[Susan]

I see, so you also would need a lower protein food aswell, as alot of the kibbles that are grainfree are high protein also.. The Holistic Select has the Weight Management ‘Chicken meal & peas” the fiber-9% & fat-7.50% & 10.50% Protein-21% Holistic Select is also money back guaranteed if it makes him poop or wont eat… http://www.holisticselect.com have a look at the Guaranted Analysis & see if its nilly the same in fat% Protein% & fiber% as the R/C….. you may have to email H/S to get the dietary fiber % as they only have to put certain % on their kibble bag.. Good-luck..

[Susan]

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

[Susan]

Just becareful he doesnt get the runs from the cocnut oil, Ive never used it but any oils can go thru them, so slowly introduce the oil also do you have an Aldis they sell tin sardines in spring water real cheap or local supermaket may also sell sardines in spring water.. I get 3 tins plastic wrap together for $2 at Woolworths..mix a couple in with his chow food until the Holistic Select comes or use as a treat..I hate the smell but the cat loves them so does Patch….

[Naturella]

Christina – good luck with Holistic Select, really hope it works! But do rotate proteins too! 🙂

And I second Sue – when he is on a good food, you will see him shine – the coconut oil will help too – I was shocked at Bruno’s shine after a small bag of Blue Buffalo Wilderness and a lot of THK Beams – I didn’t even realize he wasn’t shiny before that, lol!

As for the coconut oil – glad you have found the good, unrefined stuff! Make sure you give him small (1tsp-1tbs/day) but regular doses. You can give it daily – for Bruno, I give it every other day. I am sure he would eat the whole jar if I just let him, lol, but it would be much better to do it slower but more regularly, plus, I think he may “OD” on the fats, lol (JK, but I can’t imagine that a whole jar would be good, lol).

And lastly, as for the transition – it is indeed good to add plain yoghurt with lots of probiotic strains (I use Dannon Plain and Stoneyfield Organic), or plain Kefir. Also canned plain pumpkin is good too. You can add a spoonful of each with his canned and kibble and alternate at feeding times. Or add both, whichever.

[Christina K]

I ordered the Holistic Select in the anchovy, salmon flavor. Until then, I’ll be feeding him chicken so that I don’t have to give him any more of the Dog Chow. Hopefully the transition goes well, I really don’t want to get anything too close to Dog Chow since it is so terrible. I also think I saw that the Holistic Select comes in a canned food, so I might do a mixture of dry and canned. I’m sure that he would enjoy it.

I also managed to fined the THK Beams on Amazon, so I got those too. Until then, I have some fruit based treats that the Pet Smart employees recommended. He seems to like them, and they certainly haven’t made anything worse.

I’m going grocery shopping tonight, so I’ll look for the Coconut Oil. I’m assuming that I’ll be able to find it in the organic section.

[Susan]

With the Elimination diet you must only give the 1 food for at least 2 weeks, my vet said 1 month, but I saw Patches reaction within 2-3 days after giving sweet potatoes, you cannot give any ather foods, nothing else, no treats, no oils nothing, then if ur dog isnt scratching or has diarrhea then you add another food like rice or I added pumkin, its very hard & takes time, Ive stopped at the Chicken, pumkin, boiled egg, bannana, But if u can afford the Holistic Select this is an excellent kibble the Anchovy, Sardine & Salmon, meal for scratching & itchy skin, its the best seller at our Pet Barn with the itchy dogs, I cant use that flavour as my boy has Pancreatitis so Ive got Patch on the Senior, Holistic Select cause the fat is low 10%..then when his itch clears up, Holistic Select has Duck Meal, Lamb & Rice meal & Chicken & rice they also have a grainfree turkey & lentils. you can rotate feeds so when 1 bag has finished buy him a new flavour & see how he goes the Duck kibble is just duck as the protein so is the lamb meal so if ur dog does have any food allergies but its rare for dogs to have food allergis only 5% of dogs, but stay away from the high carbs potatoe, sweet potato, rice is OK its a low Gi carb its a good carb.. it gets complacated, so Ive been just sticking with the Holistic Select & Patches Vet Pescription kibble as he has a few health problems & he’s been doing good with his skin, stomach & bowels, I dont want to push it…Good-Luck hope Chance is looking beautiful & shinning in a month, you watch his fur after being on a good premium food..he’ll shine…

[Naturella]

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

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

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

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

[Susan]

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

[Susan]

I didnt notice that you said can wet, the kibbles I said do do wet tin foods, the Holistic Select senior has the least fat% always look at the fat% & slowly reduce the amount ur giving…..I wish my boy had to lose weight, he has the opposite problem cant hold his weight from having Pancreatitis..I cook pumkin & boiled chicken breast u might want to do raw chicken breast take skin off any of the chicken meats if you use, this keeps the weight off as thats what Patch has for breakfast & has lost more weight also I give rice cake biscuits as treats there’s no fat in these oh & some dehydrated apple & banana as treats…

[Susan]

I also do what Gizmo Mom does for breakfast but also use a vet prescription kibble (Eukanuba) mixed with Holistic Select kibble Senior for dinner as Im having touble keeping Patches weight on with the Pancreatits….

[Susan]

Best way to lose weight is to reduce their kibble & heaps of walks.. People on here love Wellness Core reduced fat grainfree but I dont like how high the fiber is 8.5%, full of potatoes,Wellness also has in their Complete Health range “Healthy weight Deboned Chicken & Peas” & the fiber is only 6%…I like Holistic Select made by the same company Wellpet called “Weight management Chicken meal & peas” doesnt have potatoes like the Core does but the fiber is also high at 9%….when the fiber is high means there’s alot of fillers to keep them feeling full.. http://www.wellnesspetfood.com

[Naturella]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Susan]

Have you tried the Holistic Select Senior chicken meal kibble it breaks up easy, not to hard on their digestion & the fat is 10%.. My boy has Chronic Pancreatitis & IBD, Im mixing this kibble with his vet prescription kibble at the moment but I boil chicken breast & I boil butternut Pumkin sometimes I’ll boil an egg as well,, I put the chicken breast, pumkin & boiled egg into a mini food processor & mush it all together my boy loves it, I give this at breakfast as that’s when Patch seems to be in pain of a morning then I do kibble lunch & dinner..Ive read that pumkin is good for their tummy & bowel, dont use to much pumkin.. I give Patch about 2 tablespoons of pumkin with about 1 cup of shreaded cooked chicken…at first his poo was a bit soft I could tell it was the pumkin as the poo was orange but over time his poos firmed up again..also oats are suppost to be soothing on their tummy, the Holistic Select kibble has oats in it..Ive been too scared to try the Coconut oil at this time maybe latter.. my cat loves the pumkin & chicken as well I’ve never seen him at the front door as much as now Ive been cooking for Patch..also I give banana & some apple for treats..

[Susan]

Vets probably see results when a dog or cat is sick when givin Prescription diets, so they like the prescription diets..I dont like my boy being on his Eukanuba Intestinal but it was & is the only kibble that has helped with his IBD, Pancreatitis & his seasonal itchy skin..but I’ve been adding Hoilistic Select kibble with his Eukanuba Intestinal.. I want to take him off his prescription diet fully but Im worried he’ll get real sick again & I can hear my vet telling me not to give him anything else for 1 year we need his bowel to heal, I thought, 1 year, Ive not listen to her & we ended up back at the vets last December…If your dog is getting better on the vet diet think of him & not what everyone is doing on this site, then slowly when summer is over slowley start & mix the vet diet with another good kibble & see if he starts having his health problems again..thats what Im doing, we are Autumn here in Australia & Patches skin is stable at the moment, no scratching no itchy ears, so Im going to increase the Holistic Select & see if his itch starts again fingers X..

[Susan]

Did you have a skin scrapping to see if it was mites or yeast infection, it should of went away if it was mites & treated properly be now, my friends white staffy was real bad, real red skin & hairless in the end, she was put on vet prescription diets that didnt help, in the end she was put on Holistic Select Adult health Anchovys Sardines & salmon meal this helped her & she looks beautiful know…Holistic Select have a grainfree puppy Anchovys Sardines & salmon meal but it has potatoes in it…. they have just released a new grainfree called ‘Deboned Turkey & Lentils recipe’ that has NO Potatoes..Its worth a try or the Adult Health Anchovys Sardines & salmon meal.. you have to also treat the outside..I bath Patch every 5-7 days with Medicated Malaseb shampoo & I use a hyrocortisone cream as I dont like medications.. The best is an elimination diet that way u’ll know what makes him scratch, he may not have food allergies, he may suffer from eviornment allergies, or flea allergies, have you googled ‘Atopic dematitis in dogs’..also keep a diary, write when he’s real itchy, what foods he was eating at the time & over the years u’ll start to see a pattern, patch has seasonal allergies worst summer & the end of summer Autumn..also he may need an Anthisimine Patch was put on Iramine 8mg tablets theyre a dog anthisimine not human..maybe find a new vet, I see one vet for Patches skin then the other vet for Patches tummy & bowel they are both in the same surgury but sometimes some vets specialise more in certain areas, well thats what Ive found, Sue’s better with Patches skin & Johnathan is excellent when it comes to Gastro & stomach problems..Give the Holistic Select a try http://www.holisticselect.com

[Suburban Gal]

Blue Buffalo is actually a really good food.

If you’re going to go with Blue Buffalo, then I highly recommend their Wilderness line. I’ve fed that for many years to my last dog, a white German Shepherd named Lexi, and never had any problems with their Wilderness line. We’ve tried several foods with her (Wellness, Natural Balance, Holistic Select to name a few) and found Blue Buffalo’s Wilderness to be a very top notch food. I wouldn’t suggest anything else in their line (Life Protection, Freedom, Basics, etc…) other than their Wilderness line. It’s the absolute best of what they carry.

[Bobby dog]

I can’t compete with Akari, I just picked up one Wellness and one Holistice select canned food for my cats at $1.00 off/each.

FYI:
coupons.com has the following coupons posted:
$4.00 off any Nature’s Recipe (Petsmart) dry 4 lbs. or larger
$2.00 off any Nutro Ultra dry 4 lbs. or larger
B3G1 free Nutro Ultra Boost trays
$1.50 off 5 Iams Woof Delights

[Susan]

Hi, is Holistic Select cheaper then Wellness as they are made by the same company, Wellpet, they have a new kibble I read called Turkey & lentils grainfree, also Holistic Select has the Grainfree Adult & puppy, thats if you want a grainfree, I prefer the Adult Duck meal or the adult lamb meal & the Senior Chicken meal , its not grainfree has rice & oats, I found the Holistic Select is easier to digest as its Hydrolyised protein. Ive tried the Australian Nutro natural choice Chichen & rice & the Lamb & rice but the Australian Nutro ingredents are different to the American Nutro, my dog loved it but it was a very hard kibble & gave Patch stomach acid, so that went back to the shop for a refund but his poos were good..also I didnt like how it had salt added..

[Mom2Cavs]

sue66b, just a question….I love Holistic Select, too. How did you find out that the protein is hydrolyzed? I’ve never heard or read this before. Thanks.

[Susan]

Poor girl, sounds like Colitis, my poor boy was having colitis last year, I have him on a low fat diet now, I prefer Holistic select to wellness, they are made by the same company Wellpet but the Holistic select protein is Hydrolized making it easier to digest, I found the wellness kibbles too hard & my boy couldnt digest them…I have my boy on the Senior health chicken meal & rice, its only 10% fat, I mix this with my boys vet prescription diet & use the Holistic select as treats as well..my boy is only 5 years old but I dont think it matters that its a senior diet, Ive check out everything & the only difference is the glucosamine is higher so is the protein but the fat is the lowest something that is needed for Colitis & Pancreatitis.. Hope she gets well soon..

[TheNaturalDog]

Holistic Select does have a grain-free, poultry-free kibble. It is fish-based (salmon, anchovies, and sardines.)

[Suburban Gal]

Blue Buffalo is actually a really good food.

If you’re going to go with Blue Buffalo, then I highly recommend their Wilderness line. I’ve fed that for many years to my last dog, a white German Shepherd named Lexi, and never had any problems with their Wilderness line. We’ve tried several foods with her (Wellness, Natural Balance, Holistic Select to name a few) and found Blue Buffalo’s Wilderness to be a very top notch food. I wouldn’t suggest anything else in their line (Life Protection, Freedom, Basics, etc…) other than their Wilderness line. It’s the absolute best of what they carry.

[Susan]

I rescued my boy just over 1 year ago & he too has bowel, tummy & skin problems..For some reason corn must bind them more, Patch is on vet prescrition Eukanuba Intestinal since last August when vets said he has IBD, it has corn also, I found the Eukanuba heaps better then Hills & Royal Canin … His skin stopped being itchy, no more diarrhea, the Hills & Royal Canin never helped him…This Janurary I’ve been slowing adding different foods & different kibbles but so slowly but Ive been cooking the chicken breast boiling it cause of the fat.. also I found that the Nutro natural choice & Holistic Select have been good kibbles with his diarrhea…he also gulps, so Im too scared to give any bones, I dont want to push my luck as he’s pretty stable at the moment, I also have read that raw & kibble is no good but if you give at different times it should be OK, I give cooked for breakfast then do kibble for lunch & dinner, that way he’s getting all his vitamins from his kibbles .. Last year my vet said NO to raw especially when I was giving chicken necks, he said to me, they’re are just bones & fat would you eat bones & fat, I said no….so now I cook chicken breast, pumkin & freeze cause 2 months ago I found out that Patch has Pancreatitis poor thing, last year vets were trying this kibble trying that kibble & all along he needed a low fat kibble we thought it was the fiber being to high but it was the fat % that was too high…
I think for some reason they seem more special when they have been rescued, they have had it tough & are survivors…You’ll work it all out but it does become confusing…. just stay away from the carbohydrates with his skin problems, no potatos or sweet potatos in kibbles..

[Susan]

Paddy, what is a kibble called when it has just 2 grains like the Holistic Select Kibble, is it called holistic, its not called grainfree but its nilly grainfree…

[theBCnut]

Holistic Select also has oatmeal in it.

[Susan]

The Protein is higher in the small breed 36% the ocean is 34% the wild game protein is the same as the ocean 34% maybe that had something to do with the runs, I always look for a kibble that has the same fat % fiber % & protein % with my boy, I like Holistic Select better as their protein fiber & fat the protein is lower then the core, WellPet makes Wellness & the Holistic Select.. I know the holistic Select has a grain in it, rice but I prefer rice over potatos…sometimes these grain free kibble just satisfy the owners & not the dogs…

[Susan]

Stay away from carbohydrates, potatos, sweet Potatos etc that’s why an elmination diet is best, you see within days when a new food is added & it irritaes their skin, with kibbles it’s so hard as there might be just one ingredient that irritates them…My friend had great success with Holistic Select Adult health Duck Meal, now she’s trying the the Adult health Lamb meal but it depends on the dog,

[Suburban Gal]

I used to have cats. Now that I’m a bird owner cats are no longer in the pet equation.

That said, my cat food recommendations are as follows:

-Solid Gold
-ByNature
-Holistic Select

These are the foods I’ve mainly fed my cats and have had pretty good success with.

[Suburban Gal]

Out of all the foods I recommended, I’ve had the best luck with Blue Buffalo’s wilderness line, Holistic Select, and ByNature.

Blue Buffalo is probably the most readily available. Heck, PetSmart has a whole isle devoted to Blue Buffalo.

[Suburban Gal]

I’m NOT against 4, 4½ and 5 star foods, but I’m going to have to agree here with the OP. Many of these foods are very expensive. Then again, they’re expensive because they’re really good foods.

That said, I agree with Naturella. I’d look into Earthborn Holistic. I’m in the process of switching Gizmo, my 7-year-old papillon, from Blue Buffalo to Earthborn Holistic and I just paid less than $40 for a 28 LB bag of food at Pet Supplies Plus. It’s normally $34.98, but I ended up paying $32.98 with my PSP Preferred Pet Club card. Their canned/moist food runs a little over $2 a can/tub.

NutriSource and Taste of the Wild, which crazy4cats recommended, are also worth looking into.

You may also want to look into Chicken Soup, Holistic Select, ByNature, and Blue Buffalo’s wilderness line.

[jgr789]

I bought the Holistic Select Senior and Canine Caviar Special Needs because both fit the Fat/Fiber requirement even though the Canine Caviar is rated only a two star. Not exactly sure why?

I’ve tried the Canine Caviar and at least she’ll eat it so that’s half the battle. I’m tempted to do the rotation thing and try the Holistic Select as the second food. Just nervous about how and when to introduce the new food as she is so picky I’m afraid she won’t like it and might refuse to go back.

Any suggestions?

[Susan]

Well Pet makes Wellness & Holistic Select, I found that my boy preferred the Holistic Select, I dont know why, the Holistic Select has a Puppy Grain free, Like Naturella said the R/C would of had sugars & grains & you’ve gone straight to a grain free kibble, maybe try another kibble that has some grounded rice not fully grain free yet or try another brand with a different flavour that has different ingredients to the puppy core, I noticed the Wellness Puppy Core has potatos, I find kibbles with potatos are harder & harder to digest, thats why I like a kibble with grounded rice instead of potatos..

[Susan]

Hello, Its the bowel that is rumbling not their tummy, My boy was suffering rumbling of the bowel (Tummy) & vet said it was Colitis & he needed a low fat diet, since Ive had Patch on a low crude fat & low fat diet he has not had rumbling of the tummy (Colitis)… Ive also read that dogs that suffer from Colitis, Pancreatitis & IBD are better off not eating kibble as kibble is harder to digest & some kibbles are high in crude fat & very hard, Ive read that dogs are better off on a Raw diet or cooked Diet, I boil chicken Breast boiled pumkin & 1/2 egg & mash it all up so it all digested.. I buy 1 kilo of chicken breast cook then freeze, I also do the same with the pumkin, I cut up in small pieces boil then freeze, the egg I boil every second day & just take out the chicken pumkin frim freezer the night before, I still give Patch his kibble at night only but its a low residue kibble made by Eukanuba called Intestinal it breaks up easy, but if ur in America they dont sell this vet diet, its called Iams but the ingredients are different not as good as the Eukanuba Intestinal..If you dont want to cook maybe look for a lower crude fat kibble that’s not as hard, I found if the kibble has Potato or sweet potato the kibble will be hard also the grainfree kibble seem to be very hard. Just add some water to a couple of kibbles in a glass & wait 1 minute then see if u can they crush the kibble inbetween 2 spoons. A good kibble should just break up.. I found the Holistic Select adult health kibbles aren’t hard when water is added they soften within 1 minutue then I drain the water this has also helped Patch..

[Sarah Y]

Hey there…I am posting in the grain free thread in the editors forum too. So, I called Blue and asked about Blue Wilderness senior and their senior red meat formula. I asked what their as fed phorphorus level was in their foods and they kept saying they target the guaranteed analysis. I asked if that was “as fed” levels and they said yes. I’m not sure that’s accurate? I sort of felt like I was getting the run around. I explained I called other pet food companies and they all gave me “as fed” numbers and all they were telling me is they target as close to the guaranteed analysis as much as possible.

I found that very strange. I also found that Holistic select senior has 1.42% phosphorus, that’s double what the website says 🙁

[Sarah Y]

Well I called Holistic select and their bag of senior food says not less than .70% but the actual phosphorus is 1.42. I have to say I was pretty shocked. I wasn’t expecting that. Their duck formula is .99%. The food I’m feeding now is wellness complete health senior and that’s .85%. Anyway, thanks for the advice on calling…glad I did that!

[Susan]

When health problems start with dogs the dog tells us, if she just wants wet food, I’d give her wet food instead of kibble..Kibble is hard & its harder to digest, maybe its not agreeing with her like it once did when she was younger, My boy has Chronic Pancreatitis it took me 6 months & another vet to find out he had Pancreatitis.. but I notice when I give him his cooked chicken breast pumkin & egg for breakfast he’s happier, playing being naughty but when he has his kibble he’s a different dog quiet doesnt play & looks miserable…then I read that kibble isnt good for dogs with Pancreatitis they need softer foods, foods that are easier to digest.. Im not saying ur girl has Pancreatitis, she may need something that’s easier to digest now ..Wellness has a good Senior wet food called Complete Health, its low in fat & good protein.. Also Holistic Select has a good Senior health kibble that is low in fat & fiber & has Glucosaimine she’ll need for her bones…as dogs get older they need less fiber & fat & more protein..

[Susan]

Well Pet makes Wellness & Holistic Select, the Holistic Select Grain free Puppy is suppost to be very good it has 4.5 stars, The Holistic Select Duck meal & Lamb meal is a hydrolized kibble so it goes nice & soft within 1 minute when you add a bit of water… I then quickly drain… They also have a good selection of wet & dry foods if you want to rotate between proteins… http://www.holisticselect.com/recipes.aspx?…

[Susan]

Try another kibble without Potatoe & see if he gets bored maybe he’s sick of the Potatos, try a ground rice kibble like ‘Holistic Select’, Holistic Select has a good range of kibbles that you can rotate keeping him happy at Breakfast & dinner..they do have a grain free but it has Potatos….

[Susan]

‘Holistic Select’ Senior Health Chicken & Rice, Fat-10% fiber-3.50%, when I looked at the Guarenteed Analysis the only thing was the Gluosamine was higher then the other flavours but the fiber was good only 3.50% & the fat is nice & low for Pancreatitis my vet said he likes dogs with Pacreatitis to be under 9% fat I cant find a kibble that low only the vet prescription diets..I want to try this one next

[Naturella]

Sarah, true, I was looking at the BB Wilderness Senior Red Meat formula, which has lower protein and lower phosphorus than the Senior Chicken formula. The Red Meat one has the same phosphorus as the Holistic Select Senior. And I see about the protein. I supplement with raw and canned every once in a while, so Bruno’s protein amounts vary a bit, but he seems to be okay with it.

Also, keep us posted on how Holistic Select goes for your dogs. I would get a smaller bag first, to see if they would even eat it, and if there are any digestive issues with it before I go for the bigger bag.

[Sarah Y]

ok thanks for your help. I am not looking for lower protein necessarily, but more moderate. Why? I guess because I have never fed them a food higher than 33% (wellness core reduced fat formula). So I didn’t want to go high because they just never had it. Not because I avoided it, but just because. I hope that makes sense.

I may try the holistic select because it appears to be a little less money and is lower in phosphorus than the regular BB wilderness senior formula.

Again, appreciate you taking the time to read all that too!

[Naturella]

Also, looking at the Blue Buffalo Wilderness profile, I would consider it moderate protein, as I always try to feed 30%+ protein diets, and the fat level and phosphorus level fit your needs. Like I said in the Blue Buffalo thread, it is more so the company that mishandled the recall, not that the food is horrible. My dog, and 2 other dogs that I know personally have done great on it, so I would feed it again. You can definitely try it and make sure you do a good slow transition, but if your dogs seem to have an issue with it, it may just not be their cup of tea. Added glucosamine and chondroitin, which is great for joint health. 410 kcal/cup.

As for the Holistic Select Senior, it also looks pretty good – decent grains, and I like the added glucosamine for joint health – a little more than in BB Wilderness, but no chondroitin. 368 kcal/cup. Fat and protein are both less than BB Wilderness Senior, phosphorus is the same. Looks like a good food to me.

So it is up to you, you can try both if you want. I would definitely suggest using the calculator tool posted above to know how much approximately to feed inactive dogs.

[theBCnut]

I’ve heard good things about Holistic Select. I think it would be worth a try.

[Sarah Y]

What do you think of Holistic Select (in particiular the senior or duck)? It has grains and I’m considering it over the blue buffalo wildnerness senior. I like that it’s lower in phosphorus, moderate protein and fat. It might just work for my two seniors and it seems a bit cheaper too!

• This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by Sarah Y.

[Sarah Y]

So, maybe it doesn’t have to be senior food. I’m getting a bit overwhelmed and quite honestly, I’m sure i’m overthinking things too much. I’m a dog mom who loves her furbabies.

I have two seniors eating wellness complete health senior dry food (rated 3.5). I started feeding them that because one of my beagles had a couple of blood tests showing elevated BUN levels and she has a history of low specific gravity results. Now does my dog have renal issues? The vet isn’t sure because the last two or three tests have been normal. So, she has sort of said she may have some renal insufficiencies. That is sort where we are.

So I was looking for foods .7, .8, or no higher than .9 phosphorus, that was moderate in protein, low in fat based on the fact that both aren’t as active as they used to be. Both seniors are not as active as they used to be. They do go on walks every morning and evening and keeping their weights in check is always something I have to close monitor, but they don’t play like they used to.

I had pretty much decided on the Blue Buffalo wildnerness senior formula, and possibly the new red meat formula. I’m on the fence now because it seems that opinions are the food is overpriced for what’s in it (marketing) and it may not be as good a food as I thought. I wanted to go grain free because I am noticing a little bit of digestion issues over the last few months. From some of your wonderful feedback, I’m beginning to learn that grain free isn’t always best either. I’m willing to go with grains, but I’m still not educated enough to know what are good grains. From what I have learned, its looking for foods rich in meat? That sort of balances out some grains? I hope I am getting that right. Someone at our local pet store (pet valu) suggested holistic select senior as it’s moderate in protein and fat and low in phosphorus. Is this a good food even though it has grains?

So anyway, I would love some thoughts or feedback….

• This topic was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by Sarah Y.
• This topic was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by Sarah Y.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Just to clear up some confusion –

The Editor’s Choice list is comprised of companies, not of foods. We chose to take a holistic view of the companies themselves when determining who made the list and who didn’t – obviously the quality of their products factors in. It’s very possible that a company could have a few formulas that have received slightly lower ratings – such as 3 or 3.5 stars – and still make the list. In fact, there are very few companies out there they don’t have a least a formula or two that have received lower ratings. If you take any 5 star food from the review section and look at all of the formulas the company produces, 9 times out of 10 there will be at least one or two that have received less than 4 stars. Concerning FreshPet specifically – the vast majority of FreshPet’s formulas have received very high ratings and we found them to be a great company, the fact that they have a couple formulas rated 3 or 3.5 stars shouldn’t eliminate them from the running.

Authority and Nutromax are not on the Editor’s Choice list. On the budget friendly list, the foods that are both budget friendly and on the Editor’s Choice list are clearly labeled. The list at the top says “Budget-Friendly Dog Foods That Are Also Editor’s Choice Brands” and the list at the bottom says “Other Budget Friendly Dog Foods.”

If you would like more information on how the companies were selected, visit this article:

/choosing-dog-food/brand-guidelines/

• This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Naturella]

Affordable foods with few red items are Victor Grain Free, Victor Select, and all of the Earthborn Holistic kibbles (grain free and grain inclusive).

[banditsmom]

I’m just about certain, enough so I won’t feed it to my dogs. I’ve seen the same comments on 4 other forums Itchmo, Catster, Chihuahua People and Yorkie talk. I also found it on Truth about Pet Food Petsumer Report from Feb 2013. It said that the canned foods are made at Evangers and the dry foods in Georgia. I only fed Evangers once and my dogs didn’t like it and I didn’t like the rusty cans.
I’m a newbie and knew nothing about Evangers until I read this forum so I decided to look up what I could. I looked up Performance Pet and they own Canine Cattle a company that makes dog & cat food. Performance Pet makes Spring Naturals that was just reviewed and got 4 stars.
I found the comments in 4 different places plus in the Petsumer report. Although there is no factual material to back up the comments they sound reliable and they are repeated more than once.
I also read that the CC Facebook page admits this and names some other companies, Party Animal, Weruva, Addiction & another I forget that use Evangers. I wish I could remember where I saw this but didn’t mark it and I’ve searched and now of course I can’t find it. I am also probably the only one in Mass. who is not on Facebook so I couldn’t look it up.
I feed Weruva so I was not too happy and I called them. They said their Kobe line was manufactured there but that’s all. I also found that same exact info on Itchmo.
Other companies mentioned in my reading were Dave’s , Addiction, Wysong Au Jus, Party Animal, Wild Calling, Great Life and Holistic Select. The info on Holistic Select and Dave’s was from 2010 so things may have changed. I called Dave’s but they said they didn’t give that info out but they denied it. I also called Addiction because I feed that also and they said that their NZ line was manufactured in NZ but the others were manufactured at Evangers.they said they send someone to supervise the whole process. This is exactly what was said on one of the forums.
So, I believe the stuff about CC but I am going to call them and I will let you know what they say. Is it possible for one plant to manufacture all these foods and what is with the rusty cans? Some of the Dave’s cans in our pet store here have the same rust but I haven’t seen it on the Addiction or Weruva cans I’ve bought.

[Susan]

I forgot to mention Grain Free Kibble BUT alot of the Grain free kibbles have Potatoes, the Holistic select just has Grounded White & Brown rice..or the other option is an elimination diet, the dog cant eat anything except 1 food,no treats , thats what Im doing at the moment but Ive speeded it up a bit as the vet wanted just boiled chicken for 1 month, I waited 1 week then added another food pumkin then the next week I added sweet Potatoes & he started his itching & his ears started to stink, so Ive stopped the sweet potatoes, now Ive added half a boiled egg for this week..

[Susan]

Look for kibbles that are low in Carbs, no potatoes or sweet potatoes, on top of page u’ll see reviews click on reviews then in the search bar on ur left put ‘Low Carb Kibbles’…My friend has a white Staffy when he was 6months old he got real bad yeasty itchy skin, vet put him on Vet Prescription kibble that didnt work, she tried the Wellness Complete Health White Fish & Sweet Potatoes recipe that also never help probably cause of the Sweet Potatoes, then she tried Holistic Select Adult Health Anchovy Sardines & Salmon meal dry food & the Holistic Health worked, I seen her the other day & her boy is looking beautiful, no more yeasty itchy skin..I think u’ll just need to try a few kibbles until u find a kibble that suits ur dog, also a good oatmeal based shampoo, its important to have weekly baths after bathing make a rinse half white vinegar & half water in a jug & rinse off with the vinegar + water, this kills the yeast & gets rid of any residue..Also Witch Hazel & Aloe Vera gel, Mix a 3 to 1 solution of the Witch Hazel & Aloe Vera Gel & apply to itchy areas as needed, Witch Hazel helps temporarily stop the itchiness & kill the bacteria while the Aloe Vera helps cool the skin & speed up the healing process.. Also A good Probiotic this helps fight yeast infections..