[aimee]

Hi GSDsForever,

No real changes I’m aware of, though I have seen opinions from veterinary nutritionists leaning away from the relative importance of the ratio with the absolute values being the more important variable.

I’d personally look for a Ca level close to the recommended NRC level of 3 grams/1000 kcals. and stay with company that does growth feeding trials on large breeds. The company I went with used Labs in their trials, the breed I was getting, and followed them for 18 months with Dex, scans radiographs general blood work, hormone levels … over 1600 data points/dog.

I’ve been seeing some crazy nutrient analysis from smaller companies including one which reported that the level of Vit D in their food as 8 times the AAFCO’s Max limit , and another whose calcium levels , vit D and E were significantly less than AAFCO’s min in a diet labeled for growth. It is apparent from “conversing” with their “nutritionists” the companies have no clue.

[Belle N]

I’ve been sourcing high and low but good ones with lesser worrying ingredients are so hard to obtain in my country…

But I happened to chance upon a newly formed local brand which the ingredients list looked good, other than the beet pulp.

Just want to check if anyone has feedback on the ingredient list.

They have 2 options:

1) Journey Premium Ingredients

Brown Rice, Fish (Salmon, Cod Fish, Mackerel, Sardine, Tuna), Beet Pulp, DHA/EPA from Cod and Salmon, Hydrolyzed Fish (Amino Acid and Collagen), Sweet Potato, Apple, Cabbage, Broccoli, Cranberry, Tomato, Yam Tuber, Burdock, Sesame, Glucosamine, Essential Minerals & Chelated Minerals, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, B12, D3, E, H2), Flaxseed, Egg (Lecithin), Spirulina, FOS, MOS, Yucca Extract, Fruit Enzyme (Papaya/Pineapple Extract), Lactic Acid Bacteria, Bacillus Subtilis Natto, Natural Antioxidants, Calendula Extract (Lutein).

Guaranteed Analysis
• Crude Protein 22%
• Crude Fat 13%
• Crude Fiber 4%
• Omega 3 Fatty Acids 1.2%
• Omega 6 Fatty Acids 3.5%
• Moisture 9%
• Calcium 1%
• Phosphorus 0.8%

2) Dazzle Premium Ingredients:

Brown Rice, Fish (Salmon, Cod Fish, Mackerel, Sardine, Tuna), Beet Pulp, DHA/EPA from Cod and Salmon), Hydrolyzed Fish (Amino Acid and Collagen), Sweet Potato, Apple, Cabbage, Broccoli, Cranberry, Yam Tuber, Burdock, Essential Minerals & Chelated Minerals, Sea Kelp, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, B12, D3, E, H2), Flaxseed, Egg (Lecithin), Spirulina, FOS, MOS, Yucca Extract, Fruit Enzyme (Papaya/Pineapple Extract), Lactic Acid Bacteria, Bacillus Subtilis Natto, Natural Antioxidants, Calendula Extract (Lutein).

Guaranteed Analysis
-Crude Protein 24%
-Crude Fat 14%
-Crude Fiber 4%
-Omega 3 Fatty Acids 1.2%
-Omega 6 Fatty Acids 3.5%
-Moisture 9%
-Calcium 1%
-Phosphorus 0

Thank you!!!! Really appreciate it. The limited kibbles option has been bothering me for many weeks.

[Mutts and Cats]

Hi Aimee. Thanks as always for taking the time to provide so much information.
The CBD I have been using is a broad spectrum, by Joy Organics and the total CBD content is 75 mg/ml (2,250 mg/bottle). It is $100/bottle, so does get expensive for a dog the size of mine. I’m hoping that these almost daily partial seizures (or pre-seizures?) will stop and then I will stop the CBD completely. His next blood draw is 3/1 so I am hoping that his liver enzymes will have come down at least a little. He went 2 weeks with no CBD and now has been on ½ the previous dose for almost 2 weeks. Hopefully that is enough of a reduction to have an impact on the enzymes. If there is no reduction, I will probably have an ultrasound done.

I’ve been doing more reading on partial, or focal, seizures. I’m not sure if that is what he is having, or if this shaking is just part of his pre-ictal seizure phase. The exact same thing proceeds his full blown seizures, which are classic generalized tonic-clonic. When he has a full seizure the shaking only lasts a few seconds then he goes into the seizure. Now the shaking lasts a few minutes, but no seizure.
Some sources emphasize that a partial seizure affects only part of the brain, so symptoms like shaking are one part of the body, or one side. With my dog, it is just generalized, pretty violent, shaking and he remains fully conscious. But other sources describe symptoms like shaking without loss of consciousness as part of a partial seizure and that it is fairly common for dogs to start with a partial seizure that then turns into a generalized. So, I don’t know . . .

We got through yesterday without a shaking episode, and today he hasn’t had one yet. Small victories, I guess. I do feel that these things – whatever they are – are not as hard on him as the seizures he was having. Just wish I understood what is going on. I’m also dreading the next full blown seizure and afraid it will be a cluster of them again. Sorry for so much seizure discussion (on a dog food forum).

I do continue to agonize over dog food too. I finally confronted Steve’s about the high calcium and phosphorus contents for their Turkey recipe (and Turducken to a lesser extent). I kept procrastinating, knowing that I would probably get a reply that would cause me to lose confidence in yet another company. No surprise – that is what happened. I guess it is more a matter of this food not being a good fit for my dogs, since I want to continue feeding turkey necks. So I am feeding less of Steve’s and will probably use up what I have then not buy more.

Well, sorry for the rambling (even more than my typical post). Thanks again. M&C

[Raven Depto]

For raw dog food recommendations, consider the following:

Quality of ingredients: Look for products that contain high-quality meat, such as chicken, beef, or lamb, as the main ingredient. Avoid filler ingredients like corn, wheat, or soy.

Nutritional balance: Make sure the food includes a balanced ratio of protein, fat, and carbohydrates, as well as essential vitamins and minerals like calcium and phosphorus.

Source of ingredients: Choose brands that use locally sourced and humanely raised animal products.

Safety and sanitation: Make sure the food is manufactured and packaged under strict safety and sanitation guidelines to reduce the risk of contamination.

Customer reviews: Read customer reviews and check for any reported health issues related to the food.

Some popular and well-regarded brands of raw dog food include Stella & Chewy’s, Primal Pet Foods, and The Honest Kitchen. It is important to talk to your veterinarian to ensure a raw food diet is appropriate for your dog and to get specific recommendations based on your pet’s individual nutritional needs.

[Mutts and Cats]

Hi Aimee. Well my dog nutrition education is coming along, and thank you for your part in that. I appreciate that you are taking the time to help educate me. I could have educated myself a lot quicker if I had just taken the time to read the 2014 AAFCO document that I have instead of bolting straight to the table.

I think I now understand how it can make a difference whether the vitamin/mineral content of foods is evaluated based on actual calories consumed (or actual caloric content of the food), vs the presumed content used by AAFCO. I don’t pay much attention to the feeding guidelines of companies, and my dog is probably an average keeper, but the way I was using the AAFCO data was problematic. I was converting the AAFCO food content (ppm or %) data to total daily needs for my dog. The foods I feed seem to average about 5,000 kcal/kg so I was using that when doing the conversion. But I realize now that I should have been using 4,000 and by using the larger number I was essentially lowering the AAFCO recommended levels. So when I was comparing the total vitamin/mineral content consumed by my dog in a day to my computed AAFCO daily, it was not a valid comparison. Plus, a food might look like it is barely meeting AAFCO, but is not when it comes down to what my dog is actually getting. Am I thinking straight now?

Does AAFCO conduct any oversight of companies who claim that their foods meet AAFCO standards? Does AAFCO require that they submit a quality control plan and submit lab reports periodically? I suspect there is only so much AAFCO can do and therefore the oversight may be minimal.
How about the calorie content of foods? Who regulates that to insure that what is stated on the bag is accurate? I guess if there is some regulation of that then it would be of some comfort that a company couldn’t get too carried away with adding bone to their recipes because then the caloric value would get very low. Right?

I sure have changed my thinking on how I evaluate the quality of a commercial food, and I’m very thankful for the information you have provided me that nudged me to rethink.
And speaking of that, I noticed something discouraging (heartbreaking, really) about Steve’s online data. I recently started feeding Steve’s and was hopeful that this was going to become the food that I finally could feel good about. But they recently put some updated data on the website and the Ca and P increased dramatically. Not quite as bad as what I had mentioned previously about Vital Essentials, plus I do applaud Steve’s for actually keeping their online data current. But, I’m realizing now that very high Ca and P are troubling to me. Especially since I feed turkey necks too.

This is how Steve’s Turkey recipe changed. The frozen and freeze dried are supposedly the exact same recipe and all data is dry matter basis.

Turkey Frozen
old new
Ash 2.13% 10.8%
Calcium 2.2% 2.9%
Phosphorus 1.7% 1.8%
C/P 1.3 1.6

Turkey Freeze Dried
old new
Ash 8.01% 9.2%
Calcium 2.06% 3.83%
Phosphorus 1.59% 2.31%
C/P 1.3 1.7

This bone content issue is starting to feel a little like the pea scandal. Companies increasing the bone content more and more to increase their profits.

What is the Topic name for the No Hide thread you mentioned? I see that you are a very busy poster. Looks like a lot of good reading in your Topics, to be explored when I have more time. Sorry to bombard you with so many questions in this post. M&C

[aimee]

Hi M & C

I’ve gone down many a rabbit hole over the years. Hunting down accurate information can be a frustrating endeavor. Here is my take on NRC. NRC numbers are based on high bioavailability, something that in the real word doesn’t necessarily occur. AAFCO takes the info from NRC and pads the numbers to account for bioavailability.

AAFCO tables are by kg DM, assuming 4000 kcals/kg and they also report nutrients/ 1000 kcals . NRC does this too, but NRC also provides amounts based on body size. For example, NRC rec 3.28 grams of protein/ kg bw to the .75 power.

AAFCO tables are in Mins and Maxs. NRC has 4 columns: min, adequate, rec and safe upper limit. For many nutrients a SUL is not given because there is not sufficient research as to where to draw that line. For adult dogs there is no reported SUL for CA or Phos. For growth the SUL is 1.8% with a 4000/kcal/kg DM diet. This was based upon large breed puppy growth.

Currently I believe AAFCO table for MAX Calcium is 2.5 % EXCEPT in the case of growth of large breed puppies in which case it is 1.8%. This is why an AAFCO statement may say formulated to meet all life stages except growth of large breed puppies.

The point I was trying to make, and didn’t explain well, is that when AAFCO sets its tables it assumes that the dog is eating an average amount of calories but doesn’t define what this amount is. They leave it up to the manufacturer to determine feeding recommendations. This is a huge weak link.

It is known that when calories are calculated, any individual dog can vary by 50% from this number. So, for example, if calculated calories are 500, one individual may need 250 and another 1000.

When diets just meet AAFCO min there is an underlying assumption that the dog will be eating 500 kcals. But for those dogs that only need 250 kcals that AAFCO min may not meet the dog’s nutrient needs on a weight basis as given by NRC.

I think FEDIAF addresses this by having two data sets with one being for “inactive ” pets, but I haven’t checked to verify this. I believe this is what Susan Thixton is trying to petition the FDA to address.

That may be the easier way to address this because actually determining caloric needs is fraught with a lot of variation. But I see it as imperfect as well because it still leaves it up to the manufacturer and I’ve found considerable errors with this approach. I’ve found multiple instances in which when using the nutritional information provided by the manufacturer and using the manufacturer’s feeding recommendations the dog would not consume enough nutrients to meet NRC rec. or sometimes even min. values.

I have only found this in high cost, small company products. IMO feeding amounts are set low to make the food look more affordable. IMO, one of the most egregious examples I’ve come across was in a freeze-dried product made by a company that apparently did have by a PhD in animal nutrition on staff. So apparently even having someone with an appropriate background in nutrition in the company doesn’t insulate the consumer from errors of this type.

On the other end of the spectrum, I’ve seen companies who boost all nutrients to well above AAFCO min to better cover these “easy keepers” AND have feeding recommendations that will meet the animal’s nutrient need.

I’ve seen as a rule of thumb that if your dog needs to eat 80% or less of the recommended amount you need to switch foods to something with a higher nutrient density. The problem is that assumes the original feeding recommendations are accurate and unfortunately, they in many cases, are not.

[Mutts and Cats]

Any thoughts on a good brand of frozen (or freeze dried) raw food (grain free) with fairly limited ingredients? My dog is allergic to carrots, green beans and sweet potatoes, so I need to avoid those, plus I’m nervous about similar vegetables because the allergy test didn’t cover many foods. And because he recently started having seizures I am avoiding rosemary for now. I would also prefer no calcium or sodium phosphate additives, but may have to give in on that one.
I was feeding Stella and Chewy’s, but it contains ingredients that don’t work.
I also tried Primal, but am not crazy about all of the seeds in the ingredients.
I have been feeding Vital Essentials but a recent inquiry to the company left me feeling less positive about them. Also, my dog likes their freeze dried foods but will not eat the frozen. According to Vital Essentials the ingredients are identical for both. My dog loves raw meat, turkey necks, etc. but won’t eat the raw frozen Vital Essentials. He ate it at first but then wouldn’t. Weird.
I recently tried We Feed Raw, but it doesn’t seem to agree with my dog at all, even though I introduced it very slowly.
The one I’m considering trying now is Steve’s Real Food. Any thoughts on that one? Or others I haven’t mentioned?

[Tracey G]

I am in the same boat. Walter, half shitzu and mutt, developed pancreatitis about 10 years ago after prednisone for allergies. The apoquel was not a help and was expensive. He is now 13. He has been on Hills low fat diet for years with no issues. If and when we tried something else, he had a flare up. We just picked him up from the vet today after having stone surgery. They pulled out a huge stone. It has been sent to the lab, but I’m pretty sure it’s a calcium oxalate stone. I read where carrots and spinach can cause this. He is addicted to carrots, so those have to go. I’m terrified his pancreatitis will flare up on the kidney diet after reading what you all have been through.

Is it possible to use both foods? Will any fat send him into a pancreatic flare up? Like you all, he is our baby. I will do anything including cook his foods. It’s interesting to note there are many other dogs with these issues.

Piki, I too am so sorry about your doggie. What enzyme would the doctor have added? Very curious.

[Anthony A]

Hey I’ve been feeding my dog this food his whole life and I wanted to get some opinions on it. He’s a 11 month old working line german shepherd. It’s a freshly made slow cooked food that I get delivered to my home every 4 weeks. These are the ingredients, this is the puppy formula.

Puppy Formula Dog Food
Pet Wants Puppy Dog Food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO dog food nutrient profiles for the Growth and Lactation/Gestation Stages including growth of large breed dogs (70 lb. or more as an adult).

Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein, min – 28.0%
Crude Fat, min – 17.0%
Crude Fiber, max – 3.5%
Moisture, max – 10.0%
Omega 6 Fatty Acid * (min) – 3.25%
Omega 3 Fatty Acid * (min) – 0.68%
* Not recognized as an essential nutrient by AAFCO dog food nutrient profiles.

Ingredient Panel:
Chicken Meal, Brown Rice, Ground Grain Sorghum, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Oat Groats, Whitefish Meal, Egg Product, Natural Flavor, Brewers Dried Yeast, Pea Protein, Menhaden Fish Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Whole Ground Flaxseed, Canola Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Lecithin, Chicken Cartilage (Source of Chondroitin Sulfate), Potassium Chloride, Salt, DL-Methionine, L-Lysine, Choline Chloride, Dried Cranberries, Dried Blueberries, Fructooligosaccharide, Turmeric Powder, Dried Carrots, Dried Spinach, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl- 2-Polyphosphate, Mixed Tocopherols, Niacin Supplement, Kelp Meal, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Acetate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Citric Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Folic Acid, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, Dried Bifidobacterium animalis fermentation product, Dried Lactobacillus reuteri fermentation product.

[Reef R]

Hi all, recently adopted a dog and the pet shop nearby is going out of their way to recommend this food, its quite expensive (like one of the most expensive ones available there), but if its any good then I dont mind getting it. Just cant find any reviews at all for this one and would like some advice from someone other than a sales person.

This is the ingredients on one of the types from the brand that they recommended:

Composition: rice, poultry meal 36%, sweet potato, salmon meal, barley, poultry fat, sugar beet pulp, brewer’s yeast, peas, linseed, chicken liver hydrolysate, dynamic micronized clinoptilolite (1%), chicory extract, fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), yucca extract.
Additives/kg:
Nutritional additives: vitamin A (3a672a) – 18000 IU, vitamin D3 (3a671) – 1500 IU, vitamin E (3a700) – 530 mg, folic acid (3a316) – 4 mg, biotin (3a880) – 2 mg, niacin (3a314) – 75 mg, vitamin B6 (3a831) – 13,4 mg, vitamin B1 (3a821) – 16,3 mg, vitamin B12 – 0,07 µg, iron(II) sulphate monohydrate (3b103) – 50 mg, calcium iodate anhydrous (3b202) – 1,5 mg, copper(II) sulphate pentahydrate (3b405) – 7 mg, manganous sulphate monohydrate (3b503) – 40 mg, zinc sulphate monohydrate (3b605) – 150 mg, sodium selenite (3b801) – 0,1 mg.
Technological additives: rosemary extract, tocopherol extracts from vegetable oils (1b306(i)).

Analytical constituents:
crude protein – 26%,
crude oil and fats – 13%,
crude ash – 9%,
crude fibres – 3,5%,
calcium – 1,2%,

phosphorus – 0,9%,
omega 3 – 0,50%,
omega 6 – 2,22%,

It makes a tonne of all sorts of claims on the packaging, so if any of it is to be believed, it may be great, but just not sure. All the sweet potato, beet pulp and additives talk got me a bit suspicious as well as all the meat being followed by the word “meal”.

Thank you all for any advice.

[Piki G]

My 8 years old Daisy (mixed breed) have been on Royal Canine GI low fat diet his entire life until he developed bladder stones (calcium oxalate) and was put on Hills c/d diet. He was on this diet for about a month, and ended up getting pancreatitis.

I too am struggling to find a diet suitable for both conditions, but am leaning towards home cooking just because I don’t understand /rely on dog food anymore.

He is on boiled white rice, boiled chicken, boiled carrots and bone broth to begin with, while still trying to figure out a balanced diet.

He surely is suffering way more from pancreatitis than from his stones and bladder surgery.

[Chipy]

Hi Soph, so great that you switched to a 100% homemade diet for your girl. My pup is about the same size as yours and eggshells didn’t work for him. Bonemeals are often high in toxic heavy metals such as lead, and low-level lead poisoning can damage kidneys, liver and nerves over time so I would be careful with them.

If you don’t feed any raw bones, you can use GreenMin as the main calcium source. Dr. Dobias has found that dogs who are on GreenMin, and are not consuming any bone in their diet, consistently have results within normal ranges for calcium levels on their hair analysis test.

Also, please be aware that Balanceit. com provides synthetic vitamin & mineral mixes. I was considering it many years ago when we switched to a homemade diet but I don’t like feeding anything that is NOT natural. There is a big difference in how the body abosorbs nutrients from whole food-based vs synthetic chemical-based supplements.

https://peterdobias.com/blogs/blog/15188693-synthetic-supplements-for-dogs-can-cause-serious-problems

We have been using the Fab4 (GreenMin, SoulFood, GutSense, and FeelGood Omega) for many years and our dog loves them. He is super healthy at the age of 10 and we are very grateful for Dr. Dobias and his pure products.

Dog Essentials

These natural supplements are like wholesome food, the body recognizes them as such and only absorbs what it requires. As every dog has slightly different nutritional requirements, it’s best to provide a wide variety of nutrients to support the body. Here is what we add to our pup’s homemade diet to fill in any nutritional gaps.

GreenMin, as a source of plant-based minerals, calcium, amino-acids, and super greens
SoulFood, as a certified organic multivitamin with additional organ support components
GutSense, as a source of dog specific certified organic probiotics
FeelGood Omega, to supplement Essential Fatty Acids (omega 3s) – Sardines can be high in toxic strontium!

In a perfect world, a wide variety of food would keep your dog’s body nourished and no supplements would be required. The problem is, due to intensive agriculture, minerals and nutrients do not get recycled back into the soil, leading to a lack of minerals in the whole food chain.

https://peterdobias.com/blogs/blog/15072565-how-many-supplements-are-too-many-for-your-dog

I encourage you to do your own research and only choose the highest quality products for your dog. They deserve the best! 🙂

[Patricia A]

Maybe a starting point would be to find a food low in fat but has a good protein level. I feed freeze dried raw. This way with the hydration they are getting plenty of water. I also stick to only the LOW IN FAT proteins because my one would get diarrhea with the high fat. So maybe the best you can do with diet is the hard task of helping with the pancreatitis as well as the bladder stones is the high protein/low fat diet.
I read this in Whole Dog Journal
Low-protein diets have also been shown to predispose dogs to pancreatitis, especially when combined with high fat intake. Some prescription diets may be a concern, such as those prescribed to dissolve struvite bladder stones; to prevent calcium oxalate, urate, or cystine stones; and to treat kidney disease; especially for breeds prone to pancreatitis.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 10 months ago by Patricia A.

[Patricia A]

There are different types of stones with different reasons for formations. However, hydration is a big key in all stones to prevent recurrence. Helpful article below for Calcium oxalate stones.
Nutritional management of Calcium Oxalate stones

While it can be difficult to completely prevent your dog developing calcium oxalate stones (particularly if they have a genetic predisposition to it), there are some things that you can do to decrease your dog’s chances of developing bladder stones, and to prevent them coming back in dogs who have previously had them.

Keeping your dog well hydrated is vital. This dilutes their urine, which in turn dilutes the levels of chemicals that promote stone formation, and so decreases the chance of your dog developing bladder stones.

You can help your dog drink more water by placing a few bowls of fresh water in different locations around the house. Always make sure the water is fresh and that you change it regularly.

In the ideal world we are aiming to maintain urine specific gravity <1.020. I always encourage my clients to buy a refractometer, which makes it very easy to measure your dog’s urine specific gravity.

The food your dog eats also impacts on the development of calcium oxalate stones.

To decrease the chances of your dog developing bladder stones, you should avoid feeding foods that contain high levels of oxalate such as spinach, sweet potatoes, organ meat and brown rice. Instead, include foods with lower oxalate levels like apples (peeled), wild rice and meats and fish in their diet. It’s also a good idea to boil vegetables and discharge the water before giving them to your dog – this helps to reduce the oxalate levels in them.

Restricting calcium is another strategy for reducing oxalate levels in the urine – a reduction in calcium should be accompanies by a similar reduction in oxalate levels. However calcium restriction should be done very carefully, as too much restriction can be damaging and may lead to health problems including osteoporosis.

Other dietary measures that can be taken to help prevent formation of calcium oxalate stones are reducing dietary sodium (salt) and avoiding excess vitamin D. This is because excess sodium and vitamin D promotes excessive urinary calcium excretion. Therefore moderately reduce dietary sodium, stay away from high sodium treats and do not supplement with vitamin D.

Vitamin C supplements are not recommended because when vitamin C is metabolised and broken down, it produces oxalate – therefore avoiding vitamin C supplements avoids an increase in oxalate levels.

Vitamin B supplements are water soluble and are excreted in the urine. Therefore in all cases of urinary tract stones it is prudent to give a vitamin B complex supplement.

There is still some debate surrounding magnesium and bladder stones. Some studies have shown that magnesium in the urine impairs formation of calcium oxalate stones. But other studies have shown that when given to healthy dogs, magnesium supplements resulted in an increase in urinary calcium levels. So because there is no definite consensus, restricting or supplementing magnesium is not recommended and so both should be avoided.

It’s important to note that not all of the oxalate in your dog’s body stems from their diet. Some is produced naturally by your dog’s body, mainly the liver. Nonetheless, avoiding incorporating foods with high levels of oxalate in your dog’s diet is an important preventative step against calcium oxalate stones.

Including fiber in the diet may reduce absorption of some minerals and so should be considered as part of any dietary changes being made. However, take care not to increase levels too much which can result in overfeeding.

Calcium oxalate stones cause the bladder to become inflamed by rubbing up against the bladder wall. To help reduce this inflammation, you can give your dog fish body oil supplements. However, avoid liver oil as this contains vitamin D which should be avoided (see above).

There are a few veterinary prescription diets designed to (theoretically) reduce the likelihood of calcium oxalate stone.

You can also prepare you dogs food at home using the same high quality ingredients that you eat. There are several health benefits of making your dogs food at home. By feeding your dog a home-prepared diet rather than a dry kibble diet, you can increase the amount of water they are drinking. And as mentioned above, increased water consumption makes urine more dilute and can help prevent stones forming.

A home-prepared diet is also the only way you can truly control what is going into your dog.

If you’d like to try cooking for your dog, the best way to ensure that the diet is meeting all of your dogs nutritional needs is to get your recipe from a qualified nutritionist. Dietary manipulation to address a health problem should be done by someone who will work with your dog.

[dean S]

I was asked to provide details, somewhere in this site, (but cannot remember where) – for ingredients of ERA pet foods.
CAnt dogfood advisor do a review for a european pet food?? So here are ingredients. IS THIS CONSIDERED NUTRITIONAL?

COMPOSITION: fresh chicken meat (20%), dehydrated turkey (18%), whole brown rice (16%), dehydrated pheasant (10%), chicken fat (5%, preserved with natural tocopherols, source of vitamin E), yellow peas, sweet potatoes, apple pulp, hydrolyzed chicken liver (3%), pea protein, dehydrated chicken (2%), salmon oil (2%), dried beet pulp, linseed (1.5%), dried spinach, pumpkin, dried carob, tomato pulp, sea algae (Ascophyllum nodosum, 0.4%), minerals, pomegranate (0.2%), blueberries (0.2%), cranberries (0.2%), glucosamine (0.026%), yeast (a source of mannan-oligosaccharides/MOS, 0.02%), citrus extract (0.02%), chondroitine sulphate (0.016%), chicory root (a source of fructo-oligosaccharides/FOS, 0.01%), yucca extract, marigold (Calendula officinalis, 0.01%), green lipped mussels (0.005%), milk thistle seed (Silybum marianum, 0.005%), coneflower (Echinacea purpurea, 0.005%), thyme (Thymus vulgaris, 0.005%), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis, 0.005%

28% Crude Protein
15% Fat Content
3% Crude Fiber
6.5% Crude Ash
10% Moisture
1.4% Calcium
1% Phosphorus
Min 0.2% Sodium
0.25% Omega-3 fatty acids
1.7% Omega-6 fatty acids
3770 kcal/kg Energy Valu

[Debra K]

My 13yr old Toy Poodle got sick, over this past Memorial Day weekend. She had horrible diarrhea and vomiting. I took her to the vet, who did all sorts of blood, urine tests and a sonogram. I’ve spent $1000 and now he wants ($650 worth) MORE tests!! I had been giving her psyllium husks and TUMS (he told me to, because of low calcium). He also wanted to sell me a $40 bag of dog food (I KNOW she won’t eat). I agreed to another $400 of tests this Thurs. Supposedly she has Pancreatitis and also PLE. I got a hunch, so I started searching for a natural alternative to all of the prescription drugs and expensive visits, he recommended. I looked up Apple Cider Vinegar for Pancreatitis. Lo and behold, someone said they used it and within 30mins their pain and symptoms stopped. I had some ACV pills from Big Lots ($3), so I cut one in half and coated it with Hemp Oil. I gave it to her last nite and just like the guy said, within 20mins she was sprawled out on the couch, snoring away. She didn’t have to get up in the middle of the nite with diarrhea and this a.m. her poop was still soft, but formed–almost normal!! I also have been soaking her (for 15mins, 2x a day) in a large Tupperware, with Magnesium Oil flakes dissolved in really warm water and a few drops of Lavender, to replace the Magnesium she lost and put her back in balance. I am planning on cancelling the test on Thurs. I’m a little perturbed that I spent so much money, but at least I know she doesn’t have Cushing’s, Addison’s, Diabetes or anything like that. I am planning on cancelling the appt on Thurs. Hope this can help others, who are at wit’s end and their poor suffering doggies.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 11 months ago by Debra K. Reason: Added the $$ amount of test my vet wants to do

[Mikkel J]

Hi

Looking to change from Hill’s J/D joint care, to a grain free product. My dog was very ill for a month probably do to lyme borreliosis . We’re of the meds (antibiotics and adrenocortical hormone) and recovered, however with stiff joints especially in hear rear legs after laying down, and not quite the same motivation to play and run with her son (7y), and inability to jump as before.
However things are doing somewhat better than just after the recovery, we’re doing an hour walk/run in her pace only on soft soil like in the forest. We supplement Hills with joint supplement powder containing (Glycosaminoglycans, Proteoglycans, Organic sulfur, Green-lipped mussel, Collagen II), turmeric with bioperine, Omega 3 (EPA/DHA) and the popular CBD oil 30 mg pr. day, dogs weight 30 kg/66 lbs.

I’m not certain that I’m on the right path her, and looking at first to find another base food instead of hills full of grain.
I’ve found Wolfsblut as the best substitute and like another pair of eyes on it.

https://www.wolfsblut.com/vetline/trockenfutter-hunde/vetline-joint-care/

Fresh wild poultry meat 41% (partridge, pigeon, wild duck, ostrich), sweet potato (17%), potato, banana, ostrich oil (5%), pumpkin, alfalfa, salmon oil, Jerusalem artichoke, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, elderberries, black currants, parsley , Spinach, minerals, carrot, chickpeas, green-lipped mussel, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, glucosamine (3,900 mg / kg), methylsulfonylmethane (3,900 mg / kg), chondroitin sulfate (2,750 mg / kg), cetyl myristoleate (500 mg / kg ), Ginger, licorice, garlic, turmeric

Vitamins: vitamin A (as retinyl acetate) 14,400 IU, vitamin D3 (as cholecalciferol) 2,000 IU, vitamin E (as alpha tocopherol acetate) 100 IU; Trace elements: iodine (as anhydrous calcium iodate) 0.96 mg, iron (as ferrous sulfate) 48 mg, zinc (as zinc sulfate) 48 mg, manganese (as manganese sulfate) 33 mg, copper (as copper sulfate) 14 mg, selenium (as sodium selenite) 0.29 mg

Crude protein 20%
Crude fat 13%
Crude fiber 3.5%
Crude ash 9.5%
Humidity 8%
Omega-6 2.98%
Omega-3 0.75%

What are your thoughts about this product?
Also, i’d like some advice on the following
– The need if any, to supplement this kind of food with additionally or other nutrition.
– Exercise, I know shorter and more frequent walk is advisable, however she is responding rather well on 1 hour long walk a day.
– If you know about another joint care dry food or any other advice, whom you have good experience with, I’m all ears, however needs to be sold in Europe.

Thanks for your time
Mikkel

[dean S]

DOES ANYONE HAVE A COMMENT REGARDING THE FOLLOWING; Recommended to me for 6 year old dog.
produced by ERAPETFOOD- (from the label)

COMPOSITION: fresh chicken meat (20%), dehydrated turkey (18%), whole brown rice (16%), dehydrated pheasant (10%), chicken fat (5%, preserved with natural tocopherols, source of vitamin E), yellow peas, sweet potatoes, apple pulp, hydrolyzed chicken liver (3%), pea protein, dehydrated chicken (2%), salmon oil (2%), dried beet pulp, linseed (1.5%), dried spinach, pumpkin, dried carob, tomato pulp, sea algae (Ascophyllum nodosum, 0.4%), minerals, pomegranate (0.2%), blueberries (0.2%), cranberries (0.2%), glucosamine (0.026%), yeast (a source of mannan-oligosaccharides/MOS, 0.02%), citrus extract (0.02%), chondroitine sulphate (0.016%), chicory root (a source of fructo-oligosaccharides/FOS, 0.01%), yucca extract, marigold (Calendula officinalis, 0.01%), green lipped mussels (0.005%), milk thistle seed (Silybum marianum, 0.005%), coneflower (Echinacea purpurea, 0.005%), thyme (Thymus vulgaris, 0.005%), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis, 0.005%)

ANALYTICAL CONSTITUENTS
28% Crude Protein
15% Fat Content
3% Crude Fiber
6.5% Crude Ash
10% Moisture
1.4% Calcium
1% Phosphorus
Min 0.2% Sodium
0.25% Omega-3 fatty acids
1.7% Omega-6 fatty acids
3770 kcal/kg Energy Value

NUTRITIONAL ADDITIVES / KG
17000 IU Vitamin A
1400 IU Vitamin D3
450 mg Vitamin E
15 mg Cooper (E4)
0.6 mg Iodine (3b201)
75 mg Iron (E1)
35 mg Manganese (E5)
0.2 mg Selenium (3b8.10)
90 mg Zinc (3b603)
GUT FLORA STABILIZERS / KG
Enterococcus faecium
DSM10663/NCIMB 10415
1×108 C.F.U.

[Ania V]

Hello,
At first, thank you for this conversation which I read and has helped me a lot. Please, excuse my english as I am from Greece. My dog Maya is 16 years old and has kidney disease for 1,5 year (May 2018) with her BUN at 70 and Creatinine at 3.2 in her latest tests. Creatinine has been stabilised all this time around 3 but BUN has unfortunately increased. It was 56, around 4 months ago. I cook and feed her home food with beef all this 1,5 year with white bio rice, bio vegetables like butternut pumpkin, carrots, cale, green beans, sweet potato, bio apples and bio eggs (no yolks at all). I also give her carbonate calcium in her food and omega-3. Also, my vet subscribed PRONEFRA for the kidneys which Maya takes from the beginning and HEMOVET the last 4 months because her haematocrit (HCT) was a bit low (39). Now it is 42.4 again but the vet suggested to keep giving them. Her PHOS is normal at 4.6, never high or low.
My question is what can I do to reduce BUN. I read that you suggest Probiotics and Acacia Fibers. Would that help Maya’s case? I would appreciate any suggestion and help as I am doing all this time a massive effort to keep her as healthy as I can. My vet has unfortunately confused me sometimes. For example, she told me when we had the latest tests that I should reduce the beef in her food in order to reduce protein. Is it a good idea to reduce protein now? She also told me to give Maya brown rice and not white, but I ‘ve read that this is not a good idea. I am confused and in need of advice regarding BUN’s latest increase.

Thank you in advance.

Ania

[GSDsForever]

Suraj,

I would feed any dog, large breed or otherwise, with a significant breed risk of hip or elbow dysplasia (and therefore DJD) a food with the following:

3.5g Calcium or Lower Per 1000 Calories
Actual (Typical Analysis) Calcium-Phosphorous Ratio of 1.3 :1 to 1:1

The guaranteed analysis you have provided above, which refers ONLY to minimum for calcium and phosphorus, does not tell us this. You would need to call the brand for this, unless it is posted on their website.

I would feed any *large breed* puppy prone to orthopedic structure, growth issues, and injury a food that is additionally suitable for SLOW, controlled growth and I would keep the puppy lean.

I would feed a *puppy of any breed/mix* a formula that I could verify a FULL nutrient profile and ensure it met safe and optimal levels of all nutrients, from a good and trustworthy company, preferably a formula with some longevity of safely feeding puppies (my own breed included).

I cannot recommend ANY formula of dog food (for ANY reason) based on just a guaranteed analysis from the bag. No one can (or should). It doesn’t provide enough information, about anything.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 7 months ago by GSDsForever.

[Patricia A]

Aimee I agree that I didn’t get very technical with the questions for the vet. I was just trying to point out that some owners think the brands sold at the vets MUST be superior in some way since of course vets know what food is the best. I thought this also at one time. And MOST of the time if asked what should I feed my “healthy” dog your vet will I believe 9 times out of 10 suggest the ones in their practice. Why is that when again 9 times out of 10 the vet cannot even tell you the ingredients listed on the labels they sell?
Honestly, so many of these companies are so gimmicky and people fall for it. Like the dog food manufactorers who sell specific kibble just for different breeds. Like a Chihuahua on the bag and then for your Shitzu, poodle, yorkie etc. are specifically made for just for that breed.Really they want us to believe that a diet for a Yorkie would be different then a Chihuahua. People are gullible.
Here are the four ingredient labels I asked the vets to rank. Can you guess which one is the prescription diet?
Also regarding prescription diets for dogs interesting article below.
Food #1
dog food ingredient
Food #2
Prescription Diet Dog Food
Food #3
prescription diet dog food 3
Food #4
Prescription Diet Dog Food
The Answer: Prescription Diets Revealed
Now, if there’s one thing I can say about my veterinary friends, it’s that they don’t follow direction very well! Only one of the vets actually ranked all of the foods as asked. But the rest had some very interesting things to say about the prescription diet.

So to start, here are the rankings in order from best to worst from Dr Marty Goldstein, author of The Nature of Animal Healing:

Food #2 ranked first because it contains all whole foods

Food #4 ranked second because it contains meal but otherwise contains whole foods

Food #1 ranked third, thanks to the by-product rice, by-product meal and overall low quality ingredients

Food #3 ranked last, based on the use of corn for its first ingredient, followed by by-product meal.

And if you haven’t guessed already, the prescription diet in that list is Food #3.

Want to hear what some of the other vets had to say about the prescription diet?

Dr Jodie Gruenstern: This food was the lowest quality in the list. It contains GMO corn, soy (lots of it!), which is a common allergen, synthetic vitamins/minerals, shavings (if you didn’t know, the ingredient cellulose is literally sawdust), natural flavors, which usually mean MSG.

Dr Jean Dodds: Poor quality food: the first ingredients are corn, which is often GMO, and chicken by-product meal rather than whole chicken. Flax and soy are phytoestrogens.

Dr Judy Morgan: This is a Pet Store Food. Corn is the first ingredient, no muscle meat used, only by-product meal, synthetic vitamin/mineral supplement, corn and soybean are GMO, waste fillers are abundant. Overpriced in my opinion, considering the poor quality, cheap ingredients used).

Dr Dee Blanco: This one starts with corn to increase inflammation, then adds lighter fluid to it with soybean products and poor quality protein. Then it tries to make up for the poor quality foundational ingredients by adding synthetic supplements of the poorest quality, such as calcium carbonate, folic acid, ‘generic Vit E supplement’, etc. Looks like they added l-tryptophan to calm the nervous system down after putting the body into overdrive inflammation. Natural flavors?? Could be an entire cadre of carcinogens, allergens and toxins. Argh!

Dr Peter Dobias: The worst recipe – first ingredient is corn, then by-product, then flavors, wood chips. It may not be supermarket food but a veterinary diet right?!

So, as you can see, our vets didn’t exactly think the ingredients in the prescription diet were high quality. In fact, they thought many of them would be harmful.

So why exactly do we trust our vets to prescribe diets when this is the best they can offer?

And, more importantly, why are vets gullible enough to think these foods can do anything to change chronic health issues in dogs, such as allergies, kidney disease, or in the case of this particular food, joint disease?

If we really want to look at the quality of these diets, I think the first place to start is who’s making them?

The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From The Tree
The major players in the prescription diet category are the major players in the regular pet food category:

Hill’s Science Diet
Purina
Royal Canin
Iams
These companies are hardly renowned for quality ingredients. In fact, most veterinary diets are manufactured by companies that predominantly manufacture lower quality grocery store foods. The same company that makes lower quality foods like Alpo and Beneful is also making prescription diets. How much better do you think the veterinary food would be?

Let’s compare two Hill’s foods: a regular food (Natural Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Adult) and a prescription food (j/d Canine Joint Care).

The regular pet store brand:

Hills Ideal Balance
And the prescription food:

Hills JD
Now, a 30lb bag of the regular food is $47.99 at Petsmart. The prescription diet dog food can also be purchased at Petsmart for $84.95 for a 27.5lb bag. It’s twice as expensive!

Now, you might be thinking this is because the prescription diet was formulated and tested with a specific condition in mind.

This is completely false.

While an over-the-counter food with a health claim (such as controls weight) is subject to FDA regulations and enforcement, the FDA practices “enforcement discretion” when it comes to veterinary diets.

Put another way, this means the FDA has not reviewed or verified the health claims on any veterinary diet.

Did you catch that? There are very few ingredients in veterinary diets that aren’t also in other regular diets. In the example above, I’d say the pet store brand is a better quality food, wouldn’t you? The prescription diet contains by-product meal (which comes straight from the rendering plant), lots of soybean and corn products (a cheap replacement for animal protein) while the regular food contains more expensive, higher quality ingredients.

Apart from fish oil, what food ingredients exactly would help dogs with joint pain? As Dr Dee Blanco stated, this food would actually cause inflammation.

And fish oil is a terrible addition to pet foods. It’s much too fragile to be added to processed foods and as soon as the bag is opened, it will oxidate and cause inflammation in your dog.

Ironic isn’t it, when the food is supposed to be treating inflammation in the first place?

[Related: We’ve got 5 reasons you should dump fish oil. Click here.]

Consider The Source
Those two diets are made in the exact same plant. The manufacturer uses the same suppliers.

Doesn’t it stand to reason that the quality of ingredients will be the same?

I challenge the pet food industry to prove that chicken by-product meal, soybeans, brewers rice and powdered cellulose have been extensively researched and proven better than the higher quality foods used in most regular pet foods.

So if your vet ever says your dog needs to be eating a prescription diet, ask him to review the ingredient list. Then ask him for hard evidence that the foods in the prescription diet are any better than those in regular diets.

I think we know what the answer will be.

And if you’re one of the smart 60%, then I know you already know the answer!

It’s nothing but Bull$hit.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 8 months ago by Patricia A.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 8 months ago by Patricia A.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 8 months ago by Patricia A.

[Patricia A]

Let’s say you made an appointment with your vet strictly for a consultation on diet for your dog. Then ask that first off I would like you to tell me what are the necessary vitamins/minerals and percentage that needs to be in the food to keep my dog healthy. Also if I had a large breed puppy how would those percentages change if at all. How many more calories does he need when feeding then a small breed puppy? What should I look for as the first through 5th ingredient on the dog food label that should point me to the best food? What should I be on the alert for that should NOT be on their ingredient label that would suggest a low quality food? You know what the vet would say to these questions? You think any vet not trained strictly in animal nutrition would know these answers. I think not.
Take it a step further and bring in a dog food he suggests such as royal Canon, science diet etc and cut out the name and show him only the ingredient label.Also take in let’s say freeze dried also and some other brands with only the label.

So Royal Canin adult dog foods first few ingredients are:
Brewers rice, chicken by-product meal, oat groats, wheat, corn gluten meal, chicken fat, natural flavors, dried plain beet pulp, fish oil, calcium carbonate, vegetable oil, potassium chloride, salt, etc.

And here’s Science Diet recipe (website states vet recommended)
Chicken, whole grain wheat, cracked pearled barley, whole grain sorghum, whole grain corn, corn gluten meal, chicken meal, pork fat, chicken liver flavor, dried beet pulp, soybean oil,

Now I’m not trying to plug a dog food. I get my starting point from Dr. Mike and go from there. But let’s take Bixbi Rawbble whose first ingredients are this: Salmon, whitefish, chicken and ground bone, pumpkin etc.

Grain inclusive Stellas ingrediens: Chicken, chicken meal pearled barley,oatmeal, chicken fat, brown rice etc.

Primal ingredients: Turkey, turkey necks, whole sardines, turkey hearts or turkey gizzards, turkey livers, organic collard greens, organic squash, organic cranberries, organic blueberries, organic pumpkin seeds, clery, sunflower seeds etc.

So does anyone think he would know which one was Royal Canin just by looking at the label. Would he pick Royal Canin or Science Diet as being what he feels the highest quality after seeing the first few ingredients of the others? Unless I’m WAY off on what I understand to be ingredients to look for on a dog food label for the best nutrition for my dogs, then I would HOPE his pick would be the others over Royal Canin and Science diet which vets push in their practice.
What I’m attempting to put across here is that the MAJORITY of vets who sell Prescription diets as in Science Diet, Royal Canin etc at their practices and suggest that food have no idea what is even in the ingredients and wouldn’t recognize which brand are those and which are others by just looking at the ingredients. They have salesmen from these companies and correct me if I’m wrong please and get kickback each time a bag is sold.

[Patricia A]

Let’s say you made an appointment with your vet strictly for a consultation on diet for your dog. Then ask that first off I would like you to tell me what are the necessary vitamins/minerals and percentage that needs to be in the food to keep my dog healthy. Also if I had a large breed puppy how would those percentages change if at all. How many more calories does he need when feeding then a small breed puppy? What should I look for as the first through 5th ingredient on the dog food label that should point me to the best food? What should I be on the alert for that should NOT be on their ingredient label that would suggest a low quality food? You know what the vet would say to these questions? You think any vet not trained strictly in animal nutrition would know these answers. I think not.
Take it a step further and bring in a dog food he suggests such as royal Canon, science diet etc and cut out the name and show him only the ingredient label.Also take in let’s say freeze dried also and some other brands with only the label.

So Royal Canin adult dog foods first few ingredients are:
Brewers rice, chicken by-product meal, oat groats, wheat, corn gluten meal, chicken fat, natural flavors, dried plain beet pulp, fish oil, calcium carbonate, vegetable oil, potassium chloride, salt, etc.

And here’s Science Diet recipe (website states vet recommended)
Chicken, whole grain wheat, cracked pearled barley, whole grain sorghum, whole grain corn, corn gluten meal, chicken meal, pork fat, chicken liver flavor, dried beet pulp, soybean oil,

Now I’m not trying to plug a dog food. I get my starting point from Dr. Mike and go from there. But let’s take Bixbi Rawbble whose first ingredients are this: Salmon, whitefish, chicken and ground bone, pumpkin etc.

Grain inclusive Stellas ingrediens: Chicken, chicken meal pearled barley,oatmeal, chicken fat, brown rice etc.

Primal ingredients: Turkey, turkey necks, whole sardines, turkey hearts or turkey gizzards, turkey livers, organic collard greens, organic squash, organic cranberries, organic blueberries, organic pumpkin seeds, clery, sunflower seeds etc.

So does anyone think he would know which one was Royal Canin just by looking at the label. Would he pick Royal Canin or Science Diet as being what he feels the highest quality after seeing the first few ingredients of the others? Unless I’m WAY off on what I understand to be ingredients to look for on a dog food label for the best nutrition for my dogs, then I would HOPE his pick would be the others over Royal Canin and Science diet which vets push in their practice.
What I’m attempting to put across here is that the MAJORITY of vets who sell Prescription diets as in Science Diet, Royal Canin etc at their practices and suggest that food have no idea what is even in the ingredients and wouldn’t recognize which brand are those and which are others by just looking at the ingredients. They have salesmen from these companies and correct me if I’m wrong please and get kickback each time a bag is sold.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 8 months ago by Patricia A.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 8 months ago by Patricia A.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 8 months ago by Patricia A.

[Patricia A]

Melissa I’m confused with your vet after all the testing and specifically a biopsy that he can’t give a definitive diagnosis of IBD? Ask for a copy of the test results also. Did he mention CJ needing to go on any meds such as steroids? Which food did the vet suggest Melissa?

Before you switch the food he suggests, try one more time of the just WHITE meat boiled chicken and white rice. NO VEGGIES at all just a few days and see how he does. I don’t believe in prescription diets myself for reasons here: https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/worlds-biggest-dog-food-scam/
I’m curious of which food he will suggest now. Please keep me updated.
Once IBD has been diagnosed, Wakshlag favors gradually switching a dog’s diet, if the main proteins have been common ones such as beef, chicken or lamb. The dog would be then fed a novel protein or hydrolyzed diet.
Yogurt is high in calcium and protein. It also can act as a probiotic, which can be good for the digestive system. If you are going to feed your dog yogurt, it should be plain and free of any added sweeteners, both natural and artificial.

Diet vs. Medicine

IBD cannot be cured and is often treated with antibiotics or other medicines designed to stop the gastrointestinal immune system from overproducing antigens. Most vets, however, prefer to manage the condition through diet and may prescribe a commercially made food or give you recipes to home-cook your dog’s food. Each dog is different and some will require a specific diet with only a few ingredients. Consult your vet before feeding your dog any homemade meals designed to manage his IBD.

A Proper Balance

Cooked meals for dogs suffering from IBD need to contain a good mix of proteins, fats and fiber. Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish and flaxseed oil, may help decrease intestinal inflammation and thus ease symptoms. Fresh meat or dairy protein sources, such as cheese, rabbit, venison and duck contain proteins that are broken down into more digestible nutrients.

Fiber and Fat

While some dogs with IBD do better when they eat more fiber, others do better when fiber is reduced. Vets often recommend fiber supplementation when IBD affects the colon, as fiber improves stool consistency and reduces the growth of harmful bacteria in the colon. Typically, high fiber foods, such as vegetables, are lower in fat. While fiber can trigger more bowel movements, the lower fat content from higher fiber diets often reduces diarrhea in dogs with IBD.

No People Treats

An important part of treatment for your dog’s IBD is keeping her away from people food. That means no table scraps, no bites of your sandwich and no feeding her bits of food that happen to fall on the floor. Also, avoid giving her most commercial dog treats, such as biscuits, which can be full of fillers and ingredients that will aggravate her stomach. Natural chew toys, or rawhides, also are out, as she likely will swallow pieces that flake off while she chews.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 9 months ago by Patricia A.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 9 months ago by Patricia A.

[Susan]

Hi Whiskey D,

Please make appointment with a Holistic Vet or I contacted a Animal Nutritionist, DO NOT ADD calcium you need someone who will balance diet for your pup.
Your dog is probably getting enough calcium if he’s eating bone in diet??

“Excess Calcium Isn’t Good for Dogs. … Because of this, some owners feel their dog or puppy – particularly if he is a large breed – should be given extra calcium. But too much calcium can have the opposite effect: excess calcium can slow bone and cartilage development, even stunt growth.”

Rodney Habib is studying & doing his degree, his large breed white dog “Sammy” is nilly 18yrs old, all 3 of his dogs are all feed balance raw diets… Rodney has more brains then the negative people on DFA who always post negative post about him & other people all the time..

Do your research, join Raw feeding groups – “The Possible Canine” Catherine Lane, Dr Judy Morgan- Pup Loaf, Lew Olson – “K-9 Natural” group – Dr Laurie Coger f/b page..
Steve Brown is really good to follow, he recommends adding { 1-2 Mussels, 1 tablespoon Salmon & a pinch of Kelp} daily to balance a dogs diet…… Tin Salmon has bones, drain water, mash bones thru the salmon & put in air tight container put in fridge look for the lowest salt/sodium % on can..

Dr Karen Becker has a few good books with balanced raw recipes – msg her on her F/B page, she was releasing a new book last year.

Feed healthy whole foods, veggies, fruit, “Sardines” are VERY healthy & help balance a dogs diet, also “Mussels” very healthy both foods have natural calcium, vitamins/minerals, chicken frames are nice soft bone, chicken drumsticks, turkey legs, turkey necks… look for Wholesalers who sell to the supermarkets & Butcher shops that’s what we do in Australia we buy from the wholesalers….its fresh then you freeze in sections…

[crazy4cats]

A lot has been learned about the proper way to feed large and giant breed puppies over the last 46 years. Fortunately, large breed puppy food has been formulated now to meet all the needs of the growing joints in big pups. It is no longer necessary or recommended to feed them adult food to slow down growing.
/calcium-content-analyzer/

In addition Fromm is one of the brands that the FDA has implicated in the recent increase of dogs being diagnosed with Nutritionally Mediated DCM.
https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/news-events/fda-investigation-potential-link-between-certain-diets-and-canine-dilated-cardiomyopathy

[Christie B]

My American Bulldog mix has a history of occasional stomach upset that causes excessive drooling that I have to use Pepcid to treat. I thought it was pretty random, usually occurring 1-2 times a month. But I’ve noticed that it tends to happen as we get towards the end of a large bag of dry food (my vet had suggested rotating every 1-2 bags). Rotation helped a lot, as did avoiding chicken.

It seems that issues starts once we’re a few weeks into a bag of food. Picking up stools yesterday, I noticed that they were pretty soft and one had mucus inside. Both dogs have been going to town on eating grass, but that’s pretty normal for them (and I don’t use any chemicals on my lawn or garden). Could it have something to do with sticking with the same formula for too long? I’ve been rotating every 2 bags, but maybe I should rotate every bag instead…

My vet also suggested Purina Pro Plan Focus Adult Sensitive Skin & Stomach Salmon & Rice Formula .
Do any of the ingredients look suspect?

Salmon, barley, ground rice, canola meal, oatmeal, fish meal (source of glucosamine), animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols, brewers dried yeast, salmon meal (source of glucosamine), natural flavor, sunflower oil, chicory root inulin, salt, fish oil, Vitamin E supplement, niacin (Vitamin B-3), Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate (Vitamin B-5), pyridoxine hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), folic acid (Vitamin B-9), Vitamin B-12 supplement, thiamine mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Vitamin D-3 supplement, riboflavin supplement (Vitamin B-2), menadione sodium bisulfite complex (Vitamin K), biotin (Vitamin B-7), potassium chloride, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (Vitamin C), and choline chloride

[Christie B]

On the topic of “the big 4”, I think it’s important to go beyond the parent company and look at the ingredients on the bag to determine what food you should buy. Some product lines within a company are better than others. I don’t think you can rank Dog Chow the same as Pro Plan or Pedigree the same as Nutro.

Ingredients are important. 3 Chicken Formula Dry Food Ingredients Lists:

GROUND WHOLE GRAIN CORN, POULTRY BY-PRODUCT MEAL (SOURCE OF GLUCOSAMINE AND CHONDROITIN SULFATE), CORN GLUTEN MEAL, ANIMAL FAT (SOURCE OF OMEGA 6 FATTY ACIDS [PRESERVED WITH BHA & CITRIC ACID]), MEAT AND BONE MEAL (SOURCE OF CALCIUM), SOYBEAN MEAL, GROUND WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT, BREWERS RICE, NATURAL FLAVOR, CHICKEN BY-PRODUCT MEAL, DRIED PLAIN BEET PULP, SALT, CALCIUM CARBONATE, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, CHOLINE CHLORIDE, DRIED PEAS, ZINC SULFATE, DL-METHIONINE, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE, VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENT, NIACIN [VITAMIN B3], BIOTIN, DRIED CARROTS, L-TRYPTOPHAN, BHA & CITRIC ACID (A PRESERVATIVE), BLUE 2, YELLOW 5, YELLOW 6, d-CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE [SOURCE OF VITAMIN B5], RIBOFLAVIN SUPPLEMENT [VITAMIN B2], RED 40, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE [VITAMIN B6], COPPER SULFATE, SODIUM SELENITE, POTASSIUM IODIDE, VITAMIN A SUPPLEMENT, THIAMINE MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT, FOLIC ACID

Chicken, brewers rice, poultry by-product meal (source of glucosamine), corn gluten meal, whole grain wheat, whole grain corn, oat meal, medium-chain triglyceride vegetable oil, pea fiber, dried egg product, natural flavor, fish oil, barley, fish meal (source of glucosamine), L-Arginine, mono and dicalcium phosphate, potassium chloride, salt, Vitamin E supplement, potassium citrate, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, manganese sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, calcium pantothenate, Vitamin B-12 supplement, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, garlic oil, folic acid, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, choline chloride, and sodium selenite

Chicken, Chicken Meal, Pearled Barley, Brown Rice, White Rice, Oatmeal, Beet Pulp, Chicken Fat, Menhaden Fish Meal, Flaxseed, Dried Whole Egg, Cheese, Brewers Dried Yeast, Salt, Calcium Sulfate, Potassium Chloride, Monocalcium Phosphate, DL-Methionine, L-Tryptophan, Taurine, Chicory Root Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Sodium Selenite, Sorbic Acid (Preservative), Vitamins, Minerals, Probiotics.

So the first one is a mess of “poor quality” ingredients and artificial colors. I would give that food a hard pass every day. In fact, I know someone with a Lab who has fed this food for the dog’s entire life. This 10 year old has a lot of joint and mobility issues.

The second one has the dreaded by-product label (at least it’s poultry and not ‘meat’ ) and lots of grains. Fish meal can be found a ways down the list for a boost of glucosamine.

The third has chicken and chicken meal as the first two ingredients, a plus for sure… and then Barley, rice, more rice and oatmeal follow…not ideal.

Are any of these GREAT food choices?

Every single time I go to the pet store, I wander the aisles reading ingredients lists. All I see are legumes and potatoes. Are they causing DCM? There’s no concrete evidence one way or the other yet. Was the my dog doing fine on Chicken and Rice for the first few years of his life before I found this website and gasped at the low rating his food received? Absolutely. Did I switch the grain free after reading through these forums? Sure did. Has he done ok with switch, all these years later? Nope. He’s developed allergies and sensitivities. But is it because of grain free formulas? I haven’t found concrete evidence proving that x and y caused the issues.

It’s a learning process to find what works best for your dog. Some can’t have grains, some can. My vet suggests feeding him boiled chicken and white rice when he’s not feeling well. Is my vet stupid or just telling me what he knows from his 30+ years of experience might help my dog. Has he called grain free food evil? No, but he cautions against it only because the inclusion of legumes and potatoes are ‘relatively’ new to animal nutrition and there isn’t enough research and studies done to prove that they are safe in the long term.

He told me that he’s always given his dogs Pro Plan but have never pushed me to purchase any of the big 4 brands. In fact, he said the best thing I can do is read the ingredients list myself. And to transition food properly. And if my dog has issues after eating 1-2 bags of a food, to look at the current ingredients and find a food that’s different.

[anonymous]

Do not give supplements unless recommended by a veterinarian that has examined the dog.

Do not give supplements that are not approved for veterinary use unless prescribed (off label) by a veterinarian that has examined the dog. Many over the counter meds and supplements intended for humans can include ingredients that are toxic to animals.

For stubborn cases like your dogs, there are prescription medications the vet may recommend. I might consider consulting a Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialist.

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/calcium-oxalate-bladder-stones-in-dogs (excerpt below)
How can I prevent my dog from developing calcium oxalate bladder stones in the future?
Dogs that have developed calcium oxalate bladder stones in the past will often be fed a therapeutic diet for life. Diets that promote less-acidic and more dilute urine are recommended. Most dogs should be fed a canned or wet diet to encourage water consumption. Dilute urine with a low urine specific gravity (Urine Specific Gravity or USpG less than 1.020) is an important part of the prevention of calcium oxalate bladder stones. In certain cases, medications to lower the urinary pH such as potassium citrate may be required. If the dog is fed a home prepared diet, Vitamin B6 is often added as a supplement. Dogs that repeatedly develop calcium oxalate bladder stones without high blood calcium levels may benefit from hydrochlorothiazide treatment.
Dogs diagnosed with calcium oxalate stones should avoid calcium supplements unless specifically advised by your veterinarian. They should not be fed high oxalate foods such as chocolate, nuts, rhubarb, beets, green beans, and spinach.
In addition, careful routine monitoring of the urine to detect any signs of bacterial infection is also recommended. Bladder x-rays and urinalysis will typically be performed one month after treatment and then every three to six months for the remainder of the dog’s life. Dogs displaying any clinical signs such as frequent urination, urinating in unusual places, painful urination or the presence of blood in the urine should be evaluated immediately. Unfortunately, calcium oxalate stones have a somewhat high rate of recurrence, despite careful attention to diet and lifestyle.
Contributors: Ernest Ward, DVM

[Bernice L]

I went through a similar incident with my dog Freddy for a number of years because all the vets kept telling me, despite his chronic pancreatitis and bilious vomiting syndrome, that he was on the best food, despite over $6000 in vet bills in 3 months, despite numerous hospital stays and consults with specialists, until finally one day I was at our local butcher, where I had not been before. He told me about all the things they sell, where their meat comes from, and that they make their own dog food — beef, chicken, brown rice, vegetables and ground bone for calcium; well my prescribed dog food was costing me $250/month (it was Royal Canin low fat gastro) so decided what the heck, try the raw food and within days I noticed a difference, within two weeks ALL of Freddy’s symptoms were gone, and now, 5 months later no vet visits or hospital stays since I switched AND instead of $250/month I am paying closer to $140/month.

Raw food isn’t for everyone, but I didn’t realize just how much of a difference food makes. For the record, every other dog I’ve ever had, over 40 years now, were fed Beneful and lived to be between 12 and 16 years old, never had a food problem, and it’s cheap. Wish that still worked! Good luck!

[Sanne]

I have no idea if that could be caused by a food allergy but I would think your vet would know more than me, or anyone here for that matter. That said, my vet does say high protein diets can elevate liver enzyme count so who knows. Different vets seem to have different answers for everything.

If I needed a simple duck based food I would personally go with Farmina. Protein is also more moderate if that is what you are looking for. It couldn’t hurt to lower the protein a bit. Dogs do not need 35%+ protein. Not that higher protein is necessarily bad, but if you suspect it may be causing problems with your dog you can certainly cut it down https://www.farmina.com/us/dog-food/n&d-quinoa-functional-canine/443-skin-&-coat-duck.html

They also have a duck based canned food

I would not feed Zignature right now as they have had quite a few links to DCM in dogs. Seems like a risky food until more is found out. I do not like Instinct either as most of their formulas are quite high in ash, calcium and phosphorus. I am not familiar with the other brands listed.

[Sabrina H]

It’s hard to find dog food that fits my dog’s needs and my budget. Zignature was working for us but until more information comes out about DCM I’m just not comfortable feeding it anymore.

My dog can’t tolerate grains (trust me, I wish I could feed grain inclusive food because it’s way cheaper), can’t tolerate pork, needs to have fiber around 5% or he has anal gland problems, and I can’t afford more than $1/day. It’s a pain. I’m ok supplementing a little extra fiber (I use Firm Up) if the food is great otherwise.

Does anyone feel like looking at dog food ingredients and giving me their thoughts? These are some of the main ones I’m considering in the new rotation. His current food is included for reference. I’m trying to keep potatoes/legumes out of the first 3 ingredients until we learn more about DCM. I know I probably shouldn’t worry, but stressing about everything is kind of my specialty.

Current food: Zignature Turkey
Cost: $0.77/day Fiber: 6%
Turkey, Turkey Meal, Chickpeas, Peas, Pea Protein, Sunflower Oil (preserved with Citric Acid), Flaxseed, Natural Flavors, Dicalcium Phosphate, Dried Beet Pulp, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Cobalt Proteinate, Selenium Yeast), Choline Chloride, Vitamins (Vitamin A, Vitamin D3, Vitamin E, Niacin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12), Lactic Acid, Blueberries, Carrots, Cranberries, Calcium Iodate, Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols.

Petcurean GO! Fit & Free
Cost: $0.97/day Fiber: 3%- a lot of Firm Up required
Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Salmon Meal, De-Boned Chicken, De-Boned Turkey, De-Boned Trout, Potatoes, Peas, Tapioca, Lentil Beans, Chickpeas, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Natural Chicken Flavour, Whole Dried Egg, Apples, Duck Meal, Herring Meal, Salmon Oil, Alfalfa, De-Boned Duck, De-Boned Salmon, Sweet Potatoes, Canola Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Coconut Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Flaxseed, Potassium Chloride, Pumpkin, Carrots, Bananas, Blueberries, Cranberries, Broccoli, Spinach, Alfalfa Sprouts, Blackberries, Squash, Papayas, Pomegranate, Dried Chicory Root, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Product, Vitamins (Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Inositol, Niacin, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (a Source of Vitamin C), D-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Beta-Carotene, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Sulphate, Ferrous Sulphate, Calcium Iodate, Manganous Oxide, Selenium Yeast), Sodium Chloride, Taurine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Rosemary, Green Tea Extract, Peppermint, Parsley, Rosehips, Zedoary, Dandelion, Chamomile, Ginger, Fennel, Tumeric, Juniper Berries, Licorice, Marigold Extract, Cardamom, Cloves.

Health Extension Buffalo & Whitefish
Cost: $1/day Fiber: 5%
Buffalo, Deboned Whitefish, Buffalo Meal, Whitefish Meal (Source Of Omega 3 Fatty Acids), Chickpeas, Lentils, Salmon Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Tapioca Starch, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Pumpkin, Peas, Coconut Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Whole Carrots, Dried Seaweed Meal, Pomegranate, Blackberries, Whole Blueberries, Whole Cranberries, Raspberries, Potassium Chloride, Spinach, Turmeric, Tomato, Beets, Parsley, Chicory Root Extract, Sage, Bovine Colostrum, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Ginger, Green Tea Extract, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin E Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Choline Chloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Inositol, Organic Dehydrated Kelp, Zinc Polysaccharide Complex, Iron Polysaccharide Complex, Manganese Polysaccharide Complex, Copper Polysaccharide Complex, Cobalt Polysaccharide Complex, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Pectin, Dried Lactobacilus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus Licheniformis Fermentation Product, Dried Baciollus Coagulans Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Product.

Health Extension Chicken & Turkey
Cost: $1/day Fiber: 5%
Organic Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Deboned Turkey, Turkey Meal, Potatoes, Chickpeas, Chicken Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Whole Sweet Potatoes, Pumpkin, Coconut Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Whole Carrots, Dried Seaweed Meal, Pomegranate, Blackberries, Whole Blueberries, Whole Cranberries, Raspberries, Potassium Chloride, Spinach, Turmeric, Tomato, Beets, Parsley, Chicory Root Extract, Sage, Bovine Colostrum, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Ginger, Green Tea Extract, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin E Supplement, Riboavin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Choline Chloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Inositol, Organic Dehydrated Kelp, Zinc Polysaccharide Complex, Iron Polysaccharide Complex, Manganese Polysaccharide Complex, Copper Polysaccharide Complex, Cobalt Polysaccharide Complex, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Pectin, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus Licheniformis Fermentation Product, Dried Baciollus Coagulans Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Product.

Wellness CORE Original
Cost: $0.99/day Fiber: 4%- a little Firm Up required
Organic Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Deboned Turkey, Turkey Meal, Potatoes, Chickpeas, Chicken Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Whole Sweet Potatoes, Pumpkin, Coconut Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Whole Carrots, Dried Seaweed Meal, Pomegranate, Blackberries, Whole Blueberries, Whole Cranberries, Raspberries, Potassium Chloride, Spinach, Turmeric, Tomato, Beets, Parsley, Chicory Root Extract, Sage, Bovine Colostrum, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Ginger, Green Tea Extract, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin E Supplement, Riboavin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Choline Chloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Inositol, Organic Dehydrated Kelp, Zinc Polysaccharide Complex, Iron Polysaccharide Complex, Manganese Polysaccharide Complex, Copper Polysaccharide Complex, Cobalt Polysaccharide Complex, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Pectin, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus Licheniformis Fermentation Product, Dried Baciollus Coagulans Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Product.

American Journey Chicken & Sweet Potato
Cost: $0.74/day Fiber: 5%
Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Peas, Sweet Potatoes, Chickpeas, Pea Protein, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Natural Flavor, Flaxseed, Menhaden Fish Meal, Salmon Oil, Blueberries, Carrots, Salt, Dried Kelp, Fructooligosaccharides, Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Mixed Tocopherols (Preservative), Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Niacin Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Selenite, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Proteinate, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Manganese Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Manganese Proteinate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Dried Bacillus coagulans Fermentation Product, Rosemary Extract.

Canidae Pure Sky Duck
Cost: $0.90/day Fiber: 4%- A little Firm Up required.
Duck, Duck Meal, Turkey Meal, Sweet Potatoes, Peas, Chicken Fat, Potatoes, Sun-cured Alfalfa, Natural Flavor, Minerals (Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Manganese Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite), Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Choline Chloride, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Plantarum Fermentation Product, Dried Trichoderma Longibrachiatum Fermentation Extract, Mixed Tocopherols (A Natural Source of Vitamin E).

[Susan]

Hi Yelena,

Sounds like you have your answer your dog has “PLE”..
Have you tried a Vet diet, steroids & antibiotics for PLE & see is there was any improvements ??

1 year is a LONG time to have diarrhea everyday, your dog will end up with thickening of the bowel, skinny & malnutrition, he needs weekly B-12 injections & electrolytes put in syringe & given thru the day…. Electrolyte replace potassium, phosphorus, bicarbonate, chloride, sodium and calcium.
You need to see a vet who knows about IBD?? the vet who wanted to do biopsies seem to know what he was talking about.
You need to find out what is wrong with your boy, your going around in circle….

Join face book group called
“Dogs with Inflammatory Bowel Disorder (IBD)”
https://www.facebook.com/groups/11164787803/

I would be doing biopsies, the quicker you do biopsies you will have answers.

Salvia/fur & blood test for Food Sensitivities/allergies are a waste of money they give false positives results..
Ultra Scan, X rays are also a waste of money at this stage, they will not tell vet what’s wrong, you need biopsies so vet knows 100% what he is dealing with so he can treat dog……

I did Endoscope thru mouth or you can do Colonscope other end, vet took 2 biopsies, 3 days later I had answers finally..
Endoscope is quick easy no pain, dog is back home 5 hours later eating food, running around playing…..

Was your dog tested for EPI?
Join this face book group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/38663535025/
If your dog is tested & has EPI then post a post in the EPI Dog group & ask how can you buy Dianes enzymes but its sounds like you have tried Enzymes
also a lot of EPI dogs take “Tylan Powder” – 1/8th teaspoon put into empty capsule given with meal 2 of the daily meals….. EPI needs low fiber, a diet with potato is best…no grains, grains, rice ferment in stomach & small bowel no good for EPI…

I don’t think a raw diet well help, changing diet would of helped by now…
a Vet Diet + meds would be best to get your dog stable & doing formed poos again..

DIET INDICATIONS

Highly Digestible – IBD
Home-Prepared – Fat intolerance, Food allergy, Food intolerance, IBD, Lymphangiectasia Severe PLE – Modified Fiber – Vet Diet
Colitis – Fiber-responsive, intestinal disease, IBD of large intestine
EPI – Very low fiber diet, digestive enzymes

[yelena s]

Hello people. Losing my mind trying to help my 9 yo cocker spaniel. Hopefully, this won’t be too long and someone can advise . So he was on blue wild dog food for all his life, and started getting progressively worse with gas . after some research, i decided to switch foods. started with ollie . it was great at first , but then it gave him diarrhea. after a dose of antibiotics, nothing changed and we figured to change the food again. over the course of last year, went through trudge, open farm, back to blue, to farmers dog. nothing was really helping. then started to cook myself and ended up only giving rice and chicken or meat, or potatoes, pumpkin . no help. did blood test and basically it is showing that he isn’t absorbing proteins, his calcium, albumin and cholesterol is low. two vets want to do ultrasound an then biopsy, thinking it is protein losing enthoropathy . to my questions , what the point of doing this if the treatment is still steroid / anti inflammatory drugs, i get no answer . Went to two homeopathic docs as well. no certain answer there as well, as they treat with food and herbs and acupuncture. added enzymes and clay and herbs. few weeks , no change. one of the doc suggested food sensitivity test NutriScan by Cant type driving. Dodds. Has anyone used it and how accurate is it? any other things that may have worked for you in this kind of situation? I’m thinking may be trying raw food even, but i m afraid to make it worse. any suggestions, would greatly appreciated. he was tested for parasites and it s negative, altho i keep thinking about that since its the original food switch that started this.TIA!

[Christie B]

Yeah, I put the majority of the recipe topper in the freezer. Maybe I’ll be able to use it for my other dog in the future. As for my big guy, he was mopey this morning and gulping, coughing and shaking his head and rubbing his face and sure enough when I checked his ears…yeast infection.

It doesn’t seem to matter what food I put him on. I try different proteins, grains, grain free, limited ingredients….it makes my head spin. I try a new food…seems great. A few weeks later back to the drawing board. It seems to get worse with age.

Do I really go back and try the low quality brand he ate years ago with no issues? Do some dogs just not do well on good quality food?

These are the ingredients for the vet recommended food:

Chicken, brewers rice, poultry by-product meal (source of glucosamine), corn gluten meal, whole grain wheat, whole grain corn, oat meal, medium-chain triglyceride vegetable oil, pea fiber, dried egg product, natural flavor, fish oil, barley, fish meal (source of glucosamine), L-Arginine, mono and dicalcium phosphate, potassium chloride, salt, Vitamin E supplement, potassium citrate, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, manganese sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, calcium pantothenate, Vitamin B-12 supplement, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, garlic oil, folic acid, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, choline chloride, and sodium selenite

I hate to try it, but I hate how the Benedryl my vet recommends for the symptoms knocks him out. He sleeps during the day while I’m at work, I don’t want him conked out when I’m home to play with him. And he absolutely hates when I have to clean out his ears. The more I try to make the healthier choice, the more it backfires.

Is it bad to try and see?

[. .]

I had been feeding my three dogs Hill’s Science Diet Canine “i/d” dry, and then mix of dry and canned (also i/d)…I have been feeding my animals (cats & dogs) only Hill’s Science Diet (i/d, m/d). No table scraps no snack…very strict and consistent diet.

I don’t believe in giving my animals food items that are not meant for good health. Yet, all have developed diabetes, and/or cancer, and/or kidney disease and/or urinary dysfunction at much earlier ages than what would be expected. So here’s what…I no longer trust Hill’s Science diet — particularly the dry food.

I first eliminated the dry for my cat, out of desperation after months of heavy, I mean HEAVY, urination — replacing the cat litter every 48 hours because of major urination, complete litter saturation. One evening I only served the wet food, and to my hope, prayers, and pleasant surprise…starting the VERY NEXT DAY, the heavy urination STOPPED!

That was about 2 months ago, and he’s been fine ever since. He still has diabetes, though (4 units insulin/day). For now. But I am working on changing his diet further — getting as far away from any Hill’s Science Diet as possible, or any conventional pet food. Wet or dry.

Same with my dogs, I now have them completely off Hill’s. I switched to Just Food for Dogs (formerly known as True Food for Dogs). It’s too late for one of my dogs whom I just had down about 3 weeks ago — cancer. But I have my two others and they are doing well. But…

One of my dogs, having sever symptoms of kidney disease, urinary dysfunction (constant thirst lots of urination), and an insatiable appetite…all seemed like signs of diabetes and/or kidney disease — but, his blood work indicated all was fine. So what could it be? Well, it turns out his calcium, sodium, phosphorus, and of course his electrolytes, and many other things in his blood work results reported dangerously low. “The lowest I’ve ever seen in my career,” stated our 17 year veteran of veterinary medicine stated.” (Oh, BTW my dog had lost a lot of weight over a short period of time, where I could see his ribs and hip bones very prominently.

Then vet concluded from the above indications that it must to be Diabetes Insipidus, “a condition that results from insufficient production of the antidiuretic hormone (ADH), a hormone that helps the kidneys and body conserve the correct amount of water. Normally, the antidiuretic hormone controls the kidneys’ output of urine.” But we needed further examination to confirm.

So we got on schedule to take my dog in to get an ultrasound procedure ($350-$500). It was a couple of weeks away before I could afford the additional cost for confirming or knowing the true problem. If the ultrasound did not reveal anything…a CT scan would be required to check for brain tumor. (I know. Very serious.)

Meanwhile, I went to Just Food for Dogs (JFFD) and had several long talks with them as I’m a very inquisitive and discerning consumer. Once I was satisfied with their answers about the product, how it works and why, I picked up my first batch of the fresh ready-made food as well as the supplement powder and the recipe so I that could start making the food myself at home — and save money.

Just under two weeks later, I asked the vet to take another blood panel — just like the previous one to compare if he was getting worse or improving. When she received the results, our vet called me and stated, “It’s like a miracle, all his levels are up to very healthy normal indicators…what did you do?” I told her we’d changed our dogs’ diet to the JFFD, and she said, “Keep doing what you’re doing. Don’t change a thing!” (BTW, he’s filling out, I look forward to weighing him again in a couple of weeks.)

Do you like to cook? I do. (I’m a bit of a foodie.) If you are a person who appreciates quality ingredients (Did I mention, this simple and particular recipe for my dogs’ age, calls for fresh ground lamb, cauliflower, carrots, blueberries, brown rice, yum! Of course, adding the powdered supplements to make my dogs’ meals whole and complete)…if you care about your animal’s comfort and well being, I highly recommend you consider making your dog’s food yourself with the proper, professional, guidance, and supplemental ingredients (powder).

I’m also going to look further into Nutra Thrive as a possible additional supplement. It looks very interesting. But I plan to be careful to not overdo. Will seek the proper guidance.

In summary, I am getting as far away from Hill’s as I can, and will be switching to the Feline version from JFFD very soon, hoping I can get my sweet little cat (actually, he’s a big tabby with the heart of a kitten) on the healthier food source, too.

One thought I’d also like to share: Just one thing I don’t agree with from the video and the veterinarian who created Nutra Thrive… I think his statement was in the effort to be encouraging, make it sound easy — to simply NOT change from whatever junky food (be it grocery store, pet store, or vet office source) dog owners are currently feeding their animals. I just DON’T agree with that at all. Why? It pretty common sense to me.

Just by what the vet in the video says regarding how pet foods are processed (super high temperatures, no nutrients left, for example), and just by my reading the ingredients, and how the vet in the video states conventional food makes dogs look, feel, act, or eliminate poorly are but a few key reasons for me to stay clear of anything I feed my pets that I don’t have control over — hence, cooking it myself, with proper ingredients and guidance.

[Bernice L]

Your dog’s’ symptoms are identical to what my Freddy went through for a number of years, culminating last year in over $5000 worth of vet bills, long-term hospital stays and near-death at one point. Finally was referred to a gastro specialist and he was diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis and bilious vomiting syndrome. After working with some meds and food changes it has now been 3 months with virtually no symptoms. I switched Freddy to raw food (from our local butcher who makes a blend of chicken, beef liver, veggies, brown rice and ground bone for calcium) and within days noticed a huge difference. Despite all the controversy about raw food for him this was the answer. He is still on Metonia as part of the issue with his diagnosis is his difficulty digesting food properly, any food. He also is on Pepcid and 1 tsp of Metamucil a day (although I buy a natural fibre the pharmacist said was better, and cheaper). It sounds like a lot, but not only is Freddy healthier, no bouts of drooling, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea since November, but the food is 1/3 of the cost of his prescription food he had been on, he poops only once or twice a day, nice solid poops, his coat is fabulously soft, he has way less gas (he’s a Frenchton so I thought farting a lot was normal… not!). The Metonia is not expensive, $17/month, dog food now around $80, compared to $255, Pepcid & Fibre combined $10, a far cry from the expenses from before. In addition, it is important to keep their stomachs full so his meals are broken up into 4 a day and ABSOLUTLEY NO KIBBLE, NO BONES, and only low fat treats — I buy dried sweet potatoes and fruit, fresh fruit like blueberries and apples (NO skin as there is a lot of fat in apple skins, who knew?). It may sound strange to say “low fat” when he is on raw food, but it works. The specialist I worked with did not recommend the raw food, that was my desperation, but he did not discourage it either. You can google him, Dr. Gelens in Kelowna BC Canada. Good luck with your dog, I hope this helps.

[Sanne]

Usually a large breed formula is only truly necessary for a growing large breed puppy. The calcium and phosphorus levels are usually balanced better in large breed puppy food, ensuring proper growth. Not sure about the guidelines for adults though, never had huge dogs

Studies have shown that senior dogs need more protein per kg of body weight than an average adult dog, up to 50% more. Senior dogs on low protein foods had weaker muscles and more muscle tearing. There is no beneficial reason to lower a healthy senior dog’s protein intake.

As a general rule of thumb, my vet tends to recommend around 2g of protein per kg of body weight for a healthy adult dog and 3g of protein per kg for a healthy senior

[Lori H]

Hi Kate,

You might want to look at the following website. My dog Buddy (long hair Chihuahua, Dachshund and Pomeranian) has been through a lot, much like your dog. He had so many medical issues including calcium oxalate bladder stones which he had surgery for to remove. He is now almost 12 and during his life he has had surgery on his spleen, surgery for the bladder stones, been diagnosed with Diabetes, my vet thought he had Cushing’s and I was also told by my vet that he was suffering from liver failure and was preparing me for the fact that Buddy was going to die. The liver failure diagnosis was over two years and today, he is healthy, happy, looks amazing and has so much energy. He is happy and the most healthy he has ever been in his life! It has been an amazing turnaround so I know how you feel. I basically had to get him healthy myself. My vet did not support my decision to do what I did, but he is healthy and that is all that matters!

Rick helped me and Buddy is now healthier than he has ever been. If anything, read what Rick has to say on his website. The change in Buddy’s food as well as the supplements, changed his life.

http://www.doglivershunt.com/bladder-stones.html

I now believe wholeheartedly that most vets know nothing about nutrition. They are told to carry a line of food in their offices by one of the large pharma/dog food companies because most of these companies go out and recruit at the vet universities across the United States when vets are in school and provide them with a kickback when the sell either Science Diet or Royal Canin in their clinics, up to 40%. My vet wanted me to have Buddy on Hills Science Diet for the rest of his life! I looked at the ingredients and thought to myself, there has to be something better out there. There was not one thing on there that was considered a whole food or ingredient that comes from the natural world! Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my vet, I just don’t believe he knows much of anything about nutrition. He has been great to me, my dog Buddy and my three cats. He is good at what he does, diagnose and perform much needed surgeries and procedures. He did Buddy’s bladder stone surgery which had the possibility for complications.

I was at my wits end as well and thought that I was going to lose Buddy, but I was not willing to give up so I did a Google search and found an amazing person who brought Buddy back to the healthy dog he is.

If you choose to go with his program, it is not cheap, but I believe that over time, I will save money by not taking Buddy to the vet time and time again because I don’t know what is wrong and having a battery of tests run and racking up bills in the thousands, I have been there!

He was slowly weened off of his processed food Science Diet U/D and placed on a diet of fresh veggies and meat based on a very slow transition to follow with Rick’s help.

I suggest reaching out. I think Rick saved Buddy’s life. I took him to the vet in October to have blood work done and he is perfectly healthy! The bladder stones HAVE NOT returned.

Good luck on your search for information and I hope you find a solution. Buddy is almost 12, but has a new lease on life.

If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I am happy to talk to you. I have helped three others with their dogs and I truly believe Rick knows what he is talking about. I put my trust in him and I now have a healthy, happy dog. Lori

[CottonCandy]

You’re better to control the ratio of calcium and phosphorus in your dog’s food. Adult dogs need around 800 to 1,000 mg of calcium per pound of food fed. They also require the calcium to be supplied in a proper proportion to phosphorus. The ideal calcium: phosphorus ratio in the canine diet is between 1:1 and 2:1. The imbalanced ratio not only impacts on renal and urinary health but also lowers calcium absorption, which is harmful to the bone growth. Check on the Nutrition Facts before choosing a kibble. Feeding the “bad” kibble for a long term will trigger many health problems, including crystals in pee.
However, your vet could prescribe special medications and kibbles to your dog until his symptoms totally remove. It’s best to hear the suggestions of your vet and then regulate your dog’s diet on a balanced level.

[Susan]

Hi
Yeast Dermatitis-
food sensitivies only cause Yeasty smelly skin ears & paws when your dog is sensitive to certain ingredients.. So best to do elimination diet, my rissoles below is how I did 1 of Patches elimination diets.
You start with a meat protein she hasnt eaten before or not often & 1 carb.
I use Sweet Potatoes & Potato.. My boy is good with Potato for his IBD.

also Sweet Potato is better then rice, boil rice ferments in the stomach, boiled Sweet potato is excellent for senstive stomach & bowel.
I peel the sweet potato cut up into small pieces about the size of a spoon boil cool then put in those sandwich zip lock plastic bags & freeze then as you need a few sweet potato pieces take them out of freezer & thaw in 15mins & add to rissoles or add with turkey what ever meat you are feding etc or just give 1 piece of sweet potato as a treat..

Follow “Judy Morgan DVM” on her Facebook page..

* Here’s Judy Morgan Pup Loaf, she has a few rescipes.

* Here’s Judys feding a pup with Pancreatitis
https://www.drjudymorgan.com/feeding-pets-with-pancreatitis/

I changed the Pup Loaf around a bit & I make my Rissole Balls in oven so fat drains out & boil Sweet Potato for my boy who has IBD..

I buy 1kg =2lbs of lean pork mince or lean 5 star lean beef mince I rotate between the 2 meats also can try Turkey lean mince aswell.
I add 1 whisked egg, 1 teaspoon chopped parsley, some chopped up broccoli heads about 1/3 to 1/2 a cup, I peel & grate 1 carrot, then I mix all together & make into 1/2 a cup for size you can make smaller size rissole balls if you want & put them all on a foiled lined baking tray & bake in oven for 15mins.
then take the rissoles out of oven & drain any water/fat, turn over all the Rissole balls & cook till ready, about another 15mins, do not over cook meat as it goes like leather & be tuff…Cool then I freeze them in sections.
Baking in oven reduces fat & you can drain…
I also peel & boil Sweet Potato Pieces boil cool & freeze. Sweet Potato freezes very well & thaws good. Take out the day before what you need & put in fridge for next day..then I add 1 rissole cut it up or put in a blender & add 1/3 cup sweet potatoes & mix all together also add 2 spoons of tin salmon in olive oil or spring water drain the water or olive oil put in container. Make sure you read the salt % get lower salt %
you can feed Salmon & Sweet Potato as a small meal but not as a perment meal as you need to balance diet, unless you’re doing an elimination diet, my vet said its OK to not balance meal 1-2 months..
Or add 1 krill oil capsule to the 1 breakfast meal.. Krill Oil Capsules are good for people who have sensitive stomachs & dont do too well on Fish Oil capsules..

I add “NAS Digestavite Plus Powder” 1/4 teaspoon to 1 of the meal a day to balance the diet.. just make sure diet is balanced over the week..
Look at “Balance It”
You can also add 1 crushed dry egg shell a day to 1 of the meals for calcium also add Glucosamine & Chondroiton tablet daily..
you’ll have to google dose for your size dog..

[Fanette R]

Hello,

My dog has been diagnosed from IBD for over a year now, and from Pancreatitis for almost 2 years. His diet has been manageable before his IBD but since his IBD I have been trying different kind of food, and even though he is doing so much better than he was a year ago, I know that his current diet isn’t perfect still.

I’ve tried homemade food, my vet and holistic vet are all about raw and homecooked food, but with Furby’s situation and after trying a several time, that this isn’t working for him at the moment. He cannot have too much carbs, because of his pancreatitis current situation, or too much starched veggies, and he needs low fat meats or fish. So basically, he would need a green veggie / low fat meat diet, which would result in so much quantity for him to eat each day so he can have enough calories out of it. We’ve tried, and tried again, giving him 7-8 meals a day to see if this would help, but it doesn’t. His stomach cannot take that amount of food for now.
So, even my vets that are pro raw and homecooked diet, told me that we should look into dog food at the moment, and maybe try to go back to homecooked or even raw later on.
So first of all, please don’t message me to say that yes, he needs a homecooked or raw diet, because trust me I’ve tried everything, for months.

I’m in France so I don’t have the same products as people who are based in the US, so I made a lot of researches to find food that seems pretty good quality, and that are low fat, grain-free and with only a tiny bit, or not at all, starches.
Now, I’m wondering if I can write the composition and info right so you guys tell me your thoughts about it ?

Brand : Terra Cannis
Dry food :
Canireo is the first dry food in the specialist retail trade made from 100% certified food-grade ingredients, based on pure fresh meat, with 64% muscle meat and grain-free. This unique quality distinguishes it from all other dry pet foods.

We absolutely do not use meat-, bone-, fish- or feather flour. The flours typically used for dry food are usually made of “category 3 material” (waste material that is not approved for human consumption) and are in no way comparable with food-grade ingredients in terms of quality. Another aspect that makes Canireo stand out is that it is made exclusively with fresh meat – 64% fresh muscle meat and 1% fresh liver. Furthermore, it is not cold pressed or extruded, but naturally baked until crisp. All the aspects that we have this far considered critical for dry food are thus optimised.

The result is a natural, crispy baked dry food of uncompromising quality. The 100% food-grade ingredients, the exclusive use of fresh meat, the high muscle meat content of 64%, and the valuable coconut flour make Canireo unique. Not using grains, and instead using plenty of healthy vegetables, fruit, and herbs, as well as all-natural nutritional supplements, make Canireo a natural dry food that is truly appropriate for the species.
Link to the product : https://www.terracanis.co.uk/canireo-trockenfutter-wild.html

Product : Canireo dry food, game
Composition
Fresh venison muscle meat (64%), potato flakes* (15%), coconut flour (5%), apple* (2%), brewer’s yeast*, parsnip* (1.67%), carrots* (1.52%), courgette* (1.44%), celery* (1.2%), fresh venison liver (1%), powdered eggshell (1%), pumpkin* (0.8%), linseed, apricots* (0.5%), fenugreek (0.4%), parsley root* (0.4%), rapeseed flour, mineral earth, spinach (0.16%), seaweed*, dandelion* (0.1%), rose hip* (0.1%), chamomile* (0.1%), rosemary*, thyme*
*dried

Analytic Constituents
Protein: 29.4%, fat content: 12.5%, crude fibre: 2.8%, crude ash: 5.1%, moisture: 3.7%
MJ/kg: 15.5

2nd Product : Canireo dry food, chicken
Composition
Fresh chicken muscle meat (64%), potato flakes* (15%), coconut flour (5%), apricots* (2%), carrots* (1.5%), courgette* (1.4%), celery* (1.2%), fresh poultry liver (1%), brewer’s yeast (1%), linseeds (1%), apple* (0.9%), pumpkin* (0.8%), parsnip* (0.8%), powdered eggshell (0.7%), beetroot* (0.5%), mineral earth (0.5%), parsley root* (0.4%), fenugreek (0.4 %), rapeseed flour (0.4%), dandelion* (0.3%), rose hip* (0.3%), chamomile* (0.2%), chokeberries* (0.2%), spinach (0.2%), seaweed* (0.1%), rosemary* (0.1%), thyme* (0.1%)
*dried

Analytic Constituents
Protein: 29.2%, fat content: 12%, crude fibre: 2.4%, crude ash: 4.9%, moisture: 4.7%
MJ/kg: 15.4
Link to the product : https://www.terracanis.co.uk/canireo-trockenfutter-huhn.html
————————————————————

2nd Brand : Herzens Hund
Product : Organic Sheep meat & Organic Zucchini (wet food)
This complete feed for dogs “Bio Sheep meat & Bio Zucchinic” consists only of natural organic ingredients. It is consistently produced without binding substance, without synthetic vitamins, flavour intensifiers and without any kind of additives. In such a way, fruits and vegetables used in are not contaminated with pesticides and the meat comes from a species-appropriate attitude.

Apricot consist of beta-carotin, which turns into Vitamin A in organism. Vitamin A is an important nutritive substance for eyes. Apricots are rich in fiber, which stimulate bowels work and improve toxins removing.
INGREDIENTS
Organic sheep (72%)Organic zucchini (17%)Organic buckwheat (4%)Organic salad (3%)Organic apple (2%)Organic linseed oil (1%)Organic apricot (1%)
ADDITIVES
Phosphorus (1271 mg/kg)Calcium (169 mg/kg)
ANALYTICAL CONSTITUENTS
Moisture : 84.3%, Crude protein : 7.4%, Crude fiber : 1.3%, Crude ash : 0.8%
Crude fat 0.7%

2nd Product : Horse meat & Organic Pumpkin
INGREDIENTS
Horse (70%)Organic amaranth (16%)Organic pumpkin (13%)Organic evening primrose oil (1%)
ADDITIVES
Phosphorus (1443 mg/kg)Calcium (786 mg/kg)
ANALYTICAL CONSTITUENTS
Moisture : 73.3%, Crude protein7.5%, Crude fat : 2.4%, Crude fiber : 1.1%
Crude ash 1%

—————————————-

Herrmann’s Dog Food :
Product : Venison with Apple & Amaranth
Composition: 50 % deer (60 % muscle meat, 25 % heart, 10 % lung, 5 % liver), courgette*, 8 % apple*, 6 % amaranth*, linseed oil*, eggshell powder* – *organic – 50 % from organic ingredients
Analytical Constituents : moisture: 76.36 %, crude protein: 12.1 %, crude fat: 4.0 %, crude fiber: 1.0 %, crude ash: 1.2 %

2nd Product : Venison with Sweet Potato
Composition:
50% vension (60% muscle meat, 25% heart, 10% lung and 5% liver), 25% sweet potato*
fruits* (berry-mix), linseed oil* *-organic – 50% from organic
Analytical Constituents : crude protein 8,40% crude fat 2,80% crude fiber 1,60% crude ash 1,30% moisture 78,90%

3rd Product : Venison with pumpkin, quinoa and cranberry
Composition:
50% deer (60% muscle meat, 25% heart, 10% lung and 5% liver), 12% pumpkin*, 8% quinoa*, fruits* (berry-mix), eggshell powder*, *-organic, 50% organic
Analytical Constituents :
Moisture : 77.77%, Crude protein : 12.46%, Crude fat : 2.8%, Crude fiber : 1.03%
Crude ash : 0.87%, Calcium : 0.03%, Phosphorus : 0.03%

———————————————–

My holistic vet looked at all of them and the one that seems the best to her was the one from Herrmann’s : Venaison, Apple & Amaranth.
But after being back home from my appointment I got quite confused and I wanted to talk to you guys about it. She said that the other ones weren’t good enough especially because the amount of protein wasn’t high enough. She told me that to her it should be at least 10% of protein on the wet matter basis for wet food. But if I calculate correctly dry matter basis, a product like the one from Herzens Hund (Sheep & Zucchino), has 7.4% of crude protein on a wet matter basis but has around 47% of protein on dry matter basis (if I do the calculation right), which should be a good amount right ?
So I’m quite confused about that;

She doesn’t know those brands so it’s tricky for her. I wanted to try the brand that she does know, which is an amazing local company that does amazing products, but their fat content for their wet food are around 6,4% on wet matter basis, and I made the calculation from the moisture and it’s about 27% of fat on dry matter basis which seems way too much for my dog. But my vet said that in those formulas there were no starch, no grain, so nothing that usually irritate my dog’s pancreas. So in this case the fat content could be higher and find for Furby. Which kind of make sense, maybe the reason why it has to be so low fat usually for dogs with pancreatitis is because most of those products are full of starch. But I still wanted to talk to you guys about it before making any changes.

Have a great day and so sorry about that huge message!
Fanette

[mo a]

How much calcium is too much in dog foods? In 2007, the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) convened a panel of experts from academia and industry to, in part, make recommendations for revision of the AAFCO Dog and Cat Food Nutrient Profiles. These profiles, which were last revised in 1995, serve as one means by which the nutritional adequacy of dog and cat foods can be substantiated in the US.

Now, seven years later, the recommendations of the panel have yet to be put into place. There is agreement as to recommended levels of nutrients with one major exception; that is, the maximum calcium concentration that should be allowed in dog foods for different life stages and breeds.

The charge to the expert panel when it was formed was to consider the newly released (at the time) publication Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats (2006) by the National Research Council (NRC), as well as other scientific information available since the last revision of the AAFCO Profiles. The safe upper limit as recommended by NRC for dog foods intended for growth is 1.8% dry matter (at 4000 kcal ME/kg).

There is no differentiation as to breed of dog in the NRC tables; i.e., it applies to all dog foods intended for puppies. However, in looking at the supportive text, NRC notes, “Thus, excess dietary calcium has been shown to cause clinically recognizable bone abnormalities in growing dogs, but these effects appear restricted to puppies of large breeds.”

The AAFCO expert panel did make a breed-based distinction in its tables when they were first released, though. It recommended a maximum 1.8% Ca DM for foods intended for large/giant-breed growth, but the status quo (i.e., 2.5% Ca DM, as in the current AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles) for smaller breeds of puppies and for adult dogs (maintenance and gestation/lactation) regardless of breed.

For more details :
https://dogfoodreviewz.com/index.php/category/news

[Lori H]

Hi Tanya,

You might want to look at the following website. My dog Buddy (long hair Chihuahua, Dachshund and Pomeranian) has been through a lot, much like your dog. He had so many medical issues including calcium oxalate bladder stones which he had surgery for to remove. He is now 11 and during his life he has had surgery on his spleen, surgery for the bladder stones, been diagnosed with Diabetes, my vet thought he had Cushings and I was also told by my vet that he was suffering from liver failure and was preparing me for the fact that Buddy was going to die. The liver failure diagnosis was over two years and today, he is healthy, happy, looks amazing and has so much energy. He is happy and the most healthy he has ever been in his life! It has been an amazing turnaround so I know how you feel. I basically had to get him healthy myself. My vet did not support my decision to do what I did, but he is healthy and that is all that matters!

Rick helped me and Buddy is now healthier than he has ever been. If anything, read what Rick has to say on his website. It sounds like you are open to something that might not be traditional medicine through your vet. The change in Buddy’s food as well as the supplements, changed his life.

http://www.doglivershunt.com/bladder-stones.html

I now believe wholeheartedly that most vets know nothing about nutrition. They are told to carry a line of food in their offices by one of the large pharma/dog food companies because most of these companies go out and recruit at the vet universities across the United States when vets are in school and provide them with a kickback when the sell either Science Diet or Royal Canin in their clinics, up to 40%. My vet wanted me to have Buddy on Hills Science Diet for the rest of his life, like you, I looked at the ingredients and thought to myself, there has to be something better out there. There was not one thing on there that was considered a whole food or ingredient that comes from the natural world! Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my vet, I just don’t believe he knows much of anything about nutrition. He has been great to me, my dog Buddy and my three cats. He is good at what he does, diagnose and perform much needed surgeries and procedures. He did Buddy’s bladder stone surgery which had the possibility for complications.

I was at my wits end as well and thought that I was going to lose Buddy, but I was not willing to give up so I did a Google search and found an amazing person who brought Buddy back to the healthy dog he is.

Buddy is on a very special diet and he has made huge strides in the last 10+ months. He is a very healthy dog to what he was 6 months ago.

If you choose to go with his program, it is not cheap, but I believe that over time, I will save money by not taking Buddy to the vet time and time again because I don’t know what is wrong and having a battery of tests run and racking up bills in the thousands, I have been there!

He was slowly weened off of his processed food Science Diet U/D and placed on a diet of fresh veggies and meat based on a very slow transition to follow with Rick’s help.

Buddy’s diet is a balance of ¾ veggies to ¼ meats. Dogs with liver issues do not need as much protein as you would expect. He gets lots of yellow veggies (squash, tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, celery, carrots, Brussel sprouts, snap peas, etc.) along with hemp oil and nori blended with goat yogurt into almost a smoothie consistency. I then add meats, liver is great as it helps to detoxify the liver (funny that you feed liver to a dog with liver issuesJ) and then he gets a variety of supplements. He receives three gut supplements in the morning (Acidophilus, Bifudus and a Spectrabiotic) along with an Enzyme and something called Whole Body. In the evenings he gets the Enzyme, Whole Body and a Mushroom supplement. The process to make his food is not that time consuming and if you are at your wits end like I was, I was ready to do anything.

He also gets to have as much goat yogurt as he wants with coconut oil. He also gets sweet potato chews and coconut slices.

He is also allowed to eat fruits, not during his morning and evening meals since they digest differently than veggies, but he has not yet warmed up to them yet. I don’t know if he ever will.

He is doing great! He has so much energy and the numbers don’t lie! I got a glucose meter and I am going to start checking his levels daily. I would really like to get him off the insulin if I can. I believe the medicine is what causes the blindness, not the actual diabetes, my vet believes otherwise. I would loved to have found Rick earlier, I am guessing I could have prevented a lot of the other issues Buddy has had earlier in life as well as the very hefty vet bills!

My vet has not said much of anything. I explained I was taking him off the prescription food and putting him on this program and he never responded. When I took him in the last time for blood work, I think he was surprised Buddy was doing so well, but did not ask me further about what I was doing. He is a pretty straight and narrow vet and I don’t think he looks outside the box. If Buddy’s glucose numbers continue to decline, I will take him back and back off on the number of units he is given. Now it is just maintenance and keeping a spreadsheet and monitoring how he is doing.

I suggest reaching out. I think Rick saved Buddy’s life. I took him to the vet in October to have blood work done and he is perfectly healthy! The bladder stones HAVE NOT returned.

Good luck on your search for information and I hope you find a solution. Buddy is 11, but has a new lease on life. I can’t imagine being just under two as a dog and dealing with this.

If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I am happy to talk to you. I have helped two others with their dogs and I truly believe Rick knows what he is talking about. I put my trust in him and I now have a healthy, happy dog. Lori

[Lori H]

Hi Tanya,

You might want to look at the following website. My dog Buddy (long hair Chihuahua, Dachshund and Pomeranian) has been through a lot, much like your dog. He had so many medical issues including calcium oxalate bladder stones which he had surgery for to remove. He is now 11 and during his life he has had surgery on his spleen, surgery for the bladder stones, been diagnosed with Diabetes and I was told by my vet that he was suffering from liver failure and was preparing me for the fact that Buddy was going to die. The liver failure diagnosis was over two years and today, he is healthy, happy, looks amazing and has so much energy. He is happy and the most healthy he has ever been in his life! It has been an amazing turnaround so I know how you feel. I basically had to get him healthy myself. My vet did not support my decision to do what I did, but he is healthy and that is all that matters!

Rick helped me and Buddy is now healthier than he has ever been. If anything, read what Rick has to say on his website. It sounds like you are open to something that might not be traditional medicine through your vet. The change in Buddy’s food as well as the supplements, changed his life.

http://www.doglivershunt.com/bladder-stones.html

I now believe wholeheartedly that most vets know nothing about nutrition. They are told to carry a line of food in their offices by one of the large pharma/dog food companies because most of these companies go out and recruit at the vet universities across the United States when vets are in school and provide them with a kickback when the sell either Science Diet or Royal Canin in their clinics, up to 40%. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my vet, I just don’t believe he knows much of anything about nutrition. He has been great to me, my dog Buddy and my three cats. He is good at what he does, diagnose and perform much needed surgeries and procedures. He did Buddy’s bladder stone surgery which has complications.

I was at my wits end as well and thought that I was going to lose Buddy, but I was not willing to give up so I did a Google search and found an amazing person who brought Buddy back to the healthy dog he is.

Buddy is on a very special diet and he has made huge strides in the last 10+ months. He is a very healthy dog to what he was 6 months ago.

If you choose to go with his program, it is not cheap, but I believe that over time, I will save money by not taking Buddy to the vet time and time again because I don’t know what is wrong and having a battery of tests run and racking up bills in the thousands, I have been there!

He was slowly weened off of his processed food Science Diet U/D and placed on a diet of fresh veggies and meat based on a very slow transition to follow with Rick’s help.

Buddy’s diet is a balance of ¾ veggies to ¼ meats. Dogs with liver issues do not need as much protein as you would expect. He gets lots of yellow veggies (squash, tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, celery, carrots, Brussel sprouts, snap peas, etc.) along with hemp oil and nori blended with goat yogurt into almost a smoothie consistency. I then add meats, liver is great as it helps to detoxify the liver (funny that you feed liver to a dog with liver issuesJ) and then he gets a variety of supplements. He receives three gut supplements in the morning (Acidophilus, Bifudus and a Spectrabiotic) along with an Enzyme and something called Whole Body. In the evenings he gets the Enzyme, Whole Body and a Mushroom supplement. The process to make his food is not that time consuming and if you are at your wits end like I was, I was ready to do anything.

He also gets to have as much goat yogurt as he wants with coconut oil. He also gets sweet potato chews and coconut slices.

He is also allowed to eat fruits, not during his morning and evening meals since they digest differently than veggies, but he has not yet warmed up to them yet. I don’t know if he ever will.

He is doing great! He has so much energy and the numbers don’t lie! I got a glucose meter and I am going to start checking his levels daily. I would really like to get him off the insulin if I can. I believe the medicine is what causes the blindness, not the actual diabetes, my vet believes otherwise.

My vet has not said much of anything. I explained I was taking him off the prescription food and putting him on this program and he never responded. When I took him in the last time for blood work, I think he was surprised Buddy was doing so well, but did not ask me further about what I was doing. He is a pretty straight and narrow vet and I don’t think he looks outside the box. If Buddy’s glucose numbers continue to decline, I will take him back and back off on the number of units he is given. Now it is just maintenance and keeping a spreadsheet and monitoring how he is doing.

I suggest reaching out. I think Rick saved Buddy’s life. I took him to the vet in October to have blood work done and he is perfectly healthy! The bladder stones HAVE NOT returned.

Good luck on your search for information and I hope you find a solution. Buddy is 11, but has a new lease on life. I can’t imagine being just under two as a dog and dealing with this.

If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I am happy to talk to you. I have helped two others with their dogs and I truly believe Rick knows what he is talking about. I put my trust in him and I now have a healthy, happy dog.

Lori (lori.suzanne.howard@gmail.com)

[Tanya K]

Hello. I’m new to this forum but I have a question right off the bat. I have a 10 year old Shih Tzu/Poodle Mix. She had emergency surgery earlier this year to remove a calcium oxalate stone that was stuck in her urinary tract. She also had struvite stones. My vet put her on one food (then urinalysis) but her ph was too low. So, he prescribed her another supplement to raise the PH. Her PH is still too low. He had to discuss with another vet and both are seemingly mystified as to why they can’t get her PH higher. Basically, they are at a loss with what to do. So now she is on a new prescription food (and more urinalysis — omg, so many urinalysis tests!) So, his advice is to stay on the prescription food and do x-rays every so often to make sure she’s not getting stones again.

I hate the thought of her being on this food forever. For one thing, I pride myself on having dogs who throw up next to never. She was previously on Earthborn Holistic but now she’s on one of the prescription diets and she’s constantly throwing up as is my other pooch (who the vet said was okay to eat that food as well.)

Basically, I feel like if I have to get her x-rays every once in a while then why not feed her what she was already on? She’s eaten Earthborn for nearly her entire life. The only difference in diet before she got the stones were some Etta Says chews — those were the only things that were given that were different to what she normally had within the time frame it takes to develop stones.

I am wondering if anyone else has done this … going against the vet’s counsel? I trust him as a vet, but I just figure wtf — this food is making her ill. It’s making my other dog ill. If they can’t get her PH to a happy medium then why not give her what she was eating before? Thoughts? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Tanya

[HoundMusic]

I’ve been breeding dogs since 2005, and YES, I learned through trial and error that food does indeed affect heat cycles, fertility, litter size and thriftiness of the pups. I have fed brands that, without a single doubt in my mind, caused dangerously early delivery, lack of milk production, even what closely resembled a temporary fading puppy syndrome. I had pups only a day or two old that developed weeping, metallic smelling sores which disappeared entirely almost immediately after a food switch. I have older adult bitches raised on foods that caused heat cycle irregularities and low fertility rates in my kennel who to this day are infertile or have only come into heat a handful of times. I have pups with hitching issues that were weaned onto puppy foods that were too high protein, but had levels of calcium lower than adult food levels in a sorry bid to prevent growth issues (this was Eukanuba, btw).

On that note, if I want a bitch to come into heat, I feed Purina ONE adult 26/16. I use that until 2-3 weeks before the due date, then switch to either ONE puppy or Puppy Chow. Quite honestly, at this point, I don’t trust anything but Purina when it comes to the husbandry of a breeding kennel. Just personally had too many problems with the fancier foods, all of which were fixed by Purina in one form or another…

[Spy Car]

It is necessary to balance nutrients like calcium and phosphorus, but feeding a 80/10/10 diet keeps minerals balanced and the organs supply all the nutrients a dog or puppy need to thrive.

It is far more optimal to start a pup on raw—during a time when excellent nutrition is most critical–rather than feeding pups a junk food diet. Just like it would be a bad idea to raise a toddler on Happy Meals from McDonalds, feeding commercial kibble is a very substandard way to feed a growing pup.

Raw feeding is actually extremely popular among large and giant sized dog owners as it promotes slow steady growth, lean muscle development, reduced body fat, and strong joints.

Bill

[joanne l]

Hi everyone, I was reading about legumes and I found some interesting info. peas and legumes contain high amounts of phytic acid and I read that too much of it can cause malabsorption of iron, zinc. calcium and magnesium. Research is still wondering about taurine too. Here is a paragraph I copied:
“However, phytic acid can be a significant problem when diets are largely composed of high-phytate foods while at the same time low in meat or other animal-derived products.”

Seems like from what I read pet food companies, like we mentioned before, boost the protein from these legumes and peas, and less protein meat. They can’t boost too much protein when grains are listed, because grains don’t have as nearly as much protein as legumes and peas and chickpeas. This has had my interest for a while. They need to get rid of these ingredients or don’t put a lot in the dog food period!

[Susan]

Hi Rose,
sorry about the long post i started it around 10am then kept adding to it then finally posted it 2pm lol
“Holistic Select” has change all their formula’s & have added lentils chickpeas, these Legumes up the protein % so the pet food companies add less meat proteins in their food, that’s why I always make sure there’s 2-3 meat proteins as 1st, 2nd & 3rd ingredient, so my boy is getting meat proteins & not a heap of plant proteins, Legumes also up the fiber % in a dry kibble, make sure if you feed a dry dog kibble there isn’t anymore then 20% in Legumes, No Lentils/Chickpeas in the first 5 ingredients..
These are the first 5 ingredients of Holistic Select® large & giant breed dry kibble..
Lamb Meal, Chicken Meal, Potatoes, Chickpeas, Lentils, Peas, Chicken Fat,
when Patch eats Lentils he gets instant diarrhea & chickpeas cause bad wind/farts for 1 week then he’s OK. He does best on Sweet Potatoes & Potatoes kibbles & chickpeas have to be 5-6 ingredient… The Wellness Core Large Puppy formula has Potatoes, it has Lentils as 6th ingredient, your boy might be OK with Lentils?
https://www.wellnesspetfood.com/natural-dog-food/product-catalog/core-puppy-large-breed-puppy
you could always try it then take it back to Pet Barn if he gets diarrhea they have a money back guarantee & say he won’t eat it now cause he had diarrhea & get the Wellness Complete Health Large breed Puppy formula, it’s Monday so Wellness is on special $109 at the moment till Wednesday midnight, you click on “Click & Collect” & pick up from a Pet Barn closest to you.
https://www.petbarn.com.au/dogs/dog-food-dry/wellness-core-large-breed-dog-food
Or Wellness Complete Health Large Breed Puppy Food – 13.6kg – $99.00
https://www.petbarn.com.au/dogs/dog-food-dry/wellness-large-breed-puppy-food-13-6kg,

I’ve been thinking of getting te Wellness Complete Health Adult formula next, it has 3 meat proteins as 1st 2nd & 3rd ingredient then Oatmeal then peas so there’s less then 20% in Legumes…Pet Barn also has offers, when you join their “Friends For Life” Loyalty program, I just got a $20 free voucher free & a free bath & a free nail clip.. so I got a 2.5kg bag of dry kibble for $2..

I just looked up Holistic Select Australia as some US pet brands ingredient list are changed to come into our country, so when you look up an American brand kibble look up their brand name & put Australia after the brand name, so your getting the Australian Ingredient list…. also when you look at pet foods online pet store some of their ingredients list are the old ingredient list & the new ingredients haven’t been updated yet…

The FDA in America has put out an warning as few large breed dogs in the US that were eating high legume dry kibble diet have ended up with DCM – heart disease..
https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/FDAInBrief/ucm613355.htm

Some dogs have died, they were very young 1-2 yrs old, they have noticed the dry diets were high in Legumes, Legumes are blocking the Taurine & the dogs aren’t absorbing any Taurine, they still dont know 100% what has gone wrong, a healthy 30 month old Rotti just died 8th August, an 1-2yr GSH has died he was given 6-8months to live & that was 2015….Maybe your better off feeding healthy grain formula until the FDA works out what went wrong, or a grain free formula that doesn’t have no more then 20% Legumes (peas), dogs didnt have these heart problems when grain free diets first came out & had Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes & Peas……
You’ll have to do research & make your own decision….
We haven’t been warned about DCM in dogs in Australia. But then again we’ve had toxic pet foods dogs have died & we still dont have any recalls, so I dont know what to think anymore.. I’ve msg our Pet Food Review man on his f/b page & he doesnt seem to think there’s a problems until we get more info, my vet said the same thing….
Golden Retrievers & Labrodors are known to get DMC not rottweilers & German Shepherd & the other large breed who are on the list… there’s a f/b page called “Taurine-Deficient Dilated Cardiomyopathy” look in their “files” for “2018-09-07 Copy of Diet and Taurine.pdf” it has the list of foods & dogs that became sick & died….. The cases that are in a light Orange = DCM or CHF w/o low Taurine; diet related, dogs heart problems were diet related, where the cases in yellow aren’t diet related taht they know off??We dont have these brands dry formula’s in Australia that were involved.

Here’s the proper ingredient list to the “Eagle Pack” Giant/breed puppy formula, Phosphorus 1.00%min, Calcium 1.50%min,
http://www.eaglepack.com/product-orignal-dog.aspx?product=82#.W58JIPZuI5t

Here’s “Wellness Complete” Health Large Breed Puppy link,
Phosphorus is 0.90% so it’s under 100%, Calcium Not Less Than 1.30%min
https://www.wellnesspetfood.com/natural-dog-food/product-catalog/complete-health-large-breed-puppy

“Stay Loyal” Large Breed Puppy
Phosphorus is 0.70-0.90% Calcium 1.10-1.30%
https://stayloyal.com.au/large-breed-puppy-grain-free-dog-food.html

To meet the more rigid safety guidelines for large breed puppies, a dog food must contain

1.2 to 1.8% calcium

1.0 to 1.6% phosphorus

Calcium-to-phosphorus ratio 1:1 to 1.8:1

Here’s the DFA Link info above & a list of Large Breed Puppy Brands DFA recommend Eagle Pack, Wellness Core, Science Diet, Eukanuba, Iams & Holistic Select Giant breed formula but this list was written before the DMC scare.. Maybe the Holistic Select giant pup breed is OK or NOT OK cause the formula has been changed now, I dont know
/best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/

They recomend to feed a large growing puppy a balanced dry large/giant breed puppy kibble till he is fully grown 18-24mnths then if you want to feed raw then start him on a raw balanced diet but there must be people who fed their large/giant breed pups a raw balanced diet, I know most Australian either feed a raw diet or they feed both raw meat, raw meaty bones & a dry kibble..

Stay Loyal is Australian if you join they send out monthly emails, they recommend to fed raw meat + raw meaty bones with their dry kibble & to fast dog 1 day a week Sunday, as it re sets the immune system, Robert & David are up to speed raising healthy large breed pups, I’ve emailed Robert Belobrajdic about Patch & his IBD & Robert emailed me back within 12hrs, Robert breeds South African Boerboels, Boerboels are very large dogs. Im pretty saw they’re raw feed aswell as their Large Breed Puppy dry food……..