[Susan]

Hi Miriam,
the Hills Mobility wet & dry dog food or any other dog foods for Arthritis are very high in Omega 3 oils, omega 3 is an anti inflammatory very good for Arthritis, this would have given your girl the bad acid reflux this happens with my 9 yrs old boy also, look for a food that agrees with her, can you cook some of her meals?? a cooked balance diet is heaps better then feeding a dry kibble & it probably won’t cause any stomach problems, just make sure the fat isn’t too high as high fat diet can also cause acid reflux…then start adding supplements to her diet that will help with with her Arthritis but I have found most of the supplements or meds for Arthritis can cause bad acid reflux & stomach problems with myself & my dog, so I avoid them now..
I buy my boy “K-9 Natural” Freeze Dried Green Lipped Mussles & & give him 1-2 mussles a day they agree with him & green lipped mussels are really good for arthritis also have you tried Glucosamine & Chondroitin tablets? you can give your girl the Glucosamine/Chondroitin tablets that’s for humans….
Many veterinarians recommend approximately 500 mg of Glucosamine and 400 mg of Chondroitin per 25 pounds-11kgs. For oral Glucosamine for dogs, here’s the daily dosage that one veterinarian recommends: Dogs 5-20 pounds = 2-9kgs give 250-500 mg per day.

I bought a Wheat heat pack for my dog, you put the wheat pack in the Microwave for 1-2 mins & then I wrap the Wheat pack in a tea towel if its too hot & I put on my boy lower back where his Arthritis pain is, you could use a hot water bottle but they can be dangerous with dogs,…
I also walk my dog for 15min walk every morning & afternoon at first my joints are really stiff & sore but once you start walking your joints become better, start taking your dog on a little walk in morning & afternoon, not real big long walks, just small 15min walk to begin with then after 2 weeks see does she want to walk for 20mins… make sure she is not over weight as this makes Arthritis worse…also when its cold keep her joints warm & put on a jumper or dog jacket…

Ask your vet about “Zydax” injection (unlike other drugs) it treats the disease process that causes arthritis – not just the symptoms. It works on the cartilage and joint fluids inside the joints, reducing friction and pain. A course of 4 weekly injections will often provide 6 – 12 months of relief from arthritis – reducing or eliminating the need for other drugs. The injections are given under the skin (just like a vaccination). They aren’t expensive ($23 – $42 per injection*) and you pay a consultation fee only on the first visit. Zydax works in 80% of cases
A good supplement in Australia is “Glyde” powder & Chews – containing chondroitin, glucosamine and green-lipped mussel powder.

I feed my boy “Wellness Core” Large Breed dry food, it’s high in protein-35%, low fat-13% low carbs-31% & this kibble doesnt cause any acid reflux with my boy like other dry or wet foods cause…..I dont know if you can get the Wellness Core large breed in Spain or online, maybe Wellness is sold on Amazon.
Another good dry food is “Canidae” Pure Meadow Senior….

[Susan]

Hi Jennifer,
I have a Staffy with Food Sensitivities Environment Allergies & IBD, I would be making her your own raw diet with human grade meats, no pre-made raw dog food, I went thru animal nutritionist in Australia & we started PAtch on a raw elimination diet to work out what ingredients he is sensitive too…
Dogs have a short digestive tract, their intestinal tract is make to digest a raw diet quickly so if the meat they have eaten is spoiled etc it quickly moves thru their stomach then onto their small bowel onto the large bowel then a small poo, kibbles are high in fiber & some grainfree kibbles are even higher in fiber especially if it has peas, lentils, chickpeas, I have found kibbles that have sweet potatos & potato work the best for Patch, if you do go back to a dry kibble look at “Natural Balance” LTD Sweet Potato & Bison or Natural Balance Potato & Duck formula or look at “Wellness Simple” Turkey & Potato formula..

If you can afford it look for a Holistic Vet in your area.. My boy went down hill last December & now I’m feeding my boy “Frontier Pets” Freeze Dried dehydrated raw thats free range grain free raw diet human ingredients, I started to slowly introduce & give to him at Lunch time only they’re small balls & you add warm water, straight away he started to get better I saw good results like you have seen he also eats “Wellness Core Large Breed dry kibble he isnt large breed dog but this Wellness Core large breed formula is high protein-36%, low/med in fat-13% low in carbs-31% low in Kcals-345Kcals Per cup… & has no lentils or chickpeas…You need to work out what agrees with your dog…or even join a few Raw feeding groups on facebook someone will help you get your dog onto a balanced raw diet with homemade ingredients not a pre-made raw….
Start with 1 meat protein she hasnt eaten before & you blend some green veggies & fruit,I used peeled apple, take out any seeds, broccolli, celery & parsley blended then put in ice cube tray cover with cling wrap & freeze, you add 1-2 spoons of the Veggie/fruit mix 1-2 frozen veggie/fruit ice cubes to 1 cup of meat…I balanced diet with Natural Animal Solution Digestavite Plus powder….

[Susan]

Hi Sandra,

Why hasnt the vet put him on a 21 day course of Metronidazole (Flagyl) tablets ?
Next time you see vet or ring vet ask can you pick up a 14-21 day course of Metronidazole tablets, you give 200mg every 12 hours with a meal….
Metronidazole is an antibiotic for the stomach & bowel it normally fixes whatever is wrong with the bowel, my 9yr old Staffy has IBD, years ago the vet said he has Colitis, I had to do food elimination diet to work out what ingredients he was sensititive too…
He can NOT eat boiled rice as the boiled rice irritate his bowel causing diarrhea…..

The new meat protein & carbohydrate vets recommend to feed a dog with stomach or bowel problems is a lean white meat with boiled Sweet Potato or boiled Potato as potato is very gentle on their stomach & bowel, I’d stop feeding the boiled rice & start boiling some Sweet Potato cut in small pieces & freeze in the freezer & take out 2-3 hours before you need to feed him or put in the fridge the day before….or I put the sweet potato pieces in the micro wave 10sec & they are thawed & ready & I add the sweet potato to my home made lean pork or lean beef rissoles balls..
Buy some chicken breast cut into small bite size pieces or buy some lean turkey mince low in fat & just bring to the boil, then take off stove drain out the water, meat will be cooked, don’t over boil the chicken breast pieces as they become tuff like leather, chicken breast pieces or lean turkey mince cooks very quickly…..

If you don’t want to cook then have a look at “Wellness Simple” Turkey & Potato dry formula, the Wellness Simple wet can foods are too high in fat, the Wellness Simple dry kibble is low/med in fat at 12%, Wellness Simple formula’s have limited ingredients or look at feeding “Natural Balance” LTD Sweet Potato & Bison dry kibble or the Potato & Duck dry formula, these dry kibbles are really good for dogs with stomach & bowel problems & I really think he needs to take 14-21 course of the Metronidazole tablets to heal his bowel… feed 3-4 smaller meals a day now he’s getting older, smaller meals are easier to digest…my boy eats 4-5 small meals a day, same time every day…..
He does 2 poo’s a day & takes the Metronidazole tablet on & off now, as soon as I see his poos getting sloppy for 2 days or when he starts his crying & whinging his stomach is sore or he has bad acid reflux, he gets put back on the Metronidazole for 14-21 days, the Metronidazole fixes everything up..

What Vet diet is your dog eating? he could be sensitive to an ingredient in the vet diet or the fiber isnt agreeing with him & could be causing the sloppy poos…
My boy doesn’t do well on any of the dry vet diets for Intestinal stress, the insoluble fiber is too high…….
I’d take back the vet diet for a refund if he isnt doing well on it or ask vet nurses can you change it for “Royal Canine” Select Protein, Potato & Rabbit dry kibble & a few matching wet can food aswell or ask for “Royal Canine” Gastrointestinal Low Fat wet can food, my boy does OK on the Royal Canine Gastro Intestinal Low Fat wet can food but not the dry kibble he starts itching & scratching from the ingredients in th edry R/C Low Fat kibble….
I feed the “Wellness Core” Large Breed dry kibble for some of his meals as it has no lentils or Chickpeas & it is high in omega fatty acids for his joints…
Vet diets are money back guaranteed if not agreeing with your boy & buy either the Wellness Simple Turkey & Potato or the Natural Balance LTD Bison or the Duck formula’s have the least ingredients wet & dry formula’s…..

[Nadine H]

Go to the Farmina site and read the studies that they’ve done. I have two great danes that have done excellent on the low grain. It’s difficult to find a food that’s only 32% carbs for one thing. I agree with no peas etc, seems to possibly be an issue with kibble that has legumes. (To tell you the truth I don’t have a lot of faith in the clean label project.) I have read and read for months and finally settled on Farmina and I finally am confident that I’m feeding them the best.

[Gary W]

I am a strong believer that cats cannot have any grain in their diet, as it is just an open door to health problems. You may be paying a lot upfront, but your wallet will thank you when your kitty doesn’t get loads of health problems. Onto food!

Below are some recommended brands for Dry and canned foods:

Purina Fancy Feast canned food
Rachael Ray Nutrish both Dry/canned
Natural Balance
Wellness(I would feed it if they take out the garlic)
California Natural
Hills Science Dry Cat food
Blue Wilderness
Nutro(Natural Choice or Max Cat) (some people think it’s terrific and others might disagree)

Here you can find some top canned and Dry cat foods https://www.criticthoughts.com/pet/best-cat-food/

Of course, the more canned the better. To paraphrase our cat specialist vet’s recommendation, it’s best to feed a grain-free, low-carb wet-only diet. My suggestion for “best” foods would be canned foods with as much meat as possible and minimal (or, better, no) carby stuff like grains of any sort, peas, potato, and tapioca.

[haleycookie]

Whole hearted has a hydrolyzed salmon formula. It’s a skin and coat formula. It’s only available at Petco but if you read the reviews on the website there are others who were in the same situation as you and found this to be a great alternative. It is the only hydrolyzed non prescription food I’ve heard of. And it’s reasonably priced.
Ingredients
Peas, pea flour, hydrolyzed salmon, sunflower oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), flaxseed, natural salmon flavor, tomato pomace, salmon oil (a source of omega-3 fatty acids), dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, choline chloride, taurine, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Bifidobacterium animalis fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus reuteri fermentation product, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid (preservative), vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), , vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid.

[kathleen p]

I have been looking for grain free, starch free and low carb food for my dog as well. There is a food that I have been using for about 8 months and it has worked wonders for my dog. It’s Sport Dog Food. Unfortunately they have recently changed the recipe because they moved to a larger facility but upped the quality/ingredients of their foods…now I have to try one of the newer ones and transition him gradually. Honestly they do have some awesome formulas that I plan on switching to. At the moment they only have large bags and it is expensive but I decided to go for the Tracking Dog formula…it’s closest to what I used before. Loki had teary eyes, loose stools, itchy skin, bad breath, etc. Switching to Sport Dog Food took care of all those issues! You really might want to look into it. The best way to do it is to type: sportdogfood.com…..all in one word. Hope you find something that works! Some of their foods do include potatoes/starch but not all of them, just check the ingredient list on all of them to see if one meets your needs. Good luck!

[Susan]

Hi emmygirl,
sorry my post is so long but as I’m writing I’m remember heaps of information & what I did with Patch….
You have written everything I have been thru with my IBD boy Patch who is nilly 10yrs old, I nilly put him to sleep in January, instead we did another Endoscope-Biopsies on esophagus & stomach, I thought he had stomach cancer…
Find a vet that does Endoscope + Biopsies & a vet that knows about IBD, you must get the biopsies done if you ever do Endoscope, some vets dont think to do the biopsies when looking at the stomach & small bowel, these vets are lacking experience in IBD, Patches stomach looks perfect when he had his 2 Endoscopes but his the biopsies told a different story. Biopsies tell the vet so much information what is wrong with your boy intestinal tract….Ultra scan was a waste of money, you cant really see the stomach & the vet can see the bowel but only if the bowel is thickening, vets thought Patch had thickening of the Bowel but he didnt, this happens after the dog has diarrhea for years, I wouldnt like to be a vet, 1 dogs cant talk & tell the vet were is sore what hurts etc, so vets have to do alot guessing sometimes when test come back OK.

*Food
Over the years my good vet told me to keep a yearly diary, cause you cant rememeber every single thing you’ve done & they have done.. now I look back thru Patches diaries when I need to remember what was Patch eating when he was doing so much better, write what your feeding, times, meds, what were poos like when he’s eating ?? etc
Is he doing OK when he’s eating the cooked Turkey, Squash & Oatmeal, how are his poos? one of Patches first vets told me in the beginning, to look & see when dog is pooing, does the poo come out of bum properly formed poo?, then when it hits the ground it turns to slop cow patty poo? the vet said this is OK as long as poo’s are formed when its coming out of the bum & as long as the dog is just doing his normal 1-3 poos a day & is not pooing at all thru day & night at all hours, vet said to me this might be as good as your going to get Patches poos, he was eating the Royal Canine Hypoallergeniic dry kibble… but I ended up getting Patches poos firmer when he started teh TOTW kibble & I ended up trying the Royal Canine Hypoallergenic wet can food last year it was better then the dry R/C HP kibble, then after trying all the Intestinal vet diets Hills, Royal Canine & Eukanuba Intestinal Low Residue worked the best but Patch skin was yeasty itchy & smelt bad then after joining the Canine EPI f/b group dogs were doing really well on TOTW or the Kirkland Signature, Natures Domain, Turkey & Sweet potato & Salmon & Sweet potato formula’s so I started Patch on TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb & the Pacific Stream Salmon but teh Pacific Stream Salmon made him vomit he does firm poos but kept vomiting up the TOTW Smoked Salmon later I seen TOTW Pacific Stream Salmon is very high in toxins & another 2 fish formula’s brands Patch kept vomiting are very high in Toxins after being tested, then 3 yrs later Patch refused to eat his TOTW Roasted Lamb kibble, something had changed with TOTW kibble it smelt different, looked different & kibble size became very small….so now it makes me wonder if these kibbles are high in contaminates & toxins making my boy IBD have a flare??? thats why its best to cook their meals or find a really good dog dehydrated dog food that uses human grade ingredients.. as Patch has gotten older his acid reflux has gotten worse so he cant eat kibbles that are over 15% in fat now..
loow for lower fat around 10-13%-fat & low carb diet higher protein

Have you tried adding scramble egg with his meal? also the egg shell dry it out & crush & add 1 egg shell 1 teaspoon egg shell to one of his meals a day for his calcium, slowly start adding the egg shell if you fed home cooked diet……..Patch cant eat any kibbles that have fish or salmon oil in them he gets bad acid reflux from the fish oil also the fiber is very low in those Farmina vet kibbles 1.10% -fiber…Patch would be doing sloppy cow patties eating the Farmine vet diets that are very low in fiber..

When I read your post about your dog can’t eat most ingredients I knew its more then just the ingredients he is reacting too, sometimes it’s not the ingredients they cant eat, it reminded me of Patch when I first rescued him, he does have food sensitivities that I worked out BUT later I worked out there’s In-soluble Fiber, Soluble Fiber, Crude Fiber & Dietary Fiber, dogs with IBD need to work out what fibers agree with them & there isnt that perfect dry kibble diet for our dogs even vet diets dont help Patch or if a vet diet did help Patches IBD he gets his itchy smelly yeasty skin paws & ears.

Have you tried Royal “Canine Gastro Intestinal Low Fat” wet can food??? I bought a 12 can pack last week I had credit from a pet store I had forgotten about & at Lunch time if I think Patch doesnt seem well I open a can of R/C Gastro low fat & I take out the meat loaf from the can as it has heap of oil in the can so I pat dry the loaf with paper towel then I cut into 1/3 & he gets 1/3 of a can & I put the rest in bowl cling wrap bowl & put in fridge Patch does firm poos on the R/C Gastro Low Fat wet can & 5 yrs ago when he ate the R/C Gastro Low Fat he had diarrhea, so sometimes you have to re try foods or wet can or kibbles again cause sometimes its not the ingredients they are reacting too… its something else wrong either their small bowel or large bowel in the beginning it was Patches small bowel S.I.B.O now its his large bowel….
I would start the B-12 weekly injection ASAP you can buy & do yourself, if you join “EPI” Canine face book group they can help & tell you which B-12 tablets to get from chemist & where to buy the B-12 liquid for injections, you can never over dose your dog with B-12′, if they’re feeling crap or have had diarrhea the B-12 can really help them feel heaps better, alot of the EPI dogs take B-12 injections or tablets, I was going to get the tablets for Patch as B-12 is good for them & us humans when we are run down & unwell…..

Try & work out does your boy do better when you cook & add pumkin a soluble fiber soluble fiber is very easy to digest & dissolves in water or does he do better eating Lentils & Chickpeas they’re Insoluble fiber & Soluble fiber food? My boy doesn’t do well on Lentils or Chickpeas he gets instead dirrahea that night if he has ate a kibble with lentils..
google foods that are soluble fiber & foods that are insoluble fibers?

Try & stay feeding the home cooked diet or try a limited ingredient Freeze Dried raw if you I’m slowly introducing a new freeze dried dehydrated raw free range diet we have in Australia called “Frontier Pets” they’re small balls & you add warm water, so many dogs that can’t eat & have IBD symptoms are doing really well on this free range, dehydrated Frontier Pets dog food, it has no lentils, no chickpeas like most of these new grain free foods have now & my Patch is doing firmer poos then what he does when he’s just eating his Wellness Kibble…
I have to feed my boy dry kibble for some of his meals cause his sphincter flap isnt closing now & his food comes back up his esophagus into his mouth causing bad acid reflux, then sometimes the acid goes into his wind pipe & he becomes so unwell, cries, whinges, its awful to watch him when he becames so unwell, I wanted to put him down in January out of his pain, these last 5-6 yrs Ive tried everything & something always seem to work, I had him on Taste Of The Wild, Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb the Australian formula, has no chickpeas or lentils like the American TOTW formula’s have…. I could always fall back onto his TOTW if he started to do cow patty poos again when I was rotating his kibbles his vet said cow paddy poos is the large bowel where yellow sloppy poos is a small bowel problem but when he stopped eating it in December I had no kibbles that I knew worked & didnt iratate his IBD, his vet said please wait 1-2 months before we put Patch to sleep, his environment allergies are real bad at the moment & have put his immune system into over drive, we had just moved as well, so I didnt put him to sleep plus I couldnt do it, I just wanted more help, I wanted a miracle but vets cant always help the dog sometimes no matter how good my vet is, she always tells me Patch is her favorite & she always thinks & wonders how is he going when she doesnt see us but she said she knows he must be doing better cause I havent come…
Have you tried Metronidazole (Flagyl) tablets when he become unwell with vomiting & diarrhea/sloppy poo’s, I have Metronidazole in the cupboard with repeat scripts so I can just go chemist & get them out if I need them saving at $60 vet visit & as soon as I see he’s becoming unwell doing sloppy poos, vomiting or when Im introducing a new food, I put him on the Metronidazole for 14-21 days it helps him, Metronidazole has an anti inflammatory & antibiotic in it, so it helps a few health problems…
With a dry kibble, I’m feeding Wellness Core Large Breed at the moment even though Patch isnt a large breed dog, he’s a senior & when I email Wellness they said yes their Large Breed formula’s are OK to feed a senior dogs, they are high Glucosamine & Chondroitin for their joints & high in DHA, Patch is small to medium English Staffy weights about 40lb -18kgs, the Wellness Core Large Breed formula is high protein-34%, Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, then potatoes, peas, Patch can’t eat chicken he gets red paws but I had no other kibbles left to feed him & the man at Pet Barn said, if anything happens just bring it back all dogs food are money back Guaranteed, I got the 5,4kg bag 1/2 price $40 so I tried it, Patches paws went red but his stomach became better, he had no acid reflux, poos firmed up not 100% firm in the beginning but better then when he was eating a kibble that had grains, I can pick his poos up now on our walk & not leave a poo stamp on the grass, Wellness Core Large Breed is low-med fat-13%max, low Kcals-345 per cup, carbohydrates are 31% you must read the Kcals per cup when looking for a kibble, stay under 360Kcals per cup the higher the Kcals the more dense the food & harder to digest…
also have you tried giving your boy a acid reducer? Patch was taking Losec-(Omeprazole) for 2 yrs then this year I change it to Somac (Pantoprazole) what i take & he stopped eating grass everyday so he mustnt feel sick as much now, sometimes you have to do things yourself when you know in your heart what the vet is doing & advising you isnt helping your dog, & I saw my vet & she now wrote me repeat scripts so I can get the Pantopraozole from chemist cause the vets dont have Pantoprazole in Australia, Pantoprazole is used by American vets… but know if my vet & Patches other vet that does his Endoscopes & Biopsies see a dog like PAtch & cant work out what to do with the dogs bad acid reflux they can rememeber what we did with Patch & touch wood he seems to be getting better he has some bad days but I have his acid reflux under control no & I really want him on this Dehyrated free range, grain free food..
Try the new food just for 1 of his meals, thats what I do now, I feed new food for his lunch 12pm this way Patch has his kibble from breakfast 7am in stomach & small bowel then he eats something different for lunch a small meal then he gets his dinner 5pm kibble again & it seems to work for Patch when Im introducing a new food he gets it at luch time cause you can’t mix kibble & dehydrated raw wet food with a dry kibble, it would probably upset Patches stomach & the Holistic Vet Kathy that help formulate this new Frontier Pets dehydrated raw dog food droped off Patches new food + some samples to try & she said take baby steps, it took 1 of her patient dogs Bernie 6 months to get him onto the Frontier Pets, he was doing well then when down hill but yiou just restart again she said search for “Frontier Pets” on facebook & scroll down, look for Bernies Story” Italian Greyhound story, it will give you some hope…

[CockalierMom]

I know what it is like to go through food issues and it can be really hard to find the right combination that will help your boy. The best place to start is to determine which foods he has done a little better on and which ones the worse. I use to keep logs of the ingredients and GA on how my girl reacted to everything and that is where I was finally able to find a link.

You said your boy has had diarrhea for 4 months–has he been eating the turkey, squash and oatmeal mixture during all that time? That mixture is high in soluble fiber, and the Royal Canin Ultamino and Gastro foods are also high in soluble fiber along with having prebiotics in them. If your boy is sensitive to soluble fiber, all these foods would make him worse. The Farmina Digestive is also very high in soluble fiber along with prebiotics so this food will probably give the same results as the Royal Canin food.

Has he been eating the THK Embark during the past 4 months and what were the results when he ate that food?

Have you tried any other carbs with the home cooked turkey?

Have you tried any limited ingredient kibbles in the past and if so, which ones?

Right now with the condition his gut is in, you are going to need to go very slow with trying to introduce any kibbles. You may want to try adding a teaspoon of plain kefir to each meal when you do another transition.

[Susan]

Hi Robert,

A dogs digestive tract is short, made to digest meat, raw meat, not a high carb high fiber over processed dry kibble….
Why the dogs digestive tract is short so if the dog eats rotten meat etc the meat is quickly digested & passes thru into the small bowe,l then large bowel, then he poo’s, so no bacteria can start to breed in th e stomach….

A homemade cooked or raw diet would be heaps healthier then feeding wet dog can food but wet can dog food is better then feeding dry processed kibble, so you’re getting there, when you cook your dogs food you know whats in their food & what they’re eating, also when you cook you’re not cooking their food are very high temperatures like wet & dry dog foods are cooked, killing all the good nutrience in their food, maybe baby steps, next time you’re cooking, cook some extra boiled sweet potato or potato, a bit of meat & some green veggies for your dogs meal, mix 1/2 wet can with the cooked food & slowly start feeding cooked meals..
Join Monica Segals Face Book group called “K-9 Kitchen” & Lew Olson group called “K-9 Nutrition” & follow “Judy Morgan DVM” she has really good videos you can watch & very easy to make dog recipes you just put in a Crock Pot slow cocker, Judy has a 16-17yr old dog.

People think if the kibble is grain free kibble then its healthier but some of these grain free kibbles are higher in carbs, higher in fiber, full of lentils chickpeas & peas to up the protein %, so the meat protein % isnt as high as you think it is cause your getting plant protein as well, it would be good if these dog food companies had to write the Meat Protein % the Plant Protein %….. honest dog food companies are starting to write the plant protein %, google “Earthborn Holistic” Venture formula’s they write the Pumkin protein% , the Pea protein% the meat protein %…

Back in the 50’s, 60’s, 70′ & 80’s our dogs were so much healthier then the dogs now who eat dry kibble 24/7, in the 90’s the dog food companies started telling us “DO NOT FEED YOUR DOGS HUMAN FOOD” its no good, kibble is better & we believed them, you have even even written
(Our dogs do not est human food.) why??
what makes you think dog food is better then a “balanced” cook meal, why some vets are against cooked or raw diets is people don’t balance their dogs diet properly causing health problems, this is why the vet will recommend to feed pet food for cause they know it will be balanced but after tests on cat wet can foods in Australia scientist found supermarket, pet shop cat foods Hills & Royal Canine all those little expensive cans of cat food were not balanced properly & now it says on these really small cans of cat food “not to be feed as a main meal”… this happened last year & the scientist who exposed this was sponsered by Hills & wouldnt give up the names of the expensive cat foods they had found not to be balanced properly, the reporter doing the story put 2 & 2 together & worked out which expensive cat foods werent balanced…
Rodney Habib & Steve Brown recommend you add either fish or salmon oil capsule once a day to 1 of their meals, use Krill oil capsule if dog has sensitive stomach or start adding 2 spoons of salmon or sardines in olive oil or spring water to 1 of their meals a day, just read the salt % look for lowest salt % in the can salmon or sardines… for lunch sometimes I open a small can of salmon in spring water drain teh water & add some boiled sweet potato mix & give to Patch for lunch.. I boil sweet potato & freeze small pieces sweet potato freezes really well & its healthy for them..

Google “KetoPets” for Liza & start making the Ketopets diets or cook the Ketopets diets & I bet you Liza will be here longer then 2 years….
Dr Judy Morgan talks about this subject in one of her video’s on her facebook page look at all her “Video’s”..
It works out cheaper cooking meals or feeding a raw diet then it does buying the wet can dog foods… also start looking at Freeze Dried food for your dogs instead of giving Benji the kibble with his wet can food..

[Robert S]

I am sharing info that I wish I had know 10 years ago.

What I am going to tell you will be hard to believe, however read my story, and consider the possible outcome.

Benji, wirehair mini dachshund is 10 this year. Ever since we got him at 2 months old he has had what the vet called a sensitive stomach. Maybe a couple times a month he would eat his kibbles, Nature’s Recipe grain free, and then be shaking like he had a fever. We would take temperature and never was it above normal. He normally threw up twice and by early afternoon he was good to go. At the vet’s suggestion, we changed food and we choose Natures Recipe, Sensitive stomach. That seemed to help for a while, but since his spells were sporadic it was hard to tell. For 8 years we dealt with it and tried to fugure it out. Changing things didn’t make any difference. We take him to vet yearly or when sick. Blood work all fine. Stool sample fine always. We give heartguard and Frontline regularly. He gets normal shots per vet.

In June 2017 he had a seizure and my research indicated that he nay be carrier or has Lafora, no blood test completed. He has never father any pups and the only thing that might help is reducing starch from his diet. Which we are doing.

As things would have it our now 14 year old female smooth coated mini was diagnosed, thru an xray, that she has a mass in her abdomen. Vet feels sure it is cancer. The only way to find out is an ultra sound, at additional cost and at a different vet. We are not operating and are presuming that it is a slow growing tumor. One can feel the mass but it is not visible. She was diagnosed in June 2017.

Ever since we had Liza she has had loose stools and urinated frequently. Often in the house, which is unusual as other dachshunds have not had either problems. The vet suggested steroids, which we did off and on. Also we gave her pumpkin to firm them and fed her the same kibbles that Benji ate. (Our dogs do not est human food.)

I had booked mark Dog Food Advisors website and used it to find Natures Recipe, grain free. So I started researching again. Thru the research I found that dogs with cancer do best on high fat high protein food. So I looked for “canned food” with carbohydrates of less than 20% and little starch. Rice, white potatoes etc.

After feeding this type food Benji is no longer sick in mornings. Liza no longer has soft stools and urinates less often and has never urinated in our home since. To our knowledge Benji has not had another seizure, but we dont expect food to cure him, just reduce seizures.

I now realize that dogs, especially hounds for sure need a diet of meat, vegetables, some fruit and very limited ceral type filler. (IMHO).

I have and are using the following foods. You can use dog food advisor and do research. I am just sharing for what it is worth.

I do mix kibbles with stew for Benji. He has most teeth and no problem eating. The gravey makes kibbles look more apealing.

Liza gets all wet food due to health and she has lost some teeth. I figure she won’t be with us for more than 2 years so we will feed her the best we can.

Dry: Has been discontinued still have some food to use:
/dog-food-reviews/evo-dog-food-dry/

/dog-food-reviews/evo-dog-food-dry/

/dog-food-reviews/canidae-dog-food-grain-free-canned/

/dog-food-reviews/castor-pollux-butcher-bushel/

/dog-food-reviews/whole-earth-farms-dog-food-canned/

I do not work for any food companies, Vetenary, or Dog food advisor.

If you told me this I would not believe you but I am here to tell you this is what happened to me and my dachshunds. Yes wet is more expensive, but for me, I see it as pay now for food or pay at the vets later. I now have happy dogs.

Maybe this will help someone.
Bob

[Susan]

Hi Sandra,

Have you look at different diets, cooked, raw, wet can, freeze dried, air dried, what are their symptoms?
Have you done a food elimination diet?
until you work out what both your dogs can & can’t eat, you’ll be going around in circles & getting no where, or work out if they need more fiber or less fiber?? that’s easy, start adding boiled pumkin 1-2 spoons to one of their meals & not to the other meal & see if poo is firmer from the added pumkin meal. Poo will be a bit more orange..

I did the same with my boy, he didnt seem to do well on no kibbles when I first rescued him, turned out to have IBD, food sensitivities & environment allergies finally after 5yrs I’ve worked out his kibble needs to be higher in protein, low in fat & low in fiber %, less carbs & more meat & the Wellness Core Large Breed seem to agree with him maybe your dogs are the same…need more meat proteins & less carbs, I also feed dehydrated raw for 1 of his meals, I’m trying to get him off kibble he has too many stomach problems on dry kibble.

Have you tried “Wellness Core” Large breed kibble, its money back guaranteed if it doesnt agree with your dogs, that’s why I tried it + I had run out of dry kibbles to try on Patch, it does have potato but its very high in meat protein, it has 3 meat proteins as 1st, 2nd & 3rd ingredients then a carb as 4th ingredient.
low in fat & fiber & only 30% carbs & only 346Kcals per cup so easier to digest, the higher the Kcals the more dense the kibble, so kibble is harder to digest.

It may not be the ingredients they are reacting too? maybe the fiber, fat & protein percentages may not be agreeing with them in the kibbles you’ve tried?…

*Wellness Core Large Breed formula,
Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Potatoes, Peas, Tomato Pomace, Dried Ground Potatoes, Ground Flaxseed, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Natural Chicken Flavor, Pea Fiber, Potassium Chloride, Spinach, Broccoli, Vitamin E Supplement, Carrots, Parsley, Apples, Blueberries, Kale, Sweet Potatoes, Taurine, L-Carnitine, Mixed Tocopherols added to preserve freshness, Zinc Proteinate, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Calcium Carbonate, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Chicory Root Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Riboflavin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Dried Lactobacillus plantarum Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Rosemary Extract, Green Tea Extract, Spearmint Extract.
This is a naturally preserved product.
low in fat & fiber & only 30% carbs 346Kcals per cup,
it may not be the ingredients they are reacting too?? the fiber %, fat % & protein percentages may not be agreeing with them…

PROXIMATES:
MOISTURE
PROTEIN 34.17
FAT 12.88
CARBOHYDRATES 30.66
FIBER 4.89
ASH 7.56
AMINO ACIDS:
ARGININE 2.64
HISTIDINE 0.77
ISOLEUCINE 1.34
LEUCINE 2.20
LYSINE 1.98
MET + CYS 0.94
METHIONINE 0.57
PHE + TYR 2.40
PHENYLALANINE 1.37
THREONINE 1.31
TRYPTOPHAN 0.40
VALINE 1.53
FATTY ACIDS:
LINOLEIC ACID 2.19
ARACHIDONIC ACID 0.08
MINERALS:
CALCIUM 1.61
PHOSPHORUS 1.12
POTASSIUM 0.96
SODIUM 0.22
CHLORIDE 0.40
MAGNESIUM 0.17
IRON 254.27
COPPER 2.35
MANGANESE 2.82
ZINC 20.17
IODINE 0.29
SELENIUM 0.05
VITAMINS & OTHERS:
VITAMIN A 1,144.24 VITAMIN D3 84.63 VITAMIN E 62.67
VITAMIN K N/A THIAMINE (VITAMIN B1) 0.33 RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2) 0.76 PANTOTHENIC ACID 2.40
NIACIN 7.50
PYRIDOXINE 0.49
FOLIC ACID 23.44
BIOTIN 0.58 VITAMIN B12 7.96 CHOLINE 152.33
TAURINE 0.01
1 cup (g) 98
kcal/kg ME 3,540
kcal/cup 346
kcalories Total %
kcal- Protein 1,220 35.6%
kcal- Fat 1,117 32.5%
kcal- Carbohydrates 1,095 31.9%
Omega 3 Fatty Acids 1.00%
Omega 6 Fatty Acids 3.25%
Other Total per cup
Glucosamine Hydrochloride 750 mg/kg 73.3 mg
Chondroitin Sulfate 250 mg/kg 24.4 mg

[anonymous]

Nutrisca https://www.chewy.com/nutrisca-grain-free-salmon-chickpea/dp/35033

Ingredients
Salmon, Menhaden Fish Meal, Peas, Chickpeas, Salmon Meal, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Sunflower Oil, Pea Fiber, Flaxseed, Calcium Carbonate, Salmon Oil (a Source of DHA), Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Dried Eggs, Natural Flavor, Tomato Pomace, Carrots, Cranberries, Apricots, Choline Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Iron Proteinate, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Folic Acid, Calcium Iodate, Cobalt Proteinate, Biotin, Selenium Yeast, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Rosemary Extract.
Caloric Content
3,680 Kcal/kg, 390 Kcal/cup

Zignature https://www.chewy.com/zignature-whitefish-limited/dp/118063

Ingredients
Whitefish, Whitefish Meal, Peas, Chickpeas, Pea Flour, Sunflower Oil (Preserved with Citric Acid), Flaxseed, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Natural Flavors, Salt, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Cobalt Proteinate), Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Vitamins (Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Lactic Acid, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols.
Caloric Content
420 kcal/cup

[Michelle S]

Hi, I very much like Ketona dog food; I have corresponded with the owner, Daniel, about their Ketona dog food; I also have looked at the information – which has a ton of research behind it; and I have two Great Pyrenees adults who have separate health issues. Both need a very good food that does not contain hidden ingredients, no grains, and is based more on what dogs need to eat to remain strong and healthy; I have found it provides a healthy balance for them both. When I began looking for high protein, medium fats, and very low carbs, I started seeing how few truly low carb food there were available – even in the 5 star foods. So I have had them on this food for several months and they love it. I add a bit of homemade bone broth to each bowl as well in their evening meal. I also use a dog food called Open Farm and it is excellent as well. There is another food called Valiant (valiantpet.com) and it is formulated for dogs with cancer & other issues like seizures. They run a state of the art rescue for dogs with cancer they rescue dogs with cancer from shelters and feed them this food and take care of their medicines – instead of letting those dogs be euthanized. I am just now looking at this – it is awesome. Amazing all the research that is out there about better dog foods than what I have found in a long time. Good luck to all who are looking!

[Patricia A]

I need my 6 year old chihuahua has gained weight since I switched to freeze dried toppers. I always gave Fromm kibble mixed with health extensions canned as a topper. I wanted something better for topper so went with Stella Chewy’s freeze dried and Primal turkey and sardine. . Within the last year she has gained weight. I’ve cut down the kibble and give her less then is advised on the freeze dried. Been looking at recently the Stella Chewy’s fat is 53% according to advisor. protein is 35 and carbs 11. I know lower carbs are a good thing and fat should be higher but it seems like 53% is very high. Please any advice would be much appreciated. Going nuts with research. I read on the advisor reviews under Primal and Stella’s that given the fat content food is not suitable for all dogs. So only VERY active dogs would do well and maintain ideal weight on even toppers of these brands? I researched that a 5lb dog needs approx 200 calories. So Stella’s Freeze Dried patties are approx. 60 calories per patty . A quarter cup of fromm is 102 calories. They get 1 1/2 patty of Stella’s and 1/4 cup fromm a day. This adds up to 192 calories a day.Also give in-between a little boiled chicken/sweet potato/ string beans/raw carrots/bannana etc as treats. Any advice please. I really love the idea of a five star topping but maybe it’s not for them.

[Denise V]

So I’m fairly new to this.. I have a XL Bully that has minor grain issues. I’m trying to find him a new food that’s healthy for him without having to add supplements. There is a local pet food company near me that makes their own slow-cooked food, I was hoping someone on this forum could review the ingredients and tell me if it sounds like a high quality food.

Brand: Pet Wants (Nashville, TN owned)
Ingredients:

Product Description
Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein, min – 30.0%
Crude Fat, min – 16.0%
Crude Fiber, max – 4.5%
Moisture, max – 10.0%
Omega 6 Fatty Acid * (min) – 2.85%
Omega 3 Fatty Acid * (min) – 0.50%
* Not recognized as an essential nutrient by AAFCO dog food nutrient profiles.

Ingredients Panel:
Whitefish Meal, Duck Meal, Chickpeas, Field Peas, Lentils, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Tapioca Starch, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Whole Ground Flaxseed, Natural Flavor, Dried Seaweed Meal, DL-Methionine, Salt, L-Lysine, Choline Chloride, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Fructooligosaccharide, Turmeric Powder, Dried Carrots, Dried Spinach, Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Acetate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Citric Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate.

[pitlove]

Hi Jo C-

There is no accurate test out there for food allergies. The serum testing is notorious for false positives and false negatives.

Each of those are different immunoglobulins in the body that are responsible for setting off certain histamine reactions. This SHOULD have been explained to you by the doctor that did the testing, but clearly it was not which makes these results useless as you can’t interpert them well.

If you want to do this correctly, you will need to start over and conduct a proper elimination diet. It is the gold standard for accessing food allergies. An elimination diet can be done a couple different ways.

Option 1: A home cooked diet of a single novel protein (something your dog has never had before) and a single carbohydrate (again, one your dog has never had before). This is to be the SOLE diet for 3 months. No treats, no table scraps, no flavored medications, no food from other pets, no dental chews, nothing at all but the diet.

Option 2: A commercially prepared hydrolyzed protein diet from the vet’s office. Same rules apply here. With these diets the protein molecules are so small that the bodys immune system does not recognize them as a threat and will not form a histamine reaction.

Once the 3 months is up, you can then do a food challenge and reintroduce the old food to see if the symptoms come back. If the dog is positive for food allergies, he/she should have improved over the course of the elimination trial. If the allergies are due to something in the environment, its likely no change in symptoms would occur.

This is very hard to do for most pet owners, but when done correctly will give you a definite answer as to if the dog has food allergies. Sorry, to say, but I would throw out your results from the serum test and see if you can get your money back. There has been an overwhelming amount of research proving that the reliability of those tests is very low.

[Airseabattle]

I’m not sure of the temp. It was meat I had in the freezer for a month which I then defrosted in the fridge. Same with liver. No, I’m not solely feeding her just ground meat and liver. She also had a raw chicken wing and hard boiled egg with shell and shredded cooked chicken breast. Not all at once but spread out. Been eating that for days. Ground meat I introduced today and Only the ground meat made her vomit first time around. I tried again in smaller quantities and this she held down.

I personally do not trust aafco and flat out refuse to feed kibble as a main source to my dog. My last chihuahua lived to be 16. Most of her life ( I adopted her at six years old) she ate 4 star and up rated kibble. She STILL died of chronic renal failure due to diet. My vet is a wonderful woman but she’s so pro science diet/ Hill.

after two months of putting my baby on that hill renal diet she slightly went down in value then out of nowhere escalated to stage 4 and died a miserable , slow death. I spent thousands trying to fight the inevitable death. I even tried to get her a 20k kidney transplant from UC Davis just to be told there was nothing that could’ve been done and had a fed her a better diet things may have been different ( less kibble, carbs, grains, etc, more good quality protein) Never again.

Ps. My vet knows of my hatred of kibble and supports a home cooked diet but I’m not sure about the raw diet. I’m only doing raw while I wait for the supplements. Why are you against adding supplements? You say you like her recipes but Dr Olsen said in the book that the vitamins are depleted after cooking so supplements are a must…

• This reply was modified 7 years, 8 months ago by Airseabattle.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 8 months ago by Airseabattle.

[Susan]

Hi Hronn,
like CockerlierMon has posted just feed the Hills Z/d nothing else & see does he start getting better?? Vet diets are high in Omega 3 so skin should start to improve, the only way to find out what foods your dog can eat is to do a food elimination diet, he eats 1 meat protein & 1 carb for 6-8 weeks if he has no reaction diarrhea, sloppy poos, wind, farts, itchy smelly yeasty skin, itchy ears, shaking head/ears, red itchy paws, etc then you introduce another new ingredient for 6 weeks see how he goes, does he react?
You can do food elimination diet with the Hills Z/d formula wet or dry formula’s or there’s Hills D/D formula you can try if the Hills Z/d doesn’t work for him, it takes time doing food elimination diet but you will know 100% what ingredients he can & can’t eat..
See how he does on the Hills Z/D, the Z/d didn’t work for my boy, it has Corn Starch & my boy reacts to corn he gets red paws & his skin started to smell yeasty & he became real itchy, Hills is money back guaranteed so if your boy starts having diarrhea, yeasty itchy skin, or gets worse like my boy did then you can take back for refund or try another vet diet like “Royal Canine” Hypoallergenic HP…My dog was put on the Z/d for his IBD & then he started having his yeasty smelly paws & skin…
What symptoms is your dog having? Intestinal problems, skin problems or both?
are you bathing weekly in a medicated shampoo to wash off any allergens on skin, paws etc, baths are really good & relieves itchy skin & paws, I also use creams on paws & around mouth anywhere thats red & itchy I apply cream to stop the itch & reduce the reddness, I use Cortisone 1% cream at night before bed & of a morning before our walk I use “Sudocrem” Sudocrem is a anti bacterial, anti fungul thick healing cream for Dermatitis, Eczema, Nappy Rash, protects the skin & paws…
If you boy can handle Lentils, Chickpeas & Peas (Diarrhea/sloppy poos, wind/farts) then the dry kibble Nutram looks very good, but it has alot of ingredients, he needs a dry kibble that has limited ingredients, 1 meat protein & 1-2 carbs so there’s less ingredients for him to react too….
Can you feed a raw diet or cooked diet? this would be best, if the Hills Z/d makes him better then after 8 weeks just eating the Hills Z/d then start introducing 1 new ingredient with the Z/d food or for lunch feed this new 1 cooked ingredient for 6 weeks then after 6 weeks if he doesnt react then add another new ingredient then you can cook 1 meal with these ingredients he can eat & didnt react & feed the Hills Z/d for his other meal.
Baby steps, do it slowley & keep a diary, write down what your doing, he might have both food sensitivities & environment allergies, if he’s having Intestinal problems & itchy smelly skin, paws…

[Nadine H]

Hi Tyla,
I’m feeding the chicken and pom low grain. I get the medium kibble, the formula is exactly the same as the large breed kibble.Same with the mini kibble.I don’t like the large kibble. I get it directly from the company and we get three 26lb bags a month. I really like that the carb level is so low. Most that you buy has carbs at least 42% and in most cases closer to 50%

[Patricia A]

I need my 6 year old chihuahua to lose a little weight. I always gave Fromm kibble mixed with health extensions canned as a topper. I wanted something better for topper so went with Stella Chewy’s freeze dried. Within the last year she has gained weight. I’ve cut down the kibble and give her less then is advised on the freeze dried. Been looking at recently the Stella Chewy’s fat is 53% according to advisor. protein is 35 and carbs 11. I know lower carbs are a good thing and fat should be higher but it seems like 53% is very high. Thinking about going with wellness canned core hearty cuts as topper which is protein 37% Fat 39% and carbs 24. . Also of thinking of changing kibble to Stella chewys raw coated since it’s less processed and got the 5 stars. Please any advice would be much appreciated. Going nuts with research.

[Nadine H]

Hi Josh,
I switched my two Great Danes to Farmina low grain three months ago. Leah weighs 113 and Logan 133.Both are still growing. I feed three times a day, 5 and a half cups split into three meals. This food is low carb at 32% so they’re not getting the fillers that might have them feeling fuller. If you go to the farmina website there is a link to feeding amounts. Poop is perfect, they go once in the morning and once at night. Coats are so shiny and the energy level is great. You’ve made a good choice for your pup. What does your pup weight ? many people add steamed green beans to the kibble if they are still acting hungery. I also give sardines as a treat every night along with sliced raw apple.

[Mohamed K]

Hey All,

I have an adorable 8 month beagle called Diva, we live in Egypt which is a problem for finding good dog food like orijen or nature’s variety, we are cursed with low level dog food the best we have is Royal canin
However after a hit and miss with two brand (Josera and Mera dog), i did some research and found out a brand called Belcando which is a german brand
I was looking for feedback on the ingredients list available online and if this food is considered acceptable or should i just head over to royal canin
Thanks for your help and if someone has any suggestions on what to do when we can’t find good dog kibble to feed

Belcando Puppy Gravy Ingredients
Fresh poultry meat (30 %); Rice (23 %); Poultry protein, low ash, dried (19 %); Maize; Fish meal from seafish (6 %); Poultry fat; Vegetable oil (palm, coconut); Egg, dried (2,5 %); Gelatine, hydrolysed (2,5 %); Brewers’ yeast, dried (2,5 %); Carob pods, dried; Dried beet pulp, desugared; Dicalcium phosphate; Poultry liver, hydrolysed; Linseed; Chia seeds; Sodium chloride; Potassium chloride
Nutritional additives: Vitamin A 15.000 IU; Vitamin D3 1.500 IU; Vitamin E 150 mg; Copper (as copper(II)sulphate, pentahydrate) 12,5 mg; Iron (as ferrous(II)sulphate, monohydrate) 200 mg; Manganese (as manganese(II)oxide) 40 mg; Zinc (as zincoxide) 150 mg; Iodine (as calciumiodate, anhydrous) 2,0 mg; Selenium (as sodiumselenite) 0,05 mg
Technological additives: Lecithin 2.400 mg; extracts of natural origin with high tocopherol content (= natural vitamin E) 48 mg

Royal Canin Medium Adult Ingredients
Brewers rice, chicken by-product meal, wheat, corn gluten meal, oat groats, chicken fat, natural flavors, dried plain beet pulp, fish oil, calcium carbonate, grain distillers dried yeast, vegetable oil, potassium chloride, monocalcium phosphate, salt, hydrolyzed yeast, L-lysine, choline chloride, vitamins [DL-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), biotin, D-calcium pantothenate, vitamin A acetate, niacin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin supplement, folic acid, vitamin D3 supplement], trace minerals (zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite, copper proteinate), rosemary extract, preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid.

[Susan]

Hi Wendy,
So sorry for what your going thru..
Google & look up “Ketopets”
are you on facebook? follow “Rodney Habib” look for his Video’s “The Truth About Cancer” his dog Sammy had an agressive cancer when she was 14yrs old, now she is 17yrs old she’s is what made Rodney travel the world doing research about cancer, this is when he found Ketopets, Ketopets were saving dogs from pounds/shelters that were surrender who had cancer, what happened next was amazing all these pound dogs that were left for death survived & then Ketopets had to find them homes its a beautiful story & where they live is also a beautiful stress free place, Rodney did an interview with the founder of Ketopets follow “Ketopets” on their f/b page..They will help you, if you live close they also take in dogs aswell…
The Ketopet diet is on the Ketopets site, I thought I saved it, I cant find it, if you dont find the Ketopet diet, I’ll look & find it for you, its a high protein, high fat, very little carbs diet blended with green veggetables & beets…
Make your dog has a happy stress free as possible & DO NOT FEED any KIBBLE, NO vet diets…
Kibble is very high in carbs cancer loves carbs..

[CK C]

I have a dog with IBD who is currently on a special homemade diet. We are hoping to transition him to a store-bought dog food at some point. He needs a simple ingredient food that is pork based. He is allergic to poultry and fish. Our local store recommended a new Horizon brand dog food that is pork meal based called Taiga. I can’t find reviews of it anywhere.

It’s 13% fat, which is great for my dog, who needs a lower fat diet.

I would appreciate any help with this quest! Does this look OK for food?

Here are the ingredients:

INGREDIENTS
PORK MEAL, RED LENTILS, PEAS, GARBANZO BEANS, PEA STARCH, PORK, ALFALFA MEAL, CANOLA OIL, CARROTS, APPLES, BROCCOLI, BOK CHOY, CABBAGE, BLUEBERRIES, CALCIUM CARBONATE, SALT, DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, FRUCTOOLIGOSACCHARIDES, YUCCA SCHIDIGERA EXTRACT, DRIED ASPERGILLUS NIGER FERMENTATION EXTRACT, PINEAPPLE, DRIED TRICHODERMA LONGIBRACHIATUM FERMENTATION EXTRACT, DRIED ENTEROCOCCUS FAECIUM FERMENTATION PRODUCT, DRIED LACTOBACILLUS CASEI FERMENTATION PRODUCT, DRIED LACTOBACILLUS ACIDOPHILUS FERMENTATION PRODUCT, DRIED BIFIDOBACTERIUM BIFIDUM FERMENTATION PRODUCT, DRIED LACTOBACILLUS PLANTARUM FERMENTATION PRODUCT, VITAMIN A ACETATE, VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENT, RIBOFLAVIN, NIACIN, FOLIC ACID, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, D-CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, BIOTIN, L-ASCORBYL-2-POLYPHOSPHATE (SOURCE OF VITAMIN C), FERROUS SULPHATE, IRON PROTEINATE, ZINC SULPHATE, ZINC PROTEINATE, MANGANOUS OXIDE, MANGANESE PROTEINATE, COPPER SULPHATE, COPPER PROTEINATE, CALCIUM IODATE, SELENIUM YEAST, MAGNESIUM OXIDE.

[haleycookie]

You aren’t missing anything. The fact is kibbles tend to be more carb than anything else. Because it’s incredibly hard to make a kibble without loading it with stuff that holds it together (ie fillers which are usually carbs) so it’s not just a bag of crumbs. As far as raw goes you can usually cut carbs completely out. Most raw feeders follow the 80% meat, 10% organs (5% liver, 5% secreting organs) and 10% raw meaty bones. There are no carbs in that type of diet. But some people also add whole types of veggies or fruits but it shouldn’t make up that much of the diet.

[Carrie H]

Ok. I am pretty new to the raw food thing. Everthing I read says protein should be the highest percentage, then fat, then carbs being the lowest. So if I look at all the 5 star raw foods listed on this site, only 4 of them meet that criteria! And of those 4, one has garlic in it. Am i missing something? Help!

[Kathleen Q]

My 13 yr old Pom has a grade #4 heart murmur. I have an appointment scheduled with a Cardiologist coming up. But I want to make her food. I have checked all over for a dog food to buy and nothing beats making it myself to ensure she gets the best for her condition. I know protein is needed. I also feel carbs should be very low to keep weight off. I need some ideas of recipes that are hopefully fairly easy. Also is COQ10 a good idea and a multi-vitamin, if so what brand and dosage? I am going to make sure my furbaby has the best. Diet is VERY important with heart disease. I hope to get info here from others who may have the similar situation.
Thanks
Kathleen

[Kathleen Q]

My 13 yr old Pom has a grade #4 heart murmur. I have an appointment scheduled with a dog cardiologist coming up. But I want to make her good heart healthy food for her condition. I know protein is needed. But I feel lowering carbs will help to keep weight down. Being overweight is a strain on the heart. I need a few ideas that would be fairly easy to put together and also if she should have a multi-vitamin? I hear low salt. There is no good dog food sold for her condition. If I make it I will know that she is getting what she should. I hope to get some ideas from people that have a similar situation as me. Thanks

[Susan]

Hi Holly,
what has Rooney been eating when these gulping episode started?
With Omeprazole (Prilosec) it needs to be taken daily same time is best given in the morning before breakfast, I give Patch 1 x 20mg Losec as soon as he wakes up, by the time I make my cuppa, feed the cat & prepare Patches breakfast he has waited 20mins so the Losec has had time to dissolve in stomach & send msg to brain, do not release hydrochloric acid into stomach, just make sure when you do give any tablets you use a syringe filled with water & put the Losec tablet on back of tongue down his throat then put syringe in the side of his mouth & push water out of syringe into moouth so the tablet goes into the stomach & doesnt sit in his throat & dissolve….
When Rooney seems to be having bad acid reflux give the Prilosec for 3-4 days then if you want to stop giving the Losec stop but once he takes the Prilosec more then 15-20 days you need to reduce slowly 2 days give then 1 day none etc, in the beginning I use to give Patch Losec for 3-4 days on, then 3 days off the Prilosec depending if he started his gulping, then I realised he was heaps better while taking his Losec so he’s been on Losec 2yrs now but last week I changed him over to 20mg-Somac (Pantropazole) another Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) as Patches lower esohageal Sphincter flap isnt closing properly now & the acid is washing back up into his throat & wind pipe, certain foods make it worse he can NOT eat wet can foods or cooked food now only kibble seems to sstay down…

I havent read your post properly but if your dog is taking Apoquel (a drug I wouldnt give Patch after reading the bad side effects), Apoquel can cause bad side effects with some dogs, I’ve read alot of dogs vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, sleeping all day etc the company that makes Apoquel has brought out Cytopoint Injection now, Cytopoint Injection has less side effects, the injection is given every 4-8 weeks depending on the dog.
I would also start your dog on a limited ingredient diet, 1 carb & 1 lean meat protein, just in case he has food sensitivities & is reacting to a few ingredients & getting itchy skin, smelly yeasty ears/paws or intestinal problems, keep the fat around 10 to 14% for a dry kibble, with wet can foods around 3% & under for fat when you convert 3%min fat in wet/raw can foods it’s around 8%min to 12%max fat…
The vet diet Hills I/d may have ingredients he’s sensititive too & he’s reacting also vet diets are very high in omega oils that can cause bad acid reflux, Patch & a few other dogs that have IBD, IBS etc don’t do too well on vet diets….
Do you belong to any face book groups for Canine IBD or “Canine Pancreatitis support group” has a few dogs with IBD, IBS, Food sensitivities, or “Dog Issues, Allergies & other Information Support group” has dogs with food senitivities, allergies, itchy skin, paws, ears etc dogs with most health problems…
Have you tried the “Natural Balance” LTD dry -Sweet Potato & Bison or Potato & Duck or Sweet Potato & Fish formula’s? I dont know which wet Natural Balance LTD can food has 3% & under for fat here’s the conversion calculator so you can save & convert the fat protein fiber in wet can foods raw foods if you buy them the etc http://www.k-9kraving.com/resources/calculator.php

[bexster]

Haleycookie, I am aware carbs are necessary. So far I haven’t had to cave and it’s my goal not to as I want to keep my dog healthy and thriving. Caving to a food that has ingredients that will make him sick is not an option. I may as well just give him back to the rescue.

This site shared an interesting article about carbs and dogs: /canine-nutrition/dog-food-carbohydrates/

Potatoes are high on the glycemic index. Just as humans shouldn’t eat such high quantities of a starchy carb on a daily basis, neither should dogs. They can be eaten in moderation, but day in and day out as the second or third ingredient is not healthy. Further, potatoes have tested for more pesticides by weight than any other vegetable. Not all potatoes in dog food are non-GMO and they are likely highly processed. These are only a few reasons on potatoes.

Peas have lectins in them and over time can cause major health problems, especially considering the amount of peas, pea concentrates, pea flours, pea proteins, pea etc. tossed into foods. Vegetable based proteins are very un-useable for dogs. They’re used to fake-boost general protein levels in foods to make up for a lack of meat proteins, not complete in amino acids, and are low in biological value. They are also a phytoestrogen and used for “ingredient splitting.”

Essentially, they’re both cheap vegetable fillers while dogs need meat based proteins. I hope I’ve answered your questions.

[Susan]

Hi,
Yes CHANGE his food, poor dog 10 poos a day, are you taking him outside every 2-3 hours & teaching him the word toilet, wee wee, poo poo? but even if you are taking him outside doing 10 poos a day he can’t hold his poo’s & now his crate has become his toilet, do you have the puppy pads? put them outside his crate so he has enough time to quickly get out of his crate & poo outside the crate on the puppy pads, get a open carboard box & lay the puppy pads in the box but have the box on its side so he can just walk into the box like he does with his crate you need to re teach him his crate is for sleeping & time out, its not for pooing, its going to be hard to retrain him as you have to catch him in the act when he is pooing, does he wee outside or has he ever pooed outside when you take him out? Puppies need to be taken outside every 2-3 hours but with him pooing at night you’ll be up every 3 hours taking him outside, look at another food with less ingredients or different ingredients not a grain free kibble, like Crazy4cats said has he been wormed?? puppies should be wormed at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 weeks of age then every 3 months in Australia, if after changing his kibble to a grain kibble & he’s still pooing 10 poos a day I’d take some of his poo to the vets & have it tested, you need 2 separate poos, separate poos done at different times…or just re worm him & change his kibble to a rice kibble & see does he poo less, it’s cheaper then seeing the vet & having his poos tested for Giardia.. do that when nothing has worked so you can tell the vet I’ve done this & this & this & he’s still pooing 10 poos a day..

Try a kibble that has rice & beet pulp in it with limited ingredients, I know you probably don’t like Hills, Purina or Royal Canine but these brands use ingredients that make a dog do firm poo’s, try the “Hills Science Diet” small & toy breed puppy formula >1 or the Hills Sensitive Stomach/Skin formula, Hills have a few puppy formula’s & they are lower in fiber 1.5% or send Hills an email & tick where it say do you want a Hills vet nutrionist to contact you & a vet nutrionist either emails you or rings you back & they will recommend what to do & what Hills formula should work for your dog & the food is money back guaranteed, I know you’ll probably look at the ingredients & have a heart attack but you’ll see, does he do just 1 or 2 poos a day if not send email back to the Hills Vet & they will tell you what to do next, then if your dog is stable doing just 1-2 poos a day after just eating the Hills food you can add the matching wet tin food to his diet aswell, (this is when walks are good, they go for their little walk around the block or to the park around the same time everyday & weee & poo & their bowel gets into a routine, they also learn the words do wee, wee & poo poo) then after he’s been stable a good 4-6months then start introducing a grain free kibble introduce very slowly over 2 weeks & see how he goes… then when he’s a adult rotate between different brands with different ingredients this strenthens their immune system so they can eat all types of ingredinets…

[Regina D]

Thank you for all the caring support & information. I am feeding high protein, low carb. We are on day 30 & quality of life is still very good.

[Jenny Rellick]

I believe the most Ketogenic food on the Editor’s Choice list is Primal Freeze-Dried Canine Venison Formula. The Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content is 62% protein and 1% carbohydrates. It is high in fat, which is okay for dogs, but you should be careful of how many calories you feed. If dogs are like people, what looks like a small serving will satisfy your dog’s appetite after a few weeks. If your dog gets pancreatitis, a high-fat food may be bad. In that case, a canned food for a weight control may be your best option. Wellness Core Grain Free Weight Maintenance (Canned) has a dry matter estimate of 50% protein, 16% fat and 26% carbohydrates. Grain-free low-fat foods are not all ketogenic. Some include potatoes and legumes full of carbohydrates.

If you feel like you would be feeding Bambi’s mother to your dog, the next most ketogenic food is Stella and Chewy’s Chewy’s Chicken Dinner (Freeze-Dried.) Its dry matter is an estimated 51% protein and 12% carbohydrates.

For a large breed, these freeze dried ketogenic foods are expensive. The next best ketogenic foods on average are wet, but not all quality wet foods are ketogenic. The Editor’s Choice canned foods with 5 stars are a good place to start looking for high-protein, low carb foods you can afford.
Fish oil, such as Bayer Snip Tips, is supposed to help a wide range of brain-based neurological conditions, and I think CBD oil is an excellent supplement.

[Jane L]

My almost 7 year old Golden Retriever suddenly developed idiopathic epilepsy. I’ve read about the many advantages of putting him on a ketogenic diet…. one that is grain-free, very high in protein and fat, while very low in carbs. I’m looking for a prepared dog food that meets those requirements, preferably one that isn’t too high in calories. Right now he’s on Keppra, Chinese herbs, CBD oil and we’re beginning acupuncture next week. He’s currently eating Purina Neuro Care, which was recommended by his holistic vet. I’d also like to
take him off the Neuro Care and begin feeding him a ketogenic diet. Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

[jamie f]

Hi, I’m going insane please help! My dog is on month three of us discovering he has hemangiosarcoma. Doing well, have him on honest herbs but after cooking foods I’m too stressed because I have a child with special needs so I need something easy. They hated honest kitchen. I’m looking for low carb, grain free, wet canned. So far they (giving to both for ease) like Halo chicken and salmon and nature’s logic chicken. Anyone have an opinion on these or can recommend something better? Want to avoid potatoes and that’s hard to find. Also please don’t recommend raw I’m not going to do that , maybe with my next dog…
thanks so much in advance!!

[Susan]

Hi Jessica,

I have a dog with IBD & Sweet Potato + Potato works excellent for Patch & other dogs with IBS, IBD & Sensitive stomach & Bowel, the Royal Canine Vet Nutrionist told me years ago when I thought Patch couldnt eat potato, its very rare for a dog to be allergic to potatoes that’s why Potato is used in vet diets…….
I would look for a new kibble that has only 1 meat protein NOT Chicken & has 1-2 carbs that are Potato & Sweet Potato…
there’s “Wellness Simple” Turkey & Potato or Salmon & Potato but both formula’s have peas still worth a try or look at “Natural Balance” Sweet Potato & Bison or Sweet Potato & Fish or Potato & Duck formula’s, these 3 formula’s do not have any peas, chickepeas or lentils, when I looked at the Kibble your boy is eating it could be a few ingredients he’s reacting too, the chicken?, tapioca?, chickpeas?, peas?, chicken liver?, organ meats kidney, heart & liver can cause sloppy poos or diarrhea when too much is consumed, liver is best given as a treat not in a kibble, it might be too much for a dog who has bowel problems, it could be the Alfalfa meal? there was a dog last week that was eating a kibble similar & it had Alfalfa meal as well he was doing sloppy poos/diarrhea or it could be the sunflower meal & there’s blue berries?…
So its best to start with a very limited ingredient kibble with only about 2-4ingredients, then once he’s doing firm poo’s say he’s eating the “Natural Balance” LTD & is doing really well then start adding 1 fresh cooked ingredient to his diet as well say cooked chicken & see does his poos start going sloppy?? or start feeding say the “Wellness Simple” formula that has peas in it & see does his poo’s go soft?? or you could try “Canidae” Pure Small Breed formula’s it has 1 meat protein, peas, lentils, egg if he’s reacting to the other brand kibbles that have potatoes but I think he’ll react more to the peas & lentils but you never know??
Changing & rotating kibbles will strengthen in immune system & make his stomach & bowel stronger… Whatever you do make sure you only introduce 1 thing at a time…Tell us how he’s going after he has a diet change…. Keep a diary & write down what brand & formula of kibble you’ve tried what fresh foods you’ve added to his diet etc..
Best to start doing his elimintion diet now it sounds like you’ll eventually have to do one & work out what he can & can eat… He might do better on a rice & 1 meat protein kibble??

[Susan]

Hi Ryan,
sounds like my Patch when he eats the vet diets, the vet diets have too much Omega fatty acid oils in them & Patch ends up being uncomfortable, whinging, swollowing, gets his acid reflux… Find a limited Ingredient kibble that has 2-3 ingredients, 1 meat protein he hasn’t eaten much of with 1-2 carbs, have you tried the “Natural Balance” Sweet potato & Bison formula or Sweet Potato & Fish or the Potato & Duck formula these 3 formula’s have the least ingredients out of all the N/B LTD formula’s..
Change what he’s eating, now you know the R/C HP firms up his poos so if ever you need a vet diet now you have one that firms up his poos, I’ve run of of kibbles with Patch & he doesn’t do well on any vet diets, most grain free formula’s have Lentils & Chickpeas or Tapioca, I wish I could get the “Natural Balance LTD” formula’s in Australia….

[JILL N]

Fad?!! I think not. Major dry dog food companies have begun to incorporate better nutritional ingredients into their kibble meals and eliminate harmful ingredients based on the benefits of real meat and “complete” meal and whole prey diets. The “fad” has now become a healthier food trend in response to the demand of knowledgeable consumers. Case in point, please review the listed ingredients for Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula (chicken) at https://www.chewy.com/blue-buffalo-life-protection-formula. Besides the chemical processing, the only difference in a “complete” raw meal diet (with veggies and fruit) and Blue Buffalo’s kibble are the following ingredients that a dog doesn’t require for a healthy diet anyway:
Chicken Meal, Brown Rice, Barley, Oatmeal, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Natural Flavor, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Potato Stach, DL-Methionine, Caramel Color, preserved with Mixed Tocopherols, Garlic, Choline Chloride, Turmeric, Copper Sulfate (an naturally occurring pesticide that can be found in plants, soil, food, and water), Copper Amino Acid Chelate (chelated copper solution is a blend of two compounds. One is the copper sulfate granule, and the other is an ingredient that allows the copper granules to break down and stay in a liquid state). Dried Yeast, Dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, Dried Aspergillus niger fermentation extract Dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, and Dried Bacillus subtilis fermentation extract (stomach bacterium and fungi used as a probiotic in pet foods.), Oil of Rosemary.

[Gary W]

As a rule, veterinarians consider a diet with less than 10 percent fat on a dry matter basis (less than 17 percent of calories from fat) to be low fat, while diets with 10 to 15 percent fat (17 to 23 percent of calories) are considered to contain a moderate amount of fat. Foods with more than 20 percent fat are considered high-fat. A few dogs may need a very low-fat diet, especially if they have hyperlipidemia, or if they react to foods with higher levels of fat.

To make a low-fat homemade diet, feed about half carbohydrates, and half low-fat meat, eggs, and dairy. The percentage of carbs can be decreased, and the amount of meat increased, if you use very low-fat cuts, or boil them to remove most of the fat.

The majority of the carbohydrates should be starchy foods, such as rice, oatmeal, barley, quinoa, pasta, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and winter squashes (e.g., acorn and butternut), to supply low-fat calories. Other types of vegetables, such as broccoli, summer squash, and leafy greens can be included, but they supply fewer calories so they can’t replace the starchy carbs. You can also use a low-fat pre-mix designed to balance out a homemade diet, such as Preference from The Honest Kitchen.

The other half of the diet should be mostly low-fat meats, or meats cooked to remove much of their fat. Skinless chicken breast is very low in fat, but other parts can be used as long as you remove the skin and visible fat. Turkey, venison, goat, buffalo, and rabbit are low in fat, while lamb and pork are generally high in fat. Ground beef comes in varying levels of fat.

Whole eggs are relatively high in fat but are highly nutritious, so they should be included in the diet in limited amounts. A large egg has about 5 grams of fat, which is not a lot for a very large dog, but too much for smaller dogs. You can hard boil eggs and then feed just a portion each day, or split them between multiple dogs. Almost all of the fat and calories are in the yolks, so the whites alone can be added to increase protein without increasing fat, if needed. When feeding just egg whites, they should either be cooked or a B vitamin supplement should be added, as raw egg whites can deplete biotin over time when fed without the yolks.

Low-fat or nonfat dairy products are also good to include in the diet. Cottage cheese, plain yogurt, and kefir (a cultured milk product that is easy to make at home using low-fat or nonfat milk) are all good choices. Avoid other cheeses; even low-fat ones are high in fat (nonfat is okay).

Homemade diets should include organ meat, and most organs are low in fat. Liver and kidney should be fed in small amounts only, no more than 5 to 10 percent of the total diet (around 1 to 1.5 ounces organ meat per pound of food). Beef heart is quite low in fat and is nutritionally more of a muscle meat, so it can be fed in larger quantities, as long as your dog does well with it.

Fruits such as apple, banana, melon, papaya, and blueberries are fine to include in the diet in small amounts. Avoid avocados, which are high in fat.

[aimee]

I thought I’d provide an update of sorts. The estimated cost for a full analysis at a lab that identifies unknowns was ~2000.00 They would tell me all ingredients identified and in what proportions they are in. It was a bit more than I felt comfortable spending: ) I elected to instead have a known rawhide processed at the lab where I had the “No Hide” processed.

Chris Moore never returned my calls but I did have an interesting conversation with Tom O’Hare Vice President of Operations for Earth Animal. He told me that the chews used to be meat based but the company found that they could not make a durable chew that way so the meat was removed from the product about two years ago. He said currently the only meat in the product is in the outer coating of the chew. This is consistent with the findings of the diagnostic report I referenced above. I asked why, if there has been no meat in the white chew roll for 2 years, did Earth Animal in response to Dr Kallenberger’s report on the Truth About Pet Food site state ” One report discusses seeing microscopic blood vessel passages and flesh fibers……. we are not surprised at these observations as meat is an essential part of the “dough” portion of the No-Hide. ” Additionally, I asked why on many pages of the EA site does it describe the chew as being made of meat? “The chicken has been carefully rolled, cooked, and uniquely dried for a one of a kind chew your dog will love!” In response to these questions Mr. O’Hare said that information should never have been on the site and in the future E.A. will only be providing an ingredient list. I next asked how the company could meet the Guaranteed Analysis of the Salmon chew, reported at 55% min protein, when the primary protein source, Salmon, is only in the outer coating. He responded by saying brown rice flour is high in protein. I informed him that according to the USDA Nutrient database the protein content in brown rice flour is 7%. Next he said the protein comes from the gelatin. I responded that could be true of the other flavors but the Salmon chew uses agar which has a reported protein content of ~6 % Finally, he said the protein comes from the colored coating on the chew. I said I removed all the coating from my chew and it was only about 7% of the product weight. Even if the outer coating was 100% protein it wouldn’t account for the reported protein content of the chew. I also inquired as to how the carbohydrate level in the chews could be so low (2%-11%) when the chew is made of a high carbohydrate ingredient? He said the analysis is done by a third party and that is what it came out to be. I said the analysis doesn’t make sense. The carbohydrate content would only allow for a few teaspoons of flour in a small chew, not nearly enough to make a chew.

The conversation ended but the interesting thing is he called back about 5 min later and his whole affect was different. He said he’d been thinking about my questions and that he can’t explain the discrepancies as he doesn’t have the background to do so. He promised to get me the answers saying that he would get in touch with Dr Yamka, Dr Goldstein, and a PhD that is on staff and get back to me.

After nearly a month had passed and he never recontacted me I e mailed him, he said I should contact Chris Moore. This is person I originally tried to contact. I contacted Chris by e mail and he asked that I call him right after Christmas, which I did, he didn’t answer. Initially, Chris respond to e mail, but he wouldn’t answer any questions nor tell me what would be good times to call him. He only wanted my cell phone number. He said he had a lot of questions for me. I said feel free to ask them but he replied that wanted to ask them by phone. Oddly, it seemed he only wanted to communicate by cell phone and only if he initiated the call. I told him I’d give him a cell number if I had one but I didn’t have a cell phone at that time. After that he broke off all communication with me and no longer responded to further e mails. I e mailed Tom and asked that he give me a different contact, that request and all other e mails to Tom or Chris have gone unanswered. All very odd.

The other day something occurred to me. When Purina reported that Blue Buffalo contained by product meal Blue Buffalo quickly filed a lawsuit against Purina. In the end of course they lost. But I thought it odd that Earth Animal as far as I know hasn’t made any such move.

I’ll post the analysis when I receive it.

[Susan]

Hi Christain,
I would try “Natural Balance” LID Sweet Potato & Bison look at all the N/B ingredients, a lady told me the Sweet Potato & Venison has gone up in price so maybe pick the Sweet Potato & Bison or Potato & Duck instead read ingredient list & see which will be best…
the fat is low 10%min in the N/B & teh protein is law as well…
Why I dont recommend the fish formula’s no more as its higher in omega fatty acids this is excellent for dogs BUT Patch deosn’t do well with his acid reflux when he eats any fish kibbles….
Do you live at home with mum, it would be good if she cooed & froze the meals?? what breed is your girl?
It’s best feeding 3-4 smaller meals a day & cooked meals would be better then dry kibble, lean low fat cooked meals, also look for the “FreshPet” loaf in the fridge section look for one with the lowest fat% & try the Freshpet loaf or another brand that has good ingredients & the fat isnt real high best to stay under 6% fat, when you convert 5% fat to dry matter fat (Kibble) for wet tin food, the dog loaves, raw dog food, 5%min fat is around 20%min to 26%max in fat…So best to feed lower fat for Acid reflux kibble is higher in carbs so this can make teh acid bad as well but once you do find a kibble that agrees you’ll be OK but what I found I need to rotato foods with Patch breakfast he gets kibble lunch he wetsa cooked meal the dinner 5pm 1/3 cup kibble then another small meal 8pm sometimes a cooked meal what I ate for dinner as long as it has no onion & isnt a hot curry/spicey meal or he gets 1/3 cup kibble, it all depends if he seems unwell then he gets the cooked meal I freeze small meals,
Do you have more then 2 vets in your area? what about if you drive to the next suburb I’d ring around all the vets in your areas who are within 40 mins drive & id’ask do they have the Endoscope machine ? if they say yes ask whats the vets name that does the Endoscope + Biopsies ?? write his name down he should know alot about the stomach small bowel etc…
Patch just had another Endoscope + Biopsies, he had Endoscope + Biopsies done 4-5 yrs ago vet just found teh Helicobacter was bad he was treated with Triple therepy meds & later put on Losec (Ranitidine) 5yrs later this time I thought he’s has stomach cancer as he went down hill so quickly, he had very sore throat, Simon (vet) is Patches second vet he specializes in the IBD & other health problems, when Simon looked down Patches esophagus he saw his wipe pipe was very red & inflammed the acid had come up his throat, our brain sends a msg to close the esophageal spincter (Flap) to the wind pipe but Patches brain isnt doing this & the acid was soo bad & coming up his throat then going back down into his wind pipe, I still havent picked up his biopsies results, after when the bisopies result came back Patch also had mild Helicobacter, Im wondering does your our have the Helicobactor cause you say she has gotten worse this is what happened with Patch just after Xmas, all dogs have the Helicobacter Simon said but its healthy, but Patches helicobacter has taken over & is living him his stomach walls, this is way he’s always hungry, first sign of helicobacter they have a big appetite, acid reflux, eating grass, vomiting acid up this is when their throat gets burnt from te acid best to give liquid Mylanta 4 mls in a syringe I dont know if you have Mylanta its á white liquid & coats the esophagus, their aci is often bad first thing of a morning, best to let them eat some grass not too much about 1min then vet said stop PAtch they will vomit from eating just 2-3 picses of grass Simon said a dog can make himself spew they dont even need grass to speI didnt know that I wish Patch would spew the acid up its better out then in, we do not use Pepcid (Famotidine) in Australia no more, its an old drug the chemist lady said, you can get the liquid “Pepto-Bismol” its pink this helps kill the Helicobacter my vet said but it seems to make Patch symptoms worse & I havent given him the Pepto-Bismol again since I bought it 1-2 yrs ago, I keep it in the fridge same with the liquid Mylanta so when it goes down their throat it cold & soothing, the vet put Patch on the Triple Therapy meds again 1 week ago, Metronidazole-200mg, Amoxcillian- 400mg & Prolosec-20mg, taken every 12 hours with a meal for 3 weeks, the Losec is only given in the morning once a day but cause your dog is so young you do not want her on prilosec yet full time like Patch is on & after 1 yr it doesnt seem to be helping him no more, he’s just turned 9yrs old so its OK giving him a PPI but being young únder 4yrs old there’s other ant acid meds, Losec is a Protein Pump Inhibitor (PPI) once you start taking a PPI for more then 3 weeks you can not just stop taken it very bad side effects, while taking the PPI the brain stops you making stomach acid or not making as much then if you just stop taking the PPI Losec your brain releases the stomach acid & from what the vet said its too much stomach acid until it gets back to normal again so you need to slowly stop the PPI-Losec.. I tried all the ant acid meds then Patch stayed on Zantac (Ranitidine) 1/3 of a 150mg tablet 30mins before food for a while then the Zantac didnt seem to work no more, so vet wrote Patch out a script for 20mg Omeprazole-Losec heaps cheaper from a chemist then a vets, I started giving Patch the Losec for 3 days when he was bad then i’d stop Simon said yes thats what he does takes the Losec for 2-4 days then he stops then I found while Patch was on the Losec he was HEAPS better, no eating grass as soon as he woke up, no vomiting, no whinging all the time, he was sleeping thru the night not getting up 5am wanting grass..so I put him on the Losec full time around May 2016, now I want to try another PPI Somac (Pantoprazole) 20mg what I take for my GORDs.. cause why has Patch gotten so bad where now, his acid has inflammed his wind pipe? the losec isnt helping him no more he needs to try another PPI, Ive changed his food to a lower fat 9%min & Im cooking for lunch & second dinner 8pm meal & kibble for his other meals..5 meals a day…
You’re lucky you can get the Natural Balance heaps of dogs with IBS, IBD, Pancreatitis, are all doing really well on the Natural Balance formula & some of the dog owners cook meals as aswell so their dog isnt just eating a dry processed kibble..
Another thing make sure you read what the Kcals per cup are & stay UNDER 370 Kcals per cup best to stay under 350Kcls per cup, the higher teh Kcals per cup the harder teh stomach has to work digesting the kibble…

I would change your girl food, do live at home with mum? cause cooked meals would be heaps better then dry processed kibble, or have a look at those “Pet Fresh” loaf in pet fridge section at pet shops or supmarkets, look for a loaf that has the lowest amount of fat % around 3-5%-fat & start feeding her 4 smaller meals a day breakfast lunch & 2 dinners I do 5pm-kibble & 8pm-kibble or cooked meal, if your not home get one of these kibble machines that will give her 1/3 to 1/2 a cup for lunch & dnner….. Do you belong to any face book groups “Canine Pancreatitis Support Group” Canine IBD group? I wonder if you ask does anyone have a kibble machine they dont use any more & if you could set a up a donation account once you find a good vet then you give the new vets account details & people can start donating money so your girl can get an Endoscope & Biopsies done, no point in doing an Ultra Scan it cannot see the stomach properly or do teh biopsies there’s another test the dog drinks a solution Barium meal test but you need bipsies done once you get biopsies your vet will get some answers, even if she has ulcers teh endoscope will see teh ulcer of if she has scarring form old old ulcers, this is if only after changing her diet & you have tried Zantac (Ranutdine) twice a day before feeding main meals even thought your feeding 4 smaller meals 2 of the meals are just a bit bigger thats why I asked what breed is your girl??? is she small or a bigger dog, theres so much’info I probably have forgotten, so keep CockerlierMom & me posted please…
Have you tried the “4Health” Special Care, Sensitive Stomach, its Potato & Egg kibble Potato & Egg is really good to cook as well, I always make Patch a scramble egg when he’s unwell dont add any butter or milk you just scramble the egg & use a non stick frying pan or do in the micro wave but if you cook too long in micro wave you can get rubber scramble egg.. also boil soom potatoes leave in air tight container & add to some chicken I often buy the reduced BBQ chicken I eat the fatty part of teh chiken & give to the cat & I give Patch the breast section & freeze any left overs for next time, also tin tuna in spring water with boiled potato is also another good easy tomake meal for your girl instead of feeding her the kibble also look for wet can foods but tehfat has to be #% & under best to email teh pet food company & ask what is the fat% when converted to dry matter the max fat % you’ll be shoked sometimes you see 55-fat after you contact the pet food comany they tell you its 26% fat so be careful with wet can foods,
With Probiotics they seem to make PAtches acid reflux worse I do not know why?? neither does teh vet also stay with loer fiber lower carb kibbles as teh higher fiber 7 higher carbs make teh acid worse, I just hoping it’s just teh brand of kibble your feing & thats the problem an ingredient or the kibble has fish/salmon oil that is causing the aid reflux with your girl cause after eating a cook meal she is better so maybe she s better off eating a balanced cooked meals but dont wory yet about balancing het dietyet she is OK for 2 month with out her diet being balanced just work out this problem first & how can you raise money to get Endoscope & biopsies if it all continues.. finger X it doesnt… she is young hopefully she’s just eating the wrong food..

[j w]

Thanks for the replies, too bad I will avoid the EVO then. What about trying him on this dog food?

/dog-food-reviews/natures-variety-instinct-dog-food-dry/

It seems like a healthy option and pretty low on carbs.

[j w]

My dog had urinary crystals, vet put him on Royal Canin Urinary S/O. Like many other people, I am worried about this not being nutritious enough despite resolving the crystal issue. Now that six months have passed with the crystals being gone, my vet said it is okay for him to go on a different diet and be rechecked in a month for possible reappearing crystals.

There seems to be a decent chance my dog originally developed these crystals from not drinking enough water. The 12 months prior to forming the crystals, he was hardly drinking any water. Now, I pour water in with his kibble, and he happily sips it all up before eating.

I desperately do not want to the crystals to return. But, a raw diet does not seem affordable, and would only be a last resort. I would like to try mostly kibble mixed with canned food and water. From what I am reading when choosing a kibble, it should be a high protein – low-carb – grain free / potato free kibble.

I am leaning towards trying this brand, EVO, which seems to be very low carb yet high quality / high rated food. /dog-food-reviews/evo-dog-food-dry/

Would anyone recommend against this?

[Susan]

Hi Mike S,
My Patch went down hill real quickly after we had moved 2 months ago so he had an Endoscope + Biopsies last Tuesday, his biopsies results said he has Spiral Helicobactor-Pylori back but mild this time, he has Gingitivis back molars so he had his teeth cleaned while he was under to have the Endoscope done, he has Gastritis, he has red inflammation down his wind pipe, the lower esophageal spincter flap that closes to the esophagus & wind pipe isnt closing, I’d say this is what might be happening with your boy & there’s nothing that can be done my vet said except keep Patch on a Protein Pump Inhibitor like Omeprazole or Pantoprazole, I asked my Dr when I seen him the day after Patch had his Endoscope & my Dr said you can not do anything except take Somac or Losec one of the Protein Pump Inhibitors that have long-lasting reduction of stomach acid being made & coming up the esophagus into the mouth, this taste awful when te acid comes into the mouth, the Holistic Vet came into the Vets room I was in to tell me have I tried Carafate made into a slury you break half the tablet & add about 15ml water dissolve carafate in bowl then pull back up into syringe & give to the dog this didn’t seem to help Patch when I woke him up 6am to give to him before he eats breakfast, he got up went outside did his wee then he started gulping grass this was before he had the Endoscope done I tried Carafate dissolved in water, the Holistic vet has a pug who has similar problems to Patch gulping etc her dog was finally put on Losec & is getting better with her gulping episodes & she gives her the Garafate made into a slurry to soothe the throat & esophagus…

Patch has been on the losec 2 years this April 20mg every morning same time, are you still giving your boy the Prolosec every day in morning?? it can be giving with food its not like pepcid, Losec (Omeprazole) works differently & is heaps better then the Pepicid (Famotidine) we dont have the Famotidine in Australia no more, Pepcid is an old ant acid drug & needs to be given before food, Im changing Patch from his Losec to Pantoprazole (Somac) thats what I take I have Non Ulcer Dispepsia where the flap doesn’t close when the brain sends the msg for flap to close, I have tried a few different Protein Pump Inhibitor medication then I got a new Gastro Dr when I moved back in 2001 & he said start taken Pantoprazole (Somac) it’s the best drug for Esophagaeal problems, I have C.R.E.S.T & C.O.R.D I get heartburn/acid reflux coming back up into throat/mouth & got better after being put on te Pantopazole (Somac) even stopped my Nuasea, now I really want to try the Pantoprazole with Patch but the vet thet did Patch Endoscope & Biopsies rung me last night & he said he has been looking at all the research & there’s not much scientific research on Pantoprazole with dogs & he said the Paantoprazole is very similair to the Omeprazole (Losec)… Patch is taken the Triple Therapy again Metronidazole, Amoxicilian & Losec again for 3 weeks to get rid of his Spiral Helicobacter & the vet is hoping this will stop the acid coming up into Patch mouth he said we may never fix all Patches health problems just control them, need to find a diet that agrees with him & stick with it but the problem is I do that & then Patch starts reacting to the food he’s been eating 24/7 sometimes I think vets do not have enough research & studies on certain health problems & they dont know what to do, its best to join facebook groups & ask people what did you do with your dog, what worked? what did he eat??
I feed baked beef rump, sliced potato, sliced sweet potato, carrots not much put it all in a baking dish added water till it was everything was covered put in oven for 3hrs then I put thru the blender & Patch seems so much better then I gave him some kibble later on for his next meal he eats 4-5 meals a day & he started with his mouth licking & swolling, I really think 100% that kibble is the problem…
Have you tried Royal Canine Gastro Intestinal Low Fat wet can food? in Australia we have been having problems getting any Royal Canin into Australia, apparantly R/C didn’t fill out the importation/custom forms out properly so our Royal Canine cant come into the country, the R/C Intestinal Gastro Low Fat wet tin food has different ingredient now theres no rice or corn just meat & animal derivitives, cereals derivitives of vegetables orgins, mineral, oils & fats, yeast etc Patch did real well the first can I feed him then I went back to the vets 3 days later & bought 2 more R/C Gastro low fat canned food opened 1 can gave Patch 1/2 the can then he has gulping swolloing I thought whats has happened he ate it the other day & did well then I reliesed Ive gotten cans from another batch of R/C Gastro Low fat & it had orange oil 1-2cm bottom of the can so this batch had heaps of oils, Patch cant have fish/salmon oils so this is when I bought the Rump beef steaks & started baking it with the Potato & sweet potato trying to do what teh R/C gastro canned food has but as for the Cereal I dont know what they use this R/C food comes from Europe..

I hope something in this long post helps your boy, something I’m doing or what Im trying you try helps your boy, but if your boy isnt on a Protein Pump Inhibitor please ask your vet can your boy try either the Omeprazole or the Pantopazole & see how does he go & start an elimintaion cooked diet this way you can control the ingredients if you can stay away from high fat, high carbs, high fiber kibbles… Good-Luck if you do try something & your boy gets better please post a really good group I joined years ago I dont even know if its still going it was a Yahoo group called “IBDOGS” there was a lady that knew alot about IBD & told me to do Endoscope & Biopsies on Patch like Patch vet told me lst night he said we will never fix Patches health problems but we can control them & try & make him comfortable & find foods that agree with him….Metronidazole seem to help when all this happens the Metronidazole kills the bad bacteria in the stomach & small bowel & the Losec seems to keep the stomach acids down as long as he doesnt eat anything that doesnt agree with his but like you your been feding a food that agreed with him then all of a sudden its back??? I find when I rotate with a few foods Patch does ghis best this time I tried a kibble with Beet Pulp I dont know if thats what made Patch go down hill or was it STRESS??…

[Susan]

Hi Julia,
you’re going around in circles & not getting no where, I did the same….
now you have added more infomation this has made things more clearer, go back to your vet, a vet you liked & will listen to you & knows a bit about IBD, ask your vet can you start a 21 day course of the “Metronidazole” (Flagyl) twice a day given every 12 hours with a meal, sounds like your pup has Bacteria overgrowth of the small bowel (S.I.B.O) the Metronidazole will kill the bacteria in his small bowel.. also ask vet can you try either the Hills I/d Digestive Care vet diet kibble or try the Royal Canine Hypoallergenic HP formula or the R/C Gastro Intestinal Low Fat dry kibble this is for bacteria overgrowth & it’s LOW in FIBER not the R/C formula that’s high in fiber, in American you have a few R/C Intestinal formula’s, in Australia we only have the R/C Gastro Intestinal Low Fat wet & dry formula & this is really good for stopping the bacteria overgrowth, I’ve just bought Patch a can of the R/C Gastro Intestinal Low Fat Wet tin food, ingredients are not great but if it helps thats all that matters but cause you have a pup he might need more fat in his diet but your just feeding this vet diet for about 2 months then you’ll introduce something else…I really think your dog may have bacteria owergrowth & this is what happens they start to do well on a new kibble then go back down hill after 2-3 weeks Patch did the same, I really would only feed a kibble or wet tin food that has just 1 protein & 1 carb for a good 3 months when he’s doing well firm poos, you need to work out does he need a higher fiber diet or a lower fiber diet as well how I did this is I bought some pumkin peeled it boiled small pieces about 1 sppon in size, I frooze the cooked pumkin, it thaws very quickly when you take out of freezer, you add 1 sppon of teh pumkin to his meals & you’ll see the orange colour in his poos then start adding 2 spoon/pieces of the pumkin & does his poos firm up & go sloppy? Patch can only have about 1 big spoon of pumkin then his poos start to go very soft..
I would also start him on a “Dog” Probiotic, Purina Forti Floria is suppose to be very good when they tested a few dog probiotics out of 10 probiotic that they tested only 3 dog probiotics came back with active live bacteria in them & the Purina Forti Floria was number one…When you give a dog probiotic & the dog is taken antibiotics you give the Probiotic either 3 hours before or 3 hours after he has eaten & taken his antibiotic & its best to give a probiotic on an empty stomach, so first thing of a morning when stomach acid are low or I gave probiotic to Patch to drink, I did this around lunch time cause everything in his stomach would have been digested by then & it was 4 hours since he had his antibiotic & food…
When the probiotic is a powder I put the recommended dose in a bowl & add about 15ml water then I swirled the water & probiotic around to dissolve then I let Patch drink it, he loved it he thought he was getting something special, Im learning after 4-5 yrs if he loves something thats a medication/supplment then it must be helping his stomach & makes him feel better….. It can take 1 day for a dog to react up to 6 weeks for a dog to have a food sensitivities, so when you’re doing a food elimination trial it takes time that’s why the vet diets are good to use once your dog is doing really well after 2 months on the vet diet this is when you start adding 1 new ingredient add for 6weeks & see are his poos going soft stop adding the new ingredient if he had diarrhea but over the years I have retry ingredients I thought Patch was sensitive too & this time he wasnt sensitive to them…
Google S.I.B.O also has your boy been tested for Giardia?? I say your vet was giving you the wrong vet diets & she isnt giving you the vet diets that are higher in soluble fiber & lower in in-soluble fiber the Royal Canine Gastro Intestinal Low fat is low in fiber, its a low residue kibble…Talk to your vet about low fiber diets… google & look on the Hills & Royal Canine vet diet web page & see all the info or like I posted before email them & ask to speak with a vet nutrionist that knows about IBD & to ring you back on give you phone number..

[Susan]

Hi Lynn,
you have it all wrong a dog will only react to starchy carbs if he has food sensititivies, Sweet Potatoes, Tapioca, Potatoes, Rice, Oats, etc do not cause yeast Dermatitis in dogs, I have a dog with IBD, Seasonal Evirvonment Allergies & Food Sensitivities I thought the same years ago until my vet explained he has food sensitivities & was put on a Hydrolyzed vet diet which was 60% carbs, we do a food elimination trial, & you keep a diary & as teh years pass you will see a Pattern as environment allergies can also cause Yeast Dermatitis as well Patch gets yeasty smelly paws from foods & environment & itchy smelly skin when he eats foods he’s sensitive too Chicken, Tapioca, Carrots he get itchy ears & shakes his head, he does real well on Sweet potatoes & Potatoes especially for his IBD, if you look at the vet diets for skin & food allergies they have Potato & a novel protein, it’s good to feed dogs a low carb diet but starch does not feed yeast, here’s Dr Karen Helton Rhodes a Dermatologist link “Facts & Myths about Yeast Dermatitis in Dogs”, Dr Karen Helton Rhodes is also on a F/B group called “Dog Issues, Allergies & Other Information Support Group” you’ll learn some really good stuff in that F/B group lots of help http://www.healthyskin4dogs.com/blog/2015/9/8/facts-myths-about-yeast-dermatitis-in-dogs,
Start your dog on an elimation food diet, 1 novel protein & 1 carb & bath weekly or twice a week if itchy & smelly bath in an antibacterial medicated shampoo like “Malaseb medicated Shampoo to kill the yeast & to wash away any allergens on the skin.. also make sure you increase the omega 3 fatty acid in your dogs diet, feed foods like Tin Sardines & Tin Salmon in Spring water add 2 spoons to 1 meal of his a day or give 1 Krill Oil capsule a day with a meal.

[Susan]

Hi Cheryl,
I have a stressful Staffy I rescued 5 yrs ago, he was dignosed with Colitis & anixietys then 1 yr later he had an Endoscope & Biopsies done, cause I wanted to know what is causing his problems, the only way the vet can really know what is happening in your dog stomach & bowel is the biopsies, biopsies results tell a vet so much information plus they look around the dogs stomach etc, Patch has gotten heaps better these last 2-3 yrs he’s in a strict routine, feed same time every day & feed 4 smaller meals instead of 2 large meals a day, I try & not change too much in his life, (BUT we have just moved)
Patch no longer shakes & trembles when there’s a thunder storm, we had bad thunder storm last night & what I do now is Patch the cat & I all get into bed, I turn on my TV a bit loader then usual & when it thunders I look to the ceiling or out the window I point & say go away naughty thunder, go away also the thunder doesn’t seem to bother my cat & I tell Patch look Indy isnt scared, he looks at the cat & see’s her nice & calm, what happens after he has his stress attack (Anxiety) this is when his IBD starts to play up, I’ve been in Hospital the last few days & Patch had to stay at my daughters place & his routine was put out he was whinging & crying waiting for me at her front door, I told my daughter just get him into his routine as much as you can, I came home yesterday afternoon from hospital & today Patch is eating grass & not his happy self, so he must of really stress while staying at my daughters place & since I moved here 1 month ago Patch has been getting up thru the night, tippy toeing thru the house it’s a wierd thing he has done since I got him 5 yrs ago, he tippy toes some night he gets up he walks so slow on his toes so he doesnt wake anyone up, I’d say he has some discomfort & can’t sleep & changes beds, he reminds me of Goldielocks & the 3 bears, as soon as Patch seen me packing boxes to move he became unwell & anxious all over again the tippy toe thru the house re started his Poos are fine nice & firm he has started having his stomach pain again his acid reflux is going good, it depends what I feed him with his acid reflux playing up he’s on 20mg Losec every morning for his acid reflux which has really helped him, wet canned foods all seem to give him acid reflux so I cook & freeze small meals, its ends up being cheaper then buying the vet diet wet canned foods, sweet potato & pumkin is very good for stomach & bowel, I boil sweet potato & some pumkin first I peel & cut in small pieces boil then cool then I freeze them, Sweet Potato & Pumkin stay OK when frozen & you take a piece out & it thaws pretty quickly, I also make rissole balls lean turkey mince or lean beef mince add 1 whisked egg & some chopped parsley mix all together & make 1/2 size rissole balls & bake on a foil lined baking tray in oven turn over 1/2 way & drain any fat water that comes from the rissoles at the moment he’s eating “Nutro Essentails” Lamb & Rice Weight management kibble cause the fat is 9%min & he does good on Lamb, Nutro Australia has reformulated their formula’s the Nutro is on Special & 1/2 price cause its new so I thought I’ll give it a go, the Nutro has sought of constipated Patch, cause he eats 4 meals a day Im feeding 2 of the larger meals the Nutro Kibble & the other 2 meals are smaller & I’m feeding him his cooked meals Rissoles with the Pumkin & Sweet potato all mashed together & this has fixed things up in the poo department, he’s doing 1 poo morning & another poo in the afternoon, I never thought Patch would ever get constiped, normally he has the opposite problem Diarrhea, before I moved I was feeding him a kibbles with the fat 15% & under, but since moving he has started doing his mouth suckling noises & I do not know why he makes this sound & what is wong with him?? in the past he has done real WELL on “Canidae” All Life Stages Platinum, Canidae Pure Wild Boar & the Pure Meadow Senior formula is pretty good aswell, the max fat is 10.80% in the Pure Meadow Senior dry formula & it has everything an aging dog needs, I emailed Canidae & they give you max % on fat protein etc….all ingredients are source from local farmers & Canidae grow their own veggies, here’s Canidae’s site scroll down a bit look to your eight & you’ll see the pages the Platinum is on page 5, there’s also their “Canidae Pure Petite” Small Breed formula it has low fat low protein & only 5 ingredients..
https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
Patches vet has put Patch on “Gabapentin” 100mg last year for his IBD & Anxieties, I open the Gabapentin capsule & tip out 1/2 the Gabapentin powder as it seems to drug Patch up a bit so I make it 50mg instead of 100mg capsule, the vet said Gabapentenin is good for Anxieties, IBD, IBS & other health contions & this drug does not irratate the stomah or bowel like other medications can do, she said this is why is very good for dogs with IBD you could ask your vet about the Gabapentin 50mg & do what I do open capsule & tip some powder out into a empty capsules you buy empty capsules at te chemist, it makes Patch sleep thru the whole night & he doesnt move & doesnt get up & change beds through the night but the next day he seems very washed out & I dont like seeing him lik that so I dont give hime what the vet recommended 2 times a day poor dog would be too drug up need to get my scales out & weight the capsule & give him only 20-30mgs only when he really needs some pain relief & your girl is very small so she’d need a lower dose then Patch weights 18kgs around 40lbs….

I’ve looked at the new Hills I/d Stress wet & dry formula’s when it first came out & I do not know how these ingredients would reduce stress in a dog???, it would make the dog do firm poos but that doesnt mean you have reduced the stress in the dog? Has the I/d Stress made your girl any better Stress wise since she has started eating the I/d Stress?? is she eating the wet or dry kibble I/d Stress formula?? When I looked at these are the ingredients below in the I/d Stress formula the “Beet Pulp” helps firm poo’s up, the Ginger for Nausea, the Vitamin B12, the B-2 in the Riboflavin & B-7 in the Biotin is good for skin & nails… B vitamins, and specifically biotin, help keep your skin, hair, eyes, liver, and nervous system healthy, so its probably the B vitamins reducing the Stress ….
You can give your dog vitamin B yourself, there’s the B-12 liquid you inject weekly or you get the Vitamin B capsules, if you go onto Face Book, put “EPI Dogs” in the search bar & there’s only 1 EPI group it should come up, if not I’ll give you the link, the ladies are all very helpful & know which brand to get, which brand is the cheapest & where to get it from….
I/d Stress ingredients
Brewers Rice, Corn Starch, Corn Gluten Meal, Whole Grain Wheat, Chicken By-Product Meal, Flaxseed, Cracked Pearled Barley, Whole Grain Oats, Dried Beet Pulp, Chicken Liver Flavor, Pork Flavor, Lactic Acid, Ginger, Soybean Oil, Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Citrate, Pork Fat, Potassium Chloride, Iodized Salt, Choline Chloride, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), L-Lysine, Calcium Carbonate, Dried Hydrolyzed Casein, Taurine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), L-Carnitine, Mixed Tocopherols for freshness, Natural Flavors, Beta-Carotene.

I think with a dog who is very stressed out she needs a quiet environment, a strict routine, walked & I use to go to the dog Patch & sit on a seat & let Patch watch teh dogs all playing from afar we also would sit at te beach as he was scarred of the waves in the beging now I cant let him off his lead he’s a nut & loves teh ocean & just runs & runs along the sand & I cant catch him so we stop goingto the beach I ended up having anxieties I’d try the Vitamin B ask your vet & try one of the Canidae formulas, another brand I see people saying their dog who has stomach/bowel problems doing really well is the “Purina One” formulas.. I think you buy from supermarket… also there’s teh “Rescue Remedy”drops you put 1 drop on her tongue morning & night & 20mins before she is going to do something that will stress her out a lady that use to come & bath Patch said her 10yr old dog has really bad anxieties & the Rescue Remedy drops really works for her dog, she just feeds her dog supermarket dry kibble & raw meat…also have you tried teh “Freshpet” rolls & dry food? Ive also red people saying their dogs is doing well on the Freshpet roll..

[zcRiley]

I highly recommend the Zignature dog food line, the kibble, not the canned. I would personally deliver it to you, it’s THAT good.

It grain free. Free of the most common potential canine allergens: corn, wheat, soy, dairy, and chicken. Nutritionally correct ratio of fruits and vegetables rounds out the recipe with powerful antioxidants, and fiber-rich low glycemic carbohydrates.

Many limited ingredient formulas to choose from. However, since some are exotic proteins, you have to watch to see if your dogs get an allergic reaction to it. My pups tried every 5 Star food on the list and the results were disastrous until Zignature saved their lives. I’ll spare you details. I won’t touch any other brand.

[Susan]

Hi Patty,
I would be feeding 3-4 smaller meals a day & see if this helps, could be acid reflux (Helicobator-Pylori) she’ll need either blood test or Endoscope+Biopsies to confirm…. Helicobacter-Pylori is very uncomfortable you get bad acid reflux, noring pain across your stomach, you feel very hungry all the time as soon as you eat the noring pain subsides then your hungry 30mins later, food seems to relieve the noring pain in your stomach making you want to eat & eat so a dog would start eating everything they could get into…
a 21 day course of Metronidazole & Losec will fix things & start feeding a low fiber, low carb gluten free diet is best, Patch ended up staying on the Losec it keeps the Helicobacter at bay..