[Naturella]

Hi, Dawn, and welcome to DFA! I commend you for the decision to switch your babies from Beneful – it is really one of the worst foods out there, along with other popular brands.

What I would recommend is switching your dogs gradually over 1-2 weeks to a mid-grade dog food at first, because switching directly to a 4-5-star food may really upset their tummies. I have a couple of recommendations. You can use Rachael Ray from Walmart, Nutro Natural Choice, or Authority (a PetSmart brand) as your mid-grade food. Look on this website for foods that are around 3 stars to begin with. Once you have transitioned to such a food and your dogs’ stool is good, and they are ok on it (keep them on it for about a month), I recommend Pure Balance (a Walmart store brand dog food, but it’s actually pretty decent) grain-inclusive and grain-free, Rachael Ray Zero Grain, Nulo (a Petsmart brand), Earthborn Holistic, Dr. Tim’s, Annamaet, and Victor are all pretty good, reliable foods in the 4-5-star range. I have fed many of these foods to my dog and have some lined up to feed for the future as well. Many of these you won’t find in big box stores like Petsmart and Petco so shopping online would be the way to go. Websites like petflow.com , chewy.com , wag.com often have deals on many of these good foods. Victor you can get from sportdogfood.com The kibbles are nice and small so even the chiweenie can eat it, and such is the case with most of these foods except Dr. Tim’s – the kibble is a tad bigger, but not huge at all.

Also, feel free to try all of the above brands – rotation of foods is essential for the dog’s health and you can learn more about that here: /frequently-asked-questions/diet-rotation-for-dogs/

Good luck and keep us posted on how it goes!

[neezerfan]

Check out this page. Pure Balance brand and Rachael Ray’s Nutrish are available at Walmart and are lower priced. Nutrisource is lower priced too
/best-dog-foods/best-puppy-foods/best-dry-puppy-foods-4-star/

[Peggy]

Hi everyone, I haven’t been here in a little while. Life happens.

Anyway, Yesterday morning, my fur sweeties had Pure Balance Salmon & Pea grain free kibble, diced green beans, canned Salmon and a bit of Salmon ‘juice’ on their kibble.

For dinner they had a mix of Pure Balance Salmon & Peas grain-free and PB Bison & Peas grain free kibble, with PB Chicken & Carrots in light gravy. I put a bit of warm water on LadyBug’s kibble because she really does not like the larger Bison & Peas kibble chunks. Even though she’s a larger dog, she favors small kibble for whatever reason.

This morning, they had Lamb and Brown Rice kibble with broiled ground pork, diced cooked carrots, and ground flax seed.

Tonight they will have the PB Lamb & Brown Rice kibble again, with PB Lamb Pate’ in the tubs.

[Naturella]

@Oleanderz, I will answer a couple of the questions you had to Dori, if both of you don’t mind – dogs can eat plain yoghurt, plain Greek yoghurt, and plain kefir. None of the fruity stuff – just too much sugar and other additives. Pumpkin doesn’t necessarily help with digestion per se, but it provides a lot of fiber, which helps calm the tummy, balance the stool and the bowel movements, and is overall a pretty good tummy additive when switching foods if problems occur. We tend to use canned plain pumpkin from the grocery store as it is already conveniently cooked and pureed in a can, but if you want to go through the trouble of peeling pumpkin, boiling/baking it, and pureeing/mushing it up, you also can. At the grocery store make sure you get plain (100%) pumpkin (and not pumpkin pie filling) cans.

Ok, now to my questions, lol:
When my roommate’s dog had her spaying surgery, he also lived in an apartment and his dog (Casey) was already pretty big, but for the day of the surgery he carried her up and down 3 floors for her to go potty. He didn’t want her stretching and pulling stitches and what not. I don’t know how feasible that will be with Lucille… Or if it’s even necessary, that’s just what he did. You may want to talk to the vet about that and see if she can stay overnight at least for the first day so that she doesn’t have to go up and down steps so much. We also carried Bruno on his surgery day, but he was small (still is), and by the next day he just ran out the door, perky and happy like he didn’t just lose his balls, lol. But talk to the vet about that, or maybe some of the pros will be able to answer. When she is healed, you can exercise her as normal, but not while healing.

Hm, I will look at chewy.com for small Dr. Tim’s – I have fed Kinesis GF, but I really wanted to try Momentum, Pursuit, and RPM… Haven’t seen them in small bags though.

Lucille is a German Shepherd, right? I would probably rotate her every large (not medium) bag for now, just to let her tummy get used to switching slowly, i.e. – you do the rotation, then she has a good amount of time to get used to the new food, then you rotate again, time of “rest” from the switch. If in a few bags all rotations go well, just rotate as you prefer – you can start rotating every medium bag, or just keep it at every large bag. It really is up to you how often you want to rotate, and how she’s taking it. I like to switch up every month or so, and luckily, a small bag lasts us just the right amount of time for that. I have, however, used larger bags even for Bruno (yes, that’s him in the picture, my cutie patootie) – 15 lb Dr. Tim’s Kinesis GF and 3 14-lb bags of Earthborn Holistic GF (Coastal Catch, Great Plains Feast, Primitive Natural), but after Coastal Catch, which lasted like 3 months, I decided to half them and put a different food in between them, as you can see from Bruno’s menu list, lol. Your rotation plan sounds good, I would also switch up the protein with every bag, for example:

EB CC – Dr. Tim’s Momentum – Nulo FS Lamb – Victor High Pro GF –
EB PN – Dr. Tim’s RPM GF – Nulo FS Turkey – Victor Yukon Salmon GF –
EB GPF – Dr. Tim’s Pursuit – Nulo FS Trim Cod – Victor Joint Health –
EB MF – Dr. Tim’s Kinesis GF – Nulo FS Salmon – Victor Ultra Pro – repeat!

*** EDIT *** – Don’t forget that Dr. Tim’s formulas Momentum and Pursuit are not GF! Everything else is. So you can switch between RPM and Kinesis GF to keep it all GF. Does Lucille have a grain allergy, or do you just like the idea of a food being GF? I used to think GF was better until I learned that dogs/wolves in the wild do consume a bit of the stomach content of the prey they kill, which is, often times, grains, fruits, vegetables, and greens, hence those foods contain those ingredients as well. But it is the meat content that matters most, so I still think that Dr. Tim’s grain-inclusive foods are a really good choice. The grain-inclusive Kinesis is the the only one rated 4 stars, all the rest are 5 stars. But you can use the GF Kinesis instead of the GI one. 🙂

This schedule provides diverse recipes and protein sources and if you choose to use bags that last Lucille about a month each, she will be set for about 16 months before a single recipe is repeated! Or 12 months, if you don’t use Victor. Feel free to use the above “meal plan” if you want, I hope it helps in giving you an idea of meal rotation and protein diversification. Or, you can switch the list up, or not use it at all, whatever works for your dog. 🙂

As for my lists, lol, thank you! Feel free to use them as templates anytime, lol, they are NOT proprietary information, lol! I made them for hubby’s ease in feeding Bru when/if I’m gone. And it did take me about an hour to look at all my foods, their expiration dates, and sort them out by dates and also by protein variety, which warranted the freezing of some foods and refrigeration of others… I did scrap some papers in the process, lol, but eventually made it work! So yeah. The toppers were easier to figure out as I only put a bit of each, and they are things I normally have around the house, except for the THK stuff – I mean, I do have it in the house, but it’s not like people-food. Eggs, yoghurt, coconut oil, sardines, and RMBs are though, so yeah.

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

[Kimberly C]

The most recent diets/supplements I’ve had him on are PetDiets.com and BalanceIt, both recommended by my vets. One of my vets suggested taking him off chicken to see if he was allergic. I took him off the white chicken for a while and it seemed to help some, and when we put him back on the white meat he seemed to itch more. I’ve also tried the “Honest Kitchen”, numerous premium canned foods, dry dog foods (which he absolutely hates) and have use some recipes from Dr. Pitcairn’s book (except I lightly cooked the meat) and Janie Knetzer’s book, “Home Cooking For Sick Dogs”. Some of the vitamin/mineral supplements I used with these have been “Vitalmix” which I bought from Purely Pets, and Drs. Foster and Smith multivitamin. The list goes on and on, but these are the main ones.

[Dori]

Hi Kimberly C. It sounds as though your dog is having food intolerances/sensitivities. First off he should be on grain free foods. Avoid corn, soy, white potatoes, rice and all poultry. That’s for starters. You also mention that your dog has seizures. Very important is to avoid any foods that contain rosemary in any form.

I have three small dogs all of which are on commercial raw dog foods. One of my girls has a multitude of food intolerances which is what led me on the road to raw feeding about three years ago. I started by eliminating all the ingredients I mentioned above. I feed commercial raw foods. I’m not inclined to make my own because, well…. truth be told I just don’t feel like doing it. Here is the list of commercial raw food companies that I have researched to death over the years and that I trust. Primal Raw Pronto, Primal Raw Formulas (these are Primal’s complete and balanced foods…you don’t have to add anything to them in the way of supplements). Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Dog Foods, Vital Essential Raw Foods, OC Raw Dog Food, Answer’s Detailed Raw Frozen. I also from time to time have on hand their freeze dried foods (they’re raw and you can feed as is without hydrating). As for dehydrated foods, the only one I use is The Honest Kitchen’s Zeal formula. The others contain some type of poultry or white potatoes that I choose not to feed. I feed what is called a rotational diet. I rotate different brands and different proteins within the brands with the exception of any and all poultry. I also do not feed any commercial treats. For the most part they all contain some sort of grain and there have been way too many recalls of dog treats for me to take a chance with my dogs. For treats I feed them little pieces of fruits and vegetables. Sometimes I puree them. Sometimes they’re cooked from our dinner. For the most part since I use them as treats for them I’m not particularly concerned about how much nutritional value they get from the fruits and veggies. The enjoy them, as they would a commercial treat, and that is my intent in giving them to them. If they get some nutritional value from them, even a little, that’s great; if not, that’s not the purpose I give them the treats. Of course you know you can go on google and just google what fruits and vegetables you can feed your dogs or go in reverse and type in what fruits and veggies you should not be feeding your dogs. Always, of course avoid onions, grapes, raisins. As for fruits, never feed anything that still has it’s pit or seeds. They tend to be toxic. As for apples I always don’t feed the peel. Apples are sprayed continuously to detract worms. They are also highly waxed to appear pretty for the consumer. I think I read somewhere, but don’t now remember where, that the skin of an apple has more bacteria than any other fruit on the market. That would probably hold true for cucumbers on the market due to the same reasons. I feed both but I peel them. Hope any of this has helped you. If you have any other questions, please ask.

Please remember to check any and all foods you feed your seizure dog so that you avoid rosemary in any form. Studies have shown (in people so far as no study has been done in animals as of yet) that if one has a predisposition to seizures, rosemary can trigger a seizure.

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

[Oleanderz]

Dori- Thank you for the tips! I’ll take them to heart. I really wish I could get my mind together on a balanced rotation though. I don’t want her to get sick or anything without me there noticing. Going away as far as I do every weekend, I rely on my brothers and my mom for weekday care. I kind of need to be smart with timing for her rotation because once I leave back for school, they’d probably go ahead and feed her the new food immediately if I don’t call them in the morning.
Yes, I know certain plants and fruits are toxic to dogs, I was just really unaware when she was growing up. Dogs can eat yogurt??? Like what kinds just plain? And speaking of what they can eat with do people usually use canned pumpkin or fresh pumpkin for help with digestion? Do you puree those foods or can you just chop it up and add it to their food?
The first thing she normally attacks is the wet food tubs, she can’t get enough of them. Again another thing I wish I could train her in, but I can’t be there the whole week to watch her eat for twenty minutes. If I do that on the weekends then by the following weekend she’d be back to the old “I’ll eat when I want habits”. Though you are head on with that last part. Between my mom and two brothers we constantly “spoil” her. I’ve added up the snacks between the three kong (treat dispensing) toys, jw balls and trixie puzzle games thats A LOT of meals she’s been replacing with snacks. I’ll have to hold a meeting the next time I’m home. Thanks a bunch Dori! I’ll try and give some of your methods a shot.

Naturella- It feels like I am! You guys are the best!!
Won’t she have trouble walking? I hope she won’t have problems getting to do her business, she lives in an apartment buliding and it’s two (albeit short) flights of steps.
They sell 5 lb bags of the Kinesis GF version on Chewy.com I think?
EB’s tubs are kind of thick, I wouldn’t say the liquified parts seem like soup, it’s more like gravy and lots of meat– depending on the recipe you choose. That’s wonderful, good to hear Nulo is a great brand, Chewy.com sells it and it I can buy I’m bulk for food I’d rather! So should I rotate every Dr. Tim’s 15- Nulo 11- and EB 14 lb bag, or should I stick with every Dr. Tim’s 30- Nulo 24- and EB 28 lb bag? and would this be a decent rotation or should I add another main to it. I haven’t even truly decided on all of her toppers yet. Thank you for the coupons as well! So kind of you (; w ; ) Oh my gosh.
I can only hope to keep her on a steady routine, wish us luck. Got it no, onions, grapes or raisins.
Wow, talk about organization. This is amazing, how long did it take you to wind to this list? I’m going to try and make up a schedule too, do you mind if I make one based on this design? Alright so Earthborn GF, Nulo Freestyle and Dr.Tim’s are all on my list so far! Thanks for all of the help!

[Bobby dog]

Aquariangt:
Thanks for the Cats in the Kitchen info! I am going to buy a few cans to try even though it’s not pate’. You never know, they might like it and it’s on sale this month. Did you see my original post on Pure Balance cat foods on page 61? They have a Chicken & Turkey that is diced and not allot of sauce that my finicky of finickiest kitty just loves; she’s still eating it. My cats don’t like anything but pate’s most times and if I remember correctly your kitty likes that type of food. It’s worth a shot anyway. I probably described it better in my other post. lol

I always forget about Soulistic cat food.

Natures Variety has a coupon each month too if you sign up with their e-mail notifications.

[Bobby dog]

Shawn:
At Wal-Mart check out Purina Beyond and Pure Balance. They just rolled the Pure Balance cat food out so they may not have all recipes in stock. It’s 94 cents/3.5 oz. tub. I haven’t contacted anyone to confirm manufacturers, but Ainsworth manufactures the PB dog kibble and Simmons the PB canned dog food. I am assuming it would be the same for the cat food, but you never know.
http://www.walmart.com/search/?query=pure%20balance%20cat%20food&typeahead=pure%20balance%20cat%20food

4Health at TSC; the canned is manufactured by Simmons, GF kibble Ainsworth, grain inclusive kibble Diamond. As I wrote in my previous post, check with Ainsworth to confirm if they still manufacture the GF kibble.
http://www.ainsworthpets.com/

I am rusty on Petsmart and Petco budget friendly brands. I order over the Internet from both stores; I haven’t stepped into one of their stores for many years. Petsmart has their house brands Authority and Simply Nourish that are budget friendly for dog food, check out those brands.

Other budget friendly canned I feed; all are pates’:
Friskies – Poultry Platter, Special Diet Turkey & Giblets, and Special Diet Beef & Chicken.
Fancy Feast – Classic Tender Liver & Chicken and Classic Turkey & Giblets
Sheba – all pates’ that don’t have fish listed in the name of the recipe
Purina One – Classic Turkey, Chicken, or Beef recipes
Pro Plan Finesse – Chicken & Liver or you might find it under it’s new name True Nature Natural Chicken & Liver entree’ classic

For all things cat related check out these sites:

Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition

Home

http://www.naturalcatcareblog.com/
http://www.felinecrf.org/
The last site has info on a specific feline health condition. I reference this website for food recommendations.

[Peggy]

So for breakfast this morning, my poochies had their usual amount of PB kibble with a few pieces of Bison & Peas kibble added, and a PB tub of beef in gravy w/carrots & sun-dried tomatoes. They loved it and ate it all. However, my son’s dad later gave them some Jimmy Dean’s sausage, egg & cheese croissant, which made LadyBug vomit everything. UGH!

For dinner tonight, they had their Pure Balance Salmon & Peas kibble (1/3 c for Tebow and 3/4 c for Lady Bug), fresh carrots cooked and diced, and canned salmon. I poured a bit of salmon “juice” over their dinners and mixed it all up. They ate it all. Even came begging for more, lol. They did not get it, of course! 🙂

The remainder of the can is in a plastic container in the fridge for either Thursday or Friday.

[Bobby dog]

Hello cat people:
I have had a crazy schedule lately and I have been meaning to post my cats’ review of the Pure Balance kibble and wet foods, so here we go.

My Wal-Mart only stocked the GF Turkey, GF Turkey & Chic in sauce, and GF Salmon tubs. They had two kibbles, chic & brown rice or salmon. There might be more kibble recipes, my Wal-Mart doesn’t always stock everything.

I try to stay away from larger fish so the salmon was out. I bought the other two recipes at 94 cents each. Most of my cats did not like the GF Turkey, it’s a firm pate’ style food. All the cats, especially the finicky ones, loved the GF Chic & Turkey in sauce. It did not have much sauce and when you scoop it onto a plate it pretty much holds its form. My cats never liked this style of food, but they loved this one. I am definitely adding the GF Chic & Turkey in sauce to their rotation.

The Chic & Brown Rice kibble was 3.5 lbs/$7.78 & 7 lbs/$14.92 and they all loved it. It’s very small in size; if you have fed Fromm’s Four Star kibbles it is that size smushed flat. Fromm’s is small and round, smaller than Wellness Core kibbles. It’s higher in carbs than I like and is similar ingredient wise to Purina Beyond kibbles. I will throw it into the rotation here and there since they refuse to give up kibble. So there you have it, two paws up for two out of three! 😉

aquariangt: If you happen to read this you might want to give the GF Chic & Turkey in sauce a try. I think it’s your kitty that likes the minced/chunk style wet foods.

[Ronald]

<quote>Retha thanks for the response.. I did use Pedigree for years and even recommend it to others, no more though..At the top of the page check out the Reviews.. on types of foods..

If there is a Wal-Mart close to you go the pet section and give Pro Balance a try, you can buy small bags. Salmon and peas seems like a good start..This food is all grain free.</quote>

Retha I meant to tell you “Pure Balance” you can get it at Wal Mart.

Ron.

[Ronald]

I had to go look to make sure..

Pure Balance is what I got..

[Peggy]

Ronald, did you get Pro Balance, or Pure Balance. 🙂

[Melissaandcrew]

HI Ronald. Some people love Diamond products. Due to the extensive recalls, I personally will not use anything made by them, nor could I recommend it. There are budget friendly good foods out there. Pure balance, Victor, Hi Tek, Nutrisource, propac are just some of them.

[Peggy]

This morning, the kids had their usual Pure Balance Salmon & Pea grain-free dry food with –
1/4 can of PB Beef stew w/ carrots and brown rice, LadyBug had the other 3/4 of the can. I added a bit of ground flax seed because they love the taste.

Tonight, I baked a large pork loin steak (unseasoned), cut it up into tiny pieces, and gave Tebow 1/4 of it and LadyBug the rest, added diced cooked carrots, and mixed it with their 1/4 c and 3/4 c of PB Salmon & Pea kibble.

Had two happy canine campers today! ♥

[Peggy]

c4c – if I was a football fan, I’d have been right in there with y’all. lol.

This morning my Tebow and LadyBug had 1/4 c and 3/4 c of PB Salmon & Pea grain-free kibble (respectively) moistened, 2 tubs (3.5 oz each) of PB grain-free Beef dinner w/ carrots and sun-dried tomatoes (3/4 tub for Tebow and 1 1/4 tub for LadyBug), and 1 scrambled egg divided between them.
Each cleaned their bowl up!

If anyone wonders why I always mention my kids cleaning their bowl, it’s because LadyBug has a serious food sensitivity, in addition to being a very picky eater, and she’s never eaten all of her food, and in fact, depending on what I fed them, didn’t eat it at all. She is what I call a “sniffy eater”. She sniffs everything and if she doesn’t like the smell, she’s not eating. I’m sure the sniffing has to do with the breeds – she is a Shepherd/Lab mix. BUT, since switching to Pure Balance, she rarely leaves anything at all in her bowl.

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

[LabsRawesome]

Hi Flowers, you’re welcome! Sounds like your pup is off to a great start. 🙂 Yes, canned is definitely better than dry. Caned is higher in meat protein, species appropriate, moisture rich, contains no preservatives. Here’s a list of the best 5 star puppy foods. You have to scroll down a bit to see the list. /best-dog-foods/best-puppy-foods/best-canned-puppy-foods-5-star/ I use 2 from this list Pure Balance Puppy Stew @ Walmart $1 per can and Costco’s Nature’s Domain $20 for a case of 24 cans. Your puppy would probably eat about 1 can per day.

[Dog_Obsessed]

That does not look like a high-quality food at all. Pure Balance is good, but you said they didn’t like it. Possible they would like a different formula better? Also, when ordering online, is is shipping you’re concerned about, or the price of the food itself?

[crazy4cats]

Ha ha! One of my dogs ate Pure Balance’s new wet cat food this morning also. He snuck in the cat’s room and ate up all the food that they turned their noses up at. Naughty puppy! They can smell uneaten cat food from a mile away!

GO HAWKS! 🙂

[Peggy]

Sooo I went to the store yesterday and purchased a few tubs (3.5 oz each) of Pure Balance cat food. They have a wider variety of flavors than the dog food does. I got Turkey & Sweet potatoes, Salmon & Sweet potatoes, and Turkey & Peas. They won’t be eating it all the time of course, only to give them a change from their regular dog food flavors.

Anyway, this morning they had their Salmon & Pea dry with Salmon & Sweet potatoes cat food. ALL gone! 😀

[crazy4cats]

I bought a couple today also. And yes, more expensive than I was hoping for as well. Shoot, the canned dog food is four times bigger and only 6 cents more. I don’t get it. It’s frustrating trying to feed cats a decent food on a budget. I’ll try it out in the morning. Oh and btw, they also had pure balance dry cat food that looked good too! Three or four different flavors.
Oh, and another btw,

• This reply was modified 10 years, 10 months ago by crazy4cats.

[Ronald]

Went to Wal mart picked up two bags of Pure Brand dry dog food.

One bag of salmon and peas and one bag of chicken and brown rice..

Came home and took Abby out for a walk at three, in the mean time the wife opened the bag and put almost two cut of the salmon dry food in her dish..

When we came back in maybe 45 minutes later, she headed for her dish, as she usually does to get a drink of fresh water, her other dry food is always there but she seldom ate it.. This time she dove right in to the salmon dry food and finished it off, so I gave her another cup thinking maybe a mistake, she took to it and ate it all..

Now the first 5 years of her life was spent elsewhere, then I took her in.. I was wondering if maybe the other owners gave her this type of dry food..I was thinking maybe this was why, maybe she had this food before I got her..

Well I’ll see how this goes over the next few days..Either she’ll continue eating this product or snub it.. She never was a picky eater, she was at first when I got her, I guess I taught her some bad habits like cookies, ice cream, potato chips and a few more goodies..

So thanks for the advice folks..

Ron..

• This topic was modified 10 years, 10 months ago by Ronald.

[weezerweeks]

Hey Bobby Dog, I bought a can of the pure balance chicken and salmon cat tin today at Walmart. It was .94 and it’s 3.5 oz. I’ll see if my cat likes it in the morning.

[Bobby dog]

Hey cat people, Pure Balance has rolled out their wet cat food line. They don’t have the label on the website and I don’t know the price. Be on the lookout at your Wal-Mart if you’re interested! 😉

http://www.walmart.com/search/?query=pure%20balance%20cat%20food&cat_id=5440

[Peggy]

I’ll have to look that up, never heard of taurine ha.

WOO HOO! My dogs are going to love me forever when they get the Salmon recipes and Turkey & Sweet Potatoes. 😀

Thank you!

Oh and here’s a link for you –
http://www.walmart.com/search/?query=Pure%20Balance%20Pet%20food&page=2&cat_id=5440

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

[Peggy]

Well I’m a bit ticked off.

While browsing through the Pure Balance dog food recipes on Walmart.com, PB cat food recipes in the tubs also came up. The cats have a larger variety of flavors than the dogs do! 🙁

The cats have Salmon grain-free, Salmon & Sweet Potatoes, Turkey & sweet potatoes, Turkey grain-free, and Beef.

The dogs have Chicken dinner, Beef dinner, Lamb Pate’ in the tubs, and Chicken stew and Beef stew dinners in the can, plus the two 95% cans that both have chicken in them.

Is it relatively safe to feed my dogs some cat food occasionally? Like once per week? I know they would LOVE that salmon & sweet potatoes and the turkey & sweet potatoes.

I’m reaching I know, but still……….

[Peggy]

It is beneath The Bottom Line, still a part of the review –

“Pure Balance Grain Free is a plant-based dry dog food using a moderate amount of Salmon and Salmon meal as its main sources of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4 stars.

Highly recommended.”

[Ronald]

Wholesome Mommy like it: http://wholesomemommy.com/pure-balance-dog-food-review/

[Peggy]

Ronald, no more wrong than I was, or 75% of the US population, so don’t beat yourself up.
After leaving Pedigree, I moved to Blue Buffalo Basics which my Tebow liked – a little too much. He gained weight like crazy. LadyBug vomited.

I think she has food sensitivities, so we switched to Wellness Core grain-free reduced fat.
They both hated it, lol. Would not eat a single bite. I was discussing other brands with members here, and how being a single mom I can’t afford the high-priced stuff. Someone mentioned Pure Balance, which I looked up here and saw the good ratings. So I googled it and discovered you can only find it at Walmart.

I was floored that a food sold at walmart had such a high rating. And except for the chicken recipe, they love it. Especially the can lamb and dry Salmon & Pea recipe. And although it’s at the very top end of my budget, I can still swing it. Carefully. 🙂

[Ronald]

Thanks Peggy, I’ve been on the site most of the morning reading, and reading, gets confusing.. I like to see answers as to what others have done and used..
Pure Balance has a 4 star rating..
I have a few pet stores around me I’m in South Lyon Michigan..
There is a Walmart in the next Town from us..I will check Pet Supplies Plus first before heading over to Walmart..
Thanks for posting the info. I appreciate this..
Abby has put some pounds on, I was reading the label this morning and Pedigree is loaded with by products..
For years I always thought Pedigree was a good food..How wrong could I have been..

Ron..

[Peggy]

Ronald, I fed my dogs Pedigree for about 4-5 yrs as well…. until I can to this site!

They’re now eating Pure Balance. All of the recipes both dry and can, are rated 3.5 – 4 stars. My dogs LOVE the Salmon & Pea grain-free recipe and most of the can, except for chicken. But they didn’t like Pedigree chicken either, so I guess they just don’t like chicken.

BTW, you can get Pure Balance at Walmart.

[Peggy]

I thought the 4 stars was the combination of both recipes as well.
But it clearly says: “Pure Balance Grain Free is a plant-based dry dog food using a moderate amount of salmon and salmon meal as its main sources of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4 stars.”

This can be very confusing for people new to the website.

[Bobby dog]

The salmon rates 3.5 stars as noted next to the recipe.

It is my understanding the 4 star rating is the average for both recipes within the Pure Balance GF line. If recipes within a line warrant a different rating it is noted next to the recipe.

“◾Pure Balance Wild and Free Bison and Pea Recipe (4.5 stars)
◾Pure Balance Grain Free Salmon and Pea Recipe (3.5 stars)”
/dog-food-reviews/pure-balance-grain-free-dog-food/

Wellness also has a recipe that is rated different within the Core line; there are several other brands with different ratings within recipes too:
/dog-food-reviews/wellness-dog-food-core-dry/

Recipes containing more protein from quality meat sources are typically rated higher than foods with more plant based proteins. Here is the criteria for DFA ratings:
/frequently-asked-questions/rate-dog-food/

[Peggy]

I’m confused about a dog food rating on this site, so thought I would ask.

Pure Balance has 2 grain-free recipes, Wild & Free Bison and Pea , and Salmon and Pea Recipe. The Bison and Pea is rated 4 stars, while Salmon and Pea is rated 3.5 stars.

Salmon and Pea is used for the review, and at the end of the review, says
“Pure Balance Grain Free is a plant-based dry dog food using a moderate amount of salmon and salmon meal as its main sources of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4 stars.

Highly recommended.”

So my question is – Is the Pure Balance Salmon & Peas recipe rated 3.5 or 4 stars?

[Peggy]

This morning, I fed my dogs Pure Balance (PB) Salmon & Peas dry (1/4 c for Tebow, 1 c for LadyBug, moistened w/ warm water), 1/4 can of PB Chicken for Tebow, 3/4 can for LadyBug, 2 medium scrambled eggs divided between them.

Neither of them ate ONE SINGLE BITE. grrrr.
I picked it up after 1/2 hour. Dinner is at 4 pm.

NOTE: I am slowly learning that my dogs do not like Chicken, in any form, and they are sensitive to beef.
Which narrows me to seafood, pork, and lamb.

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

[Peggy]

My babies had Pure Balance Salmon & Pea dry with a bit of warm water, 1/2 tsp of pumpkin for Tebow and a tsp for LadyBug, white rice, and broiled ground turkey.

[Peggy]

Mike, Walmart does this for their Pure Balance brand.

[Peggy]

My dogs are doing very well on the Pure Balance Duck & sweet potato treats. I also have a bag of the PB Crunchy Caramel Apple treats, but LadyBug does not like those as well.

[Naturella]

Nutro Natural Choice Small Breed Puppy is what I’d recommend for now. I fed this to my small terrier mix, he did well on it, and it is rated 4.5 stars. You can also check out the “Coupons” thread that has great advice on scouting deals on dog food.
If you would shop online, websites like: http://www.chewy.com , http://www.petflow.com , http://www.wag.com , http://www.sportdogfood.com have great deals on foods. Brands I would look into are Earthborn Holistic, Victor (small kibble size too), NutriSource (affordable in most areas, but not in the Atlanta, GA area apparently), and other brands.
If you shop at Walmart, Pure Balance would be my go-to.
Also, often, stores like PetCo and PetSmart have great deals with their pet rewards points/perks, whatever they are called, and PetCo has this calendar thing, with a TON of coupons for money off of foods, treats, etc.
Rotating the flavors within a brand and switching brands (over time) is also good for your dog AND it allows you to take advantage of all kinds of deals than sticking with one food only.

But yes, I’d also keep him on puppy/all-life-stages/growth foods for now.

Let us know if you have any more questions!

[lisa W]

I am starting to see a lot of marketing of the DFA rating on pet food packages in stores or on signage at certain retailers. Can any company use the DFA rating as part of their marketing campaign or are they paying a fee? IandLoveandYou has the 5 star rating as a sticker applied to the packaging and Pure Balance has the 4 star rating on their website.

[Douglas L]

Ok I have a small breed puppy(chihuahua/mix) that is 9 weeks old and 7lbs. He was weened with purina puppy chow, and I’m almost done with the bag. I know the puppy chow is not very good so I’m looking for something better, however I’m not looking to spend $30 bucks on a 6lb bag of dry food.

I have read about puppy and adult food and it seems that the large breed puppies are the ones that need the puppy formulas. So can I switch to adult small breed food now or do I need to keep giving him puppy formula food and for how long?

I’m looking at a couple brands I can get local, pure balance, purina smartblend, Innova, iams naturals, natural choice. Just to give y’all an idea where I’m at, I would like to be around $20-$30 a 10-15lb bag. What do y’all recommend, I’m trying to stay away from cheap corn food, but not wanting to make the jump to overpriced organic food. My dog I had when I was a kid lived 15 years on pedigree and was healthy until the last 6 months, and I know many other dogs that eat the same without problems but I figure for less than $10 a month I can give my dog a better diet.

Thanks for any answers.

[Peggy]

I hear y’all. Thanks for the honest opinions. I’m going to stick with Pure Balance’s two treats.
Duck & Sweet Potato recipe, and Crunchy Caramel Apple recipe.

[Z B]

This is what I am using in my current rotation :

Canned:
Walmarts Pure Balance puppy food, $1, 5 star
Tractor Supply Store’s 4health beef and veggie stew $1, 5 star

Dry:
Rachael Ray Nutrish zero grain, available at walmart and and most supermarkets $22 for 14 lbs, 4 star
Dr Tims Kinesis grain free, order online for $65-$75 for 40 lbs, 5 star

I’ve also used Whole Earth Farms grain free, Petco has it ans maybe petsmart too.

Walmart’s Pure balance Canned has a dedicated puppy food, and the others I listed are approved for all life stages.
Pure Balance also has a dry grain free line, 4 star, budget friendly, but i wasn’t crazy about it
and prob won’t use it again.

I feed raw on the weekends with Sea Spot Live Longer premix. Cheapest boneless muscle meats I can find are chicken hearts ($1 per lb) and pork shoulder roast, has a small bone but easy to remove ($1.69 per lb). Raw pork products should be kept frozen for 2 weeks before serving (kills parasites apparently).

Canned water packed sardines once or twice a week (65’cents per can),
and a recreational pig foot or chicken foot once a week or so ($1 per lb)

I saw frozen pigs heads at walmart for $1’per lb, but decided I don’t want that thing staring at me every time I open the freezer.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 11 months ago by Z B.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 11 months ago by Z B.

[Peggy]

I will definitely go light on the PB. Thanks everyone!

I did a bit more digging on Pure Balance Salmon & Pea formula dry food, which is the flavor my dogs have really taken to. Below is an image I found on its Walmart page.

(sorry, it’s a bit difficult to read)

[Peggy]

Thanks so much for the insight and tips Naturella.

Unfortunately, I tried both dogs on Blue Buffalo, and neither one of them could tolerate it. In fact Tebow was gaining weight at a rapid pace. Now that they’re both on Pure Balance, the gain seems to have stopped and LadyBug has lost 1 lb (if my scale is correct).

LadyBug is getting 1 cup of kibble each meal (the recommended amt is 2 1/2 – 3 cups per day) + a 1/2 can of wet food. Neither of them gets many treats at all, and we’ve eliminated Milk Bones (didn’t know they were 35 cal’s per treat!).

Neither of them can hardly wait to get on the leash and go for a walk. LB brings me her leash. But the icy sidewalks make that an impossible task.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Don’t feel bad. It’s easy to make that mistake. I think you stated at one point the Tebow’s ideal weight was around 20 pounds. According to the Dog Food Calculator, for weight loss he requires about 366 calories per day. According to the Walmart Q and A, Pure Balance Chicken and Rice has 336 calories per cup. I can’t find the calories in the stews, does it say on the package? Depending on how many calories he’s getting from wet food, you could try feeding him a little less than one cup dry per day. Adjust the food if he is gaining or not losing weight. Also, remember to subtract food if he gets a lot of treats. Good luck!

[Peggy]

He hasn’t lost much yet. Probably because the Wellness Core Reduced fat didn’t work out, so We’re trying Pure Balance, and we’re going from a once-per-day feeding to twice per day, and I’m having a difficult time trying to figure out how much to feed both of them. I know that sounds silly, but I’ve always fed them both the same amount, for whatever dumb reason, which probably contributed to his weight gain and her still feeling hungry.

I could kick myself. 🙁

[Peggy]

This morning my Jrt (Tebow) got a 1/4 cup of Pure Balance Salmon & Peas dry food, a 1/4 cup of Chicken & Brown Rice recipe dry (total 1/2 cup dry), and a small tub of Chicken & Veggies w/ gravy stew.

My Lab/Shephard (LadyBug) got 1/2 cup of Salmon & Peas dry, 1/2 cup of Chicken & Brown Rice dry (total 1 cup dry), and a can of Chicken (not stew).

Tebow ate all of his, as usual.
LadyBug ate everything but the chicken dry food. She just doesn’t like it, so she picks through and leaves that behind. ha.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Andi-
It could be because the Pate style Pure Balance has a lot more fat in it. Which, is fine if your dogs can handle it. Mine tend to get loose stools with the higher fat formula. I feed my dogs a couple eggs a week and a tin of sardines once a week as well that helps with their skin and fur. Glad to hear we have another cat person aboard!