[InkedMarie]

In addition to what Sandy said, it’s important to make sure your dog gets enough liquid. If you’re using kibble, add canned plus warm water to it. Try a dehydrated food such as the Honest Kitchen. Make sure your dog has plenty of opportunity to urinate.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi soccermom7 –

Do not add Preference to a balanced kibble. Preference is designed for the addition of boneless meat. Meat is high in phosphorus but has negligible amounts of calcium (dogs need calcium and phosphorus in between a 1:1 and 2:1 ratio) therefore pre-mixes such as Preference are very high in calcium to compensation for the addition of meat, kibble already has a balanced C:P ratio so adding Preference would potentially throw it off. Additionally, if anything you should be adding more meat to kibble not fruits and vegetables – kibble is too high in plant matter as it is.

As far as a kibble replacement for THK – there is not kibble replacement. The Honest Kitchen is a minimally processed food and about as close to a raw natural or home cooked diet as you can get with feeding commercial food. THK even has some enzymes still intact. Kibble is highly processed. I can understand wanting to cut costs because THK is pricey (I used to feed it) but, unfortunately, going to kibble is going to be a huge decrease in quality.

My recommendations would be to consider a homemade diet (raw or cooked, whatever you’re more comfortable with). There are many books available with balanced recipes. Homemade diets can be done very cheaply. When I was feeding two of my bloodhounds THK I was spending over $500 per month. I’m now feeding them a homemade raw diet, which is even healthier than THK, and spending just under $200 per month. You may want to check out Grandma Lucy’s – it’s another dehydrated type food similar to THK and is a bit more reasonably priced. Another option would be to feed kibble for one meal and THK for the other or to “top” the kibble with some rehydrated THK. You could also look into canned foods – many canned foods are expensive however there are some really reasonably priced quality canned foods available. Pure Balance (available at Walmart) it is rated 5 stars and costs between $1 and $1.25 per can. Costco sells Kirkland Cuts in Gravy which is rated 5 stars for $0.79 per can. 4Health which is rated 4.5 stars is available at Tractor Supply for $0.99 per can. If you added an enzyme supplement to one of these foods it would be nearly as good as THK and much better than kibble. If you do find that you need to go with an entirely kibble diet, I’d pick a 5 star kibble, rotate brands often for variety and add some fresh foods whenever possible (leftover meat, eggs, yogurt, tinned sardines, etc.).

[soccermom7]

My first time on this forum, thanks for any input. My large Bouvier is doing fantastic on The Honest Kitchen ‘Embark’ after we almost lost her to an auto-immune disease. For obvious reasons, we don’t want to switch her away from this superior food but it is expensive!! She is going through 10Lb ($90) boxes every 2+ weeks. Is there a superior dry food that closely resembles Embark? There are just too many for me to go through every one. My thought was to give her dry food and add Honest Kitchen ‘Preference’ for added vegetable and holistic nutrition. Thoughts or suggestions?

[harp31]

Thank you for the suggestions, I am looking at some samples (some free and some minimally priced) from K9cuisine. I value your opinion (based on what I have seen on this forum) so I will forgo the TOTW. The rotational diet makes sense, too. I am getting samples of Orijin, Acana, Amicus, Fromm, Solid Gold, The Honest Kitchen and some freeze-dried grain-free chicken and beef from Dr. Harvey’s. Hopefully, they will like the freeze-dried. I have tried the pure canned pumpkin a couple of times but I don’t want to add it to every meal, since they eat 3 meals a day and I’m afraid that may be a bit too much pumpkin. My last 2 Boston’s were picky eaters, too and they ate mostly canned food but it seems like I tried every brand there was available and they were never really fond of any of them. I ended up cooking for them a lot (beef/chicken and brown rice with vegies, etc.) I was feeding them a small amount of Canidae dry with the home cooked mixed in with it. I was hoping to find a good quality food so I don’t have to spend so much time preparing a home cooked diet (but I will if I have to). Thanks again, this dog food selection always seems like a daunting task for me … sigh. Mary

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi EHubbman –

I would try to discourage him from drinking lake water – although not highly likely it is possible for dogs to contract giardia or leptospirosis from doing this. Has he been tested for Giardia (giardia can cause yellowish diarrhea) and is he on a quality multi-strain probiotic and digestive enzyme supplement? If not, I would have him tested for giardia (you have to specifically ask for this test, it won’t show up on a regular fecal and make sure your vet sends the sample to a lab – much more accurate than in-house testing) and get him on digestive supplements. You may also want to give an herbal digestive supplement (such as The Honest Kitchen’s Perfect Form) a try – some people have had a lot of success with herbal digestive supplements.

Orange tinged stool can be a sign of small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) – meaning the intestinal flora is off balance. This is common secondary condition with dogs who have endocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI). I would definitely discuss this with your veterinarian.

The Zignature Trout & Salmon formula is appropriate for large breed puppies and would be worth a shot if you want to try Zignaure – I believe the formulas are all fairly similar except for different proteins sources.

Raw would be a great option – especially for a sensitive dog. If this is something you’re willing and able to do that’s wonderful. It will be necessary to do a lot of research prior to embarking on a raw feeding regimen, however. I would recommend checking out dogaware(dot)com and picking up a copy of Steve Brown’s book “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet.” You can also check out the recommended raw menus thread in the raw food forum – I have many of my crew’s menus posted.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 4 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Shawna]

Hi Lagotto,

We noticed (at the breeders) that she had excessive drinking and urination, as compared to her 5 siblings, when she was about 6 weeks old. She came to live with me when she was 9 weeks old. At about 4 weeks old she started failing to thrive — because she had a collapsing trachea and couldn’t get enough milk from her mommy. So the breeder put her on raw goat milk and egg whites, syringe fed every 2 to 4 hours, til she could eat on her own. She was weaned onto raw food — mainly hamburger, eggs, raw milk etc.

When she came to me I was making a home made raw diet for my current dogs and she went on that same diet. At her vet visit I told her holistic vet she urinated/drank a lot but her vet poo poo’d my concern and said puppies drink and therefore urinate more. She has bright eyes, she’s very smart, good coat quality etc. She’s a healthy puppy… In looking back I’m actually thankful that happened. Audrey continued on the homemade raw diet til her one year checkup where her bloodwork showed high bun and creatinine. I started tweaking her diet and would take her in every three months for additional bloodwork to see what the tweaking was doing. Turns out, the diet I had been feeding her all along was the best for her with one exception. To the diet I added a “prebiotic” and probiotics to help lower her BUN. Works like a charm..

Audrey continued on the homemade diet for several years but then I got too busy to keep up with homemade exclusively so I started incorporating commercial raw diets — Bravo as an example. Became busier yet and moved exclusively to commercial raw — Bravo, Darwins, Answers (recently started) and premixes like The Honest Kitchen Preference and Steve’s Premix with raw meats.. Audrey turned 7 years old the end of June and is still going strong. I have NOT lowered her protein. I have not lowered her phosphorus or made any other changes than adding prebiotic/probiotic and supplements. I use Garden of Life’s Primal Defense probiotic and Fiber35’s Sprinkle Fiber as the prebiotic. A really good prebiotic, made specifically for dogs, can be found on Dr. Mercola’s website under the “Pets” link and then under “Products”.

I would NOT regularly feed her kibble if I was paid to do so. In my opinion, kibble will cause a much earlier death in a kidney disease dog.. Kibble is a POOR QUALITY food for kd dogs/cats—even the best kibbles on the market… At the very least, feed a canned diet. If you can, feed raw or lightly cooked. I also don’t feed Audrey any grains. IF you are going to feed grains it needs to be either sushi rice (aka glutinous rice) or cream of wheat (or farina). These two grains are low phosphorus. All other grains have higher phosphorus and don’t add anything to the diet that can’t be found in a more species appropriate food.

You also want to feed higher fat foods — ditch the lean ground beef.. Feed the highest fat foods you can get (unless she is showing signs of pancreatitis). Fat adds calories without phosphorus—adding organic coconut oil is a good idea too. Protein is NOT damaging to the kidneys and only needs to be reduced to prevent symptoms of uremia in the later stages of the disease — such as vomiting or depression. Audrey has NEVER to date ate low protein.

Let her have ALL the water she wants. Audrey used to sleep in the water bowl when it was empty — she was that obsessed with water and, I’m guessing, desperately trying to tell me she needed some. She started this, sleeping in water dish, at the breeders. I kept potty pads ALL over the house for her. I was lucky in that she used them. During the night I keep her in a 4 foot by 4 foot enclosure we made (for our foster puppies). It was made out of wood and plastic chicken wire. I had her water bowl, her kennel, a blanket outside the kennel and a potty pad with LOTS of newspapers under it — she would fill a potty pad to the point of leaking during the night. As she got older she was able to hold it. Since about three months of age she has slept with me in my bed at nights.

Darwins now has a kidney diet.. I haven’t seen it yet but I do think it is worth checking out. Urban Wolf has a premix designed for kd dogs that can be added to raw or home cooked meats. And I think Grandma Lucy’s has a lower phosphorus premix that is also suitable for dogs needing their phos lowered..

Also consider adding a whole food B and C vitamin to the diet. These two vitamins are “water soluble” and because of the excessive urination can become depleted if not supplemented. I use Standard Process Cataplex B and C. I also give Audrey a whole food multi as a precaution. I use Standard Process Catalyn. Standard Process also makes a whole food supplement specifically for dogs with kidney disease. It’s called Canine Renal Support — I HIGHLY recommend using it. I also give liver support also by Standard Process — Canine Hepatic Support. The liver can become overstressed in a kd dog.

I HIGHLY recommend only using reverse osmosis or distilled along with a mineral water like Evian. Mineral waters (only those lower in sodium) have shown some positive benefits to kidney patients.

Also try to eliminate as many chemical toxins from your house as possible. I was already living in a relatively toxin free environment but I had to eliminate my Swiffer mop, candles ets. These have chemicals in them that the kidneys have to filter — putting an extra strain on them OR adding to the blood poisoning when the kidneys can’t filter as well. DO NOT use flea/tick or heartworm meds on her. And DO NOT vaccinate her. Audrey has only had one set of shots (given by the breeder before I got her) and has NEVER had a rabies shot. She was diagnosed before getting the shot and I was able to get a lifelong exemption for her in my state.

As mentioned, Audrey turned 7 last month and is not on any medications (no phosphorus binders, no sub-q fluids etc) just the supplements.

I don’t use it but I know others that have had positive results with the herbal tinctures from Five Leaf Pharmacy. http://caninekidneyhealth.com/ I would NOT follow their diet though… 🙂 http://caninekidneyhealth.com/

I would also highly recommend reading the material on Mary Straus’ dog aware website. This is the site where I got most of my knowledge / as well as courage to continue feeding Audrey a high protein raw diet. She has some EXCELLENT info on the site — when to feed low protein, when to lower phosphorus and how much (phosphorus is an essential mineral – lowering it too much too early can have unintended consequences), which foods are lower in phosphorus etc. http://www.dogaware.com/health/kidney.html

Your puppy can still have a fantastic quality of life.. Learn as much as you can, stay positive and enjoy her fully!!!!!

If you ever want to chat offsite, I can be reached at shawnadfaemail @ yahoo. com (take out the spaces–they are included here to prevent robot spammers from sending me junk mail).. 🙂

[pugmomsandy]

I don’t think there are any good soft dry foods. The only one I can think of is Moist & Meaty but that is poor quality. You can let the kibble soak in some water or try some of the dehydrated foods that you have to rehydrate like The Honest Kitchen, Grandma Lucy’s, Smack, Sojo’s, and Addiction. DNA (Dried-N-Alive) doesn’t really hydrate well. It doesn’t turn soft but is more like a hard fruit cake consistency when you soak it.

[loopoo]

Ive used their probiotic and enzymes, good stuff. Havent tried the food yet, little more expensive than Honest Kitchen, but, not packed with potatoes or grains, veggies and sweet potato seem to be the sources other than meat.

[Hound Dog Mom]

While high lipase levels don’t always indicate pancreatitis – when they’re that high (3X the normal or greater) it usually is an indication of pancreatitis. By “latent” I’m assuming that the vet is saying it’s underlying chronic pancreatitis that hasn’t flared up yet. Your vet didn’t give you any dietary recommendations – such as a certain level of fat to shoot for? I wouldn’t say you need to quit feeding raw but you should closely monitor his fat intake. The fat levels should be very low (I’d say around 10%) – which can be difficult to find in a raw diet. The OC Raw Fish & Produce formula is pretty low in fat at 12% and the Goat & Produce is only 9%. Another option would be to purchase some lean meat (heart, poultry gizzards, 96% lean ground beef or turkey, whitefish, etc.) and add it to a pre-mix to create a balanced raw meal that is also low in fat. There are some dehydrated foods with low fat levels as well if this is something you’d be open to – The Honest Kitchen’s Zeal (9%), Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance Chicken (9%), Sojo’s Turkey Complete (8%), Sojo’s Beef Complete (8%), Addiction’s Perfect Summer Brushtail (10%), Addiction’s Outback Kangaroo Feast (8%), Addiction’s Steakhouse Beef & Zucchini (8%), Addiction’s Fig’licious Venison Feast (10%). If you aren’t familiar with “dehdyrated foods” – they’re essentially a raw diet that has had the moisture removed, you add water let it stand for a few minutes and it rehydrates to a similar consistency of fresh raw. Dehydrated foods aren’t truly in a “raw” state after the dehydration process (the meats are generally heated to a high enough temperature to kill bacteria) but they are much less processed than kibble and probably the next best thing to raw. I would definitely keep him on digestive enzymes (make sure it contains lipase) and probiotics. I would also recommend supplementing with a pancreas glandular. You may also want to talk with your vet about whether or not your dog could benefit from some additional fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) and, if yes, in what amounts – when a dog isn’t metabolizing fat properly (such as with pancreatitis) they may not be absorbing adequate amounts of these vitamins. I know some other here have had dogs with pancreatitis so hopefully they’ll have more to contribute. Good luck.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 4 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[InkedMarie]

You’re welcome, Nosh. I have a dog who can’t have chicken too. I pretty much stick with fish or turkey for kibbles, fish for The Honest Kitchen and duck/beef/turkey for raw.

[julez4you]

@Sharfie and others…
Glad to hear your pup is doing much better on raw. I’m a firm believer as well- but with my senior dog 100% raw fed and my lack of desire to make my own, I just can’t afford the expense for a growing Great Dane pup. But I do hope to make the transition some day as I believe it’s what saved my former Dane life when I switched him to raw at 8.

In the meantime- wanted to share some info that might be helpful to there as they transition to new foods and/or have periods of loose stools not as a consequence of something more concerning. My Dane pup was having them as I transitioned him from Purina to a quality holistic food. My friend told me about Honest Kitchens Perfect Form herbal supplement and this stuff is amazing. It’s all natural, and I just add a little in with 2 of his meals each day (along with a probiotic) and now everything is looking good.

My next step is too hopefully transition him from kibble over the THK Love dehydrated raw.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi londoncalling1996 –

That’s too bad your store didn’t carry any of the foods. 🙁 If you’re not opposed to online ordering there are many sites that sell a wider variety of foods than you could find in a store and they also typically have lower prices – most also offer free shipping with no weight limit when you spend a certain amount of money (usually orders over $49). I’d recommend checking out wag.com, chewy.com, petflow.com and naturalk9supplies.com. Also the new lists should give you many additional options to choose from.

I definitely feel that, if it’s financially feasible, non-dry foods should be fed as a sole diet or at least in addition to kibble. Dry food is actually the worst thing to feed a dog – however to to budget and time constraints it, understandably, comprises the bulk of most dog’s diets. I urge you to check out this article Dr. Marty Goldstein (one of my all time favorite veterinarians) posted on his blog, it ranks the different types of food from best to worst: drmarty.com/what-should-i-feed-my-pet-for-best-health/

If you add wet food you should count account for this in her daily food intake – just monitor her weight and if she’s gaining too much start feeding a little less. One of my all time favorite wet food toppers (especially for large breed puppies) is Tripett. I like Tripett for several reasons: 1) high protein/moderate fat/low carbohydrate (ideal); 2) it has a balanced calcium to phosphorus ratio but very low amounts of each, so it can effectively be used to lower the calcium to phosphorus ratio in any food fed to a large breed puppy without the risk of throwing off the balance and 3) dogs go absolutely nuts for it (people hate it – if you feed it you’ll see why – but they love it). The only thing I want to note with Tripett is that it’s not a complete and balanced food (it’s just canned green tripe) so if you do feed it make sure it doesn’t exceed 20% of the meal or you could throw off the nutritional balance. Some other more balanced canned foods that I like that could account for over 20% of the meal are: ZiwiPeak, Addiction, Nature’s Logic, Nature’s Variety Instinct and Merrick. Dr. Mike has a great compilation of high quality canned foods over on the review site as well. If you’re looking for a quality yet budget friendly canned food (canned food can be quite pricey, especially when feeding a large breed puppy) I’d recommend checking out 4Health (available at Tractor Supply, $0.99 per can), Pure Balance (available at Walmart, $1 per can), Kirkland Cuts in Gravy (available at Costco, $0.79 per can), Whole Earth Farms (available at many online retailers about $1.50 per can) – these foods are all 4 – 5 star quality. Some other toppers you could use are dehdyrated foods (i.e. The Honest Kitchen, Grandma Lucy’s, etc.) – these foods are about the same consistency as a stew type canned food when rehydrated, a balanced frozen or freeze-dried commercial raw food (freeze-dried rehydrates to canned food consistency) or fresh toppers such as sardines, eggs, plain yogurt or left over lean meat or steam veggies from your dinner.

Digestive aids aren’t necessary, but many feel they’re beneficial. Many of the regulars here supplement with probiotics and enzymes. I don’t supplement with either because my dogs eat a raw diet (naturally occurring enzymes) and consume raw green tripe (rich in enzymes and probiotics) and kefir (rich in probiotics) on a regular basis. If feeding cooked food only (like kibble and canned) I do feel that enzymes and probiotics can provide benefit.

[julez4you]

Hound Dog Mom:
I know you are working to compile updated lists, but I’m running low on my pups current bag so hoping to switch. I just transitioned my pup to Petcurean Go Chicken, and calcium levels are a bit higher than optimal. What do you think of this formula? http://www.petcurean.com/for-dogs/go/sensitivity-and-shine-duck

The guaranteed anaysis as fed is provided.

Also- how would you compare feeding something like this or even a higher protein grain-free kibble vs. The Honest Kitchen Love?

I’m a big believer in raw- my lab/mastiff mix is 100% raw fed. But I don’t have the time/desire to make my own, so I buy commercial raw and I just can’t afford to have my senior dog plus a 9week old Dane pup on raw right now. I do eventually hope to make the switch though once he’s past the high growth years where he’d be eating us out of house and home 🙂

Thanks again! I’ve really been struggling with this one.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi DellUSN –

Yes – I feel that the sooner a rotational feeding program is implemented the better. There are several reasons foods should be rotated – there is no “best” or “perfect” food so switching brands will help to mitigate the shortcomings of feeding any one brand for an extended period of time, feeding a variety of foods helps to foster a strong and diverse population of microorganisms in the gut and by having several “go to” foods you’ll be able to make a quick switch in the event of a recall or formula change. Some also believe that rotating foods helps to decrease the risk of the dog developing a sensitivity to a particular ingredient later in life.

Initially, you may need to gradually transition your pup when switching brands. You would do this by feeding 25% new/75% old for a few days, then moving to 50/50 for a few days, then 75/25 for a few days, then transitioning entirely to the new food. If your pup is experiencing loose stools during the transition a spoonful of plain canned pumpkin and/or probiotics may help. My two dogs were both started on a rotational feeding plan upon coming home at 8 weeks old and neither experienced any digestive upset – but it does depend on the dog.

As far as which brands to feed, for the next four months or so I would recommend keeping him on a controlled calcium food. Any of the kibbles on my list would be comparable to Wellness CORE. I’m currently in the process of updating the list and by the end of this week or beginning of next week I should have a revised grain-free list, a grain-inclusive list and a raw list posted.

There really is no rhyme or reason to rotational feeding – everyone has their own method. I haven’t fed kibble quite a few years but for my last dog that ate kibble I got a new brand with a new protein source at the end of each bag and added a variety of canned food and/or fresh food “toppers” daily. When I got Gertie (currently two years old) I rotated between The Honest Kitchen’s (dehydrated) Love, Embark, Thrive and Zeal formulas and fed a different variety each day, I also mixed in a can of Tripett with her breakfast and gave her either a raw egg, a tin or sardines or plain yogurt at dinner. When she was 8 months old I switched her to a raw diet. Mabel (my one year old) transitioned to a raw diet as soon as she came home at 8 weeks. On their homemade raw diets my dogs get something completely different at each meal.

I would highly recommend adding “toppers” if you’re feeding kibble as the sole diet. Toppers will boost the “species-appropriateness” by adding some extra protein, moisture and providing your dog with some fresh, less processed food. Some people believe canned foods are unhealthy, however they’re actually much healthier than dry food – they’re less processed, higher in protein/lower in carbohydrates and have a high moisture content. The same applies to dehydrated foods and raw foods. If you’re adding a balanced canned, dehydrated or raw food you can top with as much as you want. “People food” is great too – any left over lean meat or veggies from your dinner, eggs, tinned sardines, plain yogurt, kefir and cottage cheese are all cheap and very healthy foods (just keep unbalanced extras such as these to 20% or less of the meal or you could risk throwing of the nutritional balance of the kibble).

Hope that helps! 🙂

[Hound Dog Mom]

It’s great that you’re considering adding some variety – eating only one protein source isn’t healthy. I don’t see why you couldn’t just rotate the protein in your “balanced” recipe? Ideally you should be feeding an even mix of poultry and red meat. If you’re worried about balance you could also purchase a pre-mix (i.e. See Spot Live Longer Dinner Mix, The Honest Kitchen’s Preference, Urban Wolf, etc.) and just add your meat of choice. I haven’t used OC Raw or Big Dog Naturals (I believe Sandy has?), I did try Darwin’s once. I wouldn’t use Darwin’s again because their customer service was horrible (the food was good though) – but many of the regulars here use it and really like it.

[theBCnut]

When a conventional company has a recall, it is usually actually a large number of different brands and formulas and they have known about the problem for some time but have delayed doing the right thing until FDA is breathing down their necks. When a natural or holistic company has a recall, it is often only 1 or 2 formulas and they have issued the recall before there have been any reports of sick animals and sometimes before the product is even widely distributed. They recall as a precaution. Look at the recent recall for the Honest Kitchen. Their testing found that some parsley was comtaminated so they did a recall even though they had had no reports of any sicknesses. They tested the foods that they got back from the recall and didn’t find a problem in any of the batches.. For them, one sick dog is too many. For Diamond hundreds of dead dogs aren’t. That’s the difference.

[Hound Dog Mom]

You could have your vet go to Balanceit(dot)com. They have vitamin/mineral pre-mixes designed to balance home cooked diets and will formulate diets specially tailored for pets with health conditions. You could also try a pre-mix (such as See Spot Live Longer Dinner Mix, The Honest Kitchen’s Preference, Wysong’s Call of the Wild, Dr. Harvey’s Veg-to-Bowl, etc.) and add lean meats to create a balanced meal. You may also be able to find some helpful information on dogaware(dot)com – they have a lot of great information about homemade diets and specific health conditions (they also have a list of pre-mixes if that’s something you’re interested in).

• This reply was modified 12 years, 5 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Hound Dog Mom]

I personally don’t feel HPP is as good as non-HPP raw but it’s definitely better than kibble. Any low fat HPP raw would be worth a try if your brother is unwilling to feed non-HPP raw. Primal does have several varieties that are low in fat – I agree that S&C is probably too high in fat for a dog recovering from pancreatitis. The Honest Kitchen also has a formula called “Zeal” which is low in fat and would make a good “raw alternative” – it’s a dehydrated, human-grade food food and when you add water it re-hydrates to a stew-like consistency.

[InkedMarie]

Resurrecting my thread……I am hoping to have two of my dogs on Darwins for one meal and probably The Honest Kitchen for the second meal (may be kibble off & on, for ease). HDM, in the sixth post on the first page, you say if a healthy dog is eating raw or dehydrated, they probably don’t need digestive enzymes. Does Darwins “count” as raw or did you mean something not pre made?

If you think they should keep on the digestive enzymes, do you know if there are any at Swansons that are good? I’m finishing up the Mercola and it’s too expensive, would rather order from Swansons as I have a whole list of stuff to order from there. Anyone else is welcomed to respond as well, thank you!

[boxermom0319]

I have a litter of 2 week old boxer puppies and I will begin weaning them in about another week and a half. I was wondering if anyone had opinions on which foods are best for weaning. The mom is on Nature’s Variety Instinct, Weruva canned and Honest Kitchen.

[paige-s]

no one is saying that raw is exactly a raw kibble, there is so many dehydrated raw companies out there. canisource, k9 choice, honest kitchen, these are all types of good dehydrated raws. i would always recommend going with real raw , but not some people dont always have the time, nor funds, or want to deal with raw itself.

when your not just feeding your animals and working in the industry its different. everyone will always have their own opinions.

[pugmomsandy]

There’s only a few foods that are really limited ingredient. For kibble there is Natural Balance LID, and Nature’s Variety Instinct LID. Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance and The Honest Kitchen Zeal are single protein and it doesn’t have a large number of ingredients. I would suggest adding a probiotic and digestive enzyme to the foods.

[crazy4cats]

I have had the same problem with my pups with the intermittent loose stools. Recently, I made my own fruitable concoction. I mixed pure pumpkin with a little organic no sugar added applesauce and then added Honest Kitchen’s Perfect Form herbal supplement to it. Mixed it all up and add a heaping table spoon to each of their meals. It has made a huge difference in their stools. They still are a little loose when out on a walk though. Like I read from another poster recently on a different thread, it can be very embarrassing and hard to clean up with one of those doggie bags. Yuck! I’m wondering if its ok to keep adding to their food for long term? Any opinions? I did buy some DE the other day and plan to incorporate into their food. Just a little nervous about it. I had never heard of it before. Of course, I had never fed pumpkin or raw bones before I started checking out this website either. Lol!

[acs379]

Hey Hound Dog Mom,

As always, thank you SO much for all the information! I can’t tell you how much your responses have helped, and I feel much more prepared now. I went to a local store yesterday that sells only top brands and knew exactly what I was looking for. I got a few sample bags of The Honest Kitchen and they’re ordering me samples of Orijen and Nature’s Variety Instinct as well. They also sell the canned green tripe and a variety of freeze-fried/dehydrated foods so I think I’ll be good to go! Again, if I haven’t said it enough already, a million thanks!

Also, thank you Sully’s Mom for the tip on the sample bags at Pet Flow! I was checking out their site because they seem to have pretty good prices and ship for free over $49. I’ll definitely look for the sample sizes!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi acs379 –

This is a wonderful point to bring up! I’ll try to explain it as best I can.

The two main nutritional risks to large breed puppies are excess calcium consumption (or an unbalanced calcium to phosphorus ratio) and excess energy consumption (too many calories leading to rapid weight gain).

The reason most formulas targeted towards large breed puppies and recommended for large breed puppies tend to be lower in fat has to do with the excess energy consumption risk factor. Protein and carbohydrates both have approximately 4 kcal. per gram while fat has over twice this much at about 9 kcal. per gram. So as you can see, fat is much more calorically dense than protein or carbohydrates and, as a result, foods that are higher in fat tend to be more calorically-dense as well. It is easier for a puppy (or any dog) to consume too much energy (calories) when eating a more calorically-dense food and this would ultimately result in undesired weight gain and, as we know, undesired weight gain in large and giant breed puppies can contribute to the development of orthopedic disease. This is why when feeding a more calorically-dense, or as some would say “rich”, food it is necessary to strictly control portions.

As you can see fat – per se – is not a risk factor for developmental orthopedic disease, excess calories are. It’s very possible to feed a puppy (or any dog) a food that is higher and fat and not have the dog gain unwanted pounds – this is done through portion control. So if, for example, a puppy is eating a food with 20% fat that has 500 kcal. per cup the puppy will obviously need less of this food (to compensate for the high caloric-density) than of a food with 12% fat and 350 kcal. per cup.

All of my puppies have eaten higher fat foods. Gertie ate a combination of The Honest Kitchen and grain-free canned foods until she was 8 months old with fat levels in excess of 20%. Mabel ate a homemade raw diet from the time she came home at 8 weeks with fat levels in the 30% – 40% range. I keep track of the calories my dogs are consuming, so my pups are fed the amount of calories that keeps them in optimal body condition. This means that when eating fattier more calorie-dense meals they get a smaller portion than when they’re eating leaner less calorie-dense meals.

In summary, it’s not the fat that contributes to developmental orthopedic disease it’s the excess calories that fat provides. As long as portion sizes are monitored and the pup isn’t allowed to gain weight too quickly fat levels won’t pose an issue.

I hope that helps clear things up!

• This reply was modified 12 years, 6 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[pugmomsandy]

Have you thought about using something like Sojo’s or The Honest Kitchen?

[pugmomsandy]

It’s trial and error to find the right foods sometimes, especially when you have a dog mixed with two breeds with a propensity for skin issues!! Or at least my mom’s bichon does! I get several foster pugs with skin issues for sure. What are the ingredients in the boutique food and the guaranteed analysis and how long have you been feeding this food? Have you tried any other limited ingredient diets? Have you tried a grain free diet? Grain free and potato free foods seem to work well since pugs are prone to get yeasty. I’ve been feeding the fosters Nutrisource grain free lamb and Nutrisca lamb. They all seem to do well on it. One of them gets Sojo’s Complete or The Honest Kitchen Zeal. They don’t have very many ingredients.

[shelties mom]

Has anyone tried Honest Kitchen Invigor and Sparkle and did your pets show improvement with using their products? Looking to try something different and the ingredients look great. Dogs are on a raw diet.

[nicolemarx13]

They’re currently on Wellness Healthy Weight. My male is 15 and is on the skinnier side due to his age. My female is 4 and she is slightly overweight.
I can’t even name all the brands I’ve tried since the list is so extensive, but the ones that come to mind are Avo Derm, Prescription Diet, Science Diet, Blue Buffalo, Innova, Canidae, Wilderness, Natural Balance, Solid Gold, Holistic Select, Honest Kitchen… I’m sure there’s more but that’s all I can remember now.
I only brought up the breed thing because I’ve known other pit owners that seem to have the same issues. I figured it was common in the breed.
I wouldn’t mind trying a digestive enzyme but I wouldn’t know where to begin. Originally with my male I thought it was nerves (he’s got an OCD issue as well as separation anxiety) so I tried a holistic “sedative” to help with that and it just made his bowels worse. That was the last one I tried.

[pugmomsandy]

I use Vital Essentials freeze dried nibbletts as treats and food. Be sure to use a recipe book to make sure he is getting all the nutrients he needs. “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet” by Steve Brown or “Real Foods for Healthy Dogs and Cats” by Becker/Shaw and Lew Olsen has books as well.

Another option to homemade is to use a Premix – where you just add meat or meat and oil. Ex: The Honest Kitchen, Urban Wolf, Dr Harveys, Grandma Lucys. These are easy to use until you get the confidence to make your own!

I had my raw recipe book for a few months before I got the nerve to do it. Now I thinks it’s easy.

[pwndbypoms]

Long time lurker-first time poster….

I have 2 pomeranians. My 4 yr old just had to have knee surgery due to a luxating patella and subsequent injury. His other patella also luxates but we’re trying to save it from surgery. My vet said she would normaly recommend the Hill’s Science Diet J/D formula food ( I know… but this is the best vet I’ve found in my rural area) but she knew I used “more natural” foods and to go by the J/D’s numbers for omega 3’s and 6’s to chose something I felt comfortable with.
I quickly gave up on using the J/D info for anything but the more research I do the more confused I get trying to do the math to get the ratios right.

My pom normally eats Honest Kitchen Zeal rotated with dried Ziwipeak and various brands of 5 star canned food. But he does best with a main diet of the lower fat Zeal. Before I knew about his patellas I used to add a squirt of Grizzly brand Salmon oil–but then I tried to do the math for the ratio of 3’s to 6’s and it seemed that the Salmon oil was made for food that had a surplus of omega 6 in it (which if I’ve looked at the numbers right Zeal does not). Since his surgery (about a week ago) I switched to the Missing Link joint formula for small dogs but was just wondering if anyone had any other suggestions.
Am I over thinking this? Nutrition science is not my strong point 🙂

[pugmomsandy]

Take a look at these foods: The Honest Kitchen Thrive, Nutrisca Chicken or Salmon, DNA (Dried-N-Alive) Chicken, Pioneer Naturals Grain Free Chicken or Whitefish. Nature’s Variety Instinct has Limited Ingredient Diets but the fat might be too high. Natural Balance LID Sweet Potato and Chicken. Sojo’s Complete.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 6 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[DieselJunki]

I called the vet just to ask some questions. They said they would like to do a physical, and another fecal test. If it came back negative they would do more tests, like blood tests and testing his gut to see if he is even digesting his stuff correctly or if his gut needs something. I think instead of jumping the gun on this I will wait and on the 18th when I bring him home I will start him on raw and see how that goes for about another month. I will start the fiber if in 2 weeks that he is on raw his stools haven’t improved, that way I know which one worked for him if any at all :). If it fails off to the vets I go. Who knows maybe he just needs a bit more time to gain. I mean he is acting normal, hyper puppy, loves everyone, eats all his meals. If he was acting sickly and off his food I would go right away for sure.

The kennel he is at doesn’t have a scale so they are just going by body condition. I don’t have a dog scale either but usually stand on the bathroom scale and then pick up the dog and stand on it again and minus out my weight. So the true answer of whether he’s gaining even just a little is a mystery.

My vet isn’t totally opposed to the raw diet, but have “heard many people’s pets don’t do good on it.” I assured him that I had done the appropriate research and that my dog will eat raw when he got back from training. I told him if the kibble and honest kitchen haven’t done his stool any good now, the raw won’t hurt him one bit 😛 .

And it sounds like to me I need to be getting some of that DE!

• This reply was modified 12 years, 6 months ago by DieselJunki.
• This reply was modified 12 years, 6 months ago by DieselJunki.

[pugmomsandy]

You can run the kibble through a coffee grinder or soak in water for several minutes till soft. Castor and Pollux Grain Free-Poultry Free, Wellness Core Ocean, Merrick Grain Free Pork and Sweet Potato, Avoderm Revolving Menu Trout, Wellness Simple Salmon, Pinnacle GF Salmon, The Honest Kitchen Zeal, Addiction dehyrated formulas, Acana Regionals Pacifica, Orijen 6 Fish or Regional Red (has egg), Smack Caribbean Salmon, 4Health Whitefish and Potato, Back to Basics Grain Free Whitefish and Potato and Lamb and Potato, Back to Basics Pork (high protein),

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hey DieselJunki –

There are many other ways to add fiber other than pumpkin. Most human fiber supplements are fine (psyllium, flax, acacia, pectin, bran, coconut fiber, etc.). If you do go the pumpkin route, Fruitables makes a product for dogs (they have a sweet potato variety as well) which blends pumpkin, apple pomace, tomato pomace, spinach and flax to get the ideal ratio of soluble to in soluble fiber. I’ve used it as kong stuffing for my dogs before. For pumpkin I’d add a couple tablespoons to each feeding for a large dog.

I’ve experienced the same thing with Honest Kitchen. My dogs have very large stools when they’re eating it and go to the bathroom about 4 times a day (versus one or two on raw). I’ve also noticed undigested bits in the stool on occasion.

I agree with Cyndi on the DE it’s GREAT stuff. I buy it 10 lbs. at a time and mix it into my dogs’ food regularly – they’ve never had a fecal test positive for parasites.

[DieselJunki]

I will definitely have to try that then Patty. I always viewed it as masking the issue but the way you explained it makes sense as well. It will have to be after the 18th as that is when he comes back but I will get a few cans of pure pumpkin. Is pumpkin the only way you can add fiber to the diet? Or can I add it other ways? How much pumpkin per lb of dog do you usually give?

The kennel also called and said that he is drinking a lot. They say they have to pull him away from his water. This is a little concerning. I’ve never really had a problem with that before, but then again he’s never been in this kind of hot weather either. The kennel has a/c but they go out and train multiple times a day and sometimes go on field trips as well.

I do notice with The Honest Kitchen that much of the stuff still comes out whole in his stool. I wondered if any of you guys have fed this food and also noticed this?

As for that earth stuff I’ll have to give it a look into. I’ve seen it on some raw sites but never paid it any attention as I had no idea what it really did.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 6 months ago by DieselJunki.

[DieselJunki]

The kibble he has been on, in order from 8 weeks old, are:
Natures Variety: Chicken (Which was an oops on my part due to the calcium issue)
Wysong: Epigen 90 (I think this was what it was… I can’t completely recall exactly. I only used a small bag of it as it had a awkward smell to it I thought.)
Natures Variety: Rabbit
Annamaet Salcha Poulet Formula Grain Free
Fromms 4-Star Grain Free: Surf n Turf

Then we hit The Honest Kitchen: Love and he is still on this at the moment. When we first started him on this he had firm stools for a few days and I thought I found the right food and then it was all soft again.

Trying to find a similar ingredient in all of these foods but they all seem so very different.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 6 months ago by DieselJunki.

[DieselJunki]

For the life of me I have never been able to get Moose’s stools to become firm. They are always very soft, never any diarrhea but real soft. And I mean since we’ve had him at 8 weeks he has never really pooped firm (He has been threw a couple brands of kibble and then The Honest Kitchen). He also goes like 8 times a day. I boarded him again for another month at a totally different facility and while he is there I asked them if they could try and get some weight back on the guy as he is still so skinny. They mentioned to me it could be a parasite due to his soft stools and trouble gaining weight. I don’t believe he has trouble gaining weight I just think the other kennel wasn’t paying good attention to the way you could see his hip bones. I wouldn’t believe he had a parasite either as his soft stools have persisted threw 2 stool tests from the vets office. One was even given when he got all the rest of his shots a few months ago.

I give him Mercola Pro-Biotic and the Enzymes and still has always been the same issue.

Anyways, the new kennel asked if they could do an experiment and feed him 8 cups a day total, 4 in the morning and 4 at night for one week to see if he gains any weight. He is much more active at this new kennel as well. He is back on The Honest Kitchen Love as they will not feed raw. I am not sure if feeding him a raw diet will fix his stool issue as he ate it for 1 week and still had soft stools, and that was before I even gave him the organ mix too.

What on earth could be the issue behind this. Maybe this is normal? I’d try canned pumpkin but I really want to get behind the issue of these soft stools instead of trying to mask it as it’s not a once in awhile thing.

• This topic was modified 12 years, 6 months ago by DieselJunki.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi saireah –

Now that your pup is 8 months old I think it would be safe to be a bit more lenient on calcium levels – dogs can usually start regulating calcium absorption around this age. I think Dr. Tim’s would be a great choice – it’s a very high quality food and made by a reputable company. I have also found Dr. Tim’s to have excellent customer service. Although, I feel I should add that I personally feel “recall history” isn’t a very helpful metric when trying to determine the quality of a food or the risk of a future recall. Some of the most reputable companies in the industry (i.e. The Honest Kitchen) have had recalls, often times these recalls are precautionary. On the other hand, just because a company has never had a recall doesn’t mean they can’t have one tomorrow and some companies downplay and/or ignore issues with their foods just to avoid having a recall or remove products from shelves using terms such as “withdrawal” rather than recall (examples: the Chinese chicken jerky issue – there was obviously something wrong with these products however companies avoided recalling the products in spite of numerous deaths and illnesses, the current issues with Blue Buffalo and Nutro foods that are being ignored by the companies and Great Life’s product “withholding”). You need to know the company and know whether they can be trusted – if they’ve had a recall find out what the recall was for, whether it was precautionary (proactive) or whether the company waited until animals got sick before they recalled the product and whether or not the company is a repeat offender (i.e. Diamond – numerous recalls). With that said, some other “recall free” brands I’d feel comfortable recommending in addition to Dr. Tim’s are: Earthborn, Annamaet (as Marie suggested), Victor, Nature’s Logic, Artemis and NutriSource.

[pugmomsandy]

Not sure if you’re talking to me but..

sojos.com and another brand The Honest Kitchen is thehonestkitchen.com. They all have different calorie counts to take that into account. Sojo’s is low calorie so he gets to eat alot but for not alot of calories. I also just bought some Addiction dehydrated to try on him too. Addictionfoods.com. It takes the worry out of balancing the diet since they are already balanced. You can buy these online even on Amazon or at better pet stores.

[InkedMarie]

Cyndi: Can you do a combination of many foods: raw, dehydrated, canned, kibble if you want to feed it? I wonder if that might clear up the loose stools and give her a variety.
You may have read I have a few stool issues with one dog and I think I am going to end up doing Darwins & boneless ground for her raw, plus The Honest Kitchen and am going to buy canned as well. She has no teeth so I would prefer no kibble plus I don’t see the need for her to have it

[Hound Dog Mom]

Cyndi –

Another thought – you could try an herbal supplement for loose stools. I’ve never had to use one, but I have heard of individuals having success with them. Many contain ingredients such as slippery elm, marshmallow root, papaya leaf and licorice root. These herbs help to heal the gut and firm stools. Some to look into would be: Perfect Form made by The Honest Kitchen, Gastriplex made by Thorne Research, Phytomucil by Animals’ Apawthecary, GastriX by Hilton Herbs and Enhance by Aunt Jeni’s.

[Hound Dog Mom]

I can imagine how frustrated you must be! If it were me, assuming the stools aren’t completely liquid diarrhea and you really want to make a raw diet work, I would ride it out awhile longer. Some dogs just take longer to adjust to changes in diet. Although I don’t feel it’s common, a raw diet just may not be right for some dogs. Do you have her on a probiotic supplement? (I’m almost certain this has been discussed already, but I thought I’d check just in case). If not, that could help. It is possible that she could be eating something in the yard – if you suspect this is the issue, try not letting her outdoors unsupervised for a few days and see if things clear up. Ultimately, you need to follow your gut and do what you feel is in the best interest of your dog. There’s no reason to feel guilty or like you’re not doing the best you can for her by not feeding raw. If I recall correctly you were feeding Fresh Pet and a 5 star kibble prior to trying raw, while this may not be a raw diet be comforted in knowing this is better than what about 95% of dogs are eating. There are also several non-raw options that, with the addition of digestive enzymes, could be nearly as good as a raw diet. You could try a homemade cooked diet with enzymes and see if she tolerates this better, Fresh Pet + enzymes, a dehydrated food + enzymes (The Honest Kitchen, Grandma Lucy’s, etc.) or a high quality canned food + enzymes. If any of these combinations worked out you could attempt to incorporate a RMB 2 – 3 times a week just as a treat and not at the main component of the diet so that she would get the dental benefits a raw diet has to offer.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi jacklyn –

The most effective thing you can do to repel fleas and ticks from your dogs is to boost their immune system. Vital dogs are less susceptible to parasites (both internal and external) than dogs with weaker immune systems. The first step to creating a strong immune system is by feeding a species-appropriate diet. For years I used chemical flea and tick topicals on my dogs (Advantix or Frontline Plus). Two summers ago was a really bad summer for fleas in my area, despite receiving a monthly dose of Advantix my dogs (I had two at the time – Gus was 6 and Gertie was a pup) got infested with fleas. When I say infested, I mean really infested – Gus had the hair chewed off both his hindquarters exposing the raw skin because he was chewing on himself so much and Gertie was just crawling with them, when I separated her hair I could just see fleas crawling. So in addition to the Advantix I put them on Trifexis (oral flea preventative, with heart worm preventative – took them off Heartguard) and set off flea “bombs” in the house. To no avail. I hired an exterminator to treat the yard and house – that didn’t do any good either. Finally I gave up and we all suffered through the summer and early fall until the temperatures dipped below freezing, then the fleas died off. That fall I switched my dogs to a raw diet (at the time of the infestation they were eating The Honest Kitchen and various 4 and 5 star canned foods). I read online many reports of dogs not requiring flea and tick treatments while on a raw diet because their immune systems grow so strong. It sounded bogus to me but I really didn’t like using chemicals on and around them (I had began learning more about chemical flea and tick preventatives and started to become scared of using them) and I figured it things couldn’t be worse than the previous summer. So that next summer (would have been last summer – 2012) I didn’t use any chemical preventatives. I used Sentry Natural Defense topical (chemical free – contains natural essential oils) and Earth Animal herbal flea and tick tincture (drops that I add to their food made with herbs known to make the dog’s natural scent/blood less appealing to fleas and ticks). I combed my dogs daily with a flea comb and did not find a single flea or tick the entire summer. I’ve been chemical-free ever since and so far so good for this summer too. I’ve been having a snap test (blood test for tick transmitted diseases) done prior to the start of tick season and after tick season and all my dogs have tested negative for tick transmitted diseases each time – ticks are bad in my area and last summer 4 individuals I know had their dogs (all of which were on either Advantix or Frontline Plus) test positive for lyme. I’m now a believer that healthy dogs are less susceptible to infestation.

Some information about the active ingredients found in many popular flea and tick preventatives:

FIPRONIL (active ingredient in Frontline)

“Journal of Pesticide Reform Factsheet: Fipronil”
-In tests with laboratory animals, fipronil causes aggressive behavior, damaged kidneys, and “drastic alterations in thyroid function.” The fipronil containing product ‘Frontline’ caused changes in the levels of sex hormones.
-The offspring of laboratory animals exposed to fipronil during pregnancy were smaller than those of unexposed mothers. They also took longer to mature sexually.
-The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies fipronil as a carcinogen because exposure to fipronil caused benign and malignant thyroid tumors in lab animals.

IMIDACLOPRID (active ingredient in Advantage)

“Journal of Pesticide Reform Factsheet: Imidacloprid”
-Imidacloprid is a relatively new, systemic insecticide chemically related to the tobacco toxin nicotine. Like nicotine, it acts on the nervous system. Symptoms of exposure include apathy, labored breathing, incoordination, emaciation and convulsions. Longer-term exposures causes reduced ability to gain weight and thyroid lesions.
-Pregnant laboratory animals exposed to imidacloprid experienced increased incidence of miscarriage and had smaller offspring than unexposed animals.
-Imidacloprid has been shown to increase the incidence of genetic damage called DNA adducts.

PYRETHRINS (active ingredient in Bio Spot)

-According to CPI, from 2002 through 2007, at least 1,600 pet deaths related to spot-on treatments with the pyrethrins were reported to the EPA.
-According to the website “Bio Spot Victims”: Toxicological studies have linked this pesticide to serious acute and chronic health effects. The EPA has classified it as a possible human carcinogen because it increases the frequency of lung and liver tumors in laboratory animals. It suppresses the immune system. Permethrin is also suspected to have played an important role in the development of illnesses known as the Gulf War Syndrome.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 6 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[GSDsForever]

Hi angels. Good luck — I’m so sorry you’re having a tough time of it!

The Timberwolf Organics you may only be able to order online directly from Timberwolf, depending on where you live. But the good news is that it’s also cheaper that way and no tax either.

In stores, from pugsmom’s helpful list, you’ll probably be able to find the Natural Balance Limited Ingredient (the lamb very similar to your old formula), Honest Kitchen, Wellness or EVO or Merrick cans . . . maybe the Canine Caviar or Nature’s Logic (I see those in fewer places). Stella&Chewy’s will probably be easy to find and is an excellent (albeit pricey) brand, if you can find a formula without chicken or turkey or peas, the other ingredients aren’t ever in the foods.

Those Great Life grain-free formulas, which I’ve never seen in stores & would probably also have to be ordered online, also look good — just way less meat (I think) compared to Timberwolf. Some very unusual ingredients! (I don’t think my dog has ever eaten “green lipped mussel,” lol, and he’s eaten a lot of stuff!)

[pugmomsandy]

Angels6121,

Look up these foods or brands and look through their different varieties:

Canine Caviar GF
EVO cans
Fresh is Best dehydrated
Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance freeze dried
Great Life GF
Honest Kitchen Zeal dehydrated
Hound and Gatos canned
Merrick 96% canned
Natural Balance LID dry
Nature’s Logic canned and dry
Only Natural Pet Easy Raw and MaxxMeat dehydrated
Pioneer Naturals GF
Sojo’s Complete dehydrated
Smack dehydrated
Tuscan Natural Simply Pure dry
Weruva Marbella Paella
Wellness Simple canned
Wellness cans – duck, turkey, venison, whitefish

[GSDsForever]

Hey thanks HoundDogMom & InkedMarie.

InkedMarie, thank you for your work on that list & sharing it with others!

I never knew such a list was anywhere to be found when I had to search on my own for lowest glycemic foods (plus in my case, ~35-45% protein foods, moderate to high fat w/ low carb AND chicken-free). This was about 1 1/2 yrs ago, and I felt like I had very few choices and they were hard to track down. Potatoes were a big issue.

I’m still not sure how I feel about tapioca, which caused me anxiety looking at foods, because I’ve read conflicting things. (The “jury’s still out” in my own head, lol.) Lentils & such were easier for me to grasp as being low glycemic (as in Innova Prime & Horizon Pulsar), have added health protective effects (like anti-cancer), and I knew from homemade feeding experimenting that my dog digests them well. Any of the starchy carbs, even sweet potatoes, I don’t want to see make up a big part of the ingredients.

I liked Natura’s product line before, but I really hate Proctor & Gamble and it was killing me to purchase Evo or Innova Prime, both on ethical/moral grounds (unrelated to the food) and because I don’t trust their commitment to quality standards in the best interest of our dogs. Other brands manufactured by Diamond, like Solid Gold, I felt unsafe using. Nature’s Variety I felt so so about buying, in terms of the ingredients & pricing — though I liked the company better. Anyway, some brands here I knew about, but others like Darford Zero and DNA I’d never seen or heard of before this site. So I’m sure your list will help people a lot as a resource.

Oh, my Stella & Chewy’s (Duck Duck Goose) does not include any grains or starchy veggies of any kind. So it could go on the list as well. Love that brand. I *think* that may be true for all the freeze dried medallion formulas. Seeing Honest Kitchen’s Zeal on the list reminded me. (My dog far prefers S&C to HK, and I like S&C’s ingredients & use of organic items better).

[pugmomsandy]

wantthebest4myk9,

I’ve been using Sojo’s Complete on one of my dogs (14 yr old pug) but I either add in some high protein kibble or some eggs since it’s a little low in meat. I also give digestive enzymes with it and the stool only has a few visible pieces of veggies in it. For my personal pugs I prefer at least 30% protein. If you’re looking to make homemade, “Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats” by Dr Becker/Beth Taylor uses a 75% meat/organ/bone to 25% veggie/fruit mix. I’ve also used The Honest Kitchen Zeal.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 6 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi –

I don’t believe Sojo’s is “complete and balanced” – if that’s what you’re looking for. I generally make my dogs’ food from scratch but do use pre-mixes on occasion when I’m short on time or only have boneless meat on hand. I find Sojo’s comes out the same way it goes in because the vegetables are in larger chunks. Also, due to the fact that it doesn’t appear to be a balanced pre-mix I wouldn’t recommend feeding it long term, although it’d be fine to use intermittently. The pre-mixes I’ve had the best luck with are Urban Wolf, Dr. Harveys Veg-to-Bowl Fine Ground, The Honest Kitchen’s Preference and See Spot Live Longer Dinner Mix. If you’re going to be using only pre-mixes I’d rotate between brands every so often so your dog gets some variety.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 6 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.
• This reply was modified 12 years, 6 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[MLIM]

Please DO NOT feed your dog Rayne Nutrition. I have 4 dogs (pug, chihuahua, daschund and english bulldog) who have been on Rayne Nutrition for nearly 6 months. At first they did very well, however over the past 2 months we have noticed that the food has changed. We feed the same portions all the time and exercise levels have not changed, yet my pug was gaining a lot of weight, the english bulldog started getting bloody diareha, the chihuahua got regular diareah, and the daschund developed crystals in his urine. I got the bloody diareah tested but no parasites, probably irritated bowels/intestines? I changed all their food, but kept the pug on it just to see if it was the food. The pug eventually got bloody diareah and was really ill. Then I tested it one more time and gave the english bulldog one single meal of the Rayne Nutrition and she got bloody diareah and vomitted all night. I know that it’s not improper storage because I thaw as I need the portions.

I have changed their food to The Honest Kitchen and everyone is back to normal, if not better than normal. Also, the vet says that Rayne Nutrition is not a complete diet and lacks a lot of the necessary nutrients in it. Please please DO NOT feed Rayne Nutrition!!!!!!!!