[RescueDaneMom]

If I had to rank commercial foods in order of preference, I would say raw first, then dehydrated/freeze-dried, then kibble. Primal and Stella & Chewy’s make complete and balance raw formulas. Darwin’s is also complete and balanced plus they ship right to your door (you can’t buy it in a store). For dehydrated food, I like The Honest Kitchen. Grandma Lucy’s is similar but freeze-dried instead of dehydrated. If you want kibble, then I agree that Orijen is one of the best kibbles you could feed.

I feed my Great Dane (also a rescue) a 50/50 mix of The Honest Kitchen and commercial raw. I try to rotate as many different brands and proteins of raw as I can. I use Primal, Stella & Chewy’s, Tucker’s, Vital Essentials, and Genesis Raw (local to FL). I do keep a small bag of Orijen Adult on hand for when I forget to thaw out raw or I’m in a hurry.

If I were you, I would try to locate a small, independent pet store or pet boutique. They tend to carry the quality kibbles and also raw/dehydrated foods. They will usually special order things for you as well.

I hope this helps and good luck!

[Nina Z]

My dog recently had another bout of vomiting/diarrhea (both at the same time this time) so I decided to take the plunge and have her tested for allergies. Her results came back and her food choices are super limited, as she tested borderline to potatoes, beets, and peas (among the more common beef, wheat, etc). Thankfully, the only protein she was definitely allergic to was pork.

My question is, should I follow the food recommendations given to me or can I fudge a little with the peas/potatoes/beets? The options given to me were AvoDerm, Pinnacle, and California Naturals, along with prescription diets. I would probably go with the Pinnacle if I had to, but I really don’t want to go with any of them. The other choice I have is Honest Kitchen Thrive, but I was really hoping to get a kibble for cost/convenience.

Any suggestions? Any other foods that don’t include peas/potatoes/beets that other people are feeding? I could also live with a mix of the HK and Pinnacle, using the kibble as treats or something I suppose.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Cindy q-

First of all, have you had a fecal test at the vets yet? Sometimes parasites and worms can be the cause of loose stools. So, please rule that out first. Also try cutting back on the food a little. Maybe her growth has slowed down and does not need quite as much food any longer. Then… Have you tried adding any type of supplement to help? If neither one of the two first recommendations work, you could try to add supplements. I’ve used Perfect Form made by The Honest Kitchen, Gastriplex made by Thorne, Vetri-Pro BD made by Vetri Science, Fruitables Pumpkin Digestive Supplement and other digestive enzymes and probiotics that have helped. A website that was helpful to me when I was having these issues is dogaware.com. I wish you luck!

[pfeiner]

I have fed Tripett – I believe I got it from Chewy.com, cans are easy. The Honest Kitchen and Darwin’s sells frozen green tripe and they ship.

[InkedMarie]

I haven’t seen a canned food that is soft after refrigeration. They aren’t cheap but you pay for quality: look at dehydrated foods. The Honest Kitchen is smoother consistency, a Grandma Lucy’s is chunkier. There are others but I’ve only used these.

[Jule S]

I would nominate Honest Kitchen and/or Smack Pet food

[pugmomsandy]

The Honest Kitchen’s Zeal formula does not have chicken. It was an Editor’s Choice in March. Orijen has the 6 Fish formula which is just fish. Acana Singles doesn’t have chicken, I think. Also limited ingredient diets tend to have chicken-free options like Nature’s Variety Instinct. Currently, Merrick’s Whole Earth Farms has a poultry-free formula along with Castor & Pollux. Nutrisource grain free Seafood Select and PureVita.

[LexiDog]

Since Millie doesn’t really care for dry kibble, look into Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance Chicken and The Honest Kitchen Zeal formulas. There are a very few frozen raw formulas but they are hard to find and tend to be expensive. I’m not a huge fan of Bravo! but hey have a turkey formula that does not have a lot of fat. Primal has Venison and Rabbit that are low for raw but I find these to be expensive. Good luck! Let us know how things work out.

[aquariangt]

I’ll second M2C, meal time feeding may help force her to eat if it isn’t available at all times.

Switching foods may help keep things interesting, more expensive to buy many small bags, yes, but could be effective. If you don’t want to go straight canned, maybe a dehydrated food? Honest Kitchen, Sojos, etc… may be a good fit for her. And if you really want her to graze, you could feed that at meal times, slightly less than you should, and keep the kibble for grazing.

[Molzy]

My cat has been on a raw diet for the past two years. He was on canned with water mixed in previously, and has been on the Natures variety chicken medallions since then. I can feed him (9lb, 4 year old male) for less than $1 a day (I get 48 medallions for $17, would be even cheaper if I did the parties or chubs but the medallions are SO convenient!).

I mush his food with water the same as I did his canned food. He was easy to convert, but I’ve heard cats can be extremely difficult. He won’t touch the Honest Kitchen trials I bought him. He will still eat canned and dry (he only gets that when I have to travel overnight).

I started him on raw after he got a UTI. He has gotten one since then, when we moved last year (his are definitely stress induced), but the raw seems to help and his coat and teeth are great!

I think commercial raw might be a good way to start and try to transition, and I think you can usually get a $3 coupon on the natures variety website for new customers.

I also have a fountain…he doesn’t really use it much, I think because I add water to all of his meals (3 a day). But I keep the fountain since I have seen him drink from it occasionally.

[LexiDog]

You can also check out Annamaet Lean and Honest Kitchen Zeal. Also, Orijen Senior. I had to throw that in there even though it has a higher fat percentage just because I love Orijen.

[aquariangt]

Are you interesting in dehydrated ? The Honest Kitchen’s Preference looks like it’s safe for you, but would have to add your own meat. The zeal blend looks ok as well, that’s the fish blend.

You could start looking at the list at the beginning of this, but the first few I checked had tomato pomace

[Amy R]

Hey all. I currently feed The Honest Kitchen and I love it for my Shih Tzu. However, he is a Gold/White Parti and is beard is always green even after washing his face after he eats. I’m considering changing his diet to a combination of Merrick dry and Primal Pronto raw. Anyone feeding either of these? If so, how is it working for you?

Thank you, Amy

[Shasta220]

WC is a great kibble, definitely. I know most people on here lean towards premixes, dehydrated foods, and home made diets the most though. (The honest kitchen and See Spot Live Longer are two of the most popular I think)

I honestly am clueless on the teeth chattering. I know some dogs, usually males, do it when they smell something “good”… (Like a girly doggie….), but I’m not sure on other reasons for it. I’m curious to see what others think.

[Chanel]

I agree with you guys and i try to give my maltese fresh cooked (organic) meat like lamb bison or venison, i avoid chicken because they say for maltese is not that good and can give allergies! my problem is im still confuse how much i should give to her or if i could mix with some Honest Kitchen or Orijen the brands i normally use ! so please if you guys could help me with this i appreciate it

[RescueDaneMom]

I wanted to chime in on the THK topic. I have been using it for about 6 years now. I’ve used every formula they make. I recently bought a box of Zeal and didn’t notice any abnormally large alfalfa pieces in it. I just joined recently so I didn’t know they were on the list and subsequently removed from it but I think they deserve to be on it. So I would nominate The Honest Kitchen.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Dave –

Glad to hear your girl is doing better!

It’s great that you’re feeding homemade food! 🙂 In my opinion, feeding a homemade diet is the best thing anyone can do for their pet’s health.

I’d recommend checkout out the book “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet” by Steve Brown and, in the meantime, considering a pre-mix. Some of my favorites are See Spot Live Longer Dinner Mix, The Honest Kitchen’s Preference and Urban Wolf.

[Deborah H]

Have I missed something (I just joined today, April 8th)? The Honest Kitchen was mentioned in this forum as being on the Editor’s Choice list, but I do not see it. Was it removed recently?

I am interested in incorporating at least one raw (or freeze-dried raw) meal each day for my eight-year-old Havanese. There aren’t many raw foods that made this prestigious list.

Any suggestions? I am a little nervous to go raw. Does one have to stop letting their dog give humans “kisses” if they eat a raw diet?

Thanks! It’s great to be among those that (maybe) obsess about their dog’s health as much as I do!

Debbie

[Dori]

Hi Shawna. Thanks so much for seeing my post and responding.
All four of Hannah’s liver values was sky high. Last year at this time of year for her physical only one value was high and that was only 1 or 2 points over the high normal so they didn’t mention it because they didn’t think it was any big deal. This year is total different. This year is also when I switched all the girls to all commercial raw for ever meal. I was occasionally rotating in THK Zeal and/or Preference. Katie developed intolerance to alfalfa so I stopped THK. (Katie is the poop eater and though I’m vigilant about being the human pooper scooper, if I’m out and my husband just opens the door and lets them out in the yard. Doesn’t pick up after them. Too be fair, he has macular degeneration pretty bad and probably really doesn’t see it too pick up). Their diet has been Answers, Darwins, Stella & Chewy’s, Primal Pronto, Vital Essentials. As you know all very high proteins, higher in fats than I would like but they all seem to be that way. I did try Natures Variety for a bit but I didn’t like anything about it so that was just one bag between the three of them.

Your friend in California. Does she only rotate between Honest Kitchen Preference and Steve Brown’s Dinner Mix and if so, what proteins, fruits and veggies does she add? Did she ever go back to any raw meals solely or always the pre mixes with protein. Why Premix with oats? Do you know what brand or what it is?

Yesterday was a really really bad day for me. I tried keeping myself together while Hannah was around but I was near hysterical and stressed beyond belief yesterday. If I wasn’t crying I was shaking. I spent almost all day on the computer yesterday trying to digest as much info as I could. The more I read the more nervous I got. I dropped Hannah off this morning (after fasting 12 hours) and just picked her up. They’ll have results back tomorrow afternoon. They were just checking liver at today. They did not want to test for Cushings today because they felt that we needed to take one step at a time. All four doctors in the practice spoke with me today and explained that the Cushing’s test needs to be given medication first (steroids???), and because of the fasting then feeding fatty food and then rest and retesting for the liver test that felt that would interfere with true bloodwork for Cushing’s test and wouldn’t be accurate. Sounds logical. So one step at a time. Depending what they find with results of tests for both liver and Cushing’s they’ll do a liver ultrasound. Best case scenario it’s something that they can reverse levels with food and Sam-E type prescription product. Worse case scenario could be tumor or cancer of the liver. At her age it would be a matter of keeping her comfortable. She’s certainly too old for surgery, chemo, radiation or anything else that goes along with it.

They did tell me no more rabies vaccines for her (unfortunately she had one on Friday during her yearly physical) and definitely no more HW preventative, Sentinel, for her either.

So I’m interested in knowing more about your friend in California and what she fed along with the premixes. That’s the one thing I want to work on immediately. I certainly don’t want to have to put her on one of their prescribed foods so I’m trying to get a jump on getting and ordering whatever I need to change her diet to. This has come as a shock to me. All the issues with her I could justify with other problems she has like loss of hair would be hypothyroid. No jumping on furniture and trembling loss of hind leg muscles and weakness I attributed it to mid spine degenerated discs. One thing I do know is that she is drinking enormous amounts of water.

I’d appreciate any guidance you can give me.

[crazy4cats]

Oh, you are right, Betsy, they have a new April list and The Honest Kitchen is not on it any longer. Wow! Didn’t realize they would be updating monthly. Good catch.

[Shawna]

Hey Dori,

I didn’t read through all the posts so I don’t know what all was said. And I don’t know which liver values were high but I have an interesting story.

My girlfriend in California has five toy breed dogs (your babies remind me of hers). I’ll have to show you a picture of them privately some time… Anywho, she has fed raw to her dogs as long as I’ve known her (but she added a premix with oats in it). None of her dogs had any typical allergy symptoms but I convinced her to switch to The Honest Kitchen Preference in rotation with Steve Brown’s Dinner Premix. Shortly after doing it she took one of her babies to the vet and her liver enzymes were through the roof. I have a copy of her blood work in my email if I can find it. She discussed changes that had been made with her vet and her vet told her to stay the course with the new diet. Her vet, by the way, is Dr. Jean Dodds… 🙂

Although her liver enzymes were crazy high pup started having changes for the positive — mostly behavioral. She came out of her shell in a REALLY big way.. My friend would report to me almost on a daily basis new things that her baby was doing — jumped on the couch for the first time ever. Slept in bed with us instead of isolating herself in the doggy bed etc. After three or four months and a world of positive changes her liver enzymes finally came down again…

My point, don’t freak out cause it doesn’t always mean something bad. It could be a BIG detox. If it is something like cushings then it can be addressed when it is confirmed. It is important that you stay calm for her sake though as she will be able to pick up on your stress and fear (when I learned of Audrey’s diagnosis I made it a point to only break down when I wasn’t around her). Dr. Becker has a couple good articles on cushings. Dr. Dodds gave another friend of mine some data on cushings that could be helpful if needed. I can contact her on your behalf.

[aquariangt]

The honest kitchen is on there

[Lynn J]

So The Honest Kitchen did’t make the list because of the Parsley recall? Or, is there another reason?

[aquariangt]

Check out the Editor’s Choice April 2014 listing, and read about those companies. They have a little more in depth about what sourcing and chemicals are used in the food. Off the top of my head, The Honest Kitchen would probably be safe to use-it’s not a kibble though.

[Shasta220]

Honestly, I’d think that home made would be best for everyone. You could customize her diet more easily, and home made is much better in general – raw is best, too. There are many premixes out there. The Honest Kitchen is a favorite. Sojos and See Spot Live Longer are dehydrated foods that you add your own meat to, so you could buy a protein source she isn’t allergic to. Sojos isn’t the most complete, so it would be best if rotated out with at least one other.

If you do find a dry food that works, you can always soak it or mix it with a super wet canned food to make it easier to chew. I’d be a little nervous about having only rabbit as a protein source in dry food, as rabbit has zero animal fat (or possibly there’s chicken fat in the ingredient list as well, I haven’t seen it), and I believe that dogs need an amount of animal fat in their diets.

I still think that something home made is definitely best 🙂

• This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by Shasta220.

[Lisa H]

I have a 11, almost 12 year old Westie allergic to chicken, turkey, pork, eggs, wheat, peanuts, brewer’s yeast and go figure, kelp. He also has multiple environmental allergies. Everybody just laughs and says “imagine a Westie in the south with allergies”! This is per blood work done several years ago. He and I don’t find this amusing!
He is beautiful and since I have eliminated these things in his diet he has done much better, but he still has frequent stools, occasional GI issues including diarrhea, vomiting, anorexia etc. Thankfully he consistently tests negative for pancreatitis. He takes 10mg Pepcid /day. He is slightly overweight. His liver is a little enlarged and his liver enzymes are chronically slightly elevated. He has had intermittent anal gland issues.
I give him yogurt, recently started him on FortiFlora and feed him a very restricted diet. He was on Natural Balance LID and canned Wellness (he can only have 2 kinds). He kept getting sick on this. He is now on Solid Gold Hundenflocken which he does not like! I just bought Innova Grain Free Beef and Lamb to try.
Any other suggestions? It is overwhelming trying to find something for him. MOST of the 5 star foods have chicken or turkey in them. My head is about to explode from researching this! I have looked at everything including Honest Kitchen and many other Editor’s Choice top picks. I am very frustrated!
I want to have him on the best food for him, taking in to account his advancing age, his chronic GI issues, his allergies, his liver etc. I want to keep him around as long as possible and keep him happy and healthy. His vet states he looks about half his age despite the above. His teeth are good, his eyes are clear, his skin is good and he is a delight!
Please give me any suggestions. His diet is so limited! Thanks!

[Sarah Y]

thanks cathy…I am sending you positive thoughts for Sprite :-). I’m not ready to make that kind of change yet. I have heard great things about Honest Kitchen but I know it’s expensive too. I think if there are real concerns of kidney disease, I’ll certainly check in to every possible option. Thank you and again good luck to Sprite!

[Cathy W]

Sarah,
I found Shawna’s posts to be most helpful. I am going to stay away from dry food. From everything I have learned so far, no matter how good the protein is when they start, the processing for dry food really takes away from the quality and quality protein is what we are looking for. I am going to use a dehydrated dog food; The Honest Kitchen. Another advantage is the moisture they get once you rehydrate the food. My two dogs absolutely love this food. They were hungry on the first formula I tried and now I have switched to the Embark formula, I add a couple of green beans to it and they seemed satisfied and happy. ( I had started with Force. Would like to use Love formula, but it is more expensive). I can’t say about any changes in BUN yet, but originally three weeks on Force and Sprite’s BUN dropped 3 points.

[Dori]

Hi Marie. I knew about The Honest Kitchen. Since I purchase directly from them they telephoned me before the recall was even posted, there were no actually incidences in any of their food with the parsley so were being pre-emptive. I love those people. Sadly, I won’t be able to feed their food any longer. No, I don’t nor have I ever fed Bravo because of their recall. Never particular felt comfortable with that company anyway. I never knew why I felt that and then they had the recall. Somebody up there was looking out for my girls. Thanks Marie.

Patty. Makes me wonder how many times things have happened with Great Life that never got out. If they kept quiet about a minor issue then my gut tells me this is not the first time they’ve had issues.

[Dori]

Marie, there have been a number of what is known as a “silent recall” through the years and, unfortunately, you have to be googling and constantly researching and get on every dog food recall list on line that you possibly can in hopes that sometimes those in the know get wind of them. That’s what I do, anyway. I don’t rely on any one site for recalls. As you know The Truth About Pets is a really great one. I check that site out every single day as well as others. Anytime I find out about any company or brand that has done that I cross them off my list of foods. I don’t adhere to the thinking that anyone can have a problem so let’s give them another chance. Nope! Any company that has recalls worse, a silent recall, are not getting a chance to injure my girls. I’ve stopped feeding kibble and commercial treats for those reasons. I have been feeding commercial raw and now some home made with supplements and their digestive systems are now strong enough that if a commercial raw food company has minor issues I know they’ll be fine. I don’t really trust any kibble company. I’d always be nervous. The only company that’s not raw that I trust is The Honest Kitchen and I rarely feed that anymore because it contains alfalfa and Katie has recently become intolerant or down right allergic to it.

[Shasta220]

So sorry you got ripped off with BB… Some of their foods are great, but others? Well, you’re just paying for the fancy packaging.

Personally, almost anything on here that’s 4-5 stars is good. I wouldn’t be too picky about getting food for seniors. As crazy4cats said, they’re often lower in the good proteins and fats, and higher in empty fillers. I know a couple dogs on NutriSource GF, they’re both 55-65lb seniors (I think they’re around 13), and they still go on an hour walk/run into the fields every morning. One of them is even known to sometimes jump over a 4ft fence!

I know home made diets with premixes (like the honest kitchen, and See Spot Live Longer) are the favorite around these parts. Orijen and Acana are two of the most beloved dry foods as well. I’d love to have my dogs on either of those, but the price is waaaay out of my personal budget.

Also bumping this so others can see 😉 best wishes!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Shasta –

It’s wonderful that you’re considering a homemade diet, in my opinion it truly is the healthiest way to go. The general rule is the less processed the better. Here Dr. Martin Goldstein provides a nice ranking of types of pet foods from best to worst: http://www.drmarty.com/what-should-i-feed-my-pet-for-best-health/.

Pre-mixes are one of the best routes for beginners to take because there are a lot fewer opportunities to go wrong. When feeding completely homemade (from scratch) it’s crucial that ingredients are added in proper proportions and certain supplements will need to be added to ensure that all the nutritional bases are covered.

In my opinion, Sojo’s pre-mix would be fine to use rotationally with other pre-mixes. I’ve used it a few times in the past. However, it does not appear to me that Sojo’s pre-mix would make a complete and balanced meal and I can’t locate any claims on their packaging or website that states the final product (once meat is added) will be complete and balanced (per AAFCO’s standards). There are quite a few pre-mixes out there on the market, my three favorites are See Spot Live Longer Dinner Mix (http://www.seespotlivelonger.com/), The Honest Kitchen’s Preference (http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/preference) and Urban Wolf (http://www.urbanwolf.cc/).

If you ever want to venture into a completely homemade diet, I’d strongly recommend picking up a copy of “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet” by Steve Brown. It’s a great resource for beginners and includes AAFCO compliant recipes. The author is also the creator of the See Spot Live Longer pre-mix I mentioned above.

Best of luck!

[Amy R]

Hello. I have a 4 year old neutered Shih Tzu who is extremely healthy. I have been feeding The Honest Kitchen for over a year and am very happy with their products. We are in the process of moving into a new home that is a 1 1/2 hour drive from our current house. Because we’ve been going back and forth so much I bought some Nature’s Variety LID Duck kibble to feed on the days that we are traveling. Grady (Tzu) started having accidents in the house and licking himself a lot – he’s is not normally a licker. He also had a very strong urine smell about him. Took him to the vet and he was diagnosed with a UTI. I can’t help but wonder about the timing. Has anyone else feeling this food had any urinary problems?

Thank you, Amy

[Shasta220]

It depends on what your dog is sensitive to. Usually the most common things for sensitive dogs to avoid would be most grains, and then sometimes even potatoes or chicken. Try something grain free and without chicken. If he does well on that, add either chicken or grain back in and see if it affects him. There are lots of other things dogs can be intolerant to, from tomatoes to fish! See if your vet can do an allergy test, or try an elimination diet.

Also try adding some coconut oil for an extra skin-boost. 1tsp per 10lb of bodyweight, but start with only about 1/4 the amount, gradually building up.

Many people do home made diets for sensitive dogs. The Honest Kitchen is one of the favorites around here I know.

[GizmoMom]

Did your dog like the home cooked food? If he did, you could do without kibbles. Home cooked is healthier for him anyways. Just make sure the food you give him is balanced.

My dog is also a picky eater when it comes to kibbles. Now I’m cooking for him and using a premix. I’m using The Honest Kitchen Preference and add my own meat. There are many premixes you can try, or look up dog food recipe at dogaware.com. I’ve heard some dogs don’t like THK Preference, but my dog has been doing really well on it. He has been on this food for about 3 months and hasn’t turn his nose up at any meal.

[Shawna]

Hi Cathy,

Sorry for the delay… The absolute WORST thing you can feed sprite bar none is any form of kibble. Kibble is hard to digest and because of the lower quality of the protein it creates more BUN when compared to an equal amount of digested protein from another source.

AND, your vet is incorrect if he/she told you to feed low protein in the early stages of the disease unless there is significant protein in the urine. Testing has confirmed that lowering protein too low can actually increase all cause mortality. They have also proven that protein does not damage the kidneys. Because of this you don’t need to feed “low” protein until Sprite has advanced symptoms. Limiting protein even at later stages does not help the kidneys but it does help with symptoms which are caused by the increase of BUN etc in the blood. Limiting protein is not helpful however in the later stages of the disease limiting phosphorus is highly advisable. Phosphorus builds in the blood and CAN damage the kidneys. In the earlier stages of the disease phosphorus is often not detrimental.

For the record, my pup has had kd since birth and has been on HIGH protein raw (45 to 54% on a dry matter basis) since coming to me at nine weeks of age. She will be eight years old the end of June this year and is still doing well. The only time she shows symptoms such as vomiting is if I feed her kibble. The Honest Kitchen is a good food but I’d go with Love or Zeal and add extra good quality fats like coconut oil to increase calories and make her feel more satiated without extra protein/phosphorus. Canned (or better yet raw) tripe is another good option and can be fed with the HK or as a separate meal (pending you get one that is complete and balanced).

As noted, increasing fat keeps the calories up while lowering phosphorus per calorie consumed. This is very important in the later stages.

Other things to consider:

I HIGHLY recommend a product by Standard Process called Canine Renal Support. Audrey has been on it since I learned of her diagnosis. It helps to keep inflammation at bay.

Give Sprite access to all the water she wants but do make sure it is pure — reverse osmosis as an example. Adding toxins in via the water source only increases symptoms. Science has shown benefit to giving waters higher in calcium with low sodium. They didn’t identify actual names but Evian seems to fit the bill.

I HIGHLY recommend giving a HIGH quality probiotic and a specific type of prebiotic (known as nitrogen traps). The combination of these two products helps clear BUN etc from the blood sparing the kidneys from having to do the work. It also allows for even higher amounts of protein. I use Garden of Life’s Primal Defense (human product) and Fiber35 Sprinkle Fiber (human product).

There are other supplements that are known to be beneficial such as food grade activated charcoal, spirulina, burdock root, organic turmeric and more. I mix a combination of these and others with a digestive enzyme and some of the Sprinkle Fiber and add a bit to every meal.

The products you use in your home can be problematic too. When Audrey was diagnosed I looked at the CDC and material safety data sheets for product ingredients I used in my home. Many (if not most) of them were not kidney friendly so I got rid of them and use only ones that are not damaging to kidneys. Example — clorox has a chemical that can damage kidneys in animals. From the material safety data sheet “2-Butoxyethanol has been shown to cause red blood cell hemolysis in laboratory animals and secondary injury to the kidney and liver. However, humans appear to be resistant to this effect” Clorox is pretty toxic anyway so I don’t even have it in the house but if you choose to use it, might be wise not to use it to clean the floors as it can be absorbed through the skin. http://www.thecloroxcompany.com/downloads/msds/cloroxprofessionalproducts/409nqf.pdf

I know I’m forgetting some things… 🙁 Let me know if you have any questions. Also Mary Straus’ website discusses the data I’ve mentioned above plus much much more. Very valuable source of information. She lists kibbles but she fed her own KD dog raw and believes in raw. You don’t have to feed raw but I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY suggest avoiding going back to any kibble. http://www.dogaware.com/health/kidney.html

You and Sprite are in my prayers!!!!

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

[theBCnut]

Here’s the problem, some dogs with chronic diarrhea need more fiber in their food, while others need just the opposite, so you may have to experiment on your dog to see what works for him. You could try adding some pure canned pumpkin to his meals and see if the added fiber helps or you could try a supplement like The Honest Kitchen’s Perfect Form. If neither of those help, you could go the other way and try a high protein, moderate fat food. Either way, I would add digestive enzymes and a good probiotic to his diet until you get this worked out.

What breed is he?

[michelle e]

Hi I am not sure where to post this. We have an adopted Chiweenie that is 7 mo old now and 5.5 lbs up from 4.5 when we got him in Dec 2013. He is very finicky and getting him to eat is becoming a game. Anyway, he will eat Stella & chewys chicken if the cat is sitting waiting to gobble it up, but I dont know if he needs a kibble too. He will eat a couple pieces of Blue puppy kibble and will gobble up tbe Blue cat crunchies if he can sneak to get them. Is there a puppy kibble that Iis as tasty as the cat crunchies? I would like to find a kibble he likes as much as that. Already tried The honest kitchen, Wellness, Artemis, and the petsmart brand I forget the name now. Likes cooked chicken but I dont give him that often and peanut butter is his fav treat flavor…. oh forgot to say he likes the Stella and chewys salmon and cod treats too. Wish there was a daily food thst was so tasty. Thank you for suggestions.

[Cathy W]

Thank you for your advice. I am trying Honest Kitchen Force (dehydrated fresh food) which she loves. However she doesn’t seem satisfied on it. She is trying to get into garbage etc and didn’t do that before on Annamaet Grain Free Kibble. My Vet, however said I should reduce protein from the Annamaet 30%. I’m in a quandary about what to do.
Cathy

[InkedMarie]

I’m kind of surprised that no one has made a forum post outside of Mike! Anyway, glad to get this list. I was happy to see Annamaet, Dr Tim’s and The Honest Kitchen on the list. I’ve only fed Annamaet once but had planned to use it again; now i definitely will. Ive used Dr Tims a few bags and Ive been feeding THK for over 8 years.

I expected to see Weruva on the list; surprised that it’s not.

Comments?

[InkedMarie]

I ordered and received two Dog Games Slo Bowls from Chewy.com. These are very interesting. Bigger than I thought they’d be. We’ll see how they work tomorrow since one will have ground raw in his & the other will have a The Honest Kitchen in hers.

[mountainhound]

which RC formula are you feeding? I would look at the guaranteed analysis to see what % of fat, fiber, etc you’re required to stay under, then look for a comparable alternative. For example Honest Kitchen Verve is only 9% fat, 23% protein and 5.8% fiber. Or you could do something like KH preference (for fiber) mixed in with a good quality grain free canned food for reduced protein/fat content.

[mountainhound]

you need to feed your dog a moisture rich food, even if your dog drinks a lot of water, feeding kibble is counter productive to preventing UTI’s and crystals. Either raw, dehydrated foods like honest kitchen or grain free canned are your best options. I would also add probiotics and cranberry extract to the food daily. D-mannose works well if the uti is caused by e-coli bacteria.

[Dori]

I happen to think that The Honest Kitchen is a fabulous food. It’s not a raw diet. It’s dehydrated. You add water to it and let it rehydrate. It’s the only non raw food I feed my dogs. The Honest Kitchen is one of only two pet foods that can legally say they are 100% USDA human grade food, mostly organic fruits and veggies made in a human food plant. They other is Weruva canned foods. Weruva can no longer guarantee that their cans have no BHA so I don’t use them, besides the bha they also contain carrageen (sp?). I always keep The Honest Kitchen on hand in case I have forgotten to defrost raw. Typically I keep Zeal on hand. One of my dogs is allergic to ingredients in their other formulas. Another of their formulas that is good is Preference. All it’s missing is the protein so you an add any protein you want. It’s also good for a change for them to lower their fat intake. Raw has a high fat content. Darwin’s (a home delivered only raw food) has the lowest fat content that I am aware of. I rotate everything with my dogs. Food, supplements, oils, etc. Whatever ingredient they may be missing or low on one product I’m hoping they’ll get from the next. Also I feel it gives them a healthier gut and immune system.

[kvee]

I hope to feed her 100% raw at one point. I am still learning about it.

dchassett, what is your opinion on The Honest Kitchen food as an alternative to 100% homemade raw?

[theBCnut]

I use Dr Harvey’s Veg to Bowl and I really like it. There is no such thing as a perfect food and that’s why rotating to different foods is a good idea. There are a few different premixes that you either just add meat to or meat and oil. Look for See Spot Live Longer Dinner Mix, Urban Wolf, The Honest Kitchen Preference, just to name a few.

For extra fiber, you can add psyllium, chia seeds, make your own veggie puree, or pumpkin as you know.

[pugmomsandy]

Look at Grandma Lucy’s and The Honest Kitchen, maybe even Sojo’s.

[Akari_32]

Oh my god kill me.

This cat needs to learn some serious manners and house etiquette. He’s a sweet boy, but he sure is naughty! He tries to get in the blinds (they’re horizontal blinds, rather than vertical ones, so he all but tears them off the wall -_-), gets on the counter in hopes of food, plays with random things all night, tries to get into a closed off room all day, and thinks it’s time to eat EVERY time you go into the kitchen (I’ve tripped over him at least 4 times in the last week…). I’ve started spraying him with a spray bottle when he does bad things, mainly pulling on the blinds. That’s not even the worse part though…

Mom caught him scratching on the furniture the other day, and told me I had till Thursday (tomorrow, at this point) to get rid of him, before she came home from out of town. This is AFTER she told to get rid of him when she first saw him, then said I could keep him, and then went back and forth another few times, all since last Wednesday. I don’t even know what the crap to think any more. It’s ticking me off. Make your freaking mind up and tell me what you want me to do (before I get rid of you!!!)! Now she’s back to me keeping him, but making feel like the biggest dick ever for it, telling me to get him declawed, and that she hates cats, and all this other crap. And then she just texted me saying to buy him a scratching post (I haven’t bought one yet because why the crap am I going to spend the money on a scratching post for a cat I’m not keeping, or apparently now, declawing???). Just, whatever. I’m not over exaggerating at all when I say all this. At least when she first found out about him, she didn’t want him simply because she’s allergic to cats, which I can respect and understand, now she’s saying to get rid of him because she is mad that the cat is being a CAT.

I’m making an appointment for the vet tomorrow to get his shots and health check, and possibly neutered (we really aren’t sure if he is or not, he’s very fluffy and it’s hard to tell). I may actually call the humane society and see what they can do. Pull the “you guys are full of cats and I don’t want to give you another, can you just give me cheap vet care” thing. They do shots and fixing, but I don’t know if they do exams for the public. Won’t know until I ask, I guess.

My sister is giving me an old scratching post, and I may look into nail caps (thoughts on those?). I will not get him declawed. I’d sooner give him to the only people who apparently want this cat other than me, the nasty indoor smoker neighbors. Their house is so gross I want to shower every time I have to go in there. They do have a cat over there, though. They had two, but one ran away. Go figure. And they feed dry only, whatever’s cheap (I’ve seen versions flavors of Friskies and 9Lives over there). But yeah, they’re the only ones to say they want him. I may be able to get them to feed him wet/mostly wet, even if it is something like the huge $1 cans of Friskies from Dollar Tree, if they were to take him.

Anyways, I got a good deal on some lesser wet foods (Purina One, Sheba, and Fancy Feast) so we’ve got about 60 cans of these. It’s better than nothing right now. I’ve got coupons for BOGO Wellness Select-whatever, which I’ll get before they expire. He’s still got some EVO dry left, but I’ll need some more soon. It was just a teeny baby bag (2.2 pounds) and he’s just a big fatty (11.4 pounds). I’ve got his mix pretty well figured out, I think. I’ve been mixing half wet and half dry, according to how much he should be eating according to the can and bag, and feeding him 2-3 times a day, about 2 tablespoons. It seems about every other day he wants an extra snack, which is when he gets fed a third time. Mom said he was so hungry the other day when I was at work that he was just walking around the house meowing and meowing. Granted I had fed him at about 10 and she said she finally broke down around 7 and fed him, so I could understand him being hungry. He also won’t take treats unless he’s starving. Kind of a weird cat lol

So anyways, all this drama is why I haven’t updated you guys. Moms given me one month to try him out, and if she’s still pissy about him, he has to go :/ If that happens, and if I have no other takers, I’d think I’d rather see him go to my neighbors rather than a shelter. What do you guys think about that? I’m honestly not so sure, either way…

[pugmomsandy]

You might check Sojo’s freeze dried food. It’s relatively low in protein, as is Addiction dehydrated food, and The Honest Kitchen (Force, Keen and Verve). Otherwise, the canned food you are looking for will be in the 3.5 star and below categories of wet food.

[pugmomsandy]

No food for at least 24 hours! Only liquids. And you can buy slippery elm to help coat his GI tract. Actually it’s in The Honest Kitchen Perfect Form. But you can get just plain slippery elm and make a gruel out of it.