemis Osopure Bison, second ingredient is salmon meal & Patch will be getting his fish & the Holistic Select Chicken meal Senior has Anchovy & Sardine Meal & Pork meal, I feed 1 kibble for breakfast & the other for dinner or sometimes ask Patch which one does he want & he licks the open container & says this one…

[Amateria]

Hey everyone, so my mum has been having some trouble with Rusty at night, now I did some google searching but I don’t really have enough time to do anymore and also I generally didn’t find anything on the first two pages anyways.

I started both Rusty and Anja on Sasha’s blend joint supplement about a month ago, this supplement contains green lipped mussel, shark cartilage and abalone powder. I am wondering could this cause him to become restless, he just gets up randomly several times and goes for a walk, now if he didn’t sleep with my mum this wouldn’t be much of a problem, but he wakes her up every time he goes.

Is it possible the powder may be not for him? This all started after the introduction of said powder, even if it wasn’t all that long ago, Anja on the other hand seems to be doing just fine on it.

He also gets about 6 pieces of the Ivory Coat kibble with these ingredients: Ocean Fish, Salmon Meal, Peas, Potatoes, Tomato Pomace, Pea Fibre, Ground Flaxseed, Fish Oil, Canola Oil, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Kale, Broccoli, Spinach, Parsley, Apples, Blueberries, Vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, B12, D3, E), Beta-Carotene, Niacin, d-Calcium, Biotin, Folic Acid, Magnesium, Iron, Zinc, Manganese, Copper, Natural Prebiotic, Calcium Propionate, Rosemary Extract & Green Tea Extract.

Could anything in there or maybe the abalone powder in the supplement be giving him these random night walks? Or could it just be a coincidence for something more sinister?

[Susan W]

Give VeRus Cold Water Fish a try. They use Menhaden fish oil to add Omega-3s & the food doesn’t stink. It smells like fresh fish and it doesn’t make their breath stink. (At least it didn’t make my dog’s breath stink.) Here’s their web site:http://www.veruspetfoods.com/canine-coldwaterfishdetail.html
Their website has a lot of good info & there’s a place where you can request a sample.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 7 months ago by Susan W. Reason: I wanted to click the notification button

[Coonhound Mama]

Hi Jen T:

Good for you for taking the big step to homemade! I don’t think you will be disappointed 🙂 I would however recommend varying your recipe as much as your budget will allow with different proteins, meats, vegetables and fruits. I’m not seeing any bone meal in your recipes, either, which is crucial in providing calcium when feeding boneless meats. Off the top of my head I would definitely recommend adding bone meal, vitamin E, fish oil (or whole sardines) and a green superfood supplement such as spirulina or wheatgrass. You may want to add in a canine multivitamin just to cover any bases. A great resource for cooked homemade diets is Dr. Karen Becker’s Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats. It breaks everything down for you into manageable, complete and balanced recipes.

[Cannoli]

I be more concerned why you are feeding your cat fish pills and not the actual fish. Studies have shown that fish pills are lacking purity and the omega 3 has degraded over time.

So your pup probably ate rotten fish oil. Take him to the vet

• This reply was modified 9 years, 7 months ago by Cannoli.

[CHARLES P]

I posted this on the Editor’s Choice Forum, but I should get a greater response here.

I can NOT find any analyses by Dog Food Advisor…or anyone else! It is not sold by “Chewy,” so perhaps our host, Dog Food Advisor, doesn’t perform analysis on non-Chewy merchandised foods? It appears very high quality (safe), very nutritional and it is extremely well priced at $49 for 30 lbs. with free 1-2 day shipping by the manufacturer. Calcium-to-phosphorus ratio is a perfect 1 to 1 for my almost one-year-old Standard Poodle puppy.

As in it’s name, it’s Grain and (White) Potato Free, 30% protein and 14% fat. No Corn, Wheat, Soy, Gluten, Beef, Pork, Chicken, Rice, Peas, Beet or Egg, either. First ingredient is Whitefish Meal, which is almost the only animal protein (small amount of Green Lipped Sea Mussel) and the Whitefish Meal is 76% of all protein. Ingredients by order: Whitefish Meal, Yams, Freeze Dried Sweet Potato, Freeze Dried Green Lipped Sea Mussel, Freeze Dried Pumpkin, Freeze Dried Red Clover Sprouts, Freeze Dried Blueberries, Bok Choy, Zucchini, Squash, Kale, Freeze Dried Papaya, Inulin, Cranberries, Parsley, Probiotics, Kelp, Artichokes, Salmon Oil, Herring Oil, (plus vits, mins, etc).

Anyone have info on Sport Dog Food and/or its “freeze dried” ingredients? Thanks!

[CHARLES P]

“Elite Grain and Potato Free Whitefish 30/14” made in the USA by Sport Dog Food.

I can NOT find any analyses by Dog Food Advisor…or anyone else! It is not sold by “Chewy,” so perhaps our host, Dog Food Advisor, doesn’t perform analysis on non-Chewy merchandised foods? Anyone have info on this Sport Dog Food and/or its “freeze dried” ingredients? It appears very high quality (safe), very nutritional and it is extremely well priced at $49 for 30 lbs. with free 1-2 day shipping by the manufacturer. Calcium-to-phosphorus ratio is a perfect 1 to 1 for my almost one-year-old Standard Poodle puppy.

As in it’s name, it’s Grain and (White) Potato Free, 30% protein and 14% fat. No Corn, Wheat, Soy, Gluten, Beef, Pork, Chicken, Rice, Peas, Beet or Egg, either. First ingredient is Whitefish Meal, which is almost the only animal protein (small amount of Green Lipped Sea Mussel) and the Whitefish Meal is 76% of all protein. Ingredients by order: Whitefish Meal, Yams, Freeze Dried Sweet Potato, Freeze Dried Green Lipped Sea Mussel, Freeze Dried Pumpkin, Freeze Dried Red Clover Sprouts, Freeze Dried Blueberries, Bok Choy, Zucchini, Squash, Kale, Freeze Dried Papaya, Inulin, Cranberries, Parsley, Probiotics, Kelp, Artichokes, Salmon Oil, Herring Oil, (plus vits, mins, etc).

[Susan]

Hi, my boy has IBD & Wellness made his poos worse Wellness is very pea heavy & barley heavy…. Stay on the Purina vet diet for now if its helping & making the diarrhea stop, was she put on Metronidazole (Flagyl) ?? My Patch also a rescue dog that I ended up keeping,
had to stay on a vet diet for 1yr to let the bowel heal & get better, but at 9months I started trying new foods, I could always fall back on the vet diet when the new kibble didn’t work, have you tried cooked meals?? like Chicken & sweet potatoes or potatoes?? lean cooked meals normally firms up poos, I feed cooked chicken breast, sweet potato, broccoli, zucchini for dinner & a kibble for breakfast now but it has taken Patch 2 yrs for me to work out what foods he’s sensitive too….I got him at the age of 4 yrs old & who ever owned him just feed cheap super market kibble vet thinks he was sensitive too the kibble & they didn’t care about his diarrhea & kept feeding whatever was causing his diarrhea which has now cause his IBD so try not to let the diarrhea go on & on, when you start introducing a new food start using new food as a treat watch poo if poos seem the same after 2-3 days then start adding new kibble to vet diet….
these are the kibbles that didn’t give Patch diarrhea, Taste Of The Wild Pacific Stream Smoked Salmon, Taste Of The Wild Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb,
Canidae has their Pure limited ingredient grain free formulas & their Life Stages Formulas stay around the same fat % protein % & fiber % as the vet diet if you can, you can go up a few % but don’t jump from 20% protein to 30% protein same with fat % if fat says 12% don’t get a kibble with 18-20% fat etc & look for limited ingredient kibbles less ingredients are better so there’s less ingredients for her to be sensitive to, I wonder as she gets older will she get itchy & have the skin allergies aswell :
I hate vet diets BUT they seem to work & help them get better when nothing else worked,
even though she on a vet diet you can replace 1 meal with a bland cooked meal then what I did was I seen Patch can eat chicken, salmon & sweet potato & Potato then I looked for a kibble that had fish & sweet potato or chicken & potato…
Patch cant eat boiled rice it irritates his bowel & gives him diarrhea… have a look at California Natural Lamb & Rice it has just 4 ingredients & a few dogs with IBD do really well on the California Natural kibbles…also Honest Kitchen Zeal you just add water you can buy samples but still feed 1 meal the RX Purina Vet diet…
add things to diet slowly & only do 1 thing at a time so if you give a piece of chicken as a treat don’t give any other foods kibbles etc that day so you will know what caused the sloppy poo if it happens…
http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products

[Shelley S]

I use Acana Grasslands for my dog. I have done a LOT of research into dog foods and their ingredients and this is the one I use for my dog. I feel it is important to have a product whose ingredients are sourced in the US and Canada rather than elsewhere. Chicken allergies appear to be rather common and Danes do tend towards sensitive skin. Here are the ingredients of Grasslands… Deboned lamb, lamb meal, duck meal, whitefish meal*, whole peas, red lentils, field beans, deboned duck, whole eggs, deboned walleye, duck fat, herring oil, lamb liver, herring meal, sun-cured alfalfa, pea fibre, whole apples, whole pears, pumpkin, butternut squash, parsnips, carrots, spinach, cranberries, blueberries, …
When you want to talk about healthy treats let me know lol 🙂

[DieselJunki]

For an 18 month old I wouldn’t worry about having to feed him a specific large breed dog food. When he was a puppy feeding a food specified for large breed puppies would have been best but don’t panic if you didn’t. It’s just due to the fact that large breed dogs supposedly have slightly different nutritional requirements in their early growth stages. Now you can feed just about whatever you’d like.

Orijen is top of the line but extremely expensive, especially when you’re feeding 4 cups a day like I do for my big guy so I just can’t swing that type of price for a 26-28lb bag.

You mentioned you were a member of the Editors Choice here. There are loads of brands to look into there and they even have a Budget Friendly list. For my 100lb Ambull I feed Dr. Tims, Victor, and Wellness Core so far. I buy their biggest bag which is usually anywhere from 26-30lbs and change to the next protein source within that brand or change brands completely after each bag. I also top the kibble with some canned food every so often (when budget allows) and do fish oil on the kibble as well.

[DieselJunki]

If budget is an issue for you and Orijen is too expensive (as it is for me at the moment, trust me, wish I could feed it!) there are a few budget friendly dog foods out there like Victor, which I just ordered their Ultra Pro 42 Grain Free but they do have a puppy and active dog bag. Dr. Tims is another brand, one highly spoken of here although they don’t specifically have a puppy formula they do have an All Life Stages one.

All these can be found on the Chewy website. I live in CA, ordered Thursday and the food was here today even though it said it may be here Tuesday of next week. Very impressed with that.

I add fish oil to my dogs food everyday. Occasionally I’ll top my dogs food with an egg, a decent 4-5 star wet food with the gravy in it, or some raw meat if it’s gotten a little freezer burned in my freezer and I don’t care to eat it that way.

[Shawna]

I personally would definitely consider something in the diet as a potential cause of your pup’s issues (but not “meat” in general). They are now finding that food sensitivities and allergies can trigger a WIDE range of symptoms. As an example of how diverse symptoms can be, they have discovered that gluten (which is a protein) causes “cramping” in Border Terriers “Canine epileptoid cramping syndrome in BTs is a gluten-sensitive movement disorder triggered and perpetuated by gluten and thus responsive to a gluten-free diet.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26500168

It might be worth trying an elimination diet however it is often beneficial to have a vets assistance with this as even though the pup seems to be feeling better in general, symptoms can actually get worse short term. Even after the offending food, if that is the problem, is eliminated, the body has to get rid of the histamine etc that was elevated by the problem food — which manifests as symptoms.

Regarding the fish oil / tochopherol comment – tochopherol is simply vitamin E. I have read however that the source of the tochopherols can be problematic as much is sourced from soybeans. For those that react to fish oils with added tochopherols it might be worth investigating if the vitamin was sourced from soybeans.

[DieselJunki]

In order to get enough Omega 3 into the dog using sardines you’d need a bucket full everyday! It’s best to give a human grade fish body oils with no tocopherols in it as those tocopherols can cause allergy reactions. Most pet product fish oils have tocopherols in it, I haven’t seen one that doesn’t have that in it.

Country Life is a brand of fish oil (anchovy and sardine) that is human grade and has 0 preservatives, flavorings, or other nonsense in it. It’s specifically called ‘Country Life Super Omega-3’, but do be sure to look at ingredients as they have other fish oil products that may be called something similar! These are only in capsules however.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 7 months ago by DieselJunki.

[Susan]

Hi sounds like food sensitivities/intolerances & environment allergies, have you looked at doing the Jean Dobbs salvia testing to get an idea what foods she may be sensitive too, I know people say these test are not 100% but it will give you an idea what foods she may be sensitive too there’s also salvia & hair testing that test for food, mites & tree/plants….. she may be sensitive to dust mites??? also my boy can not have a kibble that’s high fat, high fiber/carb diet, no fish or salmon oils they all cause acid reflux stomach problems…
Can you start to cook for her or even if you feed a cooked meal that’s been pre cooked sectioned then frozen & you take out the night before & put in fridge for next day & feed a kibble for breakfast & cooked for dinner, also change the kibble, stop feeding kibbles with potatoes & specially when potatoes are first ingredient like the Natural Balance is, its too much starchy carbs…..a good kibble should have 2-4 proteins as 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th ingredients then a carb…..
Some grain free kibbles can be very high in starchy carbs…. I have found Patch does best on a kibble that’s lamb chicken fish & Brown rice or a Fish Kibble with sweet potatoes but the fat has to be 10-14% fat or he gets his acid reflux & it must not have fish oil or Salmon oil or he starts grinding his teeth with real bad acid reflux.
He eats Earthborn Ocean Fusion, Taste Of The Wild Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb, Canidae Life Stages, all life stages formula, Canidae Grain free look at the Pure land, Pure Sky & Pure Wild they all have no potatoes & Carbs are 40% & under
http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
Have a look at the Honest Kitchen aswell
Shop All Dog
look at “Brave” & “Zeal” carbs are 35% or the base mixes you just add the protein….

Baths are you doing weekly baths? I use the “Malaseb” medicated shampoo in Spring Summer, bath every 4-7 days, whenever Patchy is real itchy & has his red paws/toes, itchy bum, etc …… I also use Hydrocortisone 1% cream, every night when Patch is sleeping, I do the skin body check for any red toes, red paws, white fur thinning out above right eye etc & lightly apply some Hydrocortisone cream next morning itch & redness has all cleared up also I use the “Huggie Baby Wipes” Cucumber & Aloe, when we come home from a walk or he goes outside, I wipe Patch down, a new baby wipe per section of the body, these Cucumber & Aloe wipes are really good, sold in Supermarket baby section, I think you can get special wipes for environment allergies & hot spots as well, there’s a Face Book group called “Dog issues, allergies and other information support” group, one of the admins uses the special wipes & has started cooking & using “Balance It” to balance the diet……

Normally when they have Food Sensitivities/Intolerances they will have stomach & bowel problems & itchy skin…….My Patch gets he has Seasonal Environment Allergies & Food Intolerances & Sensitivities to certain foods, I did an elimination diet, then started adding foods… there’s no point trying a vegan diet, the carbs would be thru the roof 50-70% carbs like the vet diets have & you want a low carb diet……dogs are made to eat meat, have you thought of trying a Raw diet?? Patch did real well on Raw diet his skin cleared up within 1 week BUT cause he has IBD he kept regurgitating water up into his mouth, I think it was the Digestive enzymes the Naturopath made me use cause of his IBD I was so worried he’ll get diarrhea from the raw diet, so we used digestive enzymes & I think they digested the raw to quick & Patch was burping up & water was coming up into mouth… I’m going to try the raw again next Summer…..
I would honestly start again with the diet building up the immune system probiotice foods high in probiotics Kefir/yogurt etc & see if you see a change, if your on face Book Monica Segal has a group called “K9Kitchen” she has put up a easy recipe to make called “Omega 3 Boost” cookies, I’m going to make some for Patch, I really believe you need to boost their omega 3 & some kibbles are very high in omega 6 & very low in omega 3 then the dog starts having skin problems, stop the fish oils & try other things that are high in omega 3, olive oil, sardines in Spring water are good 1-2 a day this way its given thru foods… also what tin foods are you feeding? I was feeding tin foods at night as well & they were making Patch itch they had gelling agents in them something in the wet food made his paws go real red & he’d start licking his paws & get itchy, try replacing the wet tin foods with cooked meals… I’m feeding boil chicken breast, sweet potato not much only 1/4 to 1/3 cup & broccoli & 1 cup chicken, cook & add greens zucchini celery spinach etc… I feed more protein then carbs in the cooked meals…1 cup meat 1/2 cup veggies…

[Cannoli]

I believe in a rotational diet this is what I feed my dog below on a weekly basis I aim to balance on a weekly basis when it comes to the nutrition components:

High end kibble 3 meals a week- Origen. Usually chicken flavor since I don’t feed raw poultry.

The rest of the days for the week I feed as follows:

Since my dog is 60lbs I feed 2lbs a day with 80% meat 15-20% bone and 5 % organ of the follows:

Raw hormone free grass fed bison- from grocery store or fom Real Raw Dog food online
Raw or lightly cooked hormone free Venison- from Hare today Gone tomorrow
raw or lightly cooked hormone free elk from haretoday gone tomorrow
Raw or lightly cooked hormone free organic beef- fom grocery stor
Grass fed hormone liver, kidneys, and thymus from grocery store- every meat meal
On weekends he gets 2 meals of fish. Fresh caught whole sardines, or fresh caught salmon with skin, or whole Mackeral. Always cooked and these fish have the highest concentrations of omegas 3. I never use fish pills. Fish pills are crap
Green tripe from real raw once a week

for each meat meal I rotate on a daily basis the calcium to get 15-20%. Either ground rib or pork bones, or calcium seaweed, or egg shells. Never neck bones as I fear hypothyroidism.

Also each none kibble meal I add the following organic supplements to the meat dishes. I never feed synthetic supplements:
Tumeric
spirulina
Organic virgin coconut oil-4x week
Kefir- every other week
Apple cider vinegar with the mother-3x a week
Organic egg 4 x a week
Fresh organic blueberry smoothie with kefir
Fresh ground organic ginger

• This reply was modified 9 years, 7 months ago by Cannoli.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 7 months ago by Cannoli.

[anonymously]

I suppose you could try a daily fish oil capsule, once you have ruled out medical causes….it is not medicine, it is a supplement and may help (a little if at all) with dry skin.

PS: Have thyroid issues been ruled out?

[Joanna W]

My dog is eating signature fish formula dry and their canned foods. I do plan on doing some cooking for him, and he is getting a version of the budwig protocol, flaxseed oil. Cottage cheese and yogurt. That is separate from his 2 meals a day.

I would like to put him on a low carb diet. As low as possible. Raw is not something I can afford and I have concerns with cancer and raw as a precaution.

I’m looking for a low carb dry or dehydrate that is all around good food, he is on the zignature for mild skin issues which are good right now.

It is beyond overwelming to find something good and affordable. The place I buy food from suggested canine caviar special needs but I don’t know about it since reading some things about the food and the company.

Solid gold barking at the moon has very low carbs but I have concerns after reading the comments on the reviews. Any one with great knowledge of this specific issue I would appreciate your suggestions
Thank you

[Susan]

Hi, Patch 7 yrs old suffers with IBD, Helicobacter-Pylori (bad Acid Reflux) & Pancreatitis sounds like the Pepcid isn’t working anymore or he doesn’t need it any more or what are you putting in the Kongs ?? its not Peanut Butter? or his kibble needs changing its making him feel sick …..IBD can make them feel sick especially after they eat…Patch wakes up feeling good he eats breakfast then from 9am to 12pm he doesn’t feel well some mornings. Grass seems to be the only thing that makes him feel better, I have stopped giving the ant acids now…. only use as needed..

Try stopping the Pepcid for a couple of days & see if he feels better, Patch vomited when he took the Pepcid & was put on Zantac (Ranitidine) instead given 30mins before breakfast & dinner given every 12 hours, then after 3 months it didn’t seem to work anymore, he still had bad acid reflux & was still grinding his teeth & vomiting yellow acid some mornings but he was eating a vet diet that had fish oil & Beet Pulp in kibble that made his acid reflux worse…
I now only give liquid Mylanta 4-5mls in a syringe kept in the fridge only when he needs it, the Mylanta seems to work the best…..
I started to realise Patch wasn’t making enough stomach acid & some days he wasn’t getting acid reflux & I was still giving him ant acid medication, so stomach wasn’t working properly…. as we get older we make less hydrochloric acid it’s called “Hypochlorhydria”

Vet didn’t want Patch on Losec (Omeprazole) cause its a Pump Proton Inhibitor (PPI) & you can not just stop taking a PPI Losec after you have taken it for more then 3 weeks but vet did say I can give Patch the Losec 10mg for 3-4 days then I stop but only when Patch has bad acid reflux…Zantac & Pepcid can be stopped at anytime…So be careful if vet puts him on a PPI…

I have found I have to keep changing Patches kibbles & rotating them & no vet diets, if he stays on the same kibble for more then 2 months, his acid reflux starts to come back also I read when they have acid reflux they need a low fiber kibble 3-4% fiber & no Beet Pulp, Does the kibble he’s eating have “Beet Pulp” ?? it makes their poos look beautiful & firm, so everything looks OK cause poos are firm & look good, its the beet pulp making the poos firm…most vet diets use Beet Pulp….
When the Kibble has beet Pulp it made Patches acid reflux bad again, I started doing so much research & read low fiber diets are best when they have Acid Reflux thru IBD & if you can start feeding a balanced cooked diet will be better then eating a kibble, feed lean meats boil some potatoes, sweet potato & green vegetables, Google Dr Judy Morgan she has easy to follow recipes on You-Tube & she uses the Honest Kitchen Base Mixes in some of her meals you just add the meat & the Base Mixes balances the meal, she also has supplements to balance the cooked meals also have a look at the Honest Kitchen Zeal its low in fat & excellent for dogs with Pancreatitis & IBD…you just add warm water..
http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dog-food/zeal
I started feeding cooked chicken breast, sweet potato & broccoli & replacing 1 kibble meal, I’m feeding “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain now, I’m going to try Canidae Pure Land you cant have too much high fat in a kibble with acid reflux so I normally stay around 10-14% for fat but in Australia we have 1 low fat grain free kibble & the fiber is high 5%….I’m waiting cause Canidae has 4 new grain free formulas, Pure Meadows, is for seniors & is 10% fat & limited ingredients & grain free, if you live in America you can get the Canidae Pure Meadow.. I also want to try the Pure Wild its boar & Pork…
I was feeding Patch Salmon & Sardine kibbles but I think the fish gives him his acid reflux also certain kibbles he starts getting his pain right side pancreas/stomach area & wants me to rub the chest area, he starts his whinging when he has his pain again & doesn’t really want to eat so I change his food, I have to introduce the new kibble over 1 week……I make sure the kibble doesn’t have fish oil & has limited ingredients…. I wish they could talk….. if you can cook & freeze meals give it a try cause kibble is hard to digest especially on the pancreas….

[Howard J]

Hi Tamara!

I have a similar dog as you and she also suffered with pancreatitis. For our Carine Terrier we had to do a lot of trial and error to figure out what was best for her. Firstly, she was overweight, 19lbs; 4.5lbs overweight in November of 2015. She is now 14.6 and staying steady. One reason she might of lost so much weight was because she had EPI from the pancreatitis episode in 2015. So she wasn’t absorbing as many nutrients. We also focused on exercise a lot more.

In regards to PANCREATITIS, we put her on a strict diet for about a month after her episode. Chicken boiled twice, white rice, sometimes a starchy food like Yam or sweet potatoes steamed and/or boiled. We should of supplemented with vitamins at this time but we were a little ignorant. Anyway, after this we bought HONEST KITCHEN Zeal Meal fish formula and HONEST KITCHEN veggie formula which is just a topping if you feed her protein such as fish boiled or chicken boiled. For 5 months we have been on a regime feeding her twice a day, either the zeal meal, ground up in a blender for a sec. Or the Honest Kitchen veggie topping dehydrated one. Both need hot water and let sit for 5min. The veggie one is mixed with fish, chicken or 95% lean twice boiled beef. We introduce more fat like coconut oil which doesn’t require the pancreas to work like other fats in small amounts.

NO TABLE SCRAPS PERIOD!! Supplements are what saved our dog. She has more energy than she did when she was 7. For every meal and what I think is the most important for dogs suffering with pancreatitis is an enzyme replacement. You can get them from your vet but we just use the vegan powder formula on amazon. Not too much money and lasts a year. We sprinkle 1/2 a teaspoon on her food for nutrient absorption and so her pancreas doesn’t have to work as hard. The brand is called Nusentia Enzyme Miracle.

Other supplements include pancreatrophin from standard process, which also aids in her digestion, paraplex and enteric powder all from standard process. We barely use the last two.

I hope this helps a lot, we had to go through the same thing, it’s important to stay low fat, but not too low and to add in enzymes slowly.

[Tamara C]

Susan My Yorkie was Diagnosed a month ago with Pancreatitus. I have spent almost $3,000. keeping him alive & I’m running out of money. He won’t eat ANYTHING>. He use to love vegetables. I called his vet this morning & asked if I could add vegetables to boiled chicken in a food processor & he said NO, that it would bring on a serious attack & possibly kill him. I see you’re feeding yours vegetables & I have read many others are to. I have asked about boiling fish as well because it’s so Low in fat & I was told the same thing that it would Kill him. I don’t know what to do…. The last 2 days he would eat NOTHING but boiled chicken & now he won’t eat that either. As of this morning everything he smells, he turns away from. He acts like I’m trying to poison him. He’s so obstinate, he would rather starve. He’ll be 8 on Oct 26th if he lives that long… Someone please help me…

[kathleen f]

Hi Jennifer,

I have a beagle cross which I rescued 7 years ago. He is now eight years old. When I first got him he scratched himself and bit his legs until they were bleeding. After many visits to the vet they finally did allergy tests and found he was allergic to beef, chicken, duck and just about everything growing. I tried fish, lamb and turkey based grain free foods. They helped a bit but he was still scratching a lot.The vet prescribed atopica capsules which worked well for ages but then started to make him a bit sick and lethargic. so stopped them.A friend suggested yumega oil. I bought a bottle over a year ago and put a measured amount over his dry food every night. He has stopped scratching and biting his legs and his coat is looking great. I also give him a monthly bath using ruggle-it shampoo which works a lot better than the malaseb from the vet. I hope this is of some help

[Claudia H]

My Selene is a blue nose pit (16 months old in April 2016). We tried changing diet, went to the vet, she got antibiotic, etc. but nothing really work until after reading different blogs, we decided to do this and it worked:
Dry food: salmon (NOW brand). Then we switched to other ingredients but no chicken.
I sometimes top the dry with half a cup of Evangers rabbit. Somebody told me rabbit is a cooling meat.
We did use fish oil as a supplement prescribed by the vet but we don’t use it all the time.
I sometimes put a spoonful of plain yogurt on top of dry food.
Once a week, Selene gets a bath with Dermal Soothe with Vetoquinol (i purchased thru Amazon).
Her skin is so healthy!!!

• This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by Claudia H.