[Z B]

Hounds and gatos is an excellent pate that I use regularly for my cat and dogs, it has 5 star rating here…. it’s not cheap but not super pricey either for a 5 star, so I feed it a lot.
They like natures variety pates but those cost more, so I don’t feed it is often.
I also use Walmart’s Pure Balance canned dog stews, very budget friendly, but sometimes my chihuahua won’t eat it unless i mash the chunks, you might try doing that if you haven’t already . PB also has a pate option but I haven’t tried it.
Regardless which form of canned food I feed, if it’s not a freshly opened can my chi likes it better at room temperature or with some room temp water added.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Amy K:
If you are happy with your dry food I would continue to feed it. I would only suggest trying out a few brands to find other choices she does well on in case of a recall, formula changes, or distribution issues; you never know when you may need a back-up. I would also stick with similar protein, fat, and fiber percentages when trying a new kibble.

I feed a variety of canned foods in various price ranges. My budget friendly choices are Pure Balance stews or gravy tubs (Wal-Mart), Variety stews, Beyond grain free stews, Pro Plan Naturals, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul, Triumph turkey or puppy recipes, BJ’s price club brand, and Tractor Supply stews or Sr. pate’. Costco also has a budget friendly canned, Kirkland Signature Nature’s Domain. You have to buy a case which is under $20. If you don’t have a Costco membership Jet.com sells it for a little more, but still a great deal.

Other brands my dog does well on are Wellness Core, Red Barn Stews, Tiki Dog, Weruva, Eagle Pack, Fromm shredded recipes, Halo, Life’s Abundance, Holistic Select, Nature’s Recipe, Nutrisource, and Precise. I order Life’s Abundance directly from their website.

Good luck finding a new food!

[Susan]

Hi,
My last dog had fatty Tumors but you have to watch them & measure them & make sure it’s not growing real quick….. Angie ended up having Mast Cell Tumor & a stupid vet said oh that’s nothing just an old lady wort she’ll be right, one year later she wasn’t her happy playful self, so I took her to a new vet & they rushed her in that morning for surgery & removed every single lump, she looked like a patch quilt after surgery, 2 lumps ended up being Mast Cell Tumours high grade 2 cancer….
here’s a good link & recommends homemade raw fresh whole foods or commercial raw or cooked meal….. http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/fatty-tumors-lipomas-in-dogs-benign.html

I feed kibble Taste Of The Wild Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb for breakfast & Rissoles Lean Pork Rissoles, Sweet Potato, Pumkin, Broccolli, Zucchini all mashed up for Dinner, the lean pork mince is made into long rissoles & baked in oven & I freeze about 1-2 weeks worth & bring out as needed, same with the sweet potatoes & pumkin, I cook & freeze sections, take out the night before & put in the fridge… I add 1/4 teaspoon DigestaVite Plus powder to balance the meal the DigestVite Plus helps stomach, bowel, skin etc..

If you do feed a kibble make sure the carbs are LOW….. Feed 1 meal raw or cooked & the other meal kibble, I like Canidae Pure Formulas but Canidae was too rich for Patch, he has IBD (Stomach) http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products

[adam]

Just got back from the vet with surgery scheduled to remove what appears to be 20+ decent sized Struvite Stones from my Great Pyrenees/Anatolian Sheapard mix coming up in about a week. She had been blocked up, peeing blood, with recurring UTIs off and on since being spayed at age 7months (may or may not be a connection, I switched vets just in case).

I am dumbfounded as she has had nothing but 5 star foods since I got her as a 10 week old puppy who is now nearly 3 years old. She has mainly been on Earthborn Holistic Costal Catch and Primitive, with some rotation through Pure Balance Wild and Free Bison, and Native Performance Level IV. I also add a lot of meats, several times a week- mainly fish, sometimes beef or chicken, also whole eggs. She also gets Missing Link or some other skin/coat/probiotic supplement everyday.

Any suggestions specifically on what food or what tips generally speaking to keep Great Pyrenees urinary tract healthy is appreciated. When all of these problems started I went through cranberry pills, vitamin C, apple cider vinegar, probiotics with prebiotics, and many rounds of antibiotics, so none of those could keep her free and clear for more than a couple of weeks.

Or if there is anything I should specifically ask the vet to check for or investigate further before surgery, anything would be helpful. The vet did have me (at least temporarily) switch to “Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Canine Urinary SO” which isn’t directly rated on this site, but at best looks like a 2, maybe 2.5 star food, pretty terrible.

It is frustrating to spend so much time and money on quality foods and then have the vet say the food caused, at least in part, her stones.

Could 5 star food cause her crystals/stones? Should I use the Vets suggestion of this sub-par Royal Canin food? Is there any alternative to surgery that has worked for others that have this many stones with some blockage (the vet was willing to hold off on surgery, it is up to me)? Or, how does someone find a vet that won’t immediately blame the food? I don’t need vet bashing, they are not all out to get more money at the expense of animals, I just need real science/wisdom guided solutions.

[Alta K]

I have been feeding 4 dogs: doberman, pit/mastiff, white GSD, and a pit mix Tefco Performance Dog Diet for several months. I was previously feeding my own raw diet and my dogs love the Tefco Performance Diet.

Full disclosure, I became the Tefco distributor for NE Florida (NE Florida Raw Dog Food, LLC) after seeing how my dogs thrived on the Performance even though I was feeding a balanced raw diet.

I have seen this food turn around chronic health issues in a matter of days. I have had customers whose dogs came straight off kibble to Performance and experienced no digestive issues and loved the food right off the bat.

Many of my customers were previously feeding far more expensive raw food products and have reported to me that the Tefco is superior. I have everything from breeders and high level competition dogs to rescues and family pets eating this diet and nothing but rave reviews about how much their dogs love the food and how much they love the quality and results. I have many customers in the area and not one single complaint.

Performance Dog Diet is 100% pure beef with a raw feeding ratio of 80-10-10. It is preservative free and complete nutrition supplemented with vitamins and trace minerals.
It contains green tripe for pro and pre-biotics and trachea as a natural source of glucosamine and chondroitin . It is only sold through independent distributors so customers can have a personal relationship with a distributor who is knowledgeable about raw feeding. The beef is on the hoof until a shipment is ordered. It is processed then flash frozen at 40 below to kill bacteria then shipped and kept frozen by distributor.

If you have any questions about the food you can contact Jerry, the owner through the number on the website: http://www.paleodietdogfood.com/contact/. He will also gladly put you in touch with the Animal Nutritionist (Ph.D) who developed the Performance Dog Diet formula if you have a question he can’t answer. I can be contacted through my Tefco Raw of NE FL Facebook Page with any questions.

Ingredients:
Beef, Tripe, Trachea, Finely Ground Bone, Salt, Egg & Trace Minerals. You can view the list of vitamins and trace minerals here: http://www.paleodietdogfood.com/performance-dog-diet/

Alta Kremp, NE Florida Raw Dog Food, LLC

[crazy4cats]

Hi Mick M-
I guess I don’t have any common sense. I add canned food to my dogs’ morning meals. I stick to mostly budget friendly 5 star canned stews such as, 4Health, Pure Balance, Nature’s Domain and Variety’s Homestyle stews.

In the evening, they get egg, tripe, sardines, or commercial raw nuggets in their kibble.

Hope this helps!

[Susan]

Hi sounds like food sensitivities/intolerances & environment allergies, have you looked at doing the Jean Dobbs salvia testing to get an idea what foods she may be sensitive too, I know people say these test are not 100% but it will give you an idea what foods she may be sensitive too there’s also salvia & hair testing that test for food, mites & tree/plants….. she may be sensitive to dust mites??? also my boy can not have a kibble that’s high fat, high fiber/carb diet, no fish or salmon oils they all cause acid reflux stomach problems…
Can you start to cook for her or even if you feed a cooked meal that’s been pre cooked sectioned then frozen & you take out the night before & put in fridge for next day & feed a kibble for breakfast & cooked for dinner, also change the kibble, stop feeding kibbles with potatoes & specially when potatoes are first ingredient like the Natural Balance is, its too much starchy carbs…..a good kibble should have 2-4 proteins as 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th ingredients then a carb…..
Some grain free kibbles can be very high in starchy carbs…. I have found Patch does best on a kibble that’s lamb chicken fish & Brown rice or a Fish Kibble with sweet potatoes but the fat has to be 10-14% fat or he gets his acid reflux & it must not have fish oil or Salmon oil or he starts grinding his teeth with real bad acid reflux.
He eats Earthborn Ocean Fusion, Taste Of The Wild Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb, Canidae Life Stages, all life stages formula, Canidae Grain free look at the Pure land, Pure Sky & Pure Wild they all have no potatoes & Carbs are 40% & under
http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
Have a look at the Honest Kitchen aswell
Shop All Dog
look at “Brave” & “Zeal” carbs are 35% or the base mixes you just add the protein….

Baths are you doing weekly baths? I use the “Malaseb” medicated shampoo in Spring Summer, bath every 4-7 days, whenever Patchy is real itchy & has his red paws/toes, itchy bum, etc …… I also use Hydrocortisone 1% cream, every night when Patch is sleeping, I do the skin body check for any red toes, red paws, white fur thinning out above right eye etc & lightly apply some Hydrocortisone cream next morning itch & redness has all cleared up also I use the “Huggie Baby Wipes” Cucumber & Aloe, when we come home from a walk or he goes outside, I wipe Patch down, a new baby wipe per section of the body, these Cucumber & Aloe wipes are really good, sold in Supermarket baby section, I think you can get special wipes for environment allergies & hot spots as well, there’s a Face Book group called “Dog issues, allergies and other information support” group, one of the admins uses the special wipes & has started cooking & using “Balance It” to balance the diet……

Normally when they have Food Sensitivities/Intolerances they will have stomach & bowel problems & itchy skin…….My Patch gets he has Seasonal Environment Allergies & Food Intolerances & Sensitivities to certain foods, I did an elimination diet, then started adding foods… there’s no point trying a vegan diet, the carbs would be thru the roof 50-70% carbs like the vet diets have & you want a low carb diet……dogs are made to eat meat, have you thought of trying a Raw diet?? Patch did real well on Raw diet his skin cleared up within 1 week BUT cause he has IBD he kept regurgitating water up into his mouth, I think it was the Digestive enzymes the Naturopath made me use cause of his IBD I was so worried he’ll get diarrhea from the raw diet, so we used digestive enzymes & I think they digested the raw to quick & Patch was burping up & water was coming up into mouth… I’m going to try the raw again next Summer…..
I would honestly start again with the diet building up the immune system probiotice foods high in probiotics Kefir/yogurt etc & see if you see a change, if your on face Book Monica Segal has a group called “K9Kitchen” she has put up a easy recipe to make called “Omega 3 Boost” cookies, I’m going to make some for Patch, I really believe you need to boost their omega 3 & some kibbles are very high in omega 6 & very low in omega 3 then the dog starts having skin problems, stop the fish oils & try other things that are high in omega 3, olive oil, sardines in Spring water are good 1-2 a day this way its given thru foods… also what tin foods are you feeding? I was feeding tin foods at night as well & they were making Patch itch they had gelling agents in them something in the wet food made his paws go real red & he’d start licking his paws & get itchy, try replacing the wet tin foods with cooked meals… I’m feeding boil chicken breast, sweet potato not much only 1/4 to 1/3 cup & broccoli & 1 cup chicken, cook & add greens zucchini celery spinach etc… I feed more protein then carbs in the cooked meals…1 cup meat 1/2 cup veggies…

[Susan]

Hi, have you thought of feeding a cooked diet instead of the kibble?? just be careful with the Prilosec its a Pump Proton Inhibitor & cant just be stop once taking for more then 2 weeks….Vet said only give Patch 10mg Losec for 3-4 days only when his acid reflux is bad, then he said to stop only use Prilosec when needed (its for acid reflux)…. Has the Vet tried Metronidazole for 2-3 weeks?? Metronidazole is an antibiotic for the stomach & bowel….Vet gave me 4 scripts of Metronidazole to use when Patch starts doing sloppy yellow poos has bad wind/gas & I change his diet… I’m learning when I rotate kibbles Patches his poos have stayed nice & firm… I feed limited ingredient kibbles that I know Patch can eat, no corn, no gluten meal, no tapioca, no barley, no chicken
Have a look at “Honest Kitchen” Zeal you just add water Honest Kitchen also has base mixes you just add the protein & its balanced…. http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dog-food/zeal

Sometimes just 1 ingredient in the kibble, they can be sensitive too, if you want to feed kibble try
“Canidae” Pure Formula limited Ingredients Pure Land, Pure Sea, Pure Wild, http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
“Natural Balance” Limited Ingredients the Potato & Fish & Potato & Kangaroo
http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dog-formulas/special-category-limited-ingredient-diets

[Susan]

Hi, Patch 7 yrs old suffers with IBD, Helicobacter-Pylori (bad Acid Reflux) & Pancreatitis sounds like the Pepcid isn’t working anymore or he doesn’t need it any more or what are you putting in the Kongs ?? its not Peanut Butter? or his kibble needs changing its making him feel sick …..IBD can make them feel sick especially after they eat…Patch wakes up feeling good he eats breakfast then from 9am to 12pm he doesn’t feel well some mornings. Grass seems to be the only thing that makes him feel better, I have stopped giving the ant acids now…. only use as needed..

Try stopping the Pepcid for a couple of days & see if he feels better, Patch vomited when he took the Pepcid & was put on Zantac (Ranitidine) instead given 30mins before breakfast & dinner given every 12 hours, then after 3 months it didn’t seem to work anymore, he still had bad acid reflux & was still grinding his teeth & vomiting yellow acid some mornings but he was eating a vet diet that had fish oil & Beet Pulp in kibble that made his acid reflux worse…
I now only give liquid Mylanta 4-5mls in a syringe kept in the fridge only when he needs it, the Mylanta seems to work the best…..
I started to realise Patch wasn’t making enough stomach acid & some days he wasn’t getting acid reflux & I was still giving him ant acid medication, so stomach wasn’t working properly…. as we get older we make less hydrochloric acid it’s called “Hypochlorhydria”

Vet didn’t want Patch on Losec (Omeprazole) cause its a Pump Proton Inhibitor (PPI) & you can not just stop taking a PPI Losec after you have taken it for more then 3 weeks but vet did say I can give Patch the Losec 10mg for 3-4 days then I stop but only when Patch has bad acid reflux…Zantac & Pepcid can be stopped at anytime…So be careful if vet puts him on a PPI…

I have found I have to keep changing Patches kibbles & rotating them & no vet diets, if he stays on the same kibble for more then 2 months, his acid reflux starts to come back also I read when they have acid reflux they need a low fiber kibble 3-4% fiber & no Beet Pulp, Does the kibble he’s eating have “Beet Pulp” ?? it makes their poos look beautiful & firm, so everything looks OK cause poos are firm & look good, its the beet pulp making the poos firm…most vet diets use Beet Pulp….
When the Kibble has beet Pulp it made Patches acid reflux bad again, I started doing so much research & read low fiber diets are best when they have Acid Reflux thru IBD & if you can start feeding a balanced cooked diet will be better then eating a kibble, feed lean meats boil some potatoes, sweet potato & green vegetables, Google Dr Judy Morgan she has easy to follow recipes on You-Tube & she uses the Honest Kitchen Base Mixes in some of her meals you just add the meat & the Base Mixes balances the meal, she also has supplements to balance the cooked meals also have a look at the Honest Kitchen Zeal its low in fat & excellent for dogs with Pancreatitis & IBD…you just add warm water..
http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dog-food/zeal
I started feeding cooked chicken breast, sweet potato & broccoli & replacing 1 kibble meal, I’m feeding “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain now, I’m going to try Canidae Pure Land you cant have too much high fat in a kibble with acid reflux so I normally stay around 10-14% for fat but in Australia we have 1 low fat grain free kibble & the fiber is high 5%….I’m waiting cause Canidae has 4 new grain free formulas, Pure Meadows, is for seniors & is 10% fat & limited ingredients & grain free, if you live in America you can get the Canidae Pure Meadow.. I also want to try the Pure Wild its boar & Pork…
I was feeding Patch Salmon & Sardine kibbles but I think the fish gives him his acid reflux also certain kibbles he starts getting his pain right side pancreas/stomach area & wants me to rub the chest area, he starts his whinging when he has his pain again & doesn’t really want to eat so I change his food, I have to introduce the new kibble over 1 week……I make sure the kibble doesn’t have fish oil & has limited ingredients…. I wish they could talk….. if you can cook & freeze meals give it a try cause kibble is hard to digest especially on the pancreas….

[crazy4cats]

Hi Garry D-
Sorry to hear about your dog’s condition, but glad it is something that can heal over time. There are lots of great canned dog foods on the review side of this site. I’m not sure which would be best for a dog with your pup’s situation. I’d probably stick with the vet food until his throat is healed before transitioning to a new one.
I stick to budget friendly canned foods to use as toppers for my lab/retriever dogs. Mostly Costco’s Nature’s Domain canned, Tractor Supply’s 4 Health canned and Walmart’s Pure Balance canned food. Occasionally, I will buy the Variety Stew canned foods that are at Target and/or Walmart or others if on a good sale.
Fingers crossed for a fast recovery!! 🙂

[Erica P]

Hi guys!
Thanks for the input! I did see Victor’s 50lb bag one place online but the price per lb was actually more than the 30lb bag! I’ll look elsewhere and see if I can find it cheaper. The reason for grain free is because I recently took in 2 retired foxhounds, and when I asked my vet if he had any dog food recommendations he said grain free. He then mentioned Blue Buffalo and Canidae, but those are just too expensive for me.

I was feeding the Pure Balance and I thought about the Rachel Ray, but they are around the same price as Victor. I’ll do some research on the calories, ingredients, and the companies behind Pro Pac and 4 Health and go from there!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Erica P-
I have fed the Victor Hero formula a lot to my dogs. It is one of our favorite kibbles in their rotation. Unfortunately, It has gone up a little in price along with our other favorite, Whole Earth Farms. One thing about the Victor, although, is that it is higher in calories than the others you mentioned and therefore you can feed a little less. Plus, I think there is a 40 or 50 pound size available too which might be a better value. I also have two large dogs and go through food pretty fast.
In addition to WEF and Victor, I have also fed Taste of the Wild and am currently feeding 4Health grain free beef without issue. Others have mentioned feeding Pure Balance and Rachael Ray’s grain free kibbles with success also.
After participating on this site for a while now, I’ve learned to not worry about the star ratings as much. You need to rate the food according to how well your dog does on it. I just try to stay away from too many “red” ingredients such as artificial colors and flavors.
I also add canned and fresh toppers to their meals to bump up the protein and nutritional value.
I hope this helps!

[laconrad]

Somehow the notion that dogs are pure carnivores has permeated through internet chat forums, among some non-medically trained people working in the pet industry (groomers, trainers, etc.), and those that take their information seriously. This notion is based by in large on the multiply erroneous notion that dogs are essentially wolves, and since wolves are pure carnivores, then dogs necessarily should be fed as wolves would eat.

I stated multiply erroneous notion because the true fact is that EVEN WOLVES ARE NOT PURE CARNIVORES! While it is true that wolves generally require and eat a high level of protein in comparison to dogs, they also consume a significant amount of vegetable matters instinctively, as doing so is necessary for optimal physiological balance and gastrointestinal health in the species. Wolves consume vegetation from routine grazing on grasses and by tearing open the stomachs of their herbivorous prey and eating the contents.

The other true fact is that dogs are not wolves, but differ from the wolf in DNA structure by about 0.8 %. That may not seem like much, but only a 1.2% difference in DNA separates us from the chimpanzee. Few would suggest that we should model our diet around that of a chimpanzee.

Thousands of generations and selective breeding that made domestic dogs more adaptable to life with humans was responsible for the evolution that today differentiates dogs from their ancient ancestor. Among the most prevalent difference between dogs and wolves that resulted is gastrointestinal physiology and how it impacts overall gastrointestinal and other organ health. In the process of canine domestication, humans essentially their early more wolf-like canine companions what they ate, and over successive generations, the species adapted to a more omnivorous diet.

Dog owners jumping on board with feeding their dogs nothing but meat, essentially a pure protein diet, is fraught with potentially serious health consequences. All one has to do is understand protein metabolism to see the problem.

Before protein can be absorbed into body’s cells and tissues for metabolic and physiological purposes, it must first be broken down into small chains of proteins called peptides, and in some cases broken down to the individual molecular protein building blocks, amino acids. Once absorbed by the gut, amino acids and peptides are then repackaged and utilized by the body.

It all sounds lovely, but protein metabolism does not come without a price, as it generates a toxic waste product called ammonia. In fact, many common meat protein sources are as low as 78% utilized by the body with the rest represented as waste. Luckily, like us, canines have a liver that converts ammonia into a less harmful molecule called urea, which is then excreted by the kidneys in urine.

However, the liver and kidneys over time become overwhelmed with a diet heavily laden with protein, because these organs are constantly burdened with detoxification. Over time, if excessively taxed in this manner through diet, these organs become compromised, leading to degenerative disease, chronic renal failure in the case of the kidneys, and cirrhosis in the case of the liver.

Physiologically, dietary protein for the average adult canine should not exceed 25% of the total daily nutrient intake. In high performance dogs, such as those that participate in in field or agility competition, that requirement may be increased to 27%. Beyond this level of protein the dog suffers deficiencies in other key nutrients, such as soluble and insoluble fiber and anti-oxidants to name a few, while unnecessarily taxing his liver and kidneys with excessive protein metabolic waste.

Canine owners that feed raw are the biggest offenders with regard to overloading their dogs with protein, many feeding nothing but a raw meat diet. For these pet owners that are committed to raw feeding, if they are feeding their dogs nothing but meat, I would urge them to integrate fresh or cooked vegetables to represent at least 50% of total dietary intake. Green beans, carrots, broccoli, celery, and spinach are all healthy vegetable sources for dogs. It is also a good idea to integrate complex carbohydrate sources, such as brown rice and sweet potato, as well as some canine safe fruits like cantaloupe, apples, and pears.

What is most troublesome to me is that some commercial pet food companies are taking advantage of the canine pure carnivore hype and creating diets that are heavily laden with protein, even going further to validate this false notion in their promotional tactics. I was actually inspired to write this post after having seen a TV commercial two nights ago from a large, well known pet food company touting its newest diet as having one of the highest protein percentages in the industry.

I caution all canine owners to not buy into the hype, not listen to non-medically trained people that recommend a dietary regimen without understanding that over time it does damage to the liver and kidneys while denying the canine other essential nutrients; and reject pet food companies touting false claims, who clearly value sales far more than the well-being of their canine consumers. If in doubt, talk to your veterinarian to help you sift through what is best to feed your dog.

Dr. Roger Welton is the President of Maybeck Animal Hospital and CEO/Chief Editor of the veterinary information and blog online community, Web-DVM.

[aquariangt]

Do you have a Walmart close by? Pure Balance seems to do well for many dogs, haven’t tried it myself. Precise is often not too expensive-they have a few lines but just “Grain Free” there is chicken, lamb, maybe something else, are all under the $2/lb mark. The Holistic Complete Grain Free uses more unique ingredients and that’s more like $2.50

One of mine was taken from a family member in a bad situation too, I feel for ya

[crazy4cats]

Hi Lori L-

Which Pure Balance recipe are you feeding? It is a decent food and many posters on this site have reported good things about it. However, it sounds like it may not be right for your dog. Does she have diarrhea, or is she just pooping a lot? Sometimes it is related to the fiber content of the food, being fed too much or it just doesn’t agree with her.

Another possibility is worms and/or parasites. Has she had a fecal test done testing for worms or parasites? They are fairly common in young dogs.

Here is a link to a helpful website for digestive issues: http://www.dogaware.com/health/digestive.html

Been there, done that and it’s not fun!! Report back with updates, please!

[Lori L]

Nice to meet everyone! I have a 7 month old pup. For the first four months she couldn’t digest food. She had diarrhea from almost everything. I had to make her boiled turkey and rice for weeks to get her back on track. I now have her on a cheap limited ingredient grain free food. She poops like six or more times a day. She poops in her crate, and she doesn’t appear to be able to help it. She doesn’t pee in the house, just poop. I am thinking that I need to up the quality of food a bit. She’s eating “Pure Balance” right now. I am not able to afford a real expensive dog food, and I know that I can find one that is reasonable. I just don’t know what to do with this poor dog. I buy her only the special grain free treats, and I’m thinking to eliminate those. I want her to be getting all her nutrients and such or I would feed her the turkey and rice forever. She is about 30 lbs. so it’s not like she eats too much. Any help is greatly appreciated!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Sadie’s Mom-

Why are you not a fan of wet food? They are not all created equally. I like to stick to the stew type canned foods. They seem to be less “yucky” than most pates. Lol! Some of them look and smell just like human food. I don’t like the price of most of them though. I stick to the value brands as I have many mouths to feed here. My favorites Are: Nature’s Domain (Costco), Pure Balance (Walmart)’ 4Health (Tractor Supply), Wellness (most pet supply stores), and Variety (most grocery stores).

You will need to feed a little less kibble to make up for it if you add wet food. Most of the stews are lower in calories than pates due to the high moisture content.

Good luck! I hope she is just being picky and there is no medical issue. A while back one of my dogs quit eating. Which was very, very weird. Turns out his tongue was swollen due to a plugged salivary gland. If it’s not one thing it’s another! Cheers! 🙂

[Lauren A]

Hello! I know this thread is super old, but hoping I can get some feedback on my menu for my dog. This is our current menu, and I want to make sure it is balanced pretty well! I didn’t really pay attention to balance the first few months, just switching from commercial raw to real raw, and introducing all of the proteins. I was aiming for 19oz/day split between two meals (except Sunday). Our dog is a 5yr old 54b Rhodesian Ridgeback female (runt, hence size). She should hover between 50-52lb for her frame, but vet isn’t concerned at all (as in doesn’t even mention weight) unless she gets over 55b, which she never has. She has low-moderate (average) exercise. We are looking at a few other Ridgebacks to add a second family member soon, so I would like to make sure I have the correct balancing ideas/meal plans down before then. Thanks for any advice/input! Be nice 🙂

Sunday AM:
– whole green-tripe stuffed quail (1-2lb) OR 1lb whole rabbit pieces with 4oz green tripe
Sunday PM:
– 1/2 c animal broth (our dog will NOT tolerate fasting, so this is what we are down to as a “fasting” day meal)

Monday/Wednesday/Friday AM:
– beef mince (tongue, heart, liver) 7oz
– beef kidney 2oz
– fruit/veggie mix (I puree and freeze into ice cube trays) 1oz
– kefir 1/4 c
– 1-2 tsp “green superfood” mix (based off of what HDM makes)

Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday AM:
– chicken mince (whole chicken, organs and backs and everything, ground up) 8oz
– whole chicken egg 1oz
– fruit/veggie mix 1oz
– kefir 1/4 c
– 1-2 tsp “green superfood” mix

Monday PM:
– turkey necks 3oz
– turkey liver 3oz
– turkey hearts 3oz

Tuesday PM:
– sardines 7oz
– salmon trim 2oz

Wednesday PM:
– whole chunked lamb 5oz
– lamb hearts 4oz

Thursday PM:
– wild game (bison/buffalo, venison, elk – one protein source) 6oz
– wild game liver/organs 3oz

Friday PM:
– whole chunked duck 5oz
– duck gizzards 4oz

Saturday PM:
– herring 7oz
– salmon trim 2oz

[El]

Hi Kelly P

I would recommend these 2 books as part of your research into feeding a properly balanced raw diet to your pup.

“Ok I have not yet gotten my puppy I have about 4 weeks still. She will grow up to be around 100lbs, so I’ll probably feed her about 2lbs a day.”

Here are the feeding guidelines from Primal, I think they are pretty accurate. Puppies need more than 2% of their body weight daily.

Feeding Percentages
1.5% Weight Loss
2.0% Non-Active
2.5% Maintain Weight **
3.0% Slight Weight Gain
3.5% Significant Weight Gain
4.0% Kittens/Puppies (8 weeks-1 year)
4.5-8.0% Kittens/Puppies (4-8 weeks)
4.0-8.0% Pregnant/Lactating

“We will be training too with treats so I need to be sure they level each other out. I have done a lot of research as I’ve been preparing for the past 1-2 years. What I found so far is the following.
Feeding anti-oxidants or some sort of cooked veggies is a good idea.”

I would puree the veggies. Cauliflower, broccoli, spinach in moderation, green beans, peas in moderation…

“Feeding organic eggs, shell and all, is good at least once a week. Egg shells provide a lot of calcium.”

I would suggest free-range organic eggs. I know that people feed finely ground egg shells as a calcium source, but I don’t know about feeding whole egg shells. I would do a little more research specifically on the calcium requirements of large breed puppies if I were you. She will be getting calcium from bones, egg shells, spinach and ?

Feeding a whole fish once a week is good because of the oil it provides, be sure not to feed tuna because of the high mercury levels. Cooked Tripe is great and so is a some coconut oil. I figure I can saute the veggies in coconut oil.

In general, I would feed small fish, they usually have softer bones and less toxic buildup. I would not cook the tripe. One of the benefits of feeding “Raw Green Tripe” are the enzymes, and any processing or cooking will destroy those enzymes.

“As far as percentages I have read a few different things but my research has come up with the below.
Version 1
75% Muscle/skin (i.e chicken breast)
10% Edible Bone
5% Liver
5% Non liver organs
5% Anti-oxidants/Veggies
Version 2
50% Meaty Bones
35% Muscle/Skin (i.e chicken breast)
5% Liver
5% Non liver organs
5% Anti-oxidants/Veggies”

I feed my dogs a homemade lightly cooked diet. Version one looks pretty good. Since I lightly cook my guys food I would replace the 10% edible bone with 5% more pureed veggies and 5% supplements to balance out the diet.

“My main questions are about bones.”

This is good because I see bones as the riskiest part of your diet plan and I would carefully consider both sides of the argument so that you can make the most informed choice possible. Also, regarding Wolves and bones, research has shown that larger pieces of bones are excreted from wolves wrapped in the fur of the animal they ate, maybe as a way of protecting their insides from the bone fragments.

Good Luck with the new addition to your family 😉

[crazy4cats]

Hi!
I tried to figure out about how many calories you are feeding them. On Walmart’s site, someone wrote in that the kibble has 416 calories per cup. Does that sound about right? Variety canned food is pretty hearty also and is about 400 calories per can and the Pure Balance tubs are about 100 each. According to the calculator, you should feed Ladybug about 800 calories per day and Tebow around 475. I think that is about what you are feeding assuming that you are not feeding any snacks. Could you cut back a little on the canned, making the big can last two meals instead of one? Add extra water to make up for it. Another thing you could do is feed kibble that is lower in calories. I try to feed kibble that is around 350 calories per cup in order to avoid feeding less. I have neutered male labs that like to eat also!

I also have bought the frozen Northwest Natural fruit and veggie nuggets for snacks or toppers. They are high in fiber and low in calories making them feel a little more satisfied. Let me know what you think!

[Peggy]

I’m back again. I’ve tried much of the advice on this website, and well……

I’m Peggy and I have a Lab/Shephard named LadyBug, and a JRT, Tebow. I’m not going to rehash what amounts to ancient history by now, but suffice to say that I’m getting pretty flustered with my dogs, and it’s not their fault, it’s mine.

I went from feeding my 2 dogs once per day to twice per day, by cutting that once per day meal in half, so they get half at breakfast and the other half in the late afternoon.
Not only have they not really lost much weight but they’ve actually put some on, AND act like they’re hungry ALL the time!

Keep in mind that I’m not very active due to bursitis in the hips and a slipped disc in the lower back, so I can’t walk them much. But we do have a rather large fenced in yard and they go out to play several times per day, and also run the fence with their across-the-fence doggy-neighbors.

I do not know what more I can do, so any advice would help. Currently they are eating Pure Balance Turkey and potato Limited Ingredient Kibble, and Variety Pets dog food (4 -5 stars on this DFA (1 can between them with the larger dog getting more), and in the evening, the same kibble with the small Pure Balance tubs, 1 each as they are so small, 4-5 stars on this site.
Am I still over feeding? How can that be when they act soooo hungry ALL the time?

[Bobby dog]

Hi Misha M:
Here’s my list, check it out carefully for the above reasons I posted. Good luck in your quest!

4Health stews (Tractor Supply)
FirstMate
Fromm’s
Go
I and Love and You
Kirkland Signature Turkey & Pea stew (Costco)
Life’s Abundance
Lotus
Merrick Back Country
Nature’s Variety
Nulo
Precise Holistic Complete GF
Precise Naturals
Pure Balance Stews and tubs w/gravy (Wal-Mart)
Purina Beyond grain free
Red Barn
Tiki Dog
Weruva Human Style recipes – except Marbella Paella
Wellness Stews
Whole Earth Farms
Zignature
ZiwiPeak

Edit: Some Halo recipes don’t have carrageenan, just haven’t sorted through all of them yet.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 11 months ago by Bobby dog.

[C4D]

Hi Cindy T,

What I’m about to say is completely my opinion, but I’m not a big fan of Royal Canin as I find it to be overpriced with subpar ingredients that has a vitamin pack added to it to make it nutritionally balanced. It may have some science to back it’s formulas, but in truth, everyone and every living thing on this planet really was meant to eat real food as opposed to a nutritionally complete processed food. Whatever your dog is, I really don’t feel that there is enough difference between and Maltese and a Shi Tzu to need to feed a specific breed formula. I foster dogs from Kill Shelters that are of unknown origin (aka Heinz 57) as well as have several dogs small and large, some mixed and some purebred. I feed them all pretty much the same food and they all end up looking great and are very healthy. There are differences in feeding large breed puppies as opposed to small breed puppies, but overall, if you feed a quality food with some fresh food mixed in to an adult dog, there isn’t a great deal of difference. Small Breed formulas tend to be higher in protein and fat as opposed to Large Breed formulas in general. Many dog food formulas have all life stages.

I’m not opposed to grains, if they work for the dog, but I have a dog that reacts to grains so it’s easier for me to feed all the animals grain freee. I always add fresh food to all of my dogs meals. No living thing should be eating dry processed food for their entire life. I add canned food when feeding a kibble meal and make a fresh cooked or raw meal with a balanced premix for the other meal. My “senior” dogs are lively and playful and walk a mile or so daily. They have minimal health problems, and only due to torn ccls (that’s a whole other discussion).

I’m not personally a fan of skept vet either, but ultimately, the choice is yours.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Craig,

Have you been giving your dog some sort of multi-vitamin supplement since you acquired him?

I have to say, the diet you posted in your other thread concerns me quite a bit, but I’ll post my thoughts there.

If you’re feeding a complete and balanced diet, you don’t really need a multi-vitamin. Some folks like to add whole foods as supplements such as: lean, unseasoned meats from your dinner; pureed dark leafy greens; eggs, either raw or lightly cooked; some cottage cheese; kefir; etc. These are mostly considered toppers. You could also add a fish oil supplement, preferable salmon or krill.

[Elena B]

Hello,

I have a Goldendoodle named Penny. She is almost 7 months old. We got her from a breeder at 8 weeks and after a few days at home she started having soft poo. Like really soft and sometimes it has mucus sections. She has been checked by the vet multiple times and has had a fecal test which came back negative. She has been on 5 different foods, including i/d food that the vet recommended but nothing helps. She was on a medication for a week which she did great with but one day after the meds ended she was back to the soft poo. The vet thinks it’s an allergy issue which is why he have been trying different food.
She’s been on:
Canidae Pure foundations Puppy formula- chicken
Blue Buffalo Basics Puppy- Turkey and Potato (with chicken)
i/d Vet recommended food
Natural Balance Limited Fish & Sweet Potato
Merrick Limited Turkey & Sweet Potato

She has tried a bland diet of chicken and rice but that gives her diarrhea. We tried probiotics and that gave her diarrhea as well.
The only thing that I found works for her is cooked sweet potato and turkey and I add slippery elm. If she eats this alone then her poo is great. But this becomes expensive a lot of work.
I’ve tried adding sweet potato to her kibble but its hit and miss. Her poo will be formed and normal maybe 1 out of 6 times.

Can anyone suggest anything?

[Z B]

Up until a few months ago HEB carried a grain free canned store brand called DaLeash, rated 5 star here on DFA:
/dog-food-reviews/daleash-dog-food/

DaLeash Chicken & Veggies CANNED:
Ingredients: Chicken, beef broth, chicken broth, liver, beef, dried egg whites, dried egg product, potatoes, potato starch, carrots, peas, natural flavor, flaxseed meal, dried beet pulp, salt, guar gum, sodium phosphate, potassium chloride, sodium carbonate, vitamins (vitamin E supplement, thiamine mononitrate, niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, vitamin A supplement, riboflavin supplement, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid), minerals (ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, copper proteinate, sodium selenite, manganese sulfate, potassium iodide), choline chloride

When DaLeash was discontinued, Heritage Ranch showed up on the shelves at HEB. Seems pretty much the same recipe:

Heritage Ranch Chicken and Veggies CANNED
Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Broth, Beef Broth, Chicken Liver, Dried Egg Whites, Potato Starch, Dried Egg Product, Carrots, Peas, Natural Flavor, Flaxseed Meal, Dried Beet Pulp, Salt, Guar Gum, Sodium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Carbonate, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin Supplement, D‑Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Manganese Sulfate, Potassium Iodide), Choline Chloride.

I used DaLeash regularly in my rotation until it was discontinued, now using Heritage Ranch. Canned versions only, so I can’t comment on the dry. The price is good at $1 a can, less if you buy the 12 pack. No complaints here. I feed a combo of homemade and rotate affordable canned foods like this one, Pure Balance and 4Health.

• This reply was modified 10 years ago by Z B.

[crazy4cats]

Good news, Suzanne. I hope she continues to improve. There are several quality brands posted on the Editor’s Choice budget friendly food list that you could consider switching to. I’ve fed Whole Earth Farms, Eagle Pack, Victor and Earthborn kibble to my pets.

I regularly feed Nature’s Domain (Costco), Pure Balance (Walmart), 4Health (Tractor Supply and Del’s) and Chicken Soup canned foods to them as well.

Adding canned to her diet would be a good idea. My cat with urinary tract problems mostly gets canned food. I know it’s more expensive and I would never be able to afford that for my dogs. But they get a few spoonfuls mixed in their kibble as well. I have two big lab mix males that are about 80ish pounds each!

Yes, please post her results next week and keep an eye on her when she’s peeing. I’m a litter box stalker now after our ordeal! LOL!

[C4D]

Hi Debbie H,

Here’s a link to an older thread on this forum listing several budget friendly foods. They might be a bit more than $1/lb, but you feed less of the better food and will have a generally healthier dog.

since it’s an older list, I’m not sure if Pure Balance, Victor or Pro Pac Ultimates is on it. These are budget friendly too.

Here’s the link:

/forums/topic/good-food-and-budgets/

[C4D]

Hi Bethany C,

Wonderful luck for your pup to find a caring owner like you!

The others have given you some very good information. I do foster very underweight dogs and dogs with various parasites as they come from very rural areas. The giardia or coccidia that Bobby dog could be a very real possibility. I’ve had foster dogs that tested negative the first time and it was found on a more thorough or subsequent testing.

The best way to see if the dog has an issue of parasites is to put it on a very simple boiled chicken or boiled hamburger (strain the grease) and plain white rice diet for a few days. This should get the tummy back on track as it is a very bland diet. You could add a spoon of pure pumpkin to the mix also. If you don’t see an improvement on the diarrhea within a few days on this diet, you should have the dog’s stool tested again for parasites, including hookworm, giardia and coccidia. I’ve found hese particular parasites seem to cause the most problems with weight loss and loose stools. Tapeworm is also a very real possibility that isn’t caught in a normal stool sample, almost a guarantee if the dog had fleas, but it doesn’t usually cause diarrhea. The tests are not very expensive. Unfortunately, if it’s a parasite issue, no amount of dog food, no matter what the quality, will help until the parasites are gone.

If the dog does well on the bland diet, you can slowly introduce a nutritious food. We all want our really thin dogs to gain some weight, but you have to do it slowly as their system isn’t used to being well fed. I find that by slowly increasing my foster’s portion, they will put the weight on, but it takes time. Too much food too fast just overwhelms their system and cause more diarrhea. Many rescues advise adding a bit of extra carbohydrates like rice, oatmeal and/or sweet potatoes, along with their regular dog food, to help increase weight. Canned food also can help, but again, it must be added slowly to prevent GI upset. Satin Balls are another rescue trick that might work, once you have the diarrhea under control.

Here’s a link to the recipe:

http://www.gpalouisville.org/Recipes.htm

Some other budget friendly dog foods are Pure Balance (Walmart, made by Ainsworth pet food company), Sportmix Wholesomes or ProPac Ultimates (Midwestern pet food company). These foods aren’t as cheap as Puppy Chow, but their are so much healthier. You feed less of these formulas, so they aren’t as expensive as they seem. C4C and BD are correct. Bad breath is a symptom of poor dental health or some other issue.

Good luck with your rescue and keep us posted!

[Bobby dog]

What a terrible story, but a happy ending! That is a great budget for kibble IMO.

The protein & fat %’s in Puppy Chow are average, the fiber might be just a little more than other kibbles depending on what recipe you’re feeding. It averages 27% protein, 10-12% min. fat, and 4-5% fiber. Sometimes changes in any of these percentages can cause digestive upset. Something to keep in mind when deciding on a new food. Kibble in higher price ranges usually have a higher meat content so protein and fat percentages will go up along with calories per cup. One other thing to keep in mind is overfeeding can also cause digestive upset. If he is skin and bones I would work with my Vet to figure out the calories he needs to add healthy weight in a reasonable amount of time.

Check out Victor you should find several formulas to fit your needs within your budget; maybe the Chicken Meal w/Brown Rice. Looking at the Mitchell’s site I see they sell Purina Mills, Inc. They may sell their dog food lines, PMI Nutrition. I feed some recipes from their Infinia and Exclusive lines, these would be in your price range.

I also feed Nutrisource, Fromm, Precise, some Pro Plan recipes, Annamaet, Wellness Core, Nature’s Variety, and Rawz.

If you decide to buy on-line I regularly order from Chewy, Petflow, PetSmart, and Petco. They all have great customer service and prices.

I don’t feed Diamond products at this time due to their recall history; they make Taste of the Wild and manufacture some Solid Gold recipes along with some other brands. They have allot of affordable foods, if you decide to feed one of their products or anything they manufacture I suggest signing up for recall alerts:
/dog-food-recall-alerts/

I recommend adding moisture to kibble even if it’s just water. Adding fresh or canned foods could help with his weight. Some budget friendly canned foods are Wal-Mart’s Pure Balance Stews ($1/can), Tractor Supply Company 4Health Stews (.99/can), and if you have a Costco membership Kirkland Signature Nature’s Domain (.80/can) you have to buy it by the case. Each are 4-5 star DFA rated. I don’t recommend Pure Balance 95% or 4Health Grain free canned foods due to the high fat content.

This is a download I use as a guide for adding fresh foods to a kibble diet:
https://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DN330EBK

[crazy4cats]

Hi David M-

Where do you shop for your dog’s food? As Marie stated there are several good canned foods on the review side of this site. You could print the list and take it with you to the store to see if any fit your needs: /best-dog-foods/best-wet-dog-foods/

My favorite budget friendly canned foods that I mix in with my two large dogs’ kibble are:
4 Health (Tractor Supply or Del’s), Kirkland’s Nature’s Domain Turkey & Pea Stew (Costco), Pure Balance (Walmart) and Variety Stews (grocery stores).

Hope this helps!

[Shawna]

Hi Jan f,

I think the issue for most opposing these foods is the, what we perceive to be, lower quality ingredients. It is not necessarily the food however that is helping but rather in changing the food you have eliminated something the dog was reacting to in the old food. My Pom gets ulcerative colitis from chicken. ANY food that has chicken muscle protein in it will set her off. She would actually do poorly on the W/D because of the “chicken meal” in it. Other dogs, like yours, will improve on it. Doesn’t mean it is the only, and certainly not the best, food for a dog with colitis though.

Marvistavet says this about colitis and foods
“Elimination Diet: Colitis can result from a food intolerance (an example would be lactose intolerance from which numerous people suffer). Intolerances can result from dyes, preservatives, contaminants or even natural proteins in the food. Similarly, colitis can result from an actual food allergy. The solution for these intolerances is the feeding a “pure” diet, ideally a home cooked food made with carbohydrates and proteins that are novel or new to the patient. An 8-10 week diet course is typically needed and no other chews or treats can be offered during the time of the trial. Food allergy cannot be diagnosed by blood test or skin test. At this time, response to elimination diet is the only test for food allergy or intolerance. Most people are not in a position to home cook an appropriate food for the pet. Fortunately, several novel protein diets and hydrolyzed protein diets have been developed. For more details on using an elimination diet, please visit our food allergy page.” http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_colitis.html

A “home cooked diet” is going to provide, pending it is balanced, much better nutrition than a food with an ingredient list that starts “Whole Grain Wheat, Whole Grain Corn, Powdered Cellulose, Chicken Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Whole Grain Sorghum, Soybean Mill Run, Chicken Liver Flavor, Pork Fat, Soybean Oil” (personal opinion of course).

Edit — I don’t believe that these foods are necessarily harmful, at face value at least, but they do not supply the same nutrients from more species appropriate ingredients/foods.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by Shawna.

[aquariangt]

Yes. Because of the way the site is designed, unless the review team has access to the information on the bags, there will not be a review.

That said, google images got me a shot of the ingredients. Chicken By Product Meal, Brewers Rice, Bone Meal, Animal Fat (generic)…pass

GA: looks like dry matter basis has a protein level of 29% and fat of 17%

I’d be curious to the manufacturer as well-as you should be with any private label brand. OP: if you want a lower price point, I’d say pure balance is a superior product to this

[Pitlove]

Marie- This is from the site “Additional nutrition information available upon request. (Go to product detail page for each product.)”

They don’t have the GA anywhere on the website, but my guess is it’s very similar to Pure Balance. If you do the choose a store thing just put Orlando, Florida. Florida has Publix everywhere.

[Peggy]

Thanks for the link DF. My dogs don’t have the ‘normal’ environmental allergy symptoms of sinus drainage, coughing, runny eyes, etc. But the dermatologist that saw them at the vet said that the symptoms of EA’s also include dry skin, excessive itching and scratching, etc. But blood tests came back negative to EA’s, so next on the list is food sensitivities, which they’ve experienced before. My son’s dad last night mentioned that “now that I think about it” (you know how men are) – the itching seemed to begin when I introduced other can foods into their diet – Wellness, Nature’s Variety, etc. I did that because Pure Balance didn’t offer much variety in their recipes. Now that they’re producing a new LID line in addition to their original grain free recipes, I’m going to forget the other products and stick with PB. They love it, and it’s a lot more economical for me. Whew.

[Peggy]

Pure Balance is a very good, quality food. This site rates it 4 – 4.5 stars for cans and 4+ starts for dry. My two love it.

[Peggy]

Well ladies, when I went shopping on Friday for dog food, I was ecstatic to learn that Pure Balance has produced a LID line of their grain free can food!
Turkey & Potato, and Turkey & Sweet Potato; Salmon & Potato and Salmon & Sweet Potato.

Their Turkey & Potato LID dry has been out for about 9 months, and I’ve been rotating it with the PB Bison & Pea grain free. My dogs love these.

Friday night I fed them the Turkey & potato can with the T&P dry and they loved it.
So I think I’m going to stick with Pure Balance’s LID recipe’s, plus what I cook for them.

A side note: Their scratching has decreased dramatically since using this shampoo twice. that we got from the vet.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by Peggy.

[C4D]

You might take a look at Victor, Pro Pac Ultimates, 4Health, Pure Balance, to name a few. They get good ratings and are budget friendly.

[Peggy]

Hi Bobby_dog! Good to be posting with you again.
Yes this issue popped up for both Tebow and Lady at the same time. I actually noticed it on Tebow first, as he was scratchng more intensely, rubbing his back on the carpet and scooting around on his butt.
Lady was scratching too but being sooooo laid back, not as bad. Of course first thought is FLEAS. I checked, combed, brushed and bathed them. Not a single sign of fleas anywhere. PLUS the fact that I myself am a flea magnet. If we ever have fleas (which we have not had in years), they are all over me. Yet the scratching has continued.

At the vet, after their examination, which included a search for fleas, flea dirt, etc., we talked to the board certified dermatologist who is on staff there. LOTS of questions about changes in environment, cleaning products, etc. He did quite a bit of testing, skin scrapings were taken to test for mites, mange, yeast infection, etc. Blood test for worms, and I don’t know what all else.

Since everything came back negative, the dermatologist narrowed it down to 2 things – either food sensitivities, or ragweed allergy. It is BAD here this year.

We’ve had issues with food allergies before, a couple of years or so ago, they were diagnosed with food sensitivities, We switched to grain-free Pure Balance, and the symptoms disappeared for almost 2 years. Yet here we are again. I’ve been wracking my brain about their food, and realized I have gotten a bit lazy about what I feed them. A couple of times I have veered off the grain-free food. I don’t know if that’s it or not.

Thank you for the information, Shawna.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by Peggy.

[Peggy]

Susan, thanks. The vet did say to try a LID kibble, so I picked up a bag of Pure Balance Turkey & Potato LID. I feed them broiled ground turkey a couple of times a week with sweet potato or green beans, so I’m going to do that more frequently, along with their normal canned salmon meals, etc. Laying off the cans for a few days.

I will say though that after that medicated shampoo bath yesterday, they both rested well last night. A marked decrease in the itching/scratching. It is HexaChlor-K Medicated, Anti-fungal Shampoo. The prescription says to use it 2x per week for 3 weeks, then once weekly for 1 month. Then, as needed.

[Peggy]

I joined the forum over a year ago for my 2 dogs Tebow (Jack Russell Terrier) and LadyBug (Shepherd/Lab mix). They were both overweight and experiencing food sensitivities.

Upon advice I upgraded their food (from Pedigree). Blue Buffalo, made them sick, so I switched them to Pure Balance on which they’ve been doing very well. Problem is, PB does not offer a large enough variety of can food, so while staying with PB grain-free dry, I’ve switched them to Wellness and Nature’s Recipe grain-free cans. They love both, especially the stews.

Now comes the problem…….. !
Tebow is again itching and scratching incessantly (NO fleas), and shedding horribly. Also chewing at his paws. I noticed a week or more ago that he’d developed a raw area on his chest.
LadyBug has a series of raw areas on her lower back, backend, and upper tail. REALLY raw.

Now, Tebow’s seems to be healing up, while Lady’s was getting worse, so I took her to the vet this morning. After skin scrapes, flea combing (no fleas or flea dirt), and 2 blood tests, the verdict is…. food allergies! UUGGHH!

The vet said that ‘perhaps’ I should decrease their beef and chicken intake and feed more duck and venison. Also decrease their twice-per-week salmon meal to just once per week because her skin seemed oily (she was dirty, as I had not bathed her in a couple of weeks).

ALL of this was preceded by “perhaps” with no real clear instruction. Soooooooooo….
I am again here asking for feeding suggestions. Additionally, both are still overweight, Tebow is 5 lbs over, and Lady is 8 or 9 lbs over.

OK – hit me with it. And thanks in advance.

[losul]

Hi again. Sorry for the tardy reply, all.

I’ve some preference for feeding a dog a majority of ruminant meats overall with a lesser amount of poultry overall in my dogs diet, provided the the beef (or other ruminant) is coming from a good, properly raised and fed source. I think the overall fats balance out better that way, and without using much vegetable fats. And as long as I can afford it!!

I wouldn’t necessarily say that beef heart is better, nothing against poultry
hearts, much depends on the source, and for just some supplemental or small batch
use, chicken hearts are handier to use than beef hearts!

I had kind of a bad experience the first time I bought beef hearts a few years ago.(from a different, conventionally raised source, feedlot) I thought never again! They were oversized and completely encased in a way overly tough and thick membrane and excessive suet.. the inside was as bad, and not at all cleaned-gristle, connective tissue,vessels, excessive suetetc., and frankly, they looked old, grayish, and tough. It took alot of effort to clean them enough to suit me, way too much effort, and ended up with alot of waste. It wasn’t worth it, and was a good while before I ever tried beef hearts again. In hindsight some of that gristle
and connective tissue, etc. , wouldn’t have hurt to include anyway!

Where I’ve been getting them the last few times, the outside only has a partial and thin membrane and little suet fat, are very fresh, and the butcher near completely cleans the insides for me, I have not much left to do except cut them up! And I get them for only $1.49/lb cleaned weight! I get good clean liver and kidneys 1.29/lb the same place. I guess not many people around here want to eat heart or organ meats! But the regular and lean cuts of beef are every bit as expensive as anywhere else! So when I make a beef batch I’ve been using the hearts for up to 1/2 of the total muscle meat amount. It equals a good savings vs using all lean human prefered cuts for all the muscle meat. In making a full balanced recipe, I can’t count the heart as organ meat, I still add the small amounts of liver and kidney, and I won’t press the heart amount any beyond 1/2 of the muscle meat count. They say too much heart can cause loose stools, never had that problem or with any any food, but the extra heart I’m using helps to keep some beef in the diet at more an affordable price for me! If one were to use all heart for the muscle meat though, there would very
likely be some deficit somewhere in the nutrition to look for and abundances of others, and I wouldn’t ever advise using overly excessive amounts. Also dogs handle cholesterol differently than humans, but heart, liver and some other organs do contain a disproportionately large amount of cholesterol, something to keep in mind. Don’t over do it!.

Faith, so your dog is about 60lbs. BTW, I believe my dog is 1/2 boston terrier and
1/2 bull terrier of some sort, probably staffy or pit, I’ve got a compact model though,
only about 40 lbs. That’s great that your feller found a loving home with you! I
would assume that his regular diet is around 1150 calories give or take? For your
purposes and for now as supplemental only, yeah I would limit the chicken hearts to
NO more than about 3 or 4 ounces. at least if and until until you are more prepared too see to it that the diet retains balance with your additions. Here, raw Chicken hearts show more calories and fat than the beef hearts, raw. (you might have to enter the serving size) but 100 grams chick hearts (about 3.5 ounces) has about 150 calories. add to that maybe a teaspoon of fish oil a day, an egg a couple times a week, and youre already pushing nearly 20% of unbalanced supplemental calories in his diet, and that then isn’t allowing for any unbalanced treats!

The more things you would add if you do so, or if you go with homemade meals, the more attention you are going to need pay to keeping nutritional balance. And you should really
balance out the extra phosphorus you are adding as it is, with calcium supplement.

If using finely ground eggshell, add 1/2 teaspoon to 2/3 t for each 1 lb of meat, organs, egg etc used. Calcium is very important in a dog’s diet, overall calcium in the diet should at least equal the amount of phosphorus, but also never going more than 2X the amount of phosphorus. a ratio of between 1:1 to 2:1. Most commercial diets I think fall between a ratio of 1.2:1 and 1.6:1, so there would likely be enough buffer already there in your commercial diet to cover your extra phosporus additions, but if me, I would still add at least a bit of calcium anyway.

raw chicken hearts

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/poultry-products/664/2

raw beef hearts

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/beef-products/3464/2

I hear ya on financial bias. dogaware.com is a great site with lots of useful info, some is a little outdated, as Mary Strauss is not so active anymore, but she has nothing to sell as far as I know. and has generously accumulated a ton of good info/articles there.

I prefer a pump bottle for fish oil, so I use Iceland Pure sardine/anchovy, I keep it in the fridge and get a fresh bottle every 3 months. This brand already has some mixed tocopherols in it (vit E), but I still add some additional E in my dog’s diet.

I use some veggies, fruits, and even some select grains, but never in abundance. I
don’t know if you’ve ever heard the old idiom “as fit as a butcher’s dog” I don’t
think the typical old time butcher fed his dog an abundance of starchy plant
material!!! I also still use 25% commercial kibble, haven’t ever been able to get away from it completely for various reasons.

Lastly, I might not be around here to write much anymore, but as you can see from the replies to your thread(and other threads) there are so many awesomely helpful people, good people, on site to help with questions you have, or even just support!! And even if they don’t have answers right away, they have also proven to be excellent researchers!!!

G’night everyone!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by losul.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Ashley:
My dog is six, can eat anything, and has no health issues other than a tendency to gain weight during hot weather months. For canned foods I only take brands, ingredients, calories, proteins, and GA’s into consideration. I feed whatever recipe fits the bill regardless of what is on the label, puppy, small/large breed, Sr., etc. I try to feed foods with a fat to protein ratio of 50% or less; equal calories coming from fat and protein or more from protein than fat. For example, a recipe that is 4% fat and 8% protein would be ideal for him, 7% fat – 8% protein not so much. Some of the f-p ratios I feed can be up to 70% which is okay at this time since I rotate foods.

My budget foods are Tractor Supply Company 4Health – Turkey & Sweet Potato, Beef & Veg stews, or Sr. Chicken & Rice recipes, Triumph Puppy or Turkey recipes, BJ’s Earth’s Pride Chicken & Rice, and Wal-Mart Pure Balance Stews.

Here are some brands to check out that I currently feed or have fed:
Blue Buffalo Home-style, by Nature (no 95% recipes), California Natural, Canidae Pure Sky or Foundations, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Eagle Pack, Halo Spot’s Stew or Spot’s Choice recipes, Holistic Select, Hill’s Ideal Balance stews, Lotus, Nature’s Recipe canned or tubs, Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed recipes, Precise, Purina Pro Plan Natural recipes, Purina Beyond, Red Barn stews, Tiki Dog, Wellness – Core, Simple, Complete Health, or Stew recipes, and Weruva Human Style or Dogs in the Kitchen recipes only (Kobe/Kurobuta recipes are canned by Evanger’s).

Low fat recipes; most are available at my local stores. I order Life’s Abundance from their website. Generally I find stews to be higher in protein and lower in fat, but not always. These are between 12-20% fat and below 25% carbs on a dry matter basis using their label info:
Fromm’s Shredded Beef
I and Love and You Stews
Life’s Abundance Turkey & Shrimp or Chic & Crab stews
Nature’s Recipe Pure Essentials LID GF Chic/Broth or GF Lamb/Broth
Nature’s Recipe Pure Essentials tubs LID Duck or LID Venison
Nature’s Recipe tubs GF Chic & Duck in broth or GF Chic & Venison in broth
Nature’s Recipe tubs Chicken in broth or Chic & Turkey in broth
Nature’s Recipe GF Chic & Turkey stew or Chic & Venison Stew
Purina Beyond GF stews
Red Barn Beef Stew
Tiki Dog – Kauai Luau, Lahaina Luau, Maui Luau, or Tonga Luau recipes
Weruva – Marbella Paella, Bed & Breakfast, or Paw Lickin’ Chicken recipes
Wellness Core Weight Management

These are 22-25% fat and below 25% carbs DMB:
Halo Sr. Beef
Merrick Golden Years Medley
Nutro Natural Choice LID Sr.
Precise Holistic Pork w/veg in gravy
Red Barn Chic, Turkey, or Steak & Egg stews
Wal-Mart Pure Balance stews
Wellness Stews

Here are some freeze dried/frozen commercial raw and dehydrated foods I feed. I use the same guidelines for these foods:
I and Love and You dehydrated Turkey (I also want to try the Beef and Chicken)
Nature’s Variety Raw Frozen Beef, Lamb, and Venison
Primal FD Turkey & Sardine, Frozen Venison, and frozen Turkey & Sardine
Stella & Chewy’s FD Chicken

Here is some info you might find helpful:
/choosing-dog-food/canned-or-dry-dog-food/
/dog-feeding-tips/how-much-dog-food/
/canine-nutrition/low-fat-dog-food/
/choosing-dog-food/dry-matter-basis/
/choosing-dog-food/raw-dog-food-fat/
http://www.dogaware.com/diet/freshfoods.html
Carb calculator:
http://www.scheyderweb.com/cats/catfood.html

[Allyson D]

Isee this post is over 6 months old, but I’ll comment anyway. I just got my rescue pup about a week ago and found dogfoodadvisor in a search. Glad to see my food got 4 stars. I wanted to try the Kirkland, but there are no Costcos anywhere near where I moved to. I get Pure Balance, which is available at WalMart for 32.88 for a 30lb bag–$1.10/lb. Not too shabby…

[Cheryl N]

The company that makes Pure Balanced dry dog food called me. They said all the ingredients are from USA, except, they get their “vitamin Pack” from China. that did not make me too happy.

[CircaRigel]

Carolyn,
Congratulations on your puppy! I’ve not known a Golden Mountain Doodle, but having known some Bernese Mountain Dogs, a Newfiedoodle, and a number of golden and labradoodles, and based on my experiences with them, I think you’re in for a wonderful experience!

I would hesitate to feed Wellness right now (or Eagle Pack, Holistic Select, or Old Mother Hubbard). All of the kibbles made by Wellpet right now contain green tea extract, which a number of studies has shown can cause liver toxicity in dogs. While the amount in the foods is probably not enough to have much of a toxic effect, those studies were on grown dogs, and puppies may react differently. Prior to my discovering this, I had tried to make a slow transition to Wellness for my own puppy, and he developed diarrhea immediately, even though he only had a couple of tablespoons of the food with his first meal. I had thought it perhaps just a simple sensitivity, until I looked at other Vine reviews of it on Amazon (I occasionally review things on Amazon in their Vine program- the items are random, and from time to time they offer a quality dog food I wish to try Galen on). Approximately 10% of the dogs that tested it on Vine became ill, in two cases, extremely ill. After I did some checking, I found the research showing the toxicity (several studies were stopped early because of it), and also discovered that all of the WellPet foods have green tea extract.

I immediately switched Galen to Canidae Large and Giant breed puppy at that time (which I chose on my own, based on ingredients, calcium/phosphorus levels, and the inclusion of probiotics et. al- not something I was sent for review purposes). He also gets Tripett green beef tripe (which naturally contains digestive enzymes, which are beneficial to digestion and nutrient absorption). For treats, he gets Sojos freeze dried raw lamb and Natural Balance Potato and Kangaroo Limited Ingredient dog food (another thing I was sent a sample of, but is too expensive for me to actually use as his primary food). I also give him an occasional raw beef soup bone.

Now that he’s 8 months old, I’ve transitioned him to Canidae Grain Free Pure Sea, which also has the highest ratings on Dog Food Advisor. At this age, they can properly metabolize calcium, so it’s not as imperative to keep levels so low. There has also been some recent research among giant breed breeders and vets that suggests they may also do better being weaned directly to an adult food- but one that meets the calcium/phosphorus recommendations for large and giant breed puppies. They say that the extra calories in the puppy foods tend to be empty calories, and that the adult foods may have greater nutritional benefit, ounce for ounce.

Hope this helps!
Belinda

[Pitlove]

Hi Cheryl- I’ve fed Pure Balance Bison once. Just a 5lb bag and had no issues, but that does not really tell much. Pure Balance is by the makers of Ol’Roy, however they are manufactured in different plants, by different manufacturing companies.

Let us know what they write back. If they claim the information on their sourcing is proprietary, I would not feed the food.

[Cheryl N]

Is there any information on “Pure Balance” Lamb and Brown Rice Recipe? I called the number on the bag. they told me the company “Ainsworth” makes it. USA, Pennsylvania. They could not tell me if any ingredients came from Chine. they are suppose to get back to me. But I wanted to know if you have any information on it?
Cheryl

[Pitlove]

Hi Lindsay-

The advice above does not really apply to you unless you have a dog that has a certain medical condition, which a presciption diet may or may not address. A normal healthy dog can and should be able to eat a normal diet which would be high in quality animal protein, moderate to low in fat and very low in carbs.

If you take the time to review the ingredients in Royal Canin, you will notice they use a large amount of corn and rice as their main source of carbs/protein. The food contains no other source of animal protein aside from animal by-products. By-products are a normal part of a dogs diet, however I would call the company and question the quality of the by-products before feeding. E.G make sure they can tell you what part of the chicken they come from and are they human grade.

Around here RC is considered a low quality food with a very high price tag. If you head over to the review side of the website you can find many 4-5 star rated foods that are lower in price and higher in quality than RC.

Some I can recommend that I have fed that found my dog did well on were Fromm, Orijen, EVO, Pure Balance and I am about to get him Wysong Epigen.

I would absolutely NOT suggest ever getting food from your vet that you can buy in a regular store as well. The mark up is insane and you are paying a premium price when you don’t have to. A prescription diet and the regular RC formulas are different as one is vet only and the other is not.

Also vet’s typically do not have training in canine nutrition. They will tell you this. If you have concerns, seek the advice of an actual canine nutritionist in your area or at a local college. Vet’s will always recommend RC, Science Diet and Purina because it’s what they are taught in school are quality foods. They know little beyond that knowledge.

[DogFoodie]

Aww, poor little girl!

First thing that I thought of was The Honest Kitchen, so I definitely like your dehydrated idea. Canned foods would be a good choice also. Pure Balance at Wal-Mart is very good quality that’s budget friendly. You could add a bit more water if necessary to thin it out a bit.

Something else to consider might be FreshPet foods. Mine like the pouch meals and the piece are soft. She should be able to chew those with just her jaw bones.

My friend had a little, tiny, old terrier with no teeth and a big tongue. The cute thing is that her tongue is always hanging out.

Good luck with your little girl! I’ll pray that they are adopted together.