[InkedMarie]

If you mean a review, I doubt one will be done. It’s not a dog food company, they just sell raw meat. Raw dog food companies are ones like Primal, Bravo etc.

[patvl246]

Would really like to know if these 2 brands are recommended,
“Darwins” and “Hare Today Gone Tomorrow” I use these raw products to feed my 240 lb English Mastiff. I want him to be safe and to eat good food. I also want to know that the more than $350 a month I’m spending on his food is a top quality food. Thanks

[patvl246]

Any plans on testing raw food from “Hare Today Gone Tomorrow”

[Kate B]

Hey guys! This is my first time posting. I have a 15 pound schnoodle that I adopted almost three years ago. I’m not entirely sure how old Wilson is as his surrender paperwork had a few different ages on it but I think (as does his vet) he is between 6 and 8 and in good health.

He’s always, always, always been a picky eater. He’s my first dog and I honestly didn’t know anything about feeding a dog beyond kibble and canned at first. I fed him Vet’s Choice Health Extension for a while and then Acana but they took inordinate amounts of coaxing or soaking in water or additional treats (i.e. cottage cheese or some eggs, etc.) to get him to eat. Meal time would become sometimes a 15-30 minute exercise in who was going to be more stubborn. He would also occasionally throw the kibble back up (anywhere from 30 minutes to hours after he ate). Clearly, this didn’t seem like the best possible diet for him anymore.

I had considered transitioning him to raw, using a commercial raw diet like Stella and Chewy’s or Primal. Well, we tried for about a month and he really struggled with it. A) he hated the Primal with a passion and B) had trouble keeping both of the diets down. I instead decided to try home-cooked and use Grandma Lucy’s as a pre-mix. We’ve been doing this for about three weeks and it has been super successful so far which is a huge relief to me. I want him to have the healthiest life possible! I’ve been rotating him through several kinds of protein (chicken, ground turkey, ground beef, eggs, salmon, tuna) and it all seems easy enough to combine with the pre-mix. I give him 4 oz of the pre-mix and 6 oz of protein (I’m using Primal’s recommendation to give protein between 2-3% of a dog’s weight) split across two daily meals. I haven’t been following Grandma Lucy’s pre-mix recommendation (they recommend 1-1.5 cups per day for dogs between 10-20 lbs) because that seems really, really high to me in contrast to the protein. Any thoughts there?

Here’s my question: do I need to add any additional supplements? Like I said, this isn’t raw meat and it’s making me nervous that I might be screwing something up with the calcium and/or phosphorus. I’m assuming I should also add some sort of fish/krill/flax oil as well and would love some advice! So far, I had looked at Wysong’s Call of the Wild as a possibility but wasn’t sure if that was overkill (Grandma Lucy’s pre-mix has 1% calcium). Any advice would be much appreciated!

[RescueDaneMom]

Case-

I have a Great Dane. I agree that it depends on the size of the dog. The most important thing is to NOT feed a food that is only approved for Adult Maintenance by AAFCO to your puppy. I would feed an “All Life Stages” or puppy food (they truly are the same thing) until at least 1 year. If you have a large breed, then 2 years. If you have a giant breed (like a Dane), then 3 years. I also agree with aquariangt about vets. My vet and I butt heads over what I feed my dog. I choose to feed The Honest Kitchen and raw. My vet says that feeding Purina or Iams is just as good and all I’m doing is wasting my money on expensive dog food. I told him that we’ll have to agree to disagree and we don’t speak on the subject anymore.

I hope this is helpful. Just my two cents 🙂

[crazy4cats]

Hi Camano-
Welcome to the cat food thread. Most of us on this thread often mention catinfo.org as one of our favorite sites for cat food information. Lisa Pierson is a vet and author of the site. She highly recommends feeding species appropriate wet food to cats. This tends to help prevent urinary tract problems and blockages especially in male cats. She suggests not using any dry at all. That being said, it is expensive to feed my four cats all canned, dehydrated or raw. So, I feed about 3/4 canned and 1/4 dry. My big male cats are the ones that eat more dry. I tend to believe that most of the high quality dog food makers also make high quality cat food. My cats are indoor only, so I lean to lower calorie kibble. Right now, I am feeding Wellness Core kibble with budget friendly canned such as Authority, Chicken Soup, Nutro Max, Soulistic and even some Friskies and Fancy Feast to keep the costs down. I have also fed Taste of the Wild, Earthborn, and Premium Edge dry foods. I’m sure a couple of the other regulars will pop in and give their recommendations as well. Oh, yes, I try to stay away from fish as my 15 year old cat has hyperthyroidism. Again, welcome!

[Tina]

All-life-stage dog food is very unclear to the proper amount of vitamins that they may or may not have in each bag/brand. In fact, most all-life-stage dog foods are created for puppies and by the time the dog gets older, they are over-weight and sometimes very sick. Unless you plan on feeding some sort of Raw Diet to your puppy or a dehydrated dog food, if thats the case then all-life-stages is the way to go.

[RescueDaneMom]

Hi All,

I just wanted to share about the great deal Amazon has on the #8 Weston meat grinder right now. The Weston 575 Watt Electric Heavy Duty Grinder usually retails for about $150 but Amazon is selling it for $98.99 today. I bought mine on May 27 for $86.66. It may not be under $100 for long. If you want to try making your own homemade raw, I would suggest this grinder as a place to start. I didn’t want to spend $500-$700 on a really good grinder until I was sure I could fully commit the time to prep/grind. I bought two Harvestland fryer chickens from BJ’s last night for $1.49/lb and prepped them for grinding today. I ground through about 8 lbs of chicken in less than 10 minutes. It was awesome!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Steve and Corey-
I enjoyed both of your posts because I have had the same puzzlements. And yes, I have also weighed food to see how many cups per bag to compare prices. I have since just decided to go with foods that are around 400 calories per cup and just compare their prices to keep things easier. Also that way everyone knows how much to feed when I rotate to another brand. I have it posted above their food in the garage who gets how much. Lol! I found that with just a little tweaking, the dog food calculator on this site worked pretty well for me. I’ve also found that most companies have the calories listed on their websites or you can email them to get the information. I also add toppers and use less kibble to compensate. A lot of canned foods do list the calories on the can or their websites also. I just use an average of 350 calories per can now. Fresh Pet, Honest kitchen and Northwest Naturals frozen raw nuggets also list their calories on the package, if you want to use any of those as toppers.

[LexiDog]

I can’t say anything about the seizures either.

My personal favorite kibbles are Acana Regionals and Orijen. These are expensive but I feel we’ll worth it. I have an active 38 # dog and she was getting 1 1/4 cups of food a day on these kibbles. These can be found at Pet Supplies Plus stores and local specialty boutiques. I was actually surprised to see how many specialty shops were around when I started looking for them.

Other favorites include Wellness Core (found at Petsmart and Petco) and Fromm Four Star (Pet Supplies Plus and boutiques). A lot of people like Dr. Tim’s and Victor grain free but I can not find these in the local stores, so I haven’t tried them. I would have to order them online. I have had great experiences ordering food and other stuff from Chewy.com.

If I had to pick a kibble on a budget, I would probably try Whole Earth Farms Grain Free. This can be found at Petco and Pet Supplies Plus. I’m not sure if Petsmart carries it or not because I haven’t been there in a while.

Just remember that not all foods are made for all dogs. Just because my dog does great on certain foods doesn’t mean that yours will. You have to find one that works for you and your dog.

You may want to look at feeding a 4 star kibble before jumping right to a 5. Moose will be going from a plant based diet to a meat based diet and that can cause some upsets. Just remember to transition him very slowly. You can also add some pumpkin while switching. If you buy it from the grocery store just make sure that it is pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. Fruitables makes a digestive supplement with pumpkin to help with switching.

As for species appropriate food. Kibble is not one of them because kibble does not contain the amount of moisture needed for a species appropriate diet. The ideal moisture would be a food that containes around 70% moisture. For example canned is better than kibble and frozen raw is better than canned. Google Dr. Karen Becker best to worst foods. There is a video and a list that is super helpful.

Right now I am feeding my girl Primal frozen raw and The Honest Kitchen dehydrated. There are a ton of great foods out there, just need to know where to look. You should keep an open mind about ordering online. I’ve never had a bad experience with Chewy.com.

This is probably way more info than you want but this is only a little bit. Trust me. There is so much info out there it will make your head spin for a while. You can also get into feeding a homemade diet too. Others will have to help with that.

[Cyndi]

From being on this site and reading what others have posted about dogs with seizures, you should try and eliminate as many toxins in your home as you possible can AND please, get your dog off beneful. Any kind of air freshners, cleaning sprays, flea products, etc. can all contribute to seizures. Hopefully BCnut will see this and respond, because I’ve learned alot from her advice to other people. As for food, I’m sure someone can give you some good options. I feed my dog a balanced raw diet, which is the very best you could do for your dog, but it’s not right for everyone.

Just curious, why don’t you want to order online? It is so convenient and you have access to so many good foods. Most of the 5 star foods on this site can be easily ordered online. What about Freshpet Vital? Have you looked into that. That is a 5 star food that you can buy at most Petsmarts or Walmart and it’s 100 times better than Beneful. I feed that to my dog occasionally and she loves it. I also use cage free fresh chicken eggs or sardines as toppers.

[Naturella]

Bobby dog,

Thanks so much for the great info! I really have learned a lot from this thread and from the catinfo webswte. I have actually been on catinfo.org and if I had a cat I would only feed that sucker raw/good canned. But for a shelter and my friends, I thought that just some “exotic American and still decent foods” would be a good change. I plan to bring kibble for the dogs and none for the cats unless I find a great deal on sale or something. All grain-free is what I will try to get. And then promote this site and catinfo.org to them. Just hope they find someone to translate for them on the go, lol. If all else fails I may just grab some Pure Balance from Walmart and Rachael Ray Nutrish Zero Grain but I will go on a deal hunt tomorrow!

I also got some great deals on small chew toys on clearance for $.99 at PetSmart (got 4 for the shelter + 2 for Bruno) and tennis balls for chasing (got 3). Plus the 14-so-far souffles and I want to get at least 6 more. And the dog kibble. My checked bag will be full! LoL.

And I will miss my men as well! But we got this! Should be back in no time! 🙂

[Jenna R]

Hello everyone,

I have a 3 year old Puggle, his name is Moose, and he was diagnosed with Epilepsy last year. He has been on Phenobarbital since December 31, 2013, and has only had 2 very mild seizures since then (for which I am deeply thankful). He loves food more than anything on earth, and I want the healthiest products to go in his body.

When Moose was still in the first month of taking Pheo., he put on a bit of weight. He was 30 lbs when he had his first blood draw to check his numbers. I stepped up the exercise and playtime to get his mind off of ‘eat, eat, eat’ and back on ‘fun, fun, fun’. It’s been working extremely well for us. He is going back in mid-June to have another blood draw and get weighed.

I have never heard of most of the brands presented in Editors Choice, so I would like a little bit of advice. My three primary concerns are: 1) The brand should be common enough that I can leave the house and go pick it up – I am not looking for something I have to buy online. 2) I am looking for a product that is healthy, and one that he would be drawn to if he were out in the wild. 3) Weight management. He and I are both active and very playful, but I still need to keep an eye on his weight. He loves to eat and it’ll go to his hips in a heartbeat.

Any advice or personal testimonials are welcome. Thank you for taking the time to read this and help me out. It is much appreciated!

Jenna

[pugmomsandy]

Have you seen this yet?

/forums/topic/pictures-of-dogs-eating-raw-raw-meals/

[Shasta220]

What are you feeding currently? My lab battled Otitis for many years. This was before any of us knew what dog nutrition was… She constantly had irritated ears. All the vet did was prescribe drops and washes to “neutralize” the problem.

One day, it got so far out of hand that her whole body broke out in raw spots. We had to keep a sweater and a cone on her to prevent biting/scratching. I bought her a better food and, no lie, all of the problems disappeared within a month!

She’s currently on a grain free food (I’m testing to see if her doggie dandruff is a grain allergy or not. It’s not itchy, just a little flaky now), but pretty much everything that had no corn, wheat, or soy was fine for her to eat.

[Marietta B]

I used to have a picky Shih Tzu. She would never eat and she always vomited bile from having an empty stomach. Then I discovered raw dehydrated food! She eats every day now and I’m guessing it’s been 3 years since I started feeding her the dehydrated raw. I alternate between Stella and Chewy’s, Primal and Ziwipeak. I also started feeding her Only Natural Pet Max Meat and the air dried variety of The Real Meat Company. Every time she finishes a bag I switch to another brand and protein and she never has digestive issues. I keep Tiki Dog and Weruva canned varieties on hand for days when I want her to have a special treat. Hang in there. You will eventually find some foods that your dog will love. Just try not to give in and offer treats because your dog will catch on quickly and will hold out for them.

[SaintsDontCarryBrandy]

Our family has had Saint Bernards since before I was born, but the diet choices weren’t either as varied or as useful as they are now. “What’s cheap?” reigned over “What’s the best diet?” Now I have a Saint Bernard puppy (9 weeks) coming into our household who’s been raised on Sportmix Wholesome. It averages 3.5 stars, but given its first few ingredients are major flags, I’m not willing to “save a few bucks” in exchange for a less healthy and shorter-lived pup!
I can’t access HDM’s Large Breed Dog Food list on Google (argh); am considering Victor Grain Free, but am open to any dog food good for giant-breed dogs (my pup’s dad is 220 and a strapping boy, so he isn’t likely to be small…) Saints develop at a rapid pace, so their dietary needs are similar to other giants (Newfies, Mastiffs, Danes, Pyrenees, etc.)

Am reading everything I can get my hands on. I’m willing to get better quality dog food; would appreciate any advice, as well as thoughts on feeding raw vs. great-quality package food. Thanks!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi zolicylus –

Supplementing a raw diet with items such as those suggested above – RMBs, sardines, oils – will not result in the components “digesting at different rates.” Why would a chicken neck digest at a different rate than ground chicken?

In fact, it’s very beneficial to supplement any diet with healthy fats such as coconut oil and sardines, as Sandy mentioned. Coconut oil offers many benefits – it has natural antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties and may help improve skin and coat health. More info here.

Darwin’s does not add a source of available omega 3’s (DHA/EPA) to their foods so it would actually be advisable to feed sardines (or another fatty fish on a regular basis). The only source of omega 3’s in the Darwin’s recipes is flax. plant based omega 3’s (with the exception of algal oil) contain omega 3’s in the form of ALA. ALA is a a short-chain fatty acid that is, essentially, a pre-cursor to long chain omega 3’s DHA and EPA. It is DHA and EPA that the body utilizes and because ALA is poorly converted (in most cases less than 10% actually gets converted) it’s necessary to feed foods naturally rich in long chain omega 3’s (EPA/DHA) such as fatty fish, algal oil or cage-free eggs.

Feeding RMBs in conjunction with a balanced ground raw diet (such as Darwin’s) will provide the dog with the dental benefits they miss out on when eating ground food.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[InkedMarie]

Go to the foods website to look for the calorie content. Once you have that, you can use the calorie content. I’ve read that dogs with sensitive tummies do well on NutriSource. You could feed it to all your dogs, if they do well on it. For the one with teeth issues, add done warm water to soften the food. You could feed canned but that would be expensive for a dog of his size. You could try dehydrated or premade or ground raw.

[nat r]

Haha, it’s helpful to be honest, thank you. And I’ve read that raw meats are really good for great danes, raw meat is probably high in protien? I’m not sure but if it is, that doesn’t make sense. I think I’ll maybe just stick to the 24% dog food and chop up some raw meat too! I swear ill get one, it’s my biggest ever life goal, I love them to bits, just as I said previously, I wouldn’t want to be harming him/her by feeding food that isn’t good for them! I more or less know everything other than the diets because there are so many different theories about it, but like I said I think as long as they’re getting protien, calcium etc, a healthy diet! Then nothing crucial could happen! 🙂

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Nat R –

Just so you know, no studies exist demonstrating that protein has negative effects on giant breed puppies or adults – anything you read about this is myth and nothing more. There is, however, a lot of research proving the protein is not harmful.

Feeding Large Breed Puppies by Susan Winn DVM (Featured in IVC Journal)

“A common misconception found in many internet articles is the claim that dietary protein should be controlled in large breed puppies to prevent skeletal abnormalities. This theory was disproved some years ago (Nap, 1991). Most commercial puppy foods contain more protein than is thought necessary, but studies have shown that protein contents of 23% to 31% (dry matter) do not have a deleterious effect on growth.”

“Decades ago, we considered some adult diets appropriate for puppies. However, a calorie-calcium mismatch is probably common. Adult maintenance foods are often less calorically dense than puppy foods. Additionally, these diets may have calcium and phosphorus levels that are higher in relation to energy density than a large breed puppy diet. If a rapidly growing puppy has to eat more food to obtain enough calories for growth, a calcium overdose is possible.”

“Most nutritionists recommend that large, fast growing puppies eat diets containing AT LEAST 30% protein and 9% fat (dry matter basis).”

The Effect of Breed Size on Nutritional Considerations for Growing Puppies

“Excessive intake of dietary protein has been suggested as a contributing factor to skeletal developmental problems, such as osteochondrosis, in large breed dogs. This hypothesis was tested by feeding Great Dane puppies either 15%, 23% or 32% dietary protein (13%, 21% or 29% of energy). While the low protein diet reduced growth, no detrimental effects from the higher protein diets were observed.”

This is a FANTASTIC article (one of my favorites) on large breed nutrition written by Susan Lauten PhD – I would HIGHLY recommend reading it in its entirety, however here are some of the highlights:

Nutritional Risks to Large-Breed Dogs: From Weaning to the Geriatric Years

“Currently, no evidence exists to suggest that high-protein intake contributes to the development of orthopedic disease in growing large-breed puppies. Previous studies suggesting a risk for high protein and DOD were confounded by higher energy intake in high-protein foods. In general, large-breed puppy diets are formulated to contain approximately 30% protein (DMB) similar to other puppy foods.”

“…feeding adult foods to large-breed puppies before 1 year of age is not recommended because the calcium-to-energy ratio is generally lower in adult foods compared with large-breed puppy food. Feeding an adult food can actually result in greater intake of calcium than feeding puppy foods. Because the puppy must consume a larger portion of adult food to meet energy needs for growth, total calcium intake may actually be higher than with a properly formulated large-breed puppy formula.”

Here is the link to a study done on Great Dane pups that was featured in the Journal of Nutrition. The study concluded: “the differences in protein intake per se did not affect the occurrence of disturbed skeletal development in young Great Danes.”

Do You Know What to Feed Your Large Breed Dog? By Karen Becker DVM

“Studies have repeatedly concluded dietary protein levels have no effect on the development of skeletal problems in large and giant breed dogs. But still today, many breeders of large dogs, owners and even some veterinarians will tell you protein is the problem, even though there is no evidence to prove it. Protein excess is not the problem. In fact, it’s often a dietary protein deficiency that contributes to skeletal problems.”

You may find this of interest as well. Here Dr. Becker interviews a Newfie breeder (not Great Danes I know – however Newfies are generally considered to be a giant breed). This breeder feeds his dogs HIGH protein raw and his dogs don’t experience many of the health problems typical to giant breed dogs and his dogs live much longer than most giant breeds (he had a dog live to be 17 – the typical life span of a giant breed is about 8).

Sorry to bombard you with reading, but large breed nutrition is one of my favorite subjects and I like to make sure people have the facts. 🙂

• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[zcRiley]

I stay away from anything freeze dried. If it wasn’t done properly and it’s still raw, then sits on the shelf for eternity, NO WAY. I don’t care what ingredients are in it.

[zcRiley]

Take the guess work out. Order from this link: http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/search/dogs/treats-and-chews/raw-frozen-bones

[zcRiley]

Supplementing a raw diet (especially one of the best like Darwin’s) is not a good idea. Different types of foods digest at different rates, so tossing in a bit of this and that will unbalance their digestive tracts. Stop counting calories and instead monitor your dogs’ muscle growth & energy levels. You must feed more Darwin’s to get them to a healthy 12 lbs. Increase the Darwin’s per meal, when they get to 12 lbs. you decrease and maintain. There’s nothing quick & easy about feeding a pet. Darwin’s opened pouches are good in the fridge for 48 hours. Throw the pouch into a well sealed glass container like a large mason jar or a rubber sealed food container.

[crazy4cats]

Hi there-
Wow! Two St. Bernard pups at the same time. yikes! We took on two golden lab pups at the same time. It was crazy and still is at times and they are almost three! I do not feed home made food and only a little raw with kibble a few times a week, but I wanted to bump up your post in hopes someone else will respond. I do know there is a thread on large breed pups on this site that will be helpful. You are right there are special requirements to help avoid hip dysplasia. Keeping your pups lean and not over exercising are two important factors. Also their calcium levels need to be limited. That information is on the large breed thread. Hound Dog Mom is the expert in that area. Hopefully she will “pop” in with some guidance. Have fun! I think St. Bernard’s are adorable.

[pugmomsandy]

Instinct and Instinct Raw Boost and Wellness Core Small Breed are very small kibbles. We use a variety of canned foods here which my dogs love equally – Merrick (all flavors), Hound & Gatos, Wellness Core and Stews.

[crazy4cats]

Bobby Dog-
In regards to the ABC diet, I bought some Northwest Naturals raw nuggets. I feed them about 150 calories with their kibble twice a week. They have done well with them. I usually forget to defrost, though. So, I put them in warm water about 5 minutes before I feed and that is fine with them! I just don’t think I can do the raw organs. But, at least they are getting some raw meat. I haven’t done great with the vege/fruit day, however. I’ll work on that one. Lol!

[Dawn S]

Newbie here. Looking for how to make dog food and/or raw diet and how much to feed, ration etc. I love my boys and want the best for them. Especially being prone to hip dysplasia. Thanks for the help.

[InkedMarie]

I can’t answer your food question except to say that a dry food is the worst food you can feed a dog with uti’s. Moisture is of the utmost importance. You’re much better off to feed canned, dehydrated or raw. If you must feed dry, add some canned to it along with water. She also needs ample opportunities to urinate.

[pugmomsandy]

You can give them about a tablespoon of oil – olive, fish, coconut, etc, would be easy. Or maybe give them a couple whole raw sardines or a couple of eggs a week.

[Shasta220]

I’m agreeing with Amy. Maybe try an elimination diet…if you’re switching Kibbles, try to make a list of identical and different ingredients and which kibble he did good or bad on.

There’s that possibility of environmental allergies as well. I think you can get allergy pills for dogs, so you might try that if you’re pretty sure it’s not food related. Try giving raw local honey daily, too. I know many people who swear by it for theirs and their dogs’ allergies.

Only way to see if the shampoo does it is by ditching it and seeing if that makes any difference. My lab is occasionally itchy, so I use a medicated shampoo (I can’t remember the name of mine, but Malaseb is very similar I think).

You also might try another shampoo: Shea Moisture African Black Soap shampoo. It’s not designed for dogs, but it is an organic shampoo that has ingredients to help dandruff and itching. I use it myself and we loooooove it. (You can prob find it online, but it’s usually at Walmart, Target, and Walgreens for about 10$)

Shampoos usually won’t fix a problem though, just mask it. Get a skin scraping done to make sure it isn’t something like mange. Best wishes and hopefully you can get through this!

[Raffaele C]

Both my dogs are on a raw food diet (Darwin’s to be exact) and I need to increase their calories by about 100 to get them to their ideal weight of 12 pounds. I could give them more of the raw food, but I am trying to avoid having to have open packages of raw meat in the fridge. Right now I just split one pack at each meal time between the two of them and then I can just through the pack away. Quick and Easy! To give them each 100 more calories I wouldn’t need a whole other pack so I would have to store part of it in the fridge.

Anyways, I was doing a ton of research and thought about just adding some homemade food items like eggs or spinach or quinoa to supplement them and get to 100 calories. I was also considering giving them a vegan kibble but Darwin’s diet is already well balanced with meat and vegetables so I believe they are getting all their necessary amino acids and vitamins. Can anyone help with some fresh suggestions to supplement their current diet? Or should I just increase their current raw diet?

[LexiDog]

Have you had him to the vet to be checked? When my dog was itchy, I took her to the vet and he did a skin scraping on one of the itchy spots to check for mange. The skin scraping didn’t show any signs of mites. Even then she was still treated for Sarcoptic mange to rule that out because the mites can rarely be seen under the microscope. I treated her with Revoluiton and still saw no difference. So it was probably not Sarcoptic mange. Then you have to look at environmental allergies and food allergies.

The one thing that stands out is that he started getting itchy again when you added the Acana Lamb & Apple. If it is the old formula (I don’t think the new one is available for purchase yet) it is grain inclusive. So it could possibly be due to the grains. One way to find out if he is sensitive to one type of food, you could do an elimination diet. I personally have not done this, but others on here have. So they will be more helpful with that.

As you will find out that some types of foods are better than others. For example, canned is better than kibble. Homemade raw is better than canned and so on… You can check out Dr. Karen Becker’s rankings at http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/07/21/13-pet-foods-ranked-from-great-to-disastrous.aspx

[Bobby dog]

Archie update: His fur is really growing in nicely. Still a little sparse in places and his skin is still dry. However, the dry patches are past the point of scabbing over and it is more like a bad case of dandruff in those areas. Still giving him probiotics, coco oil 2x/wk, fish oil 3/x week & MSM in his morning food. The most improvement in his skin/fur came with the addition of probiotics.

Akari:
Can’t wait to see the videos, I love watching cat tricks!

Here’s my coupon questions:
What is the original price/can of the Sheba?
Is it on sale? If it is, what is the sale price/can?
Are you using the $3.00 off/24 cans coupon?

Jakes mom & C4c:
Okay, I have fallen behind a little on my ABC diet, but I did take out some beef liver that I froze the other week and will be adding it to Bobby’s dinner this evening. Although I gave him a few raw pieces as I was preparing to freeze it, which he seemed to like, I decided I would lightly cook it.

Since the few raw choices I have made so far have not gone over well, I thought I might need to take a different approach with him. I will lightly cook, then serve. In the future I will try cooking a little meat and serve it with a little raw and see how that goes. He did end up eating the chicken gizzards and hearts I first tried after I lightly cooked them.

[Happy Dog]

Glad to have found this site, it’s a wealth of information.

Needing some advice for my dog I adopted from the local shelter last August.
He came with the itches, pink/red patch on his belly, under his chin, face, around the eyes etc. Fur was really coarse yet greasy to touch. Chews his paws till it bleeds.

The fosterer recommended that we put him on a fish kibble. They weren’t sure what he was allergic to but it may have been chicken. So we put him on Wellness Simple –Salmon & Potato. Since then he has gone through:

Wellness Simple
Wellness Core Ocean
Acana Pacifica
THK Zeal
Orijen 6Fish

Topper: Fish 4 Dogs Salmon or Trout Mousse. Cooked salmon or any other fish once a week.

He was on Orjen 6 Fish till recently. We had him on through 3 bags, and he gets 1/3 cup + 1 /4 pack of Fish4Dogs Fish Mousse per meal. Twice a day.
He actually did quite well on it, less itchy, and started putting on weight. Still chews his paws though, I think he may have some allergies to grass. He was also getting quite chunky.

I thought I should started rotating him on different protein so he can eventually get some variety in his diet and went for Acana Lamb and Apple.
Before I committed to the Acana Lamb & Apple, I mixed a can of lamb and tripe to his kibble and he ate fine.

He’s been on it for 2 weeks. I mix the Acana Lamb & Apple (1/4 cup) with the Orijen 6Fish (1/4 cup). I had the kibble serving reduced as he was putting on weight.
I also switched to an oatmeal shampoo.

He seems to be worse now. Scratches more, the dry coarse fur is coming back, pink around the eyes, nose and under his arms, paws. One ear seems to be red inside, the other is fine (is it normal to have 1 inflamed ear instead of both?). Smells more ‘dog’.

So should I ditch the kibble? Or could it be the shampoo?

I was hoping he could eat more than just fish based food. I’d like to have him on a mix of kibble, canned food and homecooked meals 2x to 3x a week. Raw – I can get Primal, Addiction and some THK.

He didn’t do too well on THK zeal though. Went through 2 packs of the Zeal. He was pooping 4x a day (poop had stalks and bits of stuff that.. doesn’t seem digested), ate lots of grass (grazing like a cow), and was losing weight that’s why I put him on 6Fish. I though he needed more protein.

Any suggestions? I could go back to 6Fish, or I could go with another fish kibble like Core Ocean?

[Naturella]

Hello, DFAers!

So, for a couple days Bruno has been throwing up once a day, once on my roommate’s shirt and another at a friend’s house. The only “new” thing in his diet is frozen canned pumpkin that was thawed to use in frozen treat mixture, and then re-frozen as treats again. Could that have caused it?

I haven’t seen the color or consistency of the vomit to be able to tell if that’s what he’s vomiting mostly, but all other things and add-ins in his diet he’s had before and has had no issue with them (coconut oil, raw egg, plain yoghurt, RMBs, raw fish, THK is what he’s been having this week). Plus the treats that contain several fats (coconut oil and butter, peanut butter, tahini (sesame seed paste), turmeric, shredded coconut and almond flour, flax seed meal, honey, a pinch of cinnamon, yoghurt) and the pumpkin – the latter being the “new” thing although he’s had it before with no issue. But he’s had those treats since the day before yesterday and he’s thrown up yesterday and today, so unless he’s gotten into something (which is entirely possible), it might have to be the pumpkin I guess…

What do you think?

[jane c]

a raw mix -no potato – chicken OR beef with fruit/veg/eggs/alfafa/kelp etc. but she really does not like it.
I am considering going back to kibble-Horizon Legacy.
Maybe because I have to dispose of raw when she leaves it…
DFA says “10% of allergies are food related”
so food is not a huge factor in the ear problem?

[pugmomsandy]

If you’re on a rotational diet, then try out different foods from different companies whether it’s grain-inclusive or grain-free or is legume-based or potato-based. There are many good companies out there. I have yet to find a kibble that my dogs don’t like (but they also eat raw).

[aquariangt]

I would try some raw and see if that gets her going. Nature’s Variety Instinct, Sojos, The Honest Kitchen, if you have a place you can get something like bravo or primal (ive never used them, but people seem to like them) or even maybe freshpet chubs or bags of food. Try just that to start, and if she goes for it, mix in some kibble

[cindy q]

Last night I mixed about a 1/2 tablespoon of raw honey in with her kibble and she ate all of it! Does anyone know if a tablespoon of honey a day is ok for a almost 8 mos old standard poodle?

[jane c]

11/2 yr old Standard Poodle has ongoing ear problems. The vet has run out of ideas and says she may have this all her life. I have been feeding a raw mix for over a month but now she won’t eat it and ears have not improved . Using Zimcocker’s ear wash but she screams in pain and I can’t go on like this. Thyroid test was done. I believe that a high quality dry food would not affect her ears but my raw-feeding friends tell me it would. Please help

[Angela R]

Can anyone help me decide what is the best food for my English Bulldog – we live in a hot and humid climate and although she did really well on the Royal Canin English Bulldog food, this is not available in my new country of residence – for ease I changed to the French Bulldog, but this has more fat content and she picked up weight, after trying various options including K9, Orijen and Acana – non of which she either liked or just gave her an upset tummy, we ended up with the Royal Canin Obesity from the vet and she has lost weight, and we are now managing her weight with difficulty. I did not want to keep her on a medicated diet and the vet suggested due to bone issues that I should mix it with the Royal Canin Mobility diet – unfortunately during this time on both of the vet products she was itching, red and starting licking her paws that it drove us all crazy. I understand that it could be allergies from outside factors, but she really has never been quite as bad – I therefore decided to change her again (always changing her diet over time…) and decided on the Zignature brand of dog food which is supposed to be allergy free. Although she loves this food – and has stopped licking as badly her face and paws are still quite red but she is definitely picking up weight again as the fat content is higher again, but my biggest concern is the amount of water she is now drinking on this food, and the amount of poops she is having (she used to eat and almost go immediately – now it is 3 to 4 times a day and sometimes at night which she never did before) and she has a serious gas problem which she also never suffered before and it is causing her some distress… I have just bathed her and noticed some little red spots appearing on her tummy – she is full of “beans” and happy and as active as she can be in this heat and humidity but she seems uncomfortable and does not seem to be able to relax as much as she did before… I really am not sure that this new food is doing her any good and now trying to research alternative options but I just don’t know where to turn? Any help or suggestions would be much appreciated. I cannot do raw as with the cost of meat here is ridiculous and with the heat and humidity – I just dont trust it and also she was not that keen on the K9 anyway! We can’t get everything here but the latest one on my agenda is the Pronature? Thoughts?

[Kritterlady]

I’ve used Blue since 2007 for my cats and dogs with only fantastic results. I’ve been in rescue for 30 yrs an haven’t had a pet food deliver such good results.ive recently added raw meat to their diet due to financial consideration with so many animals. However I too share the copacker concerns and look forward to Blue finishing their process plants. They say they will be making all of the wilderness line in house by 2015.

[aquariangt]

Some dogs are like that. I recommend using smallest sized bags of food, and smallest cans, and finding one that works-maybe getting something really high value mixed in like a dehydrated raw, normal raw topper, etc.. remember, making them skip a meal won’t kill them, but will make them more enticed by the food for the next meal

Some dogs get bored quickly, which is part of the reason i do rotational diets.

[Dori]

Hi Mike, Sandy and HDM. I don’t know whether anyone else has suggested Vital Essentials Raw Dog Food so I just thought I’d throw it in as a suggestion.

[Suburban Gal]

Royal Canin is a good food. Just because it comes in the form of an Rx doesn’t mean it’s a bad food.

That said, I’ve had to deal with UTI in both dogs and cats. Given my experiences with it as a pet owner, I suggest something like Addiction’s raw dehydrated homestyle venison amd cranberry food, Pronature’s turkey and cranberries formula or Canyon Creek Ranch’s superfood blend of salmon, egg and cranberries.

[cindy q]

what is the benefit of raw honey for dogs? I use it myself but never thought to give it to my dogs. How much do you feed them and do you feed it everyday?

[Kenneth K]

Stella and Chewy’s Raw Frozen (Raw Frozen)
ZiwiPeak Daily Dog (Dehydrated)
ZiwiPeak Daily Dog Cuisine (Canned)
Primal Raw Frozen Formulas (Raw Frozen)
Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Frozen Diets (Raw Frozen)

[USA]

Hi Mary C

The highest quality dog food would be one you made yourself using lean pasture raised meats and wild caught fish, fresh organic vegetables and a few supplements.

In commercial dog foods I would rate them as follows:
Raw
Dehydrated
Canned
Kibble

One of the issues with a very low carbohydrate food for dogs is the fat content. Most commercial foods with low carbs are high in fat, some are really high. If your dog doesn’t have any other health issues he or she might do fine with a high fat, high protein, low carb diet. If your dog has other issues such as pacreatitis a high fat diet might not work as well.

I strongly believe that with a diabetic dog the number one priority is to limit carbs as much as you can. After all, diabetes is a failure of the bodies ability to regulate and metabolize ALL carbohydrates and injected insulin cannot currently duplicate the bodies own production of insulin. Diabetes CAN be controlled with the proper diet, the proper insulin regimen and home testing of blood glucose.

So please tell me a little bit about your dog:
How old
Current food and amounts fed and at what times in relation to insulin injections
Current insulin regimen, what type, how often
Current blood sugar readings
Overall health and any issues besides diabetes

Once you develop a routine that works for you and your pup things get easier! Give your pup a hug for me!!!

[Akari_32]

I try to add extra water to make up for the kibble, but I’m bad at judging how much I’ll need lol He also gets some raw honey in his food, which doesn’t help either… Lol