[andrea g]

Has anyone heard of Ketona dry dog food or have any experience with it? It is supposedly a high protein, low-carb, dry dog food. As much reading as I have been doing lately about kibble, I’m curious about this.

[HoundMusic]

“She is currently on Nature’s Recipe Grain Free kibble and since I switched her to grain-free a few months ago her mood dramatically increased and she has so much more energy so I want to keep grain free.”

Of course she has more energy! Amino acids are a main source of energy for the body. Grain free foods normally contain extreme amounts of protein that would not even be necessary for a working dog or brood bitch, so the dog is obviously going to have more energy to burn. That, however, does not necessarily equate to better health.

If I am not mistaken, struvite stones form in an acidic urine, so Vitamin C supplements and a high meat diet are the last things you want to give this dog, because both contribute to higher urine acidity; whereas grains and other complex carbs tend to lower the acidity. Another problem of grain free feeds is the high mineral content, which can contribute to kidney/urinary problems in susceptible dogs.

My advice would be to temporarily use one of the prescription diets. Forget the ingredients. It is the quality, bioavailability and nutritional content of a feed that truly matters. Then find something you are comfortable feeding that has around 24-26% protein, and that should give you a very equal balance of grains to meat. That alone will naturally lower the dog’s urine acidity and hopefully prevent recurrence.

[anonymous]

https://www.pawdiet.com/reviews/royal-canin-veterinary-diet-canine-ultamino-dry-dog-food-dry-dog-food/ (Excerpt below)
This product is manufactured by Mars Petcare Inc..
According to our data, this Royal Canin recipe provides complete & balanced nutrition for the maintenance of adult dogs. In other words, this formula is AAFCO approved.
Unlike other AAFCO approved dog foods which rely in laboratory testing to substantiate nutritional adequacy, this recipe has undergone feeding trials. In the pet food industry, feeding trials are often considered to be the superior testing method.
Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Canine Ultamino provides complete and balanced nutrition for the maintenance of adult dogs.
Ingredient Review
We’ll begin this review of Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Canine Ultamino with a detailed discussion of the ingredients.
The first ingredient is corn starch. Corn starch is derived from the endosperm of the corn kernel. Typically, corn starch is used as a binder in kibble.
The second ingredient is hydrolyzed poultry by-products aggregate. Hydrolyzed poultry by-products aggregate is basically highly processed “feather meal.” The source is subjected to a process called hydrolysis. In this process, the protein source is broken down to the amino acid level. This is done to increase the digestibility of the protein.
The third ingredient is coconut oil. Coconut oil is an excellent source of medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) which are easier to digest and believed to promote skin and coat health.
The fourth ingredient is soybean oil. Soybean oil is an omega-6 fatty acid source. Unlike other oils (flax, canola, etc), soybean oil does not provide omega-3 fatty acids; However, the balancing omega-3 fatty acids are most likely supplied by another oil or fat source in the product.
The fifth ingredient is natural flavor. Unlike artificial flavoring, natural flavoring is produced using plants and/or animal parts.
Because ingredients are listed in order of pre-cooked weight, the remaining ingredients in Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Canine Ultamino are not as important as the first five ingredients.
However, collectively they still have a significant impact on the overall quality of the product. Therefore, we’ll continue discussing the remaining ingredients in this Royal Canin recipe.
Next we have potassium phosphate. Potassium phosphate is a common additive used in processed foods to control acidity and moisture.
The next ingredient is powdered cellulose. Powdered cellulose is produced from minuscule pieces of wood pulp and plant fibers. Other than its fiber content, powdered cellulose lacks any nutritional contribution.
Then we have calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate is a naturally occurring mineral supplement. Although it’s often used as a dietary calcium supplement, it can also be used as a preservative or color retainer.
The remaining ingredients in this Royal Canin Veterinary Diet recipe are unlikely to affect the overall rating of the product.

[a c]

I also have been doing a lot of reading and researching this year. Basically, dog food have 3 components – protein, fat, and carbs. If you need low protein, not so high fat, you will end up with very high carbs.

High carb diet is not very ideal for human, not sure about dogs.

Someone on this board have suggested to add warm filtered water to the kibbles to make it softer. It was an excellent suggestion.

[poodaddy]

For anyone interested, KevinB included, made some time to do some modifications, for”other than raw food”, to the Canine Nutrition application (in development) and the below is the output. Note that since I have still been unable to get a response from the manufacturer of Prosense Vitamins (Dale) (see above), I have not included any contribution to the diet of KevinB’s menu. Here is the output. What is not included below is a comparison of the menu to a standard, such as FEDIAF Nutrient Guidelines Canines or AAFCO Nutrient Requirements for Dogs as such, the below stops short of “analysis”. Copying data from Excel into this web page is problematic. Perhaps someone can instrucvt me on how to do it so the data stays aligned and tabular. Each of you can assess the menu now based on the nutrition science data for the food groups listed. All data was taken from nutritiondata.com which uses the USDA tables as the foundation. I have not yet found an instance where nutritiondata.com foods did not align with the USDA testing/data. I have QA-checked about a hundred (80%) and so far 100% checks with USDA databases.

FOOD GROUP Weight g %
ORGAN-MARROW 226.7960 3.89%
MUSCLE MEAT 3095.5520 53.16%
VEGITABLE/FRUIT 2501.1560 42.95%
OIL (Supplement) 0.0000 0.00%
MACROMINERALS (Supplement) 0.0000 0.00%
MACRONUTRIENTS g per day % per day
Prot 73.3489 53.40%
Carb 41.8999 30.51%
Fat 22.1016 16.09%
kcal (449 calc) 650.3830
kcal (ref calc) 670.3673
MACROMINERALS mg per day % per day
Calcium 220.2701 3.78%
*Phosphorous 490.8865 8.43%
Magnesium 114.1447 1.96%
Potassium 536.6109 9.21%
Sodium 152.5461 2.62%
Chloride 0.0000 0.00%
MICROMINERALS mg per day % per day
*Zinc 17.9585 0.31%
*Copper 0.6985 0.01%
*Iron 7.6319 0.13%
*Selenium 0.0901 0.00%
Iodine 0.0000 0.00%
Manganese 1.8323 0.03%
Chromium 0.0000 0.00%
Cobalt 0.0000 0.00%
Fluorine 0.0014 0.00%
Molybdenum 0.0000 0.00%
Silicon 0.0000 0.00%
Sulfur 0.0000 0.00%
VITAMINS mg per day % per day
Vitamin A 1.4918 0.03%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) 0.2384 0.00%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 0.6905 0.01%
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 6.6424 0.11%
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid) 2.8011 0.05%
Vitamin B6 (piridoxine) 0.7010 0.01%
Vitamin B7 (Biotin) 0.0000 0.00%
Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid) 0.0328 0.00%
Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) 0.0014 0.00%
Vitamin C 1.9644 0.03%
Vitamin D 0.0003 0.00%
Vitamin E 1.8694 0.03%
Vitamin K 0.0220 0.00%
Choline 243.2345 4.18%
FATS & FATTY ACIDS mg per day % per day
Polyunsaturated Fat (Omega-3) 439.6228 7.55%
Polyunsaturated Fat (Omega-6) 5010.4205 86.04%
Saturated Fat (g) 6.8897 0.12%
Monounsaturated Fat (g) 5.7914 0.10%
Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 6.1491 0.11%
Cholesterol 425.9580 7.31%
DATA & METRICS
Dog weight units lb
Dog weight 27.5
MERF 1.4
RER (kcal/day/dog) 464.5593
MER (kcal/day/dog) 650.3830
kcal/batch 8130.6591
Days/dog/batch 12.5013
Weight Batch g (no bone) 5823.5040
Weight Bone g 0.0000
Batch g per day per dog 465.8303
Ca:P 0.4487
Fat:Prot 0.3013

[poodaddy]

Hi Virginia D and others. Here is our story on this specific issue of dog gas. I hope it reveals some aspects of the nutrition side. First, the advice about exercise can be 50%+ of a solution with any dog since all dogs are to some degree “athletes” that NEED exercise; exercise is not just cardiovascular but also depending on the breed can resolve many other issues that do not “seem” to be related, such as anal gland functionality. Now, I am neither a vet, nor a certified anything, but I have been a field dog handler and student of canine performance for a very long time, now using some skills to start my understanding of canine nutrition science.

Before my current two cockapoos, I had a yellow lab raised from birth as a field dog (and household pet). He lived a long healthy life and I want to share with you and others on this posting, the experimenting I did with my yellow lab AND recently (less than a year ago) with my two cockapoos. I decided to figure out in both cases (my yellow lab diet) and the two poos diets, what would happen to their digestive tract, specifically in the generation of gas, if I kept all other factors as constant as possible. What I did was figure out what percentage of their diet was protein from their kibble and then I moved them into a kibble/raw diet and stabilized the protein at 50% for a while. We raised the protein percentage in about 5% increments starting at 50% until noticeable gas started, then we leveled off to ensure it was constant. Then I increased it more until just shy of 80% and the gas creation (making sure all other things were held constant) was amazing (from a biological view). I had some old notes from my yellow lab days that I needed to convince myself of with the two poos and the results compared favorably. The nutritionist readers will have LOTS of variables that contribute to this and I would probably agree with them all, such as some combinations of foods work together to control the chemical processing in a digestive tract. For this little experiment we did, we simply wanted to know how did our dogs’ digestive tracts react to protein percentage (period) nothing more sophisticated. And we found that percentage for our specific cases that correlated for one yellow lab and two cockapoos. That result was when we reached 80% protein % from raw meat where raw boneless chicken was 60% and raw red meat was 30%+ (the remainder of protein was from other non-meat ingredients), the gas production increased rapidly.

For the testing period, and menu stablization, we used these macro goals: Protein 60%, Carbohydrate 20%, Fat 20% and then increased the protein using boneless chicken until gas started and then continued increasing it to see if there was more production and there was a correlation. By the way, body builders and most human athletes have a similar issue with protein in their diets.

So, the other comments made about overeating are on solid ground if feeding a yellow lab from kibble where the lab will eat whatever amount is placed in front of them. My reading suggests that some canines will eat low protein foods until they get the protein they need which some authors suggest that this contributes to canine obesity. The point is, some of the comments above are right on in that there may be a correlation with your lab and the amount of bulk he/she is intaking compared to feeding times and exercise.

For this post though, I wanted to share with you that for one small item in a controlled environment, we proved that changing one item (protein % using raw chicken as the variable in an otherwise balanced diet), caused the onset of gas and continued to increase as the protein % increased. Here is the makeup of the most recent raw diet our two dogs are on. These ingredients are part of an integrated nutrition model that is in development. This the first time I have shared this data but it is nearing time to engage the nutritionist forum posters. I am providing this data primarily so you know the above is not some quacked out post. This was a real experiment and perhaps the results and posts will help you (and others) where gas is an issue. All numbers are in grams weight.

Raw Chicken heart 1252
Raw Chicken liver 765
Raw Chicken gizzard 2106
Raw Chicken Marrow 315
Organ 10.8% by weight

Raw Eye Round Roast 6000
Raw Whole chicken”fryer”/deskin/grd bone 16200
Whole XL eggs 2232
Raw Bottom Round 2000
Muscle meat 64.3% by weight

Shredded Carrot 500
Raw Zucchini 484
Boiled Sweet Potato 3500
Raw NAPA Cabbage 953
Boiled Raw Edamame 800
Boiled Green Beans 1000
Raw Butternut squash 459
Raw Whole Apple 921
Raw Baby Spinach 400
Kelp Powder 100
Yellow Squash 423
Vegitable/Fruit 23.2% by weight

Coconut Oil 600
Oil Supplement 1.5% by weight

Sea Calcium 65
Macromineral Supplement 0.16% by weight

Notes:
1. The Sea Calcium is used to force the CA:P ratio to 1.2 in this menu.
2. This made 60 days of food each for two dogs, one at 13.5 LBs and one at 15.5 LBs.
3. The menu planned cost for food was $0.94 per day per dog.
4. The final results after shopping with same %s design was $1.10 per day per dog.
5. Energy analysis resulted in 306 g per day and 339 g per day for each dog.
6. Custom MER factor used as 1.4 (based on iterations over 6 months of menus).
7. 1,260 g contribution by weight due to bone.
8. 2.5% contribution on the organ side due to chicken marrow, based on my own experiments.
9. Energy required per day: 381 Cal for 13.5 LBs and 423 Cal for the 15.5 LBs poos.

Results of this menu are outstanding in all measured areas. Am in the process of peeling back “supplements and vitamins” for what they really are or aren’t. Hope this detail helps you or others. More to come from our quest for canine nutrition knowledge and practical applications.

[poodaddy]

Does anyone have the data needed below for the Prosense Vitamin for dogs? It seems a bit strange that a portion of the nutrients are listed in a % and others listed in mg.

Here is the manufacturer’s link for nutrition data: http://www.prosensepet.com/solutions/vitamin-solutions-for-dogs.aspx.

(1) What is the standard that the %s listed below are applied to? I need to derive or get the mg for “Protein 16%, Carbohydrate (not listed) and Fat 0.3%” … and mg associated with the percents shown for “Calcium 6%, Phosphorous 5%, Magnesium 0.1% , and Potassium 0.3%”?

=== Prosense Vitamin Data per tablet ===
GUARANTEED ANALYSIS
PER TABLET (MINIMUM VALUES UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED)
Crude Protein……………………………………………………….…16.0%
Crude Fat…………………………………………………………………0.3%
Moisture (max.)……………………………………………………….10.0%
Linoleic Acid……………………………………………………………..0.005 %
Calcium…………………………………………………………………….6.0%
Phosphorous……………………………………………………………..4.5%
Potassium………………………………………………………………….0.3%
Magnesium………………………………………………………………0.1%
Iron………………………………………………………….…………….1.5 mg
Copper……………………………………………………….…………0.03 mg
Manganese………………………………………………….………….0.07 mg
Zinc………………………………………………………………………..0.8 mg
Iodine…………………………………………………………………..0.05 mg
Vitamin A……………………………………………………………….1200 IU
Vitamin D3………………………………………………………………150 IU
Vitamin E…………………………………………………….……….…….6 IU
Thiamine (Vitamin B1)……………………………………..………0.8 mg
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)…………………………………………….1.5 mg
Niacinamide (Vitamin B3)…………………………………..…….9.5 mg
Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6)…………………………………..……..0.06 mg
Vitamin B12…………………………………………………….…….2.0 mcg
Cobalt*…………………………………………………………………0.01 mg
Ascorbic Acid* (source of Vitamin C) ………………………….25 mg

[poodaddy]

Does anyone have more complete /consistent data for the Prosense Vitamin for dogs? It seems a bit strange to me that a portion of the nutrients are listed in a % and others listed in mg.

Here is the manufacturer’s link for nutrition data: http://www.prosensepet.com/solutions/vitamin-solutions-for-dogs.aspx. What I need is the following:

(1) What is the standard that the %s listed below are applied to? I need to derive or get the mg Protein 16%, Carborhydrate (not listed) and Fat 0.3% … and mg associated with the percents shown for Calcium 6%, Phosphorous 5%, Magnesium 0.1% , and Potassium 0.3%?

=== Prosense Vitamin Data per tablet ===
GUARANTEED ANALYSIS
PER TABLET (MINIMUM VALUES UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED)
Crude Protein……………………………………………………….…16.0%
Crude Fat…………………………………………………………………0.3%
Moisture (max.)……………………………………………………….10.0%
Linoleic Acid……………………………………………………………..0.005 %
Calcium…………………………………………………………………….6.0%
Phosphorous……………………………………………………………..4.5%
Potassium………………………………………………………………….0.3%
Magnesium………………………………………………………………0.1%
Iron………………………………………………………….…………….1.5 mg
Copper……………………………………………………….…………0.03 mg
Manganese………………………………………………….………….0.07 mg
Zinc………………………………………………………………………..0.8 mg
Iodine…………………………………………………………………..0.05 mg
Vitamin A……………………………………………………………….1200 IU
Vitamin D3………………………………………………………………150 IU
Vitamin E…………………………………………………….……….…….6 IU
Thiamine (Vitamin B1)……………………………………..………0.8 mg
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)…………………………………………….1.5 mg
Niacinamide (Vitamin B3)…………………………………..…….9.5 mg
Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6)…………………………………..……..0.06 mg
Vitamin B12…………………………………………………….…….2.0 mcg
Cobalt*…………………………………………………………………0.01 mg
Ascorbic Acid* (source of Vitamin C) ………………………….25 mg

*Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles

Calorie Content (calculated)
2,550 ME kcal/kg  (6.9 ME kcal/tablet)
This product is intended for intermittent or supplemental feeding only.

DIRECTIONS AND DOSAGE

<10 lbs……………….½ Tablet Daily
10-50 lbs………………1 Tablet Daily
>50 lbs……………….2 Tablets Daily

[Susan]

Hi Paula,
do NOT use the Hydro Peroxide, Tea Tree oil or Witch hazel Oil these all will irritate the dogs skin more & are very TOXIC, she’s 13yrs old, her Immune System probably not as strong as it once was when she was younger… Please read what I’ve posted above in another post what to use & do, the Malaseb medicated shampoo is an anti fungal shampoo that kills yeast & bacterica on skin & paws & the creams will bring relief & stop the itchy skin trust me… Hydrocortisone 1% cream cost about $7 at Walmart & look for a thick white nappy rash cream in the baby section at supermarket if you cant get teh Sudocrem from Amazon this also will help her skin…
Do you shop at Costco? look for Kirkland Signature, Nature Domain, Turkey & Pea wet canned/tin food & start feeding her this & start buying tin salmon in spring water, Adli’s sell Salmon in spring water & add with some boiled sweet potato for another meal, the Salmon is high in Omega 3 fatty acids whats needed in her diet, also give a dog Probiotic to help strengthen her Immune System or Kefir slowly introduce the Kefir to her diet daily if you can’t get a dog probiotic…

That’s a myth spread on the internet that starchy carbs like potatoes, rice, oats etc causes yeasty ears, skin & paws in dogs, yeast only happens if the dog is sensitive to an ingredient he/she’s eating then yes they will get yeasty ears, skin & paws here’s the link below written by a Dermatologist Karen Helton Rhodes.. go on her Face Book page called
“Canine Skin Solutions” ask her questions she’s a Dermatologist..
Please click & read this link below, it tells you about all the “Myths & Fact about Yeast Dermatitis In Dogs” & how Witch Hazel, Tree Oil & Peroxide are all very TOXIC when used on dogs, you can smell that they’re toxic so the smell would be 10 times stronger for a dog… baths are the best to do, bath twice a week then weekly when she starts getting better baths relieve the itchy skin & wash off any allergens that’son the skin & paws & I use creams, creams bring instant relief to red irratated itchy skin, my vet recommended I use these creams on Patch as he couldnt take alot of the medications that are given to itchy dogs also I’d rather apply a cream then give any drugs to my boy, he’s 9 yrs old in Novemeber & he’s in excellent condition for a 9 yr old dog, beautiful shinny coat, white teeth no tarter, acts like a young pup, he has NO arthritis yet, so I must be doing something right, when I rescued him he was 1 big mess, it was awful the condition he was in..
http://www.healthyskin4dogs.com/blog/2015/9/8/facts-myths-about-yeast-dermatitis-in-dogs

[a c]

I have been adding raw zucchini and yellow squash to their diet. They don’t care for raw broccoli. I tried broil baby kale and then cutting it up today, and they have no problem with it. I just love to give them some fresh veggies. I haven’t try okra. The only time I use okra is in the gumbo.

My 10 years old girl had pancreatitis once earlier this year after we gave her some leftover bbq. She really like it, but not her tummy. She end up getting IV therapy for 3 days, the metronidazole, and Science Diet ID.

Our vet recommended Purina One Smartblend Healthy Weight as maintenance, but it’s nothing but carbs. I tried Horizon Amicus Senior, but the calories are a little too high. I am now trying Annemaet reduced fat. Both are grain free. I will see how it goes. Ideally, I want to mix rotate a couple kibbles. I also add a little wet food or something we eat as the topper.

[Paula M]

Hi, my first post , I have a senior Akita 13 yrs old for a year now I can’t get rid of yeast in one of her ears, one is spotless the other treated the same for 9 months is still a problem . The vet suggested a hydrolysed protein prescription diet. My question is would it be bad to try it out in the meantime have her allergy blood test done before starting a new diet . and try to isolate the ingredient that she reacts to .
Positive screening for yeast no bacteria was done . Is there an alternative in the healthy wet food that would suit a yeasty dog. Low carbs , no potatoe grains or veg that has carbs . I’m going to give her oregano ,minerals, coconut oil Vit k omega oil and a few others . Has anyone had success without a prescription diet . Or anyone had good results from prescription diets. T tree oil belly bath when she licks herself she leaves red stain behind . She’ was treated for infection and daily ear wash’s .im trying witch hazel peroxide and vinager to clean her ears and make a rinse for in the bath not all at one mind . I know she’s had enough of a sore ear I went private using every penny I could find as the PDSA. Only helped up to a point . Thank you please help me help her 🐾

[a c]

Thank you, Susan H. I will try that. Do you use fresh, frozen, or can green beans?

I have 3 mini schnauzers. They are prone to have pancreatitis when they getting older. Good low fat kibbles are hard to find because most are full of carbs.

[Susan]

Hi Dana,
what is he eating?? how high is the fiber % ?
Look for low fiber under 4%, lower carb under 38% diets, oils can make acid reflux/nausea worse just be careful, I’d try & cook one of his meals, use easy to digest meats like turkey & chicken, get some chicken breast cut up into small pieces, just bring to the boil do not over cook as the chicken pieces. they will be like hard leather pieces & boiled some sweet potatoes or plain white potatoes, mix 1/2 chicken & 1/2 potato & some boil pumkin about 1 spoon of pumkin, I freeze boiled pumkin pieces in the freezer in those ice cube trays & take out as I need some pumkin, the pumkin thaws very quickly, pumkin soothes the stomach, you watch he’ll be better after eating a lean low fat, low fiber cooked meal then when he eats the dry kibble….
Sometimes the dog ends up needing an acid reducer, i’d be trying an acid reducer like liquid “Mylanta” its a white powdery liquid that relieves nausea & acid reflux, I keep a small bottle in the fridge, when its cold it soothe the throat, esophagus & stomach, you give 1 teaspoon, 5mls when needed, when he’s gulping grass, my boy use to wait near the fridge for his Mylanta when he felt real sick, Mylanta was the only medication he let me give him so it must of done something to help also Slippery Elm made into a sloppy paste & kept in the fridge helps, go to health food store & get some slippery elm powder, you boil the jug & add boiled water to about under 1 teaspoon slippery elm powder & make a sloppy paste so you can pull up into a those big 20ml syringes or put on 1 teaspoon or open his mouth & put on his tongue….
I wouldnt be giving any oils, you need to work out what is causing the problem, why is he’s getting nausea??
the only test that will give vet some answers is to have an Endoscope & Biopies done the biopies will tell the vet whats going on, my boy had Helicobacter-Pylori this makes them feel real sick & have bad acid reflux, I’ve had Helicobacter its awful & takes a while to get rid off, but first try changing his diet, then you watch him after he eats, does he seem uncomfortable when he kibble is he better after he eats his cooked meals……..

Have you tried “4Health” Special Care Sensitive Stomach dry formula?? its Egg & Potato very easy to digest ingreients, is low in fiber-3%, low in fat-13% & carbs-40%, also has probiotics & prebiotics in it…. give it a go & see if there’s an improvement with his stomach… I’ve heard alot of really good results with the “4health” Sensitive Stomach & Sensitive Skin formula’s..

[aimee]

I took a look at No Hide Chews trying to backward engineer a salmon chew. From the website we are given that the carb is 11%, fat is 5% and from the label the min protein is 55%, with 17% max moisture

The ingredients are Salmon, Vegetable gelatin, brown rice flour, organic eggs, olive oil banana and bromelain. Vegetable gelatin could be one of any number of things: ager or carageeanan or some other source. in general these are high carbohydrate sources. Ager is reported as 82% carbo, 6% protein and 3% fat. From the USDA nutrient database brown rice flour nutrient content, rounded off, is 12% water, 7.2 % protein, 2.8% fat, 76.5% carb and 4.6% fiber.

The company told us the carb content of the Salmon chew is 11%( the carb content of the pork chew is reported as only 2%) So~8.7 grams of my chew is carbohydrate split between vegetable gelatin and rice as the main carbohydrate sources with there being more agar then rice. If we assume 6 grams vegetable gelatin at 80% carbohydrate that gives us 4.8 grams carbohydrate and the remaining ~ 4 grams carbohydrate would have to come from rice ~ 5 grams of rice flour or about 1 and 1/2 teaspoons. ( the 4 inch pork chew would only have about 1/2 tsp rice flour in it.)

The fat content is reported to be 5%, 4 grams in my chew. Salmon is considered a fatty fish. From the USDA nutrient database dried chum salmon is ( rounded to the nearest percent) 62% protein 14% fat and 22% water. Dried Egg is 48% protein and 43% fat. and oil would be 100% fat. So as not to exceed the reported fat content I can’t use a lot of Salmon, 25 grams dried salmon yields 3.5 grams fat unless it is some type of defatted Salmon and I can’t use much egg or oil either or the fat content is exceeded.

Protein min of 55%, 43 min grams protein in the chew This has to come primarily from salmon, but it would have to be some type of special defatted salmon. Salmon is very deeply colored and the chew is white. Hmm… that doesn’t work does it. Maybe they bleach the salmon.. but the website states no bleaching process had been done. Salmon is pink/red and egg is yellow so you’d expect the chew to be pinkish orange maybe. That color matches the coating on the chew but not the chew.

Well that’s weird isn’t it?? The chews is white…yet except for the rice flour of which there is very little in our chew recipe the ingredients are colored. How can the chew be white when the ingredients to make it are all colored? This isn’t making sense.

I boiled my chew pieces for about an hour. The chew was made of 5 oddly shaped and sized pieces and one rectangular “cover” piece. Oddly though this didn’t change it too much. The sheets shrunk and curled but didn’t fall apart and you couldn’t tear it break it up at all. You’d think salmon rice and vegetable gelatin would fall apart.

I can’t replicate making a “no hide” chew. I can’t make a white chew out of colored ingredients nor can I match the nutrient content the company reports as being in the product if I stick to the ingredients and the USDA nutrient database.

I called and e mailed the company to ask them about the product. When I asked how the product can be so white I was given a different number to call for someone named Chris. I’ve called Chris multiple times but haven’t reached him. I never got a response to my email and it has been about a week since I sent it.

Personally I think there is an “ingredient” missing from the ingredient list and I think it makes up the vast proportion of the product. I found a lab willing to test the product. I will send them a new sealed package of No Hide chews and see if they find anything.

[Susan]

Hi Dina,
I live Australia & alot of foods that are NOT American made will not be on DFA review site…
DFA is an American pet food site….
Google “UK Pet Food Reviews” & the UK pet food site comes up, I just put in “Unipaws in the “UK Pet Food Review” site & nothing comes up, so a UK pet food company must just make the Unipaws specially for dogs in Indonesia & it’s not sold in the UK or its sold under a different name…
Can you get any Australian or American pets foods in Indonesia?
can you get American brands “Acana” “Merrick” “Canidae” or here’s a few Australian & New Zealand made brands “Meals For Mutts” “A La Carte” “Ivory Coat” ” Ziwi Peak” K-9 Natural” “Barf Dr B’s” that are sold overseas…

A good dry kibble will have 2-4 meat proteins as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th ingredients followed be a carb, the meat protein should be followed by a meal, cause when they write the ingredient list the ingredients are raw & after these ingredients are cooked they shrink & move up the ingredient list & are not 1st or 2nd no more…..

Here’s an example of a 5 star kibble…
“Canidae” Pure Sky” formula, Duck, Duck Meal, Turkey Meal, Sweet Potatoes, Peas, Chicken Fat, Potatoes, Suncured Alfalfa, natural falvours, minerals & vitamins,
Protein-32%, Fat-16%, Fiber-4%, Carbs-30%
What are the first 5 ingredients in the Unipaws formula your feeding?

[Susan]

Hi Virginia,
Oh your poor boy, he would know you all dont like it when he farts, does he walk off with his head hung low? lol, I’ve told my daughter, DO NOT make a fuss when Patch farts as he feels real bad & cant help it, it’s cause of his IBD…
You need to work out what foods ur dog is sensitive too?? sounds like food sensitivities/intolerances….Food Sensitivities/Intolerance can take anywhere from 1 day for a dog to react up to 6 weeks to show intestinal stress, my boy reacts within 20mins when eating certain foods he’s sensitive too, I had to do a food elimination diet to work out what foods he can & can’t eat..
Have you tried the “California Natural” Lamb & Rice? it just has 3 ingredients Lamb Meal, Rice & Sunflower oil..
Which “California Natural” formula is he eating it’s not a grainfree formula?, CN grain free range all have Lentils, stay away from grainfree foods that have Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans) & Lentils as these ingredients can cause gas, farts, wind pain etc, I have found grainfree formulas with limited ingredients with sweet potatoes & potatoes as carbs stop Patches smelly farts….

Have a look at Purina “Forti Floria” dog probiotic, there’s a few probiotics on the market that do not have any live cultures & are a waste of money, they tested 10 popular dog probiotics & only 3 of them had live cultures & Purina Forti Foria was one of the good probiotics…
Look back on all the foods he has eaten & did his bad smelly farts on & what was the common ingredients that he might be sensitive too?
Sometimes when I first start introducing a new kibble my boy starts to do smelly farts but then it all goes away after 4-7 days…
Has your vet tried a round of Metronidazole (Flagyl) to get rid of the bad bacteria in his stomach & bowel? Metronidazole fixes my boy Patches intestinal problems, he also was put on a Hydrolyzed vet diet then Patch was put on a dog Probiotic when I first rescued him I had to work out what foods he’s sensitive too, the Metronidazole seems to fix the fart problem as long as he’s not eating any ingredients that he’s sensitive too…
Sometimes their stomach bacteria goes out of wack & there’s more bad bacteria then good bacteria.
Try the Probiotic first & see if it fixes his problem, Patches vet swears by probiotics & has seen really good results but if teh Purina Forti Floria doesnt help the problem ask vet about trying a course of Metronidazole a 10-14 day course then give the probiotics to flood his gut with good bacteria…
Probiotic are best taken without food either first thing in the morning when stomach acids are low or inbetween meals… I just mixed 1 teaspoon probiotic powder with 15ml water mixed in bowl then Patch drank it…

[Susan]

Hi Rea,
How you work out the Carbohydrates in dry kibble?
you add the Protein% + the Fat% + the Fiber% + the Moisture% + the Ash%, a good honest kibble company will put the ash % on kibble bag or their pet food site but they normally don’t want you to know the ash %….
a good kibble should have low ash % around 5% & under for ash %, if the Ash isn’t written on the kibble bag or on the pet food site then just add 8% for the ash %, once you have added up protein, fat, fiber, moisture & ash % now take away the score from 100 & you’ll have your carb % or you can email the pet food company & ask them & they will give you the correct Carb %… I feed kibbles that are under 40% in Carbs…

[Susan]

Hi,
Compared to Whole earth farms yes you probably are getting more meat protein with the Crave dog food, the Whole earth farm when I had a look at a few formula’s only had 1 meat meal as 1st ingredient then a carb that was it…
The Crave Dog Food has chickpeas, (Garbanzo beans) as 3rd ingredient then its has pea protein as 4th ingredient, then split peas as 5th ingredient, it’s a bit pea heaving, this is call ingredient spliting, where the pet food companies write pea protein, pea flour, pea fiber etc instead of just writing peas, if they just wrote peas the peas would probably be 1st or 2nd ingredient, so they splilt the same food ingredients up to move it further down the ingredient list….

When the ingredient list is written it’s done when the ingredients are raw not cooked, so it’s good there’s Chicken Meal, Lamb Meal & Salmon Meal, it would have been better if the ingredient list read, Chicken, Chicken meal, Lamb Meal, Salmon Meal, then potatoes, peas, & chickpeas, you’d probably would be getting 29% meat protein, the rest would be plant protein but at the moment your probably getting around 20-24% meat protein & the rest is plant proteins??…
It would be good if these pet food companies had to write the plant protein % & the meat protein % on the kibble bag, we’d probably have a shock with how low the meat protein really is in these kibbles especially all these’s new grain free kibbles using chickpeas, lentils pea protein, split peas, pea flour, pea fiber, pea starch etc, these ingredients up the protein %…

Rotate between a few different brands with limited ingredients that agree with your dog that have a few different ingredients this way your dog isnt eating the same ingredients 24/7 then reacting to an ingredient cause that’s all he’s been eating, look for a kibble with 3 meat proteins as 1st 2nd 3rd ingredients then sweet potatoes, peas, rice, barley, are better sometimes then these grain free kibbles that are higher fiber & proteins cause they have chickpeas lentils peas as 2nd, 3rd or 4th & 5th ingredients…

[anonymous]

It may depend on what agrees with the dog. I prefer to avoid potato laden dog foods.
I would probably choose the lentils.

Per the Zignature website http://zignature.com/?page_id=12&lang=en
Why is it important that Zignature® contains no potatoes?
Potatoes have been identified as a high-glycemic carbohydrate for dog food. Zignature® only uses low glycemic carbohydrates such as whole Chickpeas, and garden Peas which also provide valuable soluble and insoluble fiber. For more details, visit the Glycemic Research institute at gripetfoods.com.

[pugmomsandy]

If you look through the 5 star foods, there should be other low carb options. For instance, Wysong Epigen, Solid Gold Barking at the Moon, Earthborn Holistic Great Plains Feast, Wellness Core (some recipes), Nature’s Variety Instinct (some recipes), Stella and Chewy’s Raw Blend (dry food), Farmina N&D Grain Free, Weruva Caloric Harmony.

Kibble is a bakery product and needs starch to keep its shape. Canned foods can be lower in carbs since they don’t require a starchy binder and they’re probably not as expensive as raw foods.

[aimee]

Hi Pitlove,
The vet gave her a list .. from a previous post today “I know the low sodium list made from the Cardiology dept from Medvet -Cincinnati uses the milligrams per Kcal”

I believe it is this list she has:
http://massvetcardiology.com/Data/resources/feedingthecardiacp/Medvet__Cincinnati__Heart_Friendly_Low_Sodium_Dog_Diets.pdf

I think the problem is she was looking for other options that met her criteria of grain free and low carbohydrate.

Lori J
I can’t reconcile the % values for sodium to the caloric values.. I’m having to make some assumptions but what I calculate is so different from what they are reporting. Hopefully the company can explain

[aimee]

Hi Lori J
Keep in mind grain allergies are rare and that carbohydrates in the diet do not feed yeast on the skin. So sad that people that should know better write articles and post videos saying that you need a low carbohydrate diet to conquer yeast infections…. you don’t. The fact is that the type of yeast on dog’s skin is a fat loving yeast. Give some of these guys all the carbohydrate they want and you know what happens…. they die because they need fat to live. But even if they were carbohydrate loving yeast. How would the carbohydrate get from inside the digestive track to outside the body which is where the yeast are? Hmmm see where that falls apart?

Point is you don’t need a low carb food…. you need a controlled sodium food. I took a look at the MedVet list.. lots of choices there including grain free options like Cal Natural kangaroo and lentils.

Have you looked at Nature Variety Instinct dry line? You might find something there, for example they are reporting their limited ingredient Duck as 0.3% Na =74mg/100kcals, limited ingredient turkey is 0.4 %=97mg/100 kcals Ultimate protein Duck 0.4% =89/100kcals. If you think one of the Natures Variety products would work check with the company to make sure the website info is accurate and check with your vet.

[Robert S]

Thanks for the comments. I have looked at a lot of dog foods on Dig Food Advisor and was going to use EVO dry morning EVO 95% Evening. I just learned that EVO is or has stopped manufacturing the canned dog food.Of course you can purchase until supplies run out.

I ordered a case of Dave’s 95% beef and will see how my dogs like. I am going to try Wysong Epigen starch free. I will mix with EVO until all. 1/4 cup dry mornings and 1/4 cup wet evenings. It is pretty much high fat, high protein, low carb diet. during the day we give treats like Earthborn Holistic grain free.

I don’t know how this will work out but I am going to try. I have another miniature smooth coated dachshund, 13, that has mass on or near spleen. I am trying to feed both the same.

like I said we will see.

Blessings,
bob

[anonymous]

Per the Zignature website http://zignature.com/?page_id=12&lang=en

Why is it important that Zignature® contains no potatoes?
Potatoes have been identified as a high-glycemic carbohydrate for dog food. Zignature® only uses low glycemic carbohydrates such as whole Chickpeas, and garden Peas which also provide valuable soluble and insoluble fiber. For more details, visit the Glycemic Research institute at gripetfoods.com.

[anonymous]

Zignature is an excellent choice, I don’t think you will be disappointed. The ingredients are good, the peas, chickpeas and such are to have a carb source as they do not use potato and are a healthier choice. No lentils in the lamb formula, but lentils are good!
You can always add a little something like soft or canned food and a splash of water.
https://www.chewy.com/zignature-lamb-limited-ingredient/dp/36736 Just read the reviews.

Regarding Clean Label Project report, make sure you read the prior posts in that thread.
Many of us are not impressed and consider the report to be unreliable.
PS: Canned fish is not low sodium.

[Jeremy H]

I currently feed Orijen, which is low carb but also gives my dogs loose stools. I have been mixing it about 50/50 with Zignature which has helped firm things up. The only “low” carb kibble that I have noticed after scouring the reviews is Orijen. Am I missing something? Is the only other low carb option raw?

[a c]

Thank you, Susan. I can use more wet can food. I already used Natural Receipe wet foods as topper per your earlier recommendation. 😀

Both kibbles I used are low fat. Horizon Amicus Senior and Weight management. Protein 33% Fat 11.67% minimum and 13.33% maximum Fiber 4.25% calorie 400. Purina One Smartblend Healthy Weight. Protein 31% Fat 11% minimum 13.6% maximum Fiber 6.25% calorie 320. All in dry matter.

The lower of protein and fat means higher carbohydrates which means fillers. Many of the best low fat dry dog foods recommended by this site have carbohydrates between 50-61% with the exception of Premium Edge Healthy Wright with 38% carbs 49% protein and 13% fat in dry matter.

I guess I can also broil some chicken or turkey breast.

[Susan]

Hi ac,
have you looked at feeding 1 meal a low fat wet canned food & the other meal dry kibble that has the higher protein % & lowest fat & lowest fiber % look which dry kibble has lowest carbs, or stop feeding the dry kibble & feed canned foods, the weight will come off.

There’s “4Health” Sensitive Care, Weight Management dry, Fat-8%max, Kcals-279per cup. https://www.tractorsupply.com/landing-pages_brands_4health-special-care.html

Canned Foods, the fat has been converted to dry matter.

Weruva canned Cirque de La Mer- Fat- 9.9% .
Natures Recipe G/F Chicken recipe in broth fat-11.11%
” ” Chicken & Wild Salmon recipe in brooth fat-11.11%
Pure Essentials G/F Salmon Recipe in Broth-fat-11.76%
Simply Nourish G/F Chicken & Beef Stew-fat-11.76%
” ” Chicken & Venison Stew- fat-11.76%

[Susan]

Hi Shari,
I would be stopping the Carafate (Sulcrate) it lines the stomach so you can only give it when the stomach is completely empty so if there’s any food in his stomach the Carafate lines the food instead of his stomach & can make things worse, why has the vet got him on 3 a day? the food may not be completely digested, if he already has very low stomach acid the Carafate could be making things worse… Has he had any more gulping attacks since starting the Sulcrate or is he the same?

If you have the money have an Endoscope & Biopsies done to see what is happening in the stomach, the Biopsies will give your vet some answers, your vet must think his mouth licking & swollowing has something to do with the stomach for him to prescribe these types of drugs..
Ask your vet about “Gabapentin”?? it is used for seizures, pancreatitis, IBD, stomach problems, nerve pain, Gabapentin capsules covers a few health problems maybe see if he settles after taking the Gabapentin…

Even though you have change his food to a low fat food, how high is the fiber & carbs?? Is he on a vet dry diet kibble?? the carbs will be high & so will the fiber if its a vet diet, alot of vets prescribe the Hills W/D for dogs with Pancreatitis why I’ll never know the Insoluble fiber is 28%… Dry kibble is no good when dogs have Pancreatitis, the dry kibble could be causing acid reflux in the first place, have you tried feeding a lean meat like chicken or turkey low fiber, low carb, cooked meal, chicken breast & sweet potato & just give him the Losec 20mg every morning for 1-2 weeks & see how he goes?…. that’s what my Boxer was put on a home cooked diet by the new vet but it was too late by then, her old vet had her on the Hills vet diet it made her worse but vets never blame it’s the vet diet that’s causing the gulping swllowing drolling…..

Maybe best to have the Endoscope + Biospies done so the vet can see the stomach &
see is there’s any stomach ulcers or anything else, the biospsies will give some answers to whats happening…could be Helicobacter-Pylori, they eat & eat like they are starving, droll, swollow gulp as well..

[Susan]

Hi Shari G,
have you tried any acid medications?? Drolling is a sign of wanting to vomit,
my 8 nilly 9 yr old Staffy was doing the excate thing as your dog is doing in video having a licking attacks 2 weeks ago, he suffers with IBD & gets bad Acid Reflux & does take Omperazole (Prilosec) now for his acid reflux attacks but last month when he had had 2 licking attacks in 2 in 1 month I noticed he didnt drink his water after eating his 7am feed when he came back from his 7.30am walk, he eats 5 small meals a day 7am, 9am, 12pm, 5pm & 8pm & I’d say his kibble started to be digested in his stomach & cause he hadn’t drank his morning drink of water it has caused him to get his bad acid reflux & start doing his mouth licking attack, I let him eat some grass to push the acid back down throat, then I gave him his ant acid medication “Losec” it was due 8.30am around the same time he started having his licking attack then I gave him a small meal 20mins later & he was better…..
As we age we doný make as much Hydrochloric acid in the stomach so our food isnt being digested properly like it should be & we get bad acid reflux, google “Hypochlorhydria” it’s low stomach acid that causes acid reflux, ask vet can you try Omperazole (Prilosec) 20mg giving once a day it doesn’t have to be given before food like the other ant acid meds do as it’s a Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) & his diet what is he eating?? make sure it’s low in fiber low carbs, as high fiber & high carbs cause acid reflux especially if they are eating a dry kibble, then if after taking the Prilosec & change of diet hasn’t worked then maybe look into other options, he’s 9 & 1/2 yrs old, thats excellent age my Boxer had Mast Cell Cancer at age 9 & she too was suffering from bad acid reflux but back then I didnt know much about acid reflux until I rescued Patch my Staffy & got a really good vet that specializes in IBD…
Please ask your vet about Hypochlorhydria & next time it happens again have some liquid Mylanta in the fridge waiting & give him 1 teaspoon straight away. Fits/seizures do not go on & on for a long time, acid reflux does….
I hope you find some answer’s cause its an awful thing to watch happen, I even start having a panic attack watching Patch…

[Norma R]

Myths about Supplements to your dogs food, including Calcium. Good info:

1. “A multivitamin added to the food will cover any gaps.”

The question here is this: Which multi, and with which diet? Any unsupplemented home-prepared diet will be low in some nutrients and adequate or high in others. But because there is no standard formulation for human multivitamins and they can vary greatly in what they include, just tossing one in the dish is not the answer.

Choosing an all-purpose multi made specifically for dogs doesn’t necessarily solve the problem either. These usually contain very low levels of nutrients because it’s assumed they will be added to commercial food, and so are unlikely to provide enough supplementation to round out a homemade diet. This is why “balanced” is not just a buzzword; it’s a valid and essential aspect of proper nutrition. Once you understand your dog’s nutritional needs, work out what her diet actually contains and then add what’s missing.

2. “I’m adding yogurt to my dog’s food daily so she’s getting enough calcium.”

Dogs require fairly high levels of calcium, and yogurt absolutely won’t cut it. Here’s a quick example: My own 75-pound dog has a daily requirement of 1,840 mgs of calcium, and since I use quite a bit of fiber in his diet in the form of brown rice, I want to offset any absorption issues and ensure that he gets about 2,000 mgs per day, or 14,000 mgs per week. His weekly diet alone—turkey, liver, sardines, brown rice, ground lamb and acorn squash—only provides 1,750 mgs. That means I need to add over 12,000 mgs of calcium; in other words, more than 40 cups of plain yogurt.

Calcium supplementation is always necessary unless you are feeding raw bones. I recommend using a commercial carbonate or citrate form of calcium, or an eggshell crushed into a fine powder—one teaspoon of this powder (about 5.5 grams) equals roughly 2,200 mgs of calcium carbonate. To use eggshells, rinse them well and then bake for about 10 minutes at 300 degrees; use a small grinder to make the powder. Bone meal can be used if there is also a need to add phosphorus, but many homemade diets supply plenty of this mineral.

[Susan]

Hi Susan R,
How is your dog doing?? stop feeding the Royal Canine HP food, my boy did the same thing while eating the R/C HP formula when I first rescued him age 4yrs old, he was put on R/C HP for his skin & sloppy poos, but he couldn’t digest the R/C HP kibble properly & the fat was way too high for him causing acid reflux & bad pancreas pain, the R/C HP is high in omega oils, it’s for skin problems, a few vets don’t know how to use these vet diets properly & cause a vet diet has worked for a few of their other dog patients the vet recommends it for another dog & that poor dog might have another underlying health problem & the vet diet is not the right diet for that dog….

are you on Face Book? join this group put in the search bar- “Canine Pancreatitis Support” Group there’s help & support in this group from experience dog owners that have been thru what you’re going thru also look in the “Files” on your left click on the “Low Fat Foods” link scroll down & look at the wet tin foods, the fat has been converted to dry mater on your right.. your dog needs to rest his Pancreas, low fiber is a must so, no weight management diets they are low in fat BUT too high in fiber for Pancreatitis.. Hills vet diet has their I/d Low Fat Restore Rice Chicken Stew formula the fat & fiber is low, stick with wet foods, kibble is too hard to digest & is high in carbs too much work for the pancreas…

[Susan]

Hi Shannon.
next time try a low fat dry biscuit like Jatz or some dry toast white bread toast is best that’s what I use to do before Patch was put on an ant acid medication Omeprazole (Prilosec) also liquid “Mylanta” 5mls 1 teaspoon works great lines the esophagus & stomach… aren’t Milk bones high in fat? just have to be careful with fat it doesn’t make things worse….
Acid reflux can be from high carb diet, high fat diet, diet with fermentable fibers, barley, oats, oatmeal, legumes, beans, lentils, carrots, apple, peas… Best to avoid these type of foods & see how she goes.

[Marie Y]

After much research and trial and I have found that one of the worst things you can feed your dog is hills science diet or the Royal Canaan foods for urinary issues they have absolutely all of the wrong ingredients in them! Research has been done that has shown protein is not a bad thing carbohydrates are. I am feeding my dog a homemade cooked diet that’s low in fat has just need protein vegetables and supplements in it and here’s the magical ingredient that I found for the bladder stones. It’s called Lysimaccia 3! It’s amazing! My dog had crystals in his urine every single time I took in the sample in as soon as I started using the lysimachia he has none at all!

[Nadine H]

Thanks pitlove. I checked the Canidae turkey and it was 34.3 per 1000 kcal and 1.3 to 1 cal to phos. Not really sure if I know how to read the results. I actually have a bag of the Precise in my pantry. i thought the canidae had better ingredients but I’ll take another look. I think the one thing I liked about Canidae is how responsive their cs is. Haven’t had a lot of luck getting hold of precise with questions. As far as looking at low carb i was told feeding high carb kibble was like feeding pizza. I’ve been feeding Farmina lately which is very low carb but I’ve noticed a slow down in activity in my danes. Might not be the food but now I wonder about it.

[Nadine H]

It doesnt? I always thought that cabs were the problem, in other words it’s best to stay away from a high carb kibble.My pups don’t do well on grain free so it’s difficult to find low carb so your comment is interesting.

[Nadine H]

I have a 8 month and 13 month great dane. I’ve read and read about kibble to the point I don’t know what to feed them I’ve had them on Farmina the last month or so but having concerns about the high protein and fat content. I know protein shouldn’t be an issue but this food is high calorie. Logan weight 135 and Leah weighs 90 and the amount that the company said I should feed is very small. When I cut back to the small amount both dogs act like they’re starving. I bought a bag of Canidae turkey and brown rice yesterday. Way lower fat, protein and calories then the Farmina. Would love opinions on each of these foods. The only thing I’m not real happy with regarding the Canidae is it’s high carb, around 42%.

[haleycookie]

No problem, I like victor too. Thats a good food for the price for sure. High protein in my opinion would be anything above 32% and low would be anything below 30%. High fat would be around 20% and up and low would be 10% and below. That percent is often seen in weight loss foods. High fiber is typically found in weight loss foods as well as “indoor” foods which is usually used in cat food to help with fur balls and keeping lazy house cats in shape. Fiber just makes dogs poop more usually that’s why it’s good in weight loss foods so that dogs can poop more and loose weight easier. High fiber is gonna be like 8% and up lower will be around 2-4%. And carbs are typically higher in cheaper foods with lots of grains or lots of peas or potatoes as fillers. Carb can be a good source of energy but tend to cause weight gain more easily if not exercised properly. But good luck with victor it’s a good food too. 🙂

[Randy D]

Thanks Haley. I’m looking at the victor foods-the hi-pro which is 30/20 protein to fat, 83% of the protein is from meat; and the grain free active dog and puppy which is 33/16 protein to fat, and 75% is from meat. The victor foods have a much better price point than the merrick. Muenster foods are looking like a possibility, as well.
I get confused by what is actually considered “high” or “low” in terms of fat, protein, carbs and fiber. I see the terms thrown around a lot but no real idea what they are.

[Therese M]

Thanks for all your replies. When we got her, they seemed to think she was perfectly healthy, which made us comfortable taking her. We all assume that her issues are antibiotic related. She’s been to 2 vets, both think the same. Other than the not eating, she’s overall healthy. We have insurance for her, so if we need additional testing it’s not a problem for us to cover it, but neither vet mentioned anything about it. We’re not giving her back- we’ll work out what we need to to get her better. We’ve had (sick) pets before just not a dog.

I tried Costco canned but I didn’t get the stew one and she hated it, although it looked pretty gross to me too. She really likes gravy- she’ll lick that out of the bowl first then eat the chunks with other brands. I can get the stew kind- I was looking at it last time I was there actually.

This is the info on Cesars: “The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 44%, a fat level of 19% and estimated carbohydrates of about 28%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 45% and a mean fat level of 21%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 26% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 48%.
Above-average protein. Below-average fat. And below-average carbs as compared to a typical wet dog food.”

The paste looks like it would be very helpful- I’ll ask about that tomorrow. I’ll get the costco stew today, no more dry, low fat. Thank you all for your help- Lucy certainly appreciates it!

[Susan]

Hi Anne,
there were other good quality 5 star brands that didn’t have corn or corn meal, these test were to expose pet food companies that are using meats/ingredients that are high in toxins & contaminates…
“I and Love and You” “Smallbatch” “Sojo” “Canidae” “Wellness” “Stella & Chewy” “Nutro” “Solid Gold” “Primal Pets” “Nutrisource” “Petcurean” “Artemis” these brands all got 5 stars & they do not use corn & are low in Carbs. http://www.cleanlabelproject.org/category/product-list/dog-cat-food/dog-food/dry-dog-food/

Don’t feed a kibble that’s real high in meat protein% & no fish based kibbles, fresh meat that you would eat add to your dogs diet instead of feeding a kibble that’s real high in protein, pet food companies are not going to use quality human grade meats in kibbles so add your own…..

[Anne B]

All right, at first this CleanLabelProject report threw me for a loop. I started looking for another brand of kibble based on CLP’s findings. What they deemed to be healthier for our dogs have corn meal as the first ingredient for starters. They included primarily plant based proteins and other carbs that I do not eat let alone our dogs.
As we are transitioning our two dogs from kibble based diets to primarily raw diet and the occasional kibble included meal we are not changing from Orijen. I think about how unhealthy it was for my husband and I on a high carb diet so why should we subject our dogs to the same high carb, high fat stuff?
We give our dogs Organic Bragg’s ACV, prebiotics and probiotics, Organic Coconut Oil and minimal kibble that has a low carbohydrate percentage ratio. I believe in the “everything in moderation” along with a nice piece of beef rather than this report as gospel and a grain of any kind.

[Susan]

Hi Rita,
this happened with my Patch, poor thing, what does he eat?? may need a diet change, what I did was I found a lower carb, gluten free, grain free kibble with limited ingredients, no beet pulp, or grains, I feed “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb kibble, Patch started to do real well & then I kept Patch on the Losec 20mg given 8.30am every single morning with water to wash the tablet down his throat other wise the tablet stays in his throat….he was taking the Losec 3 days on then 3 days off but he was better while taking the Losec & I had to think about quality of life, just remember once he’s taken the Losec for 14-20 days you CAN NOT just stop taking the Losec it’s a “Protein Pump Inhibitor” (PPI) your vet should know this, this may have been why he was swallowing & licking he got real bad acid reflux & he needed the Losec & will probably need it for the rest of his life.. so just make sure when you stop the triple therapy again he stays on the Losec you stop the antibiotic but continue the Losec & see how he goes & change his diet while he’s on the Metronidazole..
Then when Patch start grinding his teeth & swallowing, being real clingy, whingy & it doesn’t stop after 5-7 days I put him back on the Metronidazole a low dose 200mg every 12 hours for 5 days then he’s back to normal, then I reduce the Metronidazole & he just takes 200mg at night with a meal for another 5 days to get rid of the Helicobacter, then he continues to take his Losec, some days he has bad days still then the next day he’s OK…

Do you have the money to do an Endoscope + Biopsies to see what your dealing with, my vet that knows a bit about IBD (Helicobacter-Pylori) she said, she has a few dogs that stay on a low dose of the Metronidazole & the Losec but cause Patch starts to have side effects when he takes the Metronidazole longer then 21-28 days I stop then restart when he seems unwell again. I don’t do the Amoxicillin anymore just the Metronidazole 200mg for a 37lb dog when he’s un well & give the 20mg x Losec permanently now.. first see how he does just taking the Losec then if his licking & swallowing continues he may need to be low dose of Metronidazole.. you’ll need to try a few different thing to see what he does best taking…
Can he stay in a section of the house where he can’t get into anything even if you leave his crate in a room open but he can play with toys lay in a bit of sun then sleep in his crate & if a dog walker could come maybe 2-3 times a week & take him on a 15-20mins walk to break up his day, I get a neighbour to walk Patch when I’m away from home more then 2 hours cause Patch is in a routine with his poos & if it’s Patches poo time I start having a panic attack knowing he’s locked up when it’s his poo time, he has the sun streaming thru the lounge room window & I leave his cat inside with him & tell her to wash & look after Patch & he has company while I’m out…I hope your work all this out your 1/2 way there.

[Anne B]

Hello Susan,
Like Tyla, I am new to the forums although I have referred to dogfood advisor numerous times. I am also a newbie when it comes to any diet for our dogs other than processed kibble and canned food.

As for our two adult dogs, I have started incorporating some freeze-dried raw with their kibble and plan to go to raw frozen when freezer space allows. I follow Dr. Karen Becker as well as Dana Scott and Dog Naturally Magazine. I would like to rotate them with 2 or 3 totally raw food and be able to back off so much kibble, even if it is the “premium” kind.

Thank you for the link for calculating actual % of carbs.

[Susan]

Hi ac,
Years ago I never had any problems with any of my dogs or cats, I could feed them anything, raw, cooked kibble wet tin etc but after rescuing Patch & finding out he has IBD I was told by a few vets I have to slowly introduce any new foods kibbles etc to him so his gut gets use to the new ingredients plus he is sensitive to certain foods so I don’t know if it’s cause the gut/intestinal tract is 70% of our immune system, does this play a role in causing food sensitivities/intolerances??
Vets think Patch was feed poor quality cheap kibble & was sensitive to the ingredients & his stupid owner just kept feeding these ingredients to him or feeding him other cheap kibbles with the same ingredients he was sensitive too for the first 4 yrs of his life causing his IBD….I wish I got him as a pup he probably wouldn’t have IBD now..

I think pet food companies write “Introduce over 7-10 days” on their kibble bags now (they never use too) just incase dogs who have a sensitive stomach/bowel are slowly introduce & don’t get diarrhea, this way the Pet Food Companies are covering their asses…

With a raw diet I went thru a Nutritionist cause of Patches IBD & she said just start Patch on the home made raw diet the next morning like I was feeding his kibble but I didn’t add any bone or organ meat in the beginning, too much organ meat can cause diarrhea & bone causes sloppy poos for Patch, so I suppose we did slowly introduce the raw diet but if you have a healthy dog just start a raw diet the next day when you’d feed kibble but they do get real hungry at first cause their stomach is use to eating kibble that’s higher in carbs, rotate between different brands of kibble & different proteins…..
Now I can pretty much feed Patch anything as long as HE”S NOT sensitive to the foods I’m feeding he’s fine, so I don’t know is it cause I’ve strengthen his immune system? or cause I have worked out the foods he’s sensitive too? or rotating between different kibbles has this helped him?? & now I can feed a few different things?? something has helped him get better & heal his bowel..

[A]

Sweet potatoes, potatoes, peas, etc convert to sugar and sugar feeds yeast. Brown rice is a complex carb and converts slower.
Grains aren’t always the problem, everyone at my work feeds a grain food and we all have a variety of dogs from little pups to mastiffs,pits, labs, and retrievers. We have more customers on a grain food that have left the grain free world due to the extreme high fat and carb protein sources.

This is out of one of Dr Beckers articles :

Yeast needs sugar as a source of energy. Carbohydrates break down into sugar. Both MDs and veterinarians advise patients with yeast to get the sugars out of their diets.

Dietary sugar isn’t just the white kind added to many pet treats and some pet foods. There are ‘secret,’ hidden forms of sugar that can also feed yeast overgrowth, for instance, honey. Although honey can be beneficial for pets in some cases, it does provide a food source for yeast. So if your dog is yeasty, you’ll need to carefully read his pet food and treat labels and avoid any product containing honey, high fructose corn syrup, and even white potatoes and sweet potatoes.

[A]

Many times itching is a carb overload and she’s not burning all the food.
Many complain about gassy pits but mine are not gassy, maybe once every few months if they get more “dog cookies” vs freeze dried meat treats.

Grain free is typically lower in fat and have no pea or potatoe protein in them.

Chicken is the most easy for them to digest, I would try a low fat and no pea or potatoe protein with brown rice as it’s a complex carb and burns slower.

[Susan]

Hi LISA P,
this post is long, it’s too hard explaining everything in just 1-2 paragraph post, start feeding a diet that has just 1 protein & limited ingredients, less ingredients are best while you work out what foods are causing the bad gas & bloating, sounds like your boy might have IBS or IBD being 7 yrs old it’s probably IBD, you need to see a vet that specializes in IBD, the only true way to diagnosed IBD is biopsies either thru Endoscope or cut him open, I will not let Patches knife happy vet cut my Patch open, 2014 vet did Endoscope thru the throat
& biopsies, if the pyloric sphincter flap from the stomach to the small bowel is open they can go thru into the small bowel & get a biopsies as well, you need the biopsies cause Patches stomach looked excellent then the biopsies results came back he has Helicobacter-Pylori & IBD but I don’t know what type of IBD the results said he need further investigation, even if I knew what type of IBD I asked my vet, would you do anything different in medications? she said no we’ll just have a name of the type of IBD he has…
Patch was getting the rumbling & grumbling bowel noises early hours of a morning when I first rescued him, we found out he has food intolerances to certain foods, this is what your boy probably has too food sensitivities, most vet diets for Intestinal stress have the foods Patch can’t eat, I have found kibbles & cooked meals that have sweet potato, egg, potato & a little bit of peas work the best for Intestinal stress, stay away from fermentable carbohydrates, ingredients that ferment in the stomach & bowel like rice, barley, oats, beet pulp, soybeans, legumes, no ingredients that are hard to digest like Chick Peas, lentils they can cause wind/gas…
The Ziwi Peak he ate was it the wet or air dry Ziwi Peak cause Ziwi Peak have changed their formula’s & have added chickpeas to the wet tin formula’s.

The vet would have prescribed your boy Metronidazole, was he better while taking the Metronidazole?? sometimes dogs are kept on a low dose of Metronidazole it stops the bad bacteria from taking over stomach bowel & has anti inflammatory properties that helps with any inflammation of the stomach & bowel, Patches vet writes out a repeat script of the Metronidazole I can take to a chemist & take out & when I noticed Patch doing smelly farts, whinging & wanting me to rub stomach & Pancreas area & or starts doing sloppy poos for 2 days straight & start him on the Metronidazole for 10-14 days straight away before he has a IBD flare & gets real bad….

Have you looked at cooking his meals or I feed kibble for some of his meals & cooked meals for the other meals, Patch eats 5 smaller meals a day this has helped heaps when his stomach & Pancreas isn’t working properly its easier to digest smaller meals then to digest 2 bigger meals….Patch was the same pain in the Pancreas stomach area blood test say Pancreas was OK even ultra scan said the pancreas looks good, so his vet said it’s his IBD & I put him back on the Metronidazole again & it seems to help him & I feed his TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb kibble & don’t give anything else cause I know the TOTW kibble is very easy to digest…

Have a look at “Canidae” Pure Meadow Senior the fat is low at 10.8% max, I’ve emailed Canidae to find out the max fat %, the protein is 28%, it has limited ingredients, but cause it has chicken Patch gets his red paws then starts getting itchy cause he’s sensitive to chicken but he did really well when on the Canidae just wish they didn’t use the chicken & I feed “Taste Of the Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb kibble it just has 1 protein Lamb & has limited ingredients, sweet potatoes, egg, potato & peas & I was feeding the Hills I/d Chicken & Vegetable Stew but then I realized the new formula has beet pulp & Patch didn’t really want to eat it no more, he had his red, I was taken out the rice & carrots, he can’t eat boiled rice it irritates his bowel causing sloppy poo’s….
I have found when Patch gets a rumbling grumbling bowel I give him 1 teaspoon – 5ml of liquid Mylanta that I keep in the fridge, when the Mylanta is cold it soothes the throat & stomach & it stops the gas rumbling thru the bowel also dry toast only use white bread the toast helps relieve the grumbling bowel & Patch finally goes to sleep, but since I’ve worked out what foods he’s sensitive too he hasn’t had his rumbling bowel…
Your best to do a cooked elimination diet, add 1 new ingredient every 6 weeks & see does he react to that ingredient & get bad wind pain & bloat up, it can take 1 day to 6 weeks to react to an ingredient in a kibble or wet tin cooked food or feed a vet diet like the Hills D/D Venison & Potatoes as long as you know your boy is OK with venison & potato, the D/D has just potato & venison, it has no beet pulp, no peas, no soy protein, it’s grain free, gluten free & high in omega 3 fatty acids what’s needed for the stomach & bowel to heal, Patch does OK when he eats the D/D Venison formula, I rotate between the TOTW Lamb breakfast & the D/D Venison for lunch then TOTW for his 2 dinners, When a dog eats the same diet for years & years then sometimes they start to react to 1 or 2 ingredients this is why I always tell people to rotate between different brand kibbles with different proteins & add cooked fresh ingredients to your dogs diet…Vet diets are good to get the dog stable then you start to work out a new diet for your dog……
Is he doing real well on the Vet diet he’s eating at the moment which formula is it?? Patch hasn’t done well on any of the Hills I/d vet diets, he did Ok on the I/d Digestive Care kibble & the I’d Chicken & vegetable stew wet tin but after 1 week eating the I/d kibble his poos when sloppy & he started getting gas & bad farts then he started to itch, the Hills D/D Venison + potato is the first vet diet he’s doing OK on & it helps with his skin allergies no red paws & also helps with his IBD, it’s also lower in protein-19% the fat is 16% its does cause some acid reflux sometimes so I feed the TOTW for all the other meals for that day & only a small meal of the D/D venison for lunch he really likes it….

Here’s “Balance It” site, https://secure.balanceit.com/ there are recipes on this site & then you add the Balance it powder to balance the meals also have you tried giving a probiotic? Purina Forti Floria is suppose to be a good dog probiotic & when it was tested it had live bacteria & made it on the best 10 dogs probiotic list, I give Patch some of my Yakult probiotic drink, also only change or add 1 thing at a time in a week in his diet so if he gets pain, gas bloating diarrhea you know what caused the problem if you start a few things at once & he reacts you wont know what caused what….

Your boy is only 7 yrs old, he’ll bounce back, start to read the signs & rub his stomach & bowel area & help push out any of the wind he might have my boy is very vocal & tells me straight away when something is wrong, his vet said she has never seen a dog that can understand everything we are saying & talks back…. Hopefully in 1 yr you’ll have his diet all worked out & know what he can & can’t eat & he’ll be doing real well once you work out his diet also be careful with treats, Canidae make healthy biscuit treats limited ingredients, the Canidae Pure Meadow Senior kibble is on page 3 ….just remember when introducing any new formula’s do it very slowly over 12-15 days so he doesn’t get any gas wind pain…
https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products

[Mary O]

My Beagle had her spleen removed 4 months ago due to cancer. I read that a high protein, high fat, and low carb diet is best to slow cancer cell growth, so I have been feeding her Hills n/d which only comes in canned. She has been doing great on it, but just heard from my vet today that it is being discontinued. Now I am searching for a replacement 🙁

[Susan]

Hi Rita
you should start to see an improvement within 3-5 days taking these medications, it’s best
to give the Metronidazole & Amoxicillin every 12 hours with a meal, best to feed 3-4 meals a day, meds given with the bigger meals….
I would be feeding a lower carb kibble under 40% in carbs that doesn’t have any fermentable carbs like rice, oats, beet pulp, barley, wheat, lentils, chick peas, beans, rye….
I have found kibbles that have 1 protein, sweet potato, potato, peas, egg seem to work the best preventing acid reflux with my boy…
I feed “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb kibble…
if he seems un sure above eating his food I would look for a limited ingredient low carb food, protein around 25%, fat under 15% or feed a lean cook meal, I feed both, kibble for some meals & cooked the other meals….
also flea medication avoid any of the oral flea meds…
have a look at rescue remedy it’s suppose to be really good for nervous dogs who suffer with anxieties, when u know your going somewhere or something is going to happen that stresses out your boy put about 2 drops on tongue, ask vet see again…