[joanne l]

Hi everyone, I am having the same problem my gsd was eating holistic select grain in food and his poop was great, I put him on Fromm grain free and he is pooping large and more.
I am wondering if it is caused by too much fiber and or the peas chickpeas and lentils in grain free foods. I would assume some grain free foods have too much fiber and I noticed any weight management formula have more fiber, I don’t use it I am just using that as a guide.

[pitlove]

I’d pass on the food then, if they do not understand what you are asking for. I would also try another company besides WellPet which makes both Holistic Select and Wellness.

[pitlove]

Hi MomOfThor-

Holistic Select Large Breed Puppy is not appropriate for a large breed puppy as goldenstar mentioned. When I sent them a follow up email asking why their formulations were not in line with current research regarding nutrition for growing large and giant breeds from the last 20 years, their answer was that they are in the process of reformulating their LBP line to be more in line with up to date research. Not sure when that new formula is due out as she did not tell me.

Regarding what to look for in a LBP food. The calcium/phos ratio and the calcium/calorie ratio are what matters. Protein has long since been proven to be a non factor for large and giant breed growth. Unless the company provides (usually on their website) a nutrient analysis that provides the average or MAX Ca and Phos levels, you will need to do what I do and email the company directly requesting the info. The calcium calculator on this site will not work without the average or MAX Ca and Phos. If the company is unwilling to provide you with those numbers or does not understand what you are asking for, run far far away from that food.

You should be a looking for a food that has a ca/phos ratio between 1.1:1-1.5:1 and a ca/kcal ratio of 3g/1000kcals. Slightly higher or lower is not bad, but deviating too far from that is going to cause a problem. It is best to use a food with the least energy density during growth.

Star rating is of little importance especially when the food is as off the mark as both you mentioned in your posts.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 1 month ago by pitlove.

[goldenstar]

Holistic Select LBP is listed as 4 stars for medium and small breeds only not for large breed puppies.
You did the numbers yourself with the calculator and the calcium number that you got was 6.3 g per 1000 calories and that is too high.
I wanted to try Holistic Select also, but based on the numbers, I decided against it.

[goldenstar]

MomOfThor…I copied this information from pitluv’s post on page 41 about Holistic Select Large breed puppy food. I think the calcium and calcium phosphorus ratio is too high for large breed puppy food.

From pitluv’s post:
I got an email back from Holistic Select regarding the Large & Giant Breed Puppy formula. When I used the numbers they gave me and put them into the calculator tool on here this is what I got
Calcium = 6.8 g per 1000 kcal
Ca to P ratio = 1.8 to 1
WAY too high…

Unless the ingredients have changed since that post.

[MomOfThor]

So I chose Holistic Select Large Breed Puppy Lamb and Oatmeal Formula. Was going to go with Orijen but they have really high protein of 38%, that’s why I chose Holistic, their protein is 23% and 1.1% phosphorus.

[Susan]

Hi, please get your Science Diet puppy food that your pup does good on, now read the Fat % the Protein % the Fiber % try & find a kibble with grains not grain free, cause the Science Diet uses crappy grains & there’s good premium kibbles with good grains & sweet potatoes that will be better then the Science Diet your feeding…
With the TOTW did the try “Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb”?? it’s an all life stages kibble & has the least ingredients & the protein is only 25%, fat is 15%, I have a IBD boy & he does really well on the TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb, it doesn’t have Garbanzo beans or lentils, Legumes, stay away from kibbles with Chickpeas, Lentils, Legumes…. have a look at “Holistic Select” Puppy/Adult its a grain free or the Holistic Select Anchovy, Sardines & Salmon & Rice or look at “Wellness Simple” range… Look for kibbles with limited ingredients that have brown rice there’s even “California Natural” it has limited ingredients only 3-4 ingredients & no peas, when my boy first stared eating kibbles with peas he got real bad wind…. Cause your pup is use to eating the Science Diet kibble you have to slowly introduce new foods in his diet once he’s doing well on a premium kibble, its taken me 3 yrs for Patch, & now he can eat apple, lean pork, lean beef, broccoli, carrot, egg, tuna. salmon, sweet potatoes, pumkin, raw almonds… I slowly started introducing all these foods once he was doing well on a kibble, TOTW Sierra Mountain, then I would give a couple pieces of peeled apple as a treat for 2 weeks, then 1 spoon pumkin with his kibble, then sweet potato etc… You will get there…
The other day I tried Artemis Turkey & Garbanzo beans, I had originally ordered Artemis Duck & Sweet Potato kibble but Pet place had sold out & gave me Artemis new formula & poor Patch was sick with diarrhea for 2-3 days until he was put on Metronidazole… 🙁 I’ll have to return & say he wont eat it, always check if the kibble is money back guaranteed.

[joanne l]

earthborn contains too many peas. Peas = loose stools. By the way I heard a lot of people complaining about earthborn lately…Look on dog food advisors page on earthborn and you will see what I mean. I care about all animals and I am just trying to help if I can.
Try a good food with some grains and see how it goes. maybe try precise or holistic select etc. Try too avoid high fiber percentages unless your dog does better on a high fiber diet. I am feeding Holistic select lamb and he does very well on it, now some people might say “its too much grains” however, I also give him some fresh meat with his dry. That boosts my protein up and it is fresh, easier to digest. Too many grain free foods have high protein too many fiber vegetables and to me I don’t like that. High protein is better when it is in its natural form oppose to any kibble. And grains like oatmeal and rice is good for stools and stomach can’t go wrong with that.

[joanne l]

Hi Deanna, if your pup is used to pro plan I would not try orijen just yet, is may be too rich for a puppy. if you want something better for right now, I would use eagle pack or holistic select or nutrisource then try acana when he or she is 2 yrs old.

[stones]

Dog food manufacturers:
Ainsworth:
Blue Buffalo (some varieties dry)
Rachael Ray

American Nutrition:
Mulligan Stew can
Natural Balance can
Wellness can

Berwind Corp WellPet:
Holistic Select
Wellness

CJ Foods:
Blue Buffalo (some varieties dry)
Castor Pollux dry* (recently purchased by Merrick Pet Food—it is not known when or if they will move manufacturing to the Merrick facilities)
Drs Foster & Smith
Nature’s Variety dry
Rotations
Timberwolf
Nulo

Diamond Pet Food (numerous plants):
4Health
Apex
Canidae* (recently purchased their own manufacturing plant—it is not known when they will or if they will move all manufacturing to their own plant)
Chicken Soup
Country Value
Diamond
Diamond Naturals
Kirkland
Natural Balance dry
Nature’s Domain
Premium Edge
Professional
Solid Gold
Taste of the Wild
Wellness (one variety)

Elmira Pet Products Ltd:
Happy Paws
Happy Tails
K9 Premium
Nutram
Sigma 7
Petcurean dry

Evangers:
By Nature can
Canidae can
Evangers can

KLN Enterprises (Tuffy’s Pet Foods):
Dogswell
Natural Planet Organics
NutriSource
Pet Time
Pure Vita

Mars Petcare (numerous plants):
Cesar
Nutro
Ol Roy dry
Pedigree
Royal Canin

Nestle:
Chef Michael
Purina
Pet Promise

Procter & Gamble (numerous plants):
California Naturals
Eukanuba
Evo
Iams
Innova
Karma

Simmons:
Blue Buffalo can
Canidae can
Castor Pollux Can
Life’s Abundance Can
Nature’s Logic Can
Ol’ Roy Can
Dogswell can
Evolve can
Petcurean can
Nature’s Variety can

[InkedMarie]

This is an updated list of grain & white potato free foods. I included dry food only, no wet, raw, dehydrated or freeze dried. I included no part of white potato. Some foods on the prior list have been discontinued and a couple I can’t find ingredient lists for. I used the foods websites, not a pet food sellers website.

ACANA-Meadowland Regional
Wild Atlantic Regional
Appalachian Ranch Regional
Heritage
Heritage Freshwater Fish
Lamb & apple singles
Pork & squash singles
duck & pear singles
Wild Mackerel singles
Grasslands

AMICUS-small & mini breed adult
small & mini breed senior & weight management
small & mini breed puppy

ANNAMAET-Salcha Poulet

ARTEMIS-Osopure salmon
Osopure bison

AVODERM-senior health
joint health grain free chicken
Revolving Menu-all

BACKWOOD-buffalo & field pea
chicken & field pea
salmon & field pea

BROTHERS COMPLETE-all

BY NATURE-grainfree turkey & sweet potato
grain free ocean whitefish & green peas

CALIFORNIA NATURAL-all grain frees

CANIDAE-PURE Land
Pure Wild

CANINE CAVIAR-grainfree puppy
Leaping Spirit
Open Sky
Wild Ocean

CHICKEN SOUP-grainfree beef
grain free lamb

DAVES-both grain frees

DOG FOR DOG (formerly Freehand) both grainfree’s

DOGSWELL-Live Free salmon
Live Free chicken
Live Free turkey
Live Free lamb

EARTHBORN-Great Plains Feast
Meadow Feast
Large Breed
weight control

EVANGERS-grainfree whitefish & sweet potato
grain free chicken
grain free Meat Lovers Medley

EVO-all

FROMM-4 Star lamb & lentil
4 star pork & peas

GO! Sensitivity & Shine LID Duck
Sensitivity & Sine LID salmon
Sensitivity & Shine LID venison
Sensitivity & Shine grain free turkey

GRANDMA MAE’S COUNTRY NATURALS-grainfree only

GREAT LIFE-Dr E’s LID buffalo
Dr E’s LID duck
buffalo
salmon
chicken

HALO-Vigor turkey, chicken & salmon

HEALTH EXTENSION-grainfree buffalo & whitefish
grain free venison & chickpea
grain free duck & chickpea
grainfre salmon, herring & peas

HI TEK NATURALS-lamb, sweet potato & herring
chicken & sweet potato
Alaskan fish

HOLISTIC BLEND-Marine 5

HOLISTIC SELECT-grainfree adult health

HORIZON-Pulsar: fish
chicken
turkey
Legacy: salmon
adult
puppy

I AND LOVE AND YOU-salmon & trout
Nude: Simply Sea
Poultry Palooza
Red meat medley
Naked Essentials-lamb & bison
chicken & duck

KASIKS-Wild Pacific Ocean
Free Range lamb
Free Run Chicken

LOTUS-oven baked grain free turkey

MERRICK-grainfree rabbit & chickpea
grain free venison & chickpea

MUENSTER-grainfree all life stages

NATURAL BALANCE-Wild Pursuit: Trout/Salmon/Tuna
chicken/turkey/quail
lamb/chicken/guinea fowl
LID: legume & duck
legume & Wagyu Beef

NATURAL PLANET-rabbit & salmon
duck & whitefish

NATURAL PLANET ORGANICS-all grain frees

NATURES RECIPE-grainfree chicken, sweet potato & pumpkin

NATURES VARIETY-Instinct: all

NRG-Optimum line

NULO-all

NUTRISCA-all grainfree

NUTRISOURCE-grainfree chicken & pea
grain free seafood select
grain free lamb & pea
grain free small breed chicken
grain free Prairie Select

ORIJEN-all

PET BOTANICS-Healthy Omega chicken
Healthy Omega salmon
Healthy Omega lamb

PET KIND-all

PINNACLE-grainfree trout & sweet potato
grain free duck & sweet potato
grain free chicken & sweet potato

PIONEER NATURALS-all grain free

PRECISE-both grain frees

SOLID GOLD-Mighty Mini
Lil Boss
high protein with duck

SPORT DOG FOOD-Elite Beef
Elite whitefish
Elite chicken
Elite venison

TASTE OF THE WILD-Appalachian Valley
Pine Forest
Southwest Canyon

TUSCAN NATURALS-Ocean

UNDER THE SUN-All grain frees

VICTOR-grainfree active dog & puppy
Yukon River
lamb
chicken
Ultra Pro
Hero

WELLNESS-Core Wild Game
adult chicken
Tru Food: adult salmon & turkey
adult lamb
adult chicken
puppy

WILD CALLING-Rocky Mountain Medley-all
Western Plains Stampede all
Xotic Essentials-all

WYSONG-Epigen 90

ZIGNATURE-LID trout & salmon
LID kangaroo
LID turkey
LID lamb
LID duck
LID whitefish
Essential multi protein

ZOIC-all

4 HEALTH-puppy
small breed adult

[zcRiley]

Applaws It’s All Good
Artemis Fresh Mix
Artemis Osopure
Artemis Pro Power
BIOpet Grain Free
Black Hawk
Black Hawk Grain Free
Canidae All Life Stages
Canidae PURE (Grain Free)
Earthborn Holistic
Earthborn Holistic Grain Free
Hill’s Ideal Balance Grain Free
Holistic Select
Holistic Select Grain Free
Ivory Coat Australian Natural Health
K9 Natural
Kirkland Signature Nature’s Domain
Meals for Mutts
Meals for Mutts Grain Free
Nutra Gold (Grain Free)
Pet Food Australia
Pro Pac Ultimates Grain Free
Stay Loyal Grain Free
Sunday Pets Tasty Holistic Grain Free
Taste of the Wild
Wellness Complete Health
Wellness CORE Grain Free
ZiwiPeak Air Dried

[Rusty T]

I switched from Blue Wilderness Rocky Mountain Red Meat for Large Breeds to Orijen Red Regional about 3 months ago. My GSD was fine with it, but my Husky/Shepard/Border Mix wasn’t thrilled. I switched to the Orijen Tundra. Mr. Picky loves it. (There’s no chicken.) When we first brought the GSD home from the animal shelter, I did notice loose stools the first couple of months which I figured was from the change to the Blue Wilderness and better quality diet. (We also feed each a half can of Holistic Select Beef and Duck Pate mixed with a cup of kibble). Both my dogs are now doing well on the Orijen Tundra. I never had problems with the Blue Wilderness Rocky Moutain Red Meat, but had always wanted to switch it up. My black lab who passed away last year however, refused anything but the Blue Wilderness for Large Breeds.

[Susan]

Hi I started to feed Patch “Holistic Select” Senior the fat is only 10% fat & the fiber-3.50%, Holistic Select fat & fiber is lower then the Wellness Core, Wellness Core reduced fat is too high in fiber at 8.5% fiber, maybe that’s the problem, the Holistic Select Senior fiber is 3.50%…….
Wellpet makes Wellness, Holistic Select & Eagle Pack, maybe try changing brands also I feed Kibble for breakfast & I make rissoles, I buy the lean pork mince & add some chopped parsley & make 1 cup amount size rissoles & make into a long rissole, not round & bake in the oven so any excess fat comes out, I freeze the rissoles & also boil sweet potato or pumkin & freeze the sweet potato & pumkin in section….. For dinner I feed 1 rissole (1cup) with 1/4cup sweet potato & the weight fell off Patch & I didn’t want him to loss weight 🙁 so only feeding 1 meal kibble & the other meal a cooked meal is better then feeding 2 means with kibble….
http://www.holisticselect.com/

[Susan]

Hi, I always read the Kcals per cup, you can find Kcals on the kibbles web page under “feeding guidelines”…….I always read the Kcals per cup & work out how many calories my dog should be eating a day, here’s a link so you can work out how many Kcals per cup ur dog should eat, my boy needs about 1000 calories a day, also if your dog is looking thin then add another 1/2 cup a day…..try rotating a few different brands with a different protein…. Wellpet makes Wellness, Holistic Select & Eagle Pack…. normally premium kibble you need to feed less & always add some fresh meat to diet, like tin sardines in spring water add a couple or mussels…
http://www.german-shepherd-lore.com/dog-food-calculator.html

[pitlove]

@goldenstar

I got an email back from Holistic Select regarding the Large & Giant Breed Puppy formula. When I used the numbers they gave me and put them into the calculator tool on here this is what I got

Calcium = 6.8 g per 1000 kcal
Ca to P ratio = 1.8 to 1

WAY too high…

[goldenstar]

Hi pitluv…
Did you ever find out if Holistic Select Large Breed Puppy food’s calcium and cal phos levels where too high? Thanks

[pitlove]

Hi April-

Fromm is a good food and good company. I would choose Fromm over Taste of the Wild and Holistic Select personally, simply because of the company itself. The Heartland Gold Large Breed Puppy has a 1.1:1 calcium/phosphorus ratio and a 3g/1000kcal ratio according to the numbers I used from their website from their technical analysis, so in short, yes that food would be good to use.

[Susan]

Hi my boy suffers with Food Sensitivities & Environment allergies.. your best of doing an elimination food diet to make sure she is sensitive to chicken?? My boy is sensitive to chicken he gets red paws, itchy ears, itchy skin & sloppy poos, as soon as I feed cooked or raw chicken his paws went red & hot within 20mins, also when he eats a kibble with
barley, corn, maize, gluten meal….
“Taste Of The Wild” puppy formulas both are chicken free & no chicken fat….one is Pacific Stream puppy with Smoked Salmon the other one is High Prairie Puppy with Roasted Bison & Roasted Venison….your better off feeding the Salmon kibble. Fish is a cooling meat where beef isn’t my boy itches when I made him Beef rissoles now I feed pork rissole with sweet potato for dinner & the Taste Of The Wild Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb kibble for breakfast, the TOTW Sierra Mountain is an all life stages kibble & can be feed to a puppy & is chicken free. send TOTW an email ask for some puppy samples & All Life Stages kibbles for a large breed puppy & their booklet so you can read ingredients & which kibbles are All Life Stages kibbles…their samples are pretty big..

also BATHS are the best when your dog has environment allergies, I bath weekly sometimes twice a week depends if Patch is itchy & scratching after a walk…Baths wash off any pollen & allergen that are on their fur & skin & relieve any itch when you wash in the right shampoo I bath Patch in Malaseb medicated shampoo. I also wipe him down with Huggie baby Cucumber & Aloe wipes after going on our daily walks… http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/
Another chicken free kibble is “Holistic Select” Salmon & Anchovy & Sardine Meal Adult & Puppy Health is suppose to be really good for itchy dogs…
http://www.holisticselect.com/
If after changing kibble to an all fish kibble & your dog is still itchy red eyes then book an appointment to see an Dermatologist they are better then a vet, dearer but a Dermatologist knows all about allergies & the skin you’ll end up saving money vets just put the dog on a vet diet & give antibiotics & steroids….Have you tried an antihistamine?? especially her eyes are you sure its not a turned in eye lash?? that can cause irritation & infection, I’d see a new vet for her eye…
besides the red eyes is she itchy all over her body & scratching, red paws or itchy ears?? she may just need the eye drops & be put on a premium kibble..

[Susan]

Hi Kyle, I think your better off adding a joint supplement to the diet, there’s a few out there I’ve been looking at “Rose Hip Vital Canine” its suppose to work very well but when I spoke with the rep he said America doesn’t have the Rose Hip Vital Canine yet but will be getting it very soon. it comes from Denmark & imported to Australia, the human Rose Hip Vital is the same as the canine Rose Hip Vital, I was going to take it myself, send them a email asking when it will be in America, its for treating inflammation, maintaining healthy joints takes away inflammation pain, they are finding its helping people with Crohns Disease as well that’s why I’m interested in using it on Patch cause he has IBD & it will help him with his inflammation of the stomach as well as his joints..
http://rosehipvitalcanine.com.au/

There’s Sasha’s Blend is another good joint supplement invented in Australia for a dog called Sasha, I’m pretty sure you can buy in America….
http://www.sashasblend.com.au/cb_pages/what_makes_special.php

Turmeric Powder you make “Golden Paste” Turmeric Powder, Coconut Oil & Black Pepper, join the Turmeric Users Group on Face Book the recipe is in the files, people swear by Turmeric Powder https://www.facebook.com/groups/415313751866609/

I’ve just ordered a bag of the “Holistic Select Senior” kibble, it has 750mg/kg of Glucosamine but I was still going to add either the Rose Hip Vital Canine powder to meal or try the Turmeric Golden paste as well… but I’m pretty sure kibble with added Glucosamine is not as strong as the supplements for joint problems/Arthritis they have more Glucosamine & Green Lipped Mussel then kibble…
Some one my know more about Senior kibbles…..

[CircaRigel]

It’s been a while, and I thought I’d provide an update on Galen, now 19 months old, technically an adolescent for a giant breed (Shiloh Shepherd), but no longer a puppy. However, I did go through a number of adjustments to his diet as he grew up, and thought I’d discuss them. I’ll first discuss kibbles, since that is generally the area where improper calcium and phosphorus content causes problems. Brands discussed include Eukanuba, Holistic Select (and other WellPet brands), Canidae, Taste of the Wild, Fromms, Tripett, and my absolute favorite and the most impressive, nutritionally… Darwin’s Natural Selections. I will also briefly touch on treats. Every choice I’ve made for Galen has come about via extensive research, wanting only the very best for Galen’s growth and health, for he is training as my service dog. My first responsibility is to him, even before looking after myself, for it is his responsibility to always be looking after me. Besides… I consider him family on equal par to my most beloved family members. I have linked the Dog Food Advisor pages for Galen’s finalized diet at the bottom of this post.

Galen’s breeder weaned her litter on Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy diet. After his adoption, I transitioned him to Fromm’s, which is what his breeder now weans her puppies on, but his stools were often quite soft. There was a brief period when I tried Holistic Select Large breed puppy, but rapidly transitioned away from it when Galen became ill. As it happens, ALL kibble foods made by WellPet (Wellness, Holistic Select, Old Mother Hubbard, Eagle Pack) contain green tea extract. While the very small amounts are probably not harmful to most dogs, particularly since it’s being taken with food, I found a number of studies that were halted because of dogs dying after being given green tea extract on an empty stomach. There is no way I can know for certain, but I suspect Galen is somehow particularly susceptible to toxic effects from it, even in small doses. So I began researching foods, and I liked the nutrition profile for some of the Canidae varieties, and while they were not specifically puppy or large breed diets, I contacted Canidae to make sure I chose a variety with the proper calcium and phosphorus ratios for proper bone growth (Canidae has recently been shifting their manufacturing away from Diamond pet foods, with a new processing plant in California). He did well on this, but didn’t like it much. Since he’s rather thin (but not so much as to be unhealthy, according to his vets at Alameda East, the same hospital where Animal Planet’s “Emergency Vets” was filmed, as it’s closest to where I live), I decided to change things up again when he was about a year old. Since he now was at an age where his calcium metabolism was properly established (generally puppies older than 8 months old can properly metabolize calcium, without the need to limit it so much), it broadened the choices of available foods for him. So, I made a list of grain free foods on Dog Food Advisor with 4+ ratings, focusing especially on 5 star rated foods, and ordered a bunch of sample packs for him to try from K9Cuisine. Of all of the foods he tried, he preferred the 5 star rated varieties of Taste of the Wild best. While I’m not fond of the record of Diamond pet foods, I trust the ratings of Dog Food Advisor (except the high ratings of kibbles by WellPet brands, for the previously mentioned Green Tea toxicity risk). Anyway, to keep things interesting for his palate, I now transition between the three 5 star rated varieties of TOTW for dry food.

Canned foods: From very early on, I had Galen eating Tripett green beef tripe as his wet food. I chose this because green tripe contains the nutrients of what the cow ate as well as the nutritional value and digestive enzymes that are naturally inherent to tripe. I have tried other varieties of canned foods, but Galen usually turns his nose up at them after a few days, when the novelty wears off. There has been a single exception, though, which I also supplement his diet with. That is Darwin’s Natural Selections raw foods. Back when I was letting Galen choose from among the samples I got for him, I also got the $15 introductory sample of the Darwin’s food (10 lbs variety pack), which included free shipping on dry ice. Their foods are raw, made from free-range, organic animal sources and organic vegetables. They come in easy to open plastic packets. Dog Food Advisor not only rates it 5 stars, but enthusiastically recommends the foods. They have never had a recall. I was quite surprised to find that the food was packaged and frozen just a few days before it shipped to me. Now, Once you have had the trial and go to their subscription plan, the cost is far higher, plus shipping on dry ice. It’s too high for me to feed to Galen exclusively or even as half his diet, so I subscribe to it as a supplement to his regular diet, feeding him 2 lbs a week. I get him all varieties, which include chicken, turkey, duck, beef, and bison. Of all of the foods I’ve ever fed a dog, This has been by far of the highest quality I’ve encountered.

Galen is incredibly picky even with treats, generally preferring single-ingredient, meat based treats. These have included Simply Lamb (freeze dried lamb), PureBites freeze dried chicken breast, PureBites freeze dried duck liver, and Primal freeze dried Nuggets (lamb), although the nuggets I use more as an occasional supplement rather than a treat. Galen turns his nose up at most other treats, even jerky treats. That’s fine by me. I rather like seeing only one ingredient listed, which leaves me zero doubts of there being anything in it that is unnecessary to his health (i.e. preservatives).

On a final note, around holidays I like to make a turkey stock from the leftovers and carcass (bones removed, of course, after cooking so that nutrients specific to the bones leach into the stock, like the marrow). That turkey stock is for Galen, as a special treat supplementing his food.

So… Galen’s final adult diet:
Taste of the Wild (wetlands, High Prairie, and Canyon varieties)
Tripett Green Beef Tripe
Darwin’s Natural Selections raw (beef, bison, chicken, turkey, and duck)

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

[Susan]

Hi, gee they do need to loose some weight, maybe when you start them on another new brand with less fat…. Start looking at 4-5 star grain free, limited ingredient wet food with the fat around 2-4%…look at Canidae, Wellness, Holistic Select & Taste Of The Wild…. These brands will be dearer then the Supermarket food, so maybe do what I do, I buy lean turkey mince & lean pork mince & I make rissoles that I bake in the oven at 50gm per rissole & peel & cut up a sweet potato & boil then. I freeze meal size sections…

What’s happening is your dogs are sensitive to an ingredient in the food they’re are eating & their immune system starts reacting & then they get yeasty ears & skin & smell & itch until you remove these ingredients they are sensitive too, they wont get better until what ever is causing the problem is removed… Start bathing weekly baths in Malaseb medicated shampoo the Malaseb kills any bacteria on their skin….My boy can not eat supermarket wet foods or kibbles with chicken, corn, barley, wheat, maize & gluten meal….. Please read the ingredients & write them down & when you look for another wet food make sure none of the ingredients are in the new food even change the protein, start feeding a new protein they haven’t eaten or eaten much off…. Within 2 weeks of changing diet & weekly baths they will be itch free & not smell real yeasty.. Good-Luck
http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/index.aspx

[Bobby dog]

Hi Amy K:
If you are happy with your dry food I would continue to feed it. I would only suggest trying out a few brands to find other choices she does well on in case of a recall, formula changes, or distribution issues; you never know when you may need a back-up. I would also stick with similar protein, fat, and fiber percentages when trying a new kibble.

I feed a variety of canned foods in various price ranges. My budget friendly choices are Pure Balance stews or gravy tubs (Wal-Mart), Variety stews, Beyond grain free stews, Pro Plan Naturals, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul, Triumph turkey or puppy recipes, BJ’s price club brand, and Tractor Supply stews or Sr. pate’. Costco also has a budget friendly canned, Kirkland Signature Nature’s Domain. You have to buy a case which is under $20. If you don’t have a Costco membership Jet.com sells it for a little more, but still a great deal.

Other brands my dog does well on are Wellness Core, Red Barn Stews, Tiki Dog, Weruva, Eagle Pack, Fromm shredded recipes, Halo, Life’s Abundance, Holistic Select, Nature’s Recipe, Nutrisource, and Precise. I order Life’s Abundance directly from their website.

Good luck finding a new food!

[Kalle S]

Holistic select looks terrible. First ingredient isn’t even meat but chicken meal and then rice, which is a grain. Surely there’s better options for your dog.

[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…

[Susan]

Hi,
One thing about senior foods some are higher in fiber & lower in fat, as a dog gets older they aren’t as active, cause your dog is young will that be OK?? make sure you read the Guaranteed Analysis & make sure fat is 10% & higher & fiber is around 4%…. Holistic Select Chicken Meal Senior looks pretty good & I seen salt under Sodium Selenite in the ingredients but pass half way, so does that mean there’s less?? also salt will be in some of the ingredients, so your best to find a few kibbles you like even normal adult kibbles & email companies for the Sodium %…..
http://holisticselect.com.au/senior-dry-dog-food-chicken-meal-and-rice
Canidae Pure Formulas are also very good so email Canidae & ask for the Sodium % in a few Pure Formulas….
http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products

[Bobby dog]

Hi Mick M:
Some 5 stars I feed are Wellness Core, Red Barn stews only, Life’s Abundance (both recipes), Tiki Dog, Weruva, Fromm Gold, and Holistic Select.

[Anne B]

For everyone feeding a Wellpet brand, including Wellness, Holistic Select, Eagle Pack, etc–if the food contains GREEN TEA EXTRACT, it was sourced from CHINA…..I found this out when I called the company.

• This topic was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by Anne B.

[Anne B]

I actually called Holistic Select, which is owned by the same company as Wellness (Wellpet).
I asked them about the green tea, and they admitted that the green tea extract they used was sourced from CHINA, because that was the only place they could get it…..That leads me to believe that all the Wellpet brands are using CHINA-SOURCED green tea extract…..I can’t believe this, and don’t trust Wellpet brands any longer…

[Naturella]

Thank you, Amateria and Pitlove!

I will add some foods to my list and label them “MAYBE” if they have poultry fat in them, and there are some pretty good-sounding ones by Wild Calling, Addiction, and Holistic Select (I think) that are poultry-free but have poultry fat in them. So we may give them a shot sometime. I hope they work. I just fed Bruno some Zignature Duck and sure enough, buddy started scratching and chewing his legs again, and that was within 3 days on the sample (at least it was just a sample).

At least my list has gotten pretty big and I have plenty of super-safe-for-Bruno no-poultry options! 🙂 A few hours of research do pay off if I can keep him itch-free and comfortable! 🙂

[Coonhound Mama]

If you look below any of the reviews for a dog food you’ve selected, the analysis of fat content should appear in a pie graph chart. Is there a certain fat percentage you’re shooting to feed at or below? A high protein diet (senior dogs need more protein than most realize) with lower fat would probably be ideal, but for something more specific I would say consulting a holistic vet would be best. My dog did very well on the grain free, carageenan-free Nature’s Variety brand canned food, although I realize the fat content (in the upper 30s) on these may not be doable for your dog.

[Naturella]

Kim M., welcome to the forum, you will find tons of useful information here! 🙂

And you are welcome, anytime! Happy to help if I can. Actually, my list has expanded as I have done more research, but just know, these are MOSTLY poultry-free (if not, it is notated), but I was not looking for potato-free options necessarily. Some do happen to be potato-free, but you would have to look into it separately. Here is my updated list:

Orijen
Six Fish
Regional Red
Tundra (duck – MAYBE)

Acana
Wild Atlantic
Appalachian Ranch
Grasslands (duck, eggs – MAYBE)
Freshwater Fish
Heritage Meats
Wild Mackerel
Lamb and Apple
Pork and Squash

EVO
Herring and Salmon Formula
Red Meat Small Bites

Nature’s Variety Instinct
Salmon
Rabbit
Raw Boost Lamb

Castor and Pollux
Ultramix Salmon
Ultramix Red Meat with Raw Bites

Merrick
Backcountry Raw Infused Pacific Catch Recipe
Backcountry Raw Infused Great Plains Red Meat
Grain Free Salmon and Sweet Potato
Grain Free Real Texas Beef and Sweet Potato
Grain Free Lamb and Sweet Potato

ZiwiPeak (air-dried, not kibble)
Venison and Fish
Venison
Beef
Lamb

Annamaet
Aqualuk
Manitok

TimberWolf Organics
Ocean Blue
Wilderness Elk and Salmon
Black Forest Venison and Lamb
Lamb with Potatoes and Apples

Wellness Core
Ocean

Victor
Yukon Salmon and Sweet Potato

Horizon Legacy
Adult Fish

Fromm Gold
Salmon Tunalini
Beef Frittata Veg
Lamb and Lentil

I and Love and You
Simply Sea
Red Meat Medley

Holistic Select
Grain Free Salmon, Anchovy, and Sardine Meal

Only Natural Pet
Just Fish Feast
Red Meat Feast
Lamb and Cod Air Dried
Beef Air Dried
Lamb and Sweet Potato Easy Raw
Beef and Sweet Potato Easy Raw

Wysong
Epigen Fish
Epigen Venison
Anergen 2 – Rabbit

Canine Caviar
Wild Ocean
Wilderness
Open Range
Open Meadow

Earthborn Holistic
Coastal Catch
Great Plains Feast

Zignature
Whitefish
Trout and Salmon
Kangaroo
Lamb
Zssential (turkey, duck – MAYBE)

Canidae Pure
Sea
Land

AvoDerm
Trout and Pea
Lamb and Sweet Potato

NutriSource
Seafood Select

Pure Vita
Salmon and Peas
Bison and Pea
Venison and Red Lentils (fat product – MAYBE)

Farmina (eggs – MAYBE)
N&D Grain Free Fish and Orange
N&D Grain Free Lamb and Blueberry

Weruva (eggs – MAYBE)
Venison and Salmon Meal Dinner with Pumpkin
Lamb Dinner with Lentils

Taste of the Wild
Pacific Stream Puppy
Appalachian Valley (egg, duck – MAYBE)
Pine Forest (egg – MAYBE)
Southwest Canyon (egg – MAYBE)
Sierra Mountain (egg – MAYBE)

Dogswell LiveFree (egg – MAYBE)
Salmon
Lamb

Nutrisca (egg – MAYBE)
Salmon and Chickpea

[Susan]

Hi, Holistic Select Senior digest easy the protein-26% fat-10% fiber-3.5% & has 3 proteins… as dogs get older sometimes high fat & high protein diets can cause problems like pancreatitis, acid reflux so keep that in mind…..Holistic Select Guaranteed money back
http://holisticselect.com.au/senior-dry-dog-food-chicken-meal-and-rice#ingredients

[Susan]

Hi, have a look at the Royal Canine vet diet kibble Guaranteed Analysis that he’s doing well on & pick another kibble with same ingredient used brown rice, the low fiber% & low protein% like the Royal Canine vet diet has, the Protein is 23% & the Fiber is 3.2%….
My boy gets acid reflux, so I have to watch the fat% & Fiber % & carbs cant be too high, I have to keep fat % around 10-14% fat & fiber 3-4%…..

I just looked at the Australian Pro Plan Large Breed puppy Ingredients & Guaranteed Analysis & I think the fiber was too high at 6% fiber & the Protein was high at 28% these two things can cause acid reflux & the bad ingredients, so when looking for a new kibble stick with a lower fiber % around 3-4% & a lower protein % around 24% like the Vet diet kibble he’s eating has…..
Wellpet makes some good brands
“Wellness” Puppy large breed
“Holistic Select” Puppy Large Breed Lamb & Oatmeal, Brown rice, fiber is 3.50% Protein 23% very close to the Royal Canine he’s eating at the moment…
“Holistic Select” Grain Free Adult/Puppy Salmon & Anchovy Sardine meal, Protein is 28%min, Fiber is 6%max both higher like the Pro Plan was, so maybe the grain free might cause acid reflux??
Eagle Pack” Puppy Large breed Lamb meal Oatmeal brown rice
Here’s the Holistic Select site you can see ingredients & guaranteed Analysis… I know the Holistic Select & Eagle Pack is easy to digest like the Royal Canine claims to be …also Holistic Select is 100% guaranteed money back so if your dog has any health problems… also email the kibble company & they will answer any questions you may have…
http://www.holisticselect.com/recipes.aspx?pet=dog

[Susan]

Hi, my Patch has IBD & gets pain we think its either his Pancreas or his stomach he had Endoscope & biopsies done & it come back he has Lymphocytic Gastritis with associated spiral bacteria infection, (Helicobacter-Pylori), Vet thinks he’s getting the pain in his Stomach from having the Helicobacter for years & being left untreated he was a rescue that I rescued at the age of 4 yrs old vet also thinks he may of chewed things & might have chew steal or something that wreck his bowel, now when he gets his pain he start whining & wants me to rub his chest & stomach area, he gets his balls & chews & chews….
When I first got him, he was put on Vet Diet Eukanuba Intestinal low Residue diet it has better ingredients then the Iams Intestinal & less fiber only 1.7 % fiber..
but cause the Eukanuba Intestinal had corn he was getting skin problems red itchy paws
that’s when I started looking for another kibble but its hard…
Now I do the kibble test when you want to try feeding a new kibble try & get samples…I get about 2 kibbles & put them in a glass of warm water & see how long it takes for the kibbles to go soft & swell up… a good kibble only takes about 20mins to 50mins to go soft Patch doesn’t get his bad pain when the kibble goes soft quick & when the fat & protein is low…I found these kibbles go soft around 20mins…
Eagle Pack Lamb & Rice
Earthborn Ocean Fusion
Holistic Select the flavours with rice & oats I haven’t tried their grain free kibbles
Wellness Simple Lamb & Oatmeal takes about 50mins to go soft..

When I have bought a bag of kibble & it didn’t go soft within 1 hr, I was soaking the kibble in warm water in a bowl, when the kibble was all soft, then I drained all the water out of bowl & I’d cuff small amounts of the soft kibble in the bowl & my palm of my hand to drain all water out of the soft kibble then I put all in blender & blended for a few seconds this helped Patch but you have to drain all the water cause they can get acid reflux from too much water being in the kibble, this way the kibbles have all swollen up so there’s no pain when the kibble is in their stomach & dog drinks water then the kibbles start to swell up in stomach…. I found kibbles with Peas gave wind pain, I’ve never feed kibbles with lentils, chickpeas or legumes but I assume they’ll cause wind pain like peas do, so I stay away from grain free kibbles plus they are full of starchy carbs…

If you can replace 1 meal with cooked meal chicken, potato, broccoli & zucchini that will help reduce the kibble…also Honest Kitchen has their Zeal its suppose to be good, I live in Australia & can’t get the Honest Kitchen….
I hope your boy gets better & make sure you hide things he can chew, he might need a muzzle so when your not home he cant destroy & eat things that can make him sick…

[Susan]

Try feeding a wet tin food fat under 3% in fat, Wellness has their Small Breed Petite Entree’s in gravy with 2% min fat, the Petite Entrees casserole flavours have more fat around 5% when converted to dry matter (Kibble) that’s around 23-26% fat if it were a kibble…. Maybe Pancreatitis ask vet to feel around the pancreas area… even you can do it stand behind her or sit behind her then around the rib cage with both hands start pushing firmly as you go toward back legs, if she has any pain she will either flinch & turn & look at you or that area, cry or go to bite you…When my boy eats certain kibbles he gets his pain & goes off his food, now I ask him to pick which one he wants to eat, I’ve noticed he picks the kibbles that are easy to digest, Holistic Select, Eagle Pack, Wellness Simple Lamb & Oatmeal…… how I check if a kibble is easier to digest & doesn’t just sit in their stomachs. I get a glass of warm water & put a couple of kibbles in the glass of warm water, if the kibble sinks you’ll find it will take a while to soften, even if the kibble floats it can take over 1-2 hour to go soft…..Patch likes the kibbles that go soft within 20-50 mins….sometimes they are not being picky its cause the kibble does give them pain while its digesting…

[Naturella]

I have a list of foods for my dog, for whom I need to use chicken-free foods, and I would steer clear of all poultry just in case, but I have all those foods on my list, plus some more. I would share it with you, but I didn’t look for potato-free options – you can check them out and see which ones fit your bill – but the foods mentioned above are all meaty and potato-free from what I saw, so they should work for you. 🙂

Here is my list, in case you are interested, and FYI, not all are labeled if they have eggs – only if they have the actual meat like duck or turkey:

*Orijen*
Six Fish
Regional Red
Tundra (duck – MAYBE)

*Acana*
Wild Atlantic
Appalachian Ranch
Grasslands (duck, eggs – MAYBE)
Freshwater Fish
Heritage Meats
Wild Mackerel
Lamb and Apple
Pork and Squash

*EVO*
Herring and Salmon Formula
Red Meat Small Bites

*Nature’s Variety Instinct*
Salmon
Rabbit
Raw Boost Lamb

*Castor and Pollux*
Ultramix Salmon
Ultramix Red Meat with Raw Bites

*Merrick*
Backcountry Raw Infused Pacific Catch Recipe
Backcountry Raw Infused Great Plains Red Meat
Grain Free Salmon and Sweet Potato
Grain Free Real Texas Beef and Sweet Potato
Grain Free Lamb and Sweet Potato

*Farmina* (eggs – MAYBE)
N&D Grain Free Fish and Orange
N&D Grain Free Lamb and Blueberry

*Annamaet* (has potatoes)
Aqualuk
Manitok

*TimberWolf Organics*
Ocean Blue
Wilderness Elk and Salmon
Black Forest Venison and Lamb
Lamb with Potatoes and Apples (obviously, has potatoes)

*Wellness – Core*
Ocean

*Victor*
Yukon Salmon and Sweet Potato

*Horizon Legacy*
Adult Fish

*Fromm Gold*
Salmon Tunalini
Beef Frittata Veg
Lamb and Lentil

*I and Love and You – Nude*
Simply Sea
Red Meat Medley

*Only Natural Pet*
Just Fish Feast
Red Meat Feast

*Wysong*
Epigen Fish
Epigen Venison
Anergen 2 – Rabbit

*Canine Caviar*
Wild Ocean
Wilderness
Open Range
Open Meadow

*Earthborn Holistic*
Coastal Catch
Great Plains Feast

*Holistic Select*
Grain Free Salmon, Anchovy, and Sardine Meal

*Zignature*
Whitefish
Trout and Salmon
Kangaroo
Lamb
Zssential (turkey, duck – MAYBE)

*Canidae Pure*
Sea
Land

[Susan]

Hi Misha, I also live Australia, so you must shop at “Pet Barn” they are the only ones that carry the Wellpet brand Wellness, Holistic Select & Eagle Pack..

Have you looked at K-9 Natural freeze dried you just add water, Pet Barn sells K-9 Natural its in a packet… http://www.k9natural.com/product-information/dog-food-range-au.html scroll down to Freeze Dried then click on Lamb, Beef, Venison, Tripe, what ever one you want to see ingredients, K-9 Natural is fresh & your dog will love it, all natural & works out cheaper then wet tin foods also if you have a cat there’s Feline Natural excellent for cats…

Another one is Ziwi Peak, Pet Barn does not carry Ziwi Peak no more, it’s expensive but you can still buy online contact Ziwi Peak & ask for some of their air dried samples, Venison & Fish, Venison, Lamb or Beef & use their samples as treats…. http://www.ziwipeak.com/moist-dog-food-ziwipeak-daily-dog-moist-cuisine/

There’s Black Hawk wet tin food….Pet Barn carry the kibble but not their wet tin food yet, Pet Stock carries the whole Black Hawk range Wet & Dry…
http://www.blackhawkpetcare.com.au/grain-free-dog

At the Supermarket Woolworths & Coles have “V.I.P Natures Goodness” all natural grain free wet tin foods & dry…have a look at all their flavours,…. Chicken, Duck with garden veggies….. Kangaroo, Sweet potatoes & green beans……Beef stew, carrots & potatoes

If you feed kibble “Meals For Mutts” is for dogs with skin & food Sensitivities, its gluten, dairy & sugar free, Meals For Mutts has a few natural treats, their kangaroo Disc, Lamb Tripe & Carnavore, a few people have asked Meals For Mutts are they bringing out a natural gluten, dairy, sugar free wet tin food & they have said yes…

Visit this site “Pet Food Reviews” & you’ll get an idea of all the pet food names we have in Australia, then you can google them & look at their ingredients…. http://www.petfoodreviews.com.au/dry-dog-food/

I hope this helps, after I looked & looked for a good natural wet tin food & some of the prices… $4.30 for a tin of Wellness Core, Patch would need 3 tins a day & it didn’t smell that great, just looked like swollen kibble in a can with gravy….. I cook now & freeze meals, its cheaper & I know it’s FRESH…. the only wet tin foods that were really worth the money & smelt fresh was the K-9 Natural freeze dry, the V.I.P Natural Goodness grain free wet tin that was OK smelt & looked just like the Black Hawk grain free wet tin food…. I have never bought the Ziwi Peak wet tin, $6 a tin… I have gotten all their samples of their freeze dried & Patch just inhaled them, he didn’t even chew them 🙂

[Laura M]

I use the large sized “bites” as treats but I would not feed this as a regular diet. Read the ingredients and you will agree I think. I attended a dental seminar recently and they recommend what is on the VOHC website for oral care, but as stated previously, the only way to keep the teeth in good condition is to brush and regular cleanings as recommended by your vet. Although not all vets are doing the best dentistry treatments either. The doctor was a specialist in the dental field. I live in an area where there are a lot of specialty veterinarians so I am lucky. I love your breed, had two minis at one point in my life. I feed my dogs a variety of things right now. One I feed Acana, my puppy I feed Nutrisource puppy and my old girl I feed Holistic Select turkey and lentil. Hope you find a good diet for your special friend!

[Susan]

Hi Mom T, nice thing you have done taken in an old boy….. I have a 7 yr old with IBD & Skin problems & he has problems keeping on his weight, so I feed 4 smaller meals thru the day & more then what it says on the kibble bag. Patches kibble says 2 & a 1/2 cups kibble per day but I cook as well so I give 1 heaped cup kibble a day…
I would not feed any puppy food, it’s made for high energy puppies, like you said the puppy food would be too high in fat, find a good kibble & I feed 4 meals a day…Holistic Select has their Senior kibble chicken meal & rice that’s easy to digest… http://www.holisticselect.com/recipes.aspx?pet=dog#category5
I cook then freeze the cooked chicken or beef in 1 cup sections & I freeze small kangaroo mince balls, like a rissole that I bake, I add 1 egg, some parsley, some people add Turmeric powder & coconut oil for arthritis, you can bake small balls of beef, chicken or turkey mince rissoles & give as a treat or mix thru the meal…. Patch gets cooked meal for breakfast & dinner, I feed cooked chicken breast, tin Salmon, boiled potatoes, broccoli, zucchini, some times, beef, Kangaroo, sweet potatoes a bit of pumkin, boiled egg etc make sure you add the fish (tin Sardines or Salmon in spring water drained) for his omega’s for his skin… I prefer to add Patches omegas naturally thru food not the fish tablets….. Fish oil tablets made Patch feel sick, you have to remember these dogs were not looked after probably most of their lives & when we rescue them & start adding all this healthy new stuff etc some dogs stomachs/bowels can’t cope…. then I give 1/2 cup kibble for lunch & another 1/2 cup kibble for late dinner….that’s for a 39lb dog……. Kibble keeps & puts the weight on, I have found…. look at the Kcals on the kibbles web page for the Kcal/per cup the higher the Kcal per cup the better around 380-400Kcal/per cup…..Once you start feeding 3-4 meals a day his weight will slowly start to come back, nice & slow, it may take about 4 months but it will be healthy weight not a diet full of fat..

Here’s a calculator to see how many Calories he should be eating a day, it gives you a ruff idea, just enter the weight he should be & he’s a senior dog..
http://www.german-shepherd-lore.com/dog-food-calculator.html

[Susan]

Hi, have you joined the “Canine Pancreatitis Support ” group on face Book ? someone on the site might know good low fat wet tin foods with good ingredients cause I live Australia I don’t get a lot of the American foods, we get all the Well Pet range Wellness, Holistic Select, Eagle Pack, Earthborn Holistic range & all our Royal Canine Vet diets have different ingredients to the Americian Royal Canine vet diets the Australian R/C has a bit better ingredients cause we have very strict custom laws…..

My boy was eating theVet Diet Royal Canine Gastrointestinal Low Fat Kibble, but it has wheat & barley & Patch started to smell real yeasty & scratch & had bad fermenting breath smell so I changed kibbles again, he couldn’t eat the R/C Gastrointestinal Low Fat wet tin food cause it has rice in the Australian Royal Canine, there’s also Hills Vet Diet I/d Low Fat Restore wet tin food, it has digestive enzymes but it has rice so Patch can’t eat it… http://www.hillspet.com.au/en-au/products/pd-canine-id-low-fat-canned.html

I understand about the raw having enzymes but when a dog has a compromised immune system they can’t fight the bad bacteria in the raw that’s why I went thru a Naturopath Jacqueline Rudan from “Natural Animal Solutions” & she would not let Patch eat any of the commercial raw diets, she said I’ve seen them all being made & they all have very low grade meats & veggies, so I had to buy raw human kangaroo, fresh chicken breast & fresh veggies & make my own raw, it was pretty easy & soooo fresh, I had to put her digestive Enzymes 1/2 capsule & a human Probiotic that is dairy free gluten free 1/2 capsule with every meal to help Patch digest the raw & not get diarrhea.. but he kept regurgitating & burping up the raw even with the Digestive Enzymes & Probiotic, so I cooked the raw & stopped the Digestive enzymes & stopped the Probiotic Patch doesn’t do well on Probiotics he does better on Prebiotics… here’s her site she answers all emails & only cost me $60 for 1 hour phone consultation, she does Skype for overseas customers, every now & then Patch gets bad pain right side chest area under front paw, stomach pancreas area, he comes to me lifts his right paw whinges & wants me to rub his chest after eating certain kibbles that are high in protein over 25% protein, Jacqueline told me Patches Pancreas isn’t doing its job & working properly, all vet test came back OK but he gets all the symptoms of Pancreatitis, vets said it IBD & Helicobacter-Pylori he had Endoscope & Biopsies done 1 year ago, we tried every vet diet none worked for Patch but that’s cause of the boiled rice cause when I was first buying the Hills I/d Low Fat Restore the wet tin had no boiled rice, when we read the ingredients we must of missed rice & when I opened the tin I couldn’t see the rice he was doing really well on the I/d Low Fat Restore wet tin food, then I must of bought a different batch when I opened the tin the top was full of clumps of boiled rice, I rung Hills & said whats happening she said the I/d Restore is made at 2 different places, it sounds like the rice wasn’t grounded & has clumped all together, do I know the Batch numbers of the I/d Low Fat wet tin foods he was doing really well on, I said NO but I have the Batch numbers of all these tins full of rice, so I had to take them all back to the vets for refund, I was so disappointed even though, I hate Hills it worked & you start to not worry what the ingredients are when they start gaining weight & doing better, I tried feeding the i/d wet tin with the rice & scoping out most of the boiled rice but he started having his yellow sloppy smelly poos again farting rumbling bowel noises that you could hear in the next room, his breath stunk so his vet put him back on the Metronidazole for 3 weeks & gave me 3 repeat scripts for when it happens again I don’t have to keep seeing her just for some Metronidazole, the Metronidazole clears everything up I can’t believe how good it is the vet wanted to keep Patch on the Metronidazole she said she has a few dogs like Patch & they are on a low dose of Metronidaole once a day, but I just use when needed I have found since Ive been cooking chicken breast, sweet potatoes, broccoli, zucchini & kangaroo some days & using 1/2 spoon of the Natural Animal Solutions DigestaVite Plus-100 Patch is slowly getting better……I can’t believe it all these years I thought he couldn’t eat cooked food but it was the stupid rice it ferments in their stomach & was iratating his bowel….he can eat grounded rice in kibble just not boiled rice.. I contacted Jacqueline the Naturopath for help naturally.. her diets are under “Information” you pick 1 to 2 proteins I started with just the 1 protein Kangaroo now I feed chicken more then you pick 2-4 veggies & 1-2 fruits, I picked apple when he was eating raw but now I cut up watermelon & give as a treat or Paw Paw, Paw Paw is suppose to be excellent for the somach it has natural digestive enzymes..I freeze inice cube tray, its Summer here in Australia
http://www.naturalanimalsolutions.com.au/intestinal-flora-imbalance.html

[Susan]

Hi, did you look at the Honest Kitchen Zeal, the fat is only 8.50% & it already has the protein fish, fish is easy to digest.. http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dog-food/zeal…
I looked at the Preference the fat is 8.4% & you haven’t added the meat yet….have you looked into cooking? once you cook & freeze everything its pretty easy, just once a week you have to cook & days you feel lazy, I feed a wet tin food, kibble is hard to digest so maybe stick with wet foods less work on the stomach pancreas & bowel…. on Face Book there’s a “Canine Pancreatitis Support” group, post a post asking brands of low fat premium wet tin foods…I know a few feed the “Holistic Select” Senior kibble its easy to digest… just remember the fat % in wet tin food is higher then kibble, if a wet tin food says 5% fat that’s around 22% fat if it was a kibble….

[Susan]

Hi again there’s also Pro Pac Ultimates Large Breed Puppy Chicken & Rice formula made by Earthborn Holistic, Pro Pac may be a bit cheaper & doesn’t have as many ingredients as the Holistic Select kibbles have…. also if he did well on his last kibble then find another kibble with similar ingredients & around the same fat % & fiber % if his stool were firm on the Blue Buffalo Puppy…..
http://intl.propacultimates.com/natural-dog-food/large-breed-puppy-chicken-brown-rice/

[Susan]

Hi, does the brand his brother eats have a large puppy food? To gain weight google the food your interested in feeding & look at the Kcal/per cup Calorie content, its normally under the “Feeding Guidelines” some companies just write the Kcal/per kilo not per cup…..I always try & buy a kibble that’s over 400Kcal/per cup, that way you need less kibble to feed but I still feed a bit more then recommended, an extra cup divided between the 4 meals a day…Patch also has sensitive stomach IBD & has trouble keeping on his weight…. I have found with wet tin foods he regurgitates them back up into his mouth when he burps but your boy might be different, Patch also lost weight on the wet tin food, he needed to be feed 2 large tins a day, its seemed too much no wonder he was burping the food back up…..I was feeding 1 full cup of kibble for Breakfast & wet tin food for lunch & dinner, now I feed 1 full cup of kibble 406Kcal/cup breakfast & cooked chicken & sweet potatoes for lunch & dinner, he seems to keep his weight on better eating cooked chicken, then when he was eating the wet tin foods & its cheaper buying the fresh chicken pieces & sweet potatoes cooking then freezing weighed meals, then buying the wet tin foods & I know what he’s eating when I cook his meals….I bought one of those Dog Meat Rolls today from Pet Shop, Kangaroo & Potato, preservative free, gluten free, for skin/stomach allergies…. I’m going to give the Roll a go & see how he does….

Try & feed 3-4 smaller meals thru the day if you can….Holistic Select have a Grain free Puppy & Adult Anchovy, Salmon & Sardine kibble, its only but its only 341kcal/per cup that way they can both eat the same kibble, Holistic Select also make wet tin food but I have found its cheaper to buy a couple of kilos of chicken pieces, I remove all the skin then put them in a big pot & boil 20mins you collect all the cooked bones then slowly boil the bones over night & make bone broth, bone broth is very healthy… http://holisticselect.com.au/recipes.aspx?pet=dog

Also here’s a link for a Calorie Calculator, it’s for German Shepherds but its still works for any breed of dog, it gives you an idea how many calories your dogs needs to eat a day, work out how many calories your boy should be eating a day, email kibble or wet tin food companies & ask how many Kcal per CUP is their food..that’s what I was talking about Kcal/per cup, if I feed a kibble that’s 400kcal/cup then I feed just under 3 cups a day Patch needs around 1100 calories a day…..
http://www.german-shepherd-lore.com/dog-food-calculator.html

[Susan]

Hi, change kibble & feed breakfast/ & dinner, not just the big 1 meal a day, half the meal, have a look at Holistic Select Senior, Holistic select also has wet tin foods maybe feed 1/2 -1 tin of the wet tin food for breakfast & the dry kibble for dinner, she probably looks at her boring meal & thinks YUK same boring thing…. My boy has IBD but I still mix things up a bit & I ask him what do you want for breakfast & dinner, (he will lick the cup of kibble or cooked meal in container, I show him to pick from) & he gets excited…. Holistic Select is made by Wellpet who also makes Wellness Core…
http://www.holisticselect.com/senior-dry-dog-food-chicken-meal-and-rice

[Susan]

Hi Jan, Patch has tried a few kibbles like Wellness Simple, Holistic Select, (Australian brands- Nutro Natural Choice, Meals For Mutts gluten dairy sugar free, Black Hawk) Patch ended up with bad wind & farts from the peas, these kibbles were pea heavy & acid reflux with some of the other kibbles…..
I saw a friend at the dog park & I asked the lady what is Lilly eating? she suffers with stomach & bowel problems as well she said her vet recommended Earthborn Holistic Ocean Fusion, I went & google Earthborn Holistic Ocean Fusion & noticed it was pea free, no Probiotics (makes Patch feel sick) no tomato pomace-acid reflux, I got a couple samples of the Ocean fusion, I put 2 of the Ocean Fusion kibbles in a glass of warm water & waited to see how long the Kibble swelled & soften, the kibbles soften the same as vet Diet Royal Canine Intestinal Low Fat, 30-40mins so I started giving Patch a few Ocean Fusion kibbles
as treats then started adding 1/4 cup with his R/C Intestinal Low Fat Kibbles then Patch, wanted to eat the Ocean Fusion instead of his vet diet R/C & I only
needed 2 & 1/2 cups a day of the Ocean Fusion, so less work on his stomach & bowel his poos were better & firmer then on the R/C Low Fat, he stopped having acid reflux every 2nd day & was keeping on his weight & feeling heaps better…. I’m looking at the Wellness Complete Health Whitefish & Sweet Potatoes now it has similar ingredients to the Ocean Fusion but has tomatoes, so I’ll give it a go & I can buy from the Pet Shop up the road, but I have to do my soak test & see if the Wellness digest easy Patch has problems digesting some kibbles & cries when they are real hard & don’t digest easy….some kibbles take 2-3 hours to soften…no good for Patch….

[Bobby dog]

Hi Ashley:
My dog is six, can eat anything, and has no health issues other than a tendency to gain weight during hot weather months. For canned foods I only take brands, ingredients, calories, proteins, and GA’s into consideration. I feed whatever recipe fits the bill regardless of what is on the label, puppy, small/large breed, Sr., etc. I try to feed foods with a fat to protein ratio of 50% or less; equal calories coming from fat and protein or more from protein than fat. For example, a recipe that is 4% fat and 8% protein would be ideal for him, 7% fat – 8% protein not so much. Some of the f-p ratios I feed can be up to 70% which is okay at this time since I rotate foods.

My budget foods are Tractor Supply Company 4Health – Turkey & Sweet Potato, Beef & Veg stews, or Sr. Chicken & Rice recipes, Triumph Puppy or Turkey recipes, BJ’s Earth’s Pride Chicken & Rice, and Wal-Mart Pure Balance Stews.

Here are some brands to check out that I currently feed or have fed:
Blue Buffalo Home-style, by Nature (no 95% recipes), California Natural, Canidae Pure Sky or Foundations, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Eagle Pack, Halo Spot’s Stew or Spot’s Choice recipes, Holistic Select, Hill’s Ideal Balance stews, Lotus, Nature’s Recipe canned or tubs, Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed recipes, Precise, Purina Pro Plan Natural recipes, Purina Beyond, Red Barn stews, Tiki Dog, Wellness – Core, Simple, Complete Health, or Stew recipes, and Weruva Human Style or Dogs in the Kitchen recipes only (Kobe/Kurobuta recipes are canned by Evanger’s).

Low fat recipes; most are available at my local stores. I order Life’s Abundance from their website. Generally I find stews to be higher in protein and lower in fat, but not always. These are between 12-20% fat and below 25% carbs on a dry matter basis using their label info:
Fromm’s Shredded Beef
I and Love and You Stews
Life’s Abundance Turkey & Shrimp or Chic & Crab stews
Nature’s Recipe Pure Essentials LID GF Chic/Broth or GF Lamb/Broth
Nature’s Recipe Pure Essentials tubs LID Duck or LID Venison
Nature’s Recipe tubs GF Chic & Duck in broth or GF Chic & Venison in broth
Nature’s Recipe tubs Chicken in broth or Chic & Turkey in broth
Nature’s Recipe GF Chic & Turkey stew or Chic & Venison Stew
Purina Beyond GF stews
Red Barn Beef Stew
Tiki Dog – Kauai Luau, Lahaina Luau, Maui Luau, or Tonga Luau recipes
Weruva – Marbella Paella, Bed & Breakfast, or Paw Lickin’ Chicken recipes
Wellness Core Weight Management

These are 22-25% fat and below 25% carbs DMB:
Halo Sr. Beef
Merrick Golden Years Medley
Nutro Natural Choice LID Sr.
Precise Holistic Pork w/veg in gravy
Red Barn Chic, Turkey, or Steak & Egg stews
Wal-Mart Pure Balance stews
Wellness Stews

Here are some freeze dried/frozen commercial raw and dehydrated foods I feed. I use the same guidelines for these foods:
I and Love and You dehydrated Turkey (I also want to try the Beef and Chicken)
Nature’s Variety Raw Frozen Beef, Lamb, and Venison
Primal FD Turkey & Sardine, Frozen Venison, and frozen Turkey & Sardine
Stella & Chewy’s FD Chicken

Here is some info you might find helpful:
/choosing-dog-food/canned-or-dry-dog-food/
/dog-feeding-tips/how-much-dog-food/
/canine-nutrition/low-fat-dog-food/
/choosing-dog-food/dry-matter-basis/
/choosing-dog-food/raw-dog-food-fat/
http://www.dogaware.com/diet/freshfoods.html
Carb calculator:
http://www.scheyderweb.com/cats/catfood.html

[Pitlove]

Hi Marina-

Its very imperitive to know that large breeds (like GSD’s) have extremely strict dietary requirements from 8 weeks of age to about 10 months of age. Their calorie intake must be monitered closely to ensure they are not gaining excess weight and they need to be fed a diet with correct levels of calcium and a correct calcium to phosphorus ratio. Keeping all of these things in check can reduce your puppies risk of diseases like Pano, OCD, and Hip Dysplasia.

Not all Large Breed Puppy foods are correctly formulated for large breed’s because there is no actual regulation on that phrase and it ends up being up to the company to decide what a large breed puppy needs nutritionally. This is very scary if the company has no clue what they are doing.

Some foods that I know do meet these criteria are Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy, Precise Holistic Complete Large/Giant Breed Puppy, Holistic Select Large Breed Puppy, WellnessCORE Puppy and Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy which is rated 4 stars on here and is probably closer in cost to Iams (not 100% sure on that though). I would personally recommend the first 2 over the others, my top pick being Fromm.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 4 months ago by Pitlove.

[CircaRigel]

Carolyn,
Congratulations on your puppy! I’ve not known a Golden Mountain Doodle, but having known some Bernese Mountain Dogs, a Newfiedoodle, and a number of golden and labradoodles, and based on my experiences with them, I think you’re in for a wonderful experience!

I would hesitate to feed Wellness right now (or Eagle Pack, Holistic Select, or Old Mother Hubbard). All of the kibbles made by Wellpet right now contain green tea extract, which a number of studies has shown can cause liver toxicity in dogs. While the amount in the foods is probably not enough to have much of a toxic effect, those studies were on grown dogs, and puppies may react differently. Prior to my discovering this, I had tried to make a slow transition to Wellness for my own puppy, and he developed diarrhea immediately, even though he only had a couple of tablespoons of the food with his first meal. I had thought it perhaps just a simple sensitivity, until I looked at other Vine reviews of it on Amazon (I occasionally review things on Amazon in their Vine program- the items are random, and from time to time they offer a quality dog food I wish to try Galen on). Approximately 10% of the dogs that tested it on Vine became ill, in two cases, extremely ill. After I did some checking, I found the research showing the toxicity (several studies were stopped early because of it), and also discovered that all of the WellPet foods have green tea extract.

I immediately switched Galen to Canidae Large and Giant breed puppy at that time (which I chose on my own, based on ingredients, calcium/phosphorus levels, and the inclusion of probiotics et. al- not something I was sent for review purposes). He also gets Tripett green beef tripe (which naturally contains digestive enzymes, which are beneficial to digestion and nutrient absorption). For treats, he gets Sojos freeze dried raw lamb and Natural Balance Potato and Kangaroo Limited Ingredient dog food (another thing I was sent a sample of, but is too expensive for me to actually use as his primary food). I also give him an occasional raw beef soup bone.

Now that he’s 8 months old, I’ve transitioned him to Canidae Grain Free Pure Sea, which also has the highest ratings on Dog Food Advisor. At this age, they can properly metabolize calcium, so it’s not as imperative to keep levels so low. There has also been some recent research among giant breed breeders and vets that suggests they may also do better being weaned directly to an adult food- but one that meets the calcium/phosphorus recommendations for large and giant breed puppies. They say that the extra calories in the puppy foods tend to be empty calories, and that the adult foods may have greater nutritional benefit, ounce for ounce.

Hope this helps!
Belinda

[mountainhound]

Our store is discontinuing Merrick cans due to Purina buyout so I’m looking for a replacement thats similar in texture (chunky/soupy with vegetables) and similar price range , between $2-3 a can. Obviously a company with no recalls or made by big food like Purina, Nestle, Proctor Gamble etc, Also, no wellness, holistic select or blue buffalo.

Thanks!