[kaylee1989]

I know there are a couple questions already about Red Barn products, but I am looking for more answers. I have been giving my dachshund their products on occasion. Yesterday, I just bought about 4 of their products, because his birthday is Friday. I wanted to surpise him, since he LOVES chewing on bones and things like that. Well the place I bought them from had a sign saying “Made in USA” but he told me that they had chicken treats from China. Kind of gave me a red flag. So I call them, they discontinued those chicken treats (they weren’t associated with the recent recall). They do however have treats made in USA, Paraguay, and Canada. A big question I forgot to ask is if they have any ingredients sourced from China or another country. I also decided to throw away the product from Paraguay although my dog has had it once in the past :/.

Does anyone else give their dogs these products? Is there anything good or bad anyone has to say about them? (I currently have peanut butter barn bagel, barky bark, knuckle bones, pig ear, and have given him femur bones etc in the past.) It really stinks that it’s so scary to even treat your dog anymore. Also if anyone has any suggestions for anything else I could buy him to chew on..please let me know. I also bought some bone like treats made out of bull hide or something? I know rawhide is not the best, but this guy told me if it’s made from bulls it’s better..I don’t know if he’s pulling my leg?)

I also have antlers, kong at my house for him to chew on. I’ve tried nylabones, but not impressed. He LOVES to chew though and loves new things to chew on especially and I feel like I can’t take that joy away from him. That’s why I decided to buy the Red Barn products. If it was a bad decision though, I will not give them to him.

Thanks for your help.

[theBCnut]

The short answer is no, not necessarily. Allergies and intolerances to food are very specific. As an example, one of my dogs is intolerant of chicken muscle meat, but not chicken liver. I didn’t bother to test it too much so I don’t know if he could handle white meat but not dark or dark but not white, and I don’t know if he reacts to chicken bones, because I can’t get every last speck of meat off a raw bone, and I really didn’t care that much. I avoid chicken with him but he does get a food with chicken liver in it, and it happens to be the food that he does best on. However, there are dogs that are allergic/intolerant to chicken, duck, turkey, etc so they say the are allergic to all poultry, but if they never ate a titmouse or a kingfisher, they can’t be allergic to them. They can only have allergies/intolerances to things they have been exposed to. BTW, they can have exposure in utero too, I imagine.

[theBCnut]

It may just be me, but I don’t think raw green tripe smells worse than canned. And I find the smell of the canned lingers in the house whereas the raw tripe is gone when it’s gone.

[RescueDaneMom]

FreeholdHound- Wow, he’s gorgeous! Mine is a dufus at times too, lol. Yes, Max is definitely an XL model. He’s 36″ at the shoulder and 155 lbs. I’d say he’s a pretty average size for a male Dane, maybe even on the smaller size. I’ve seen some truly XL Danes (200+ lbs). I’m doing partial raw as well. I haven’t tried raw tripe yet, just the canned tripe by Tripett. He loves it but boy it sure does stink. I can’t imagine how much worse the raw stuff probably smells. That’s good to know that the VE tripe treats don’t smell as bad. I bet Max would really like those. I’m definitely trying them next.

[FreeholdHound]

RescueDaneMom- yep that’s my boy Raced as RC Danger but as he’s such a dufus he’s now called Harry. I can see you truly have an XL model (gorgeous!!). Harry has become a tripe addict since I started partial raw feeding. At least the treats don’t stink to high hell as the raw tripe does.

[theBCnut]

I use it religiously on one of my dogs that had acid reflux as a puppy and completely quit eating because of it. I use 1/2 teaspoon per cup of food. I personally don’t like ACVs taste for myself, so I eat a pickle instead when I get acid reflux, works great. Use Braggs or another organic raw unfiltered with the mother brand.

[Yorkieville]

Hi, InkedMarie.

Betsy hasn’t replied to my question, if she is coming to the Garage Sale at the Expo Center, so I don’t know if I am going to get to meet her.

I hope she’s coming to it!

[InkedMarie]

I’m jealous you may get to meet Betsy.

[chrisalcor]

I agree with Patti – I raise rottweilers have push protein whenever possible. I use all life stages most often – and lots of grain free. Don’t forget lots of raw meaty bones. It increases the calcium, supplements with the chewing needs and the protein in the marrow is great for their skin, coats and muscle growth.

[chrisalcor]

I think that sometimes we look at these issues from an all or nothing perspective. I live in a multi- large dog household and would love a high quality raw diet all the time. But since I cannot manage the cost and want to keep as many rescue dogs as safe and in home as possible, I vary things. I do some home cooking, some raw, and supplement with a high quality grain free. But carefully shopping, both at organic dog boutiques and the human health grocery stores, I want to think I provide them with the best of all choices. But it takes lots of education and communication to find what works for each dog.

[JoshFL]

Good day – what a perfect thread – thanks to all teh contributors and HDM especially.

The breeder we’re using for our large breed dog suggests Life’s Abundance. This site’s review is favorable, the calcium level is low…but it’s not on your master list. Is there something I should be aware of (besides the potential incentive they get for recommending the product) that would make Life’s Abundance inappropriate for our new dog?

Also, any thoughts on supplementing with butcher-bought tripe instead of the canned green tripe and raw salmon?

Thank you,

Josh

[Cyndi]

I feed my dog her turkey necks and other RMB’s (Raw Meaty Bones) in the laundry room on a towel. She’s real good about staying in one spot on the towel while she eats. Some other raw feeders here feed RMB’s in the dog’s crate. & some people feed them outside…

• This reply was modified 12 years, 4 months ago by Cyndi.

[Brittany Mom]

How is your poodle doing? I have a 14 month old Brittany that is always hungry. She is extremely active so I’ve continued to feed her 3 times a day. She is on Bravo Beef Blend and Honest Kitchen. I have also had to add some kibble to her diet just to get her weight up. I’m not crazy about adding the kibble (Halo) but it seems to be working. She gets between 7.5 to 8 oz. of raw a day along with 1.5 cups of honest kitchen (dry measurement) twice a day. This dog runs, just for the joy of it, all day long.

[Brittany Mom]

I’ve been feeding raw for about two years now but I have not given my dogs any necks, etc. How do you feed necks without the dogs getting a mess all over? I have carpeting throughout my entire house, even in the kitchen.

[RescueDaneMom]

The Cane Corso is considered a large breed dog because it will grow to 80lbs or larger. You should be feeding a food that is appropriate for a large breed puppy. They need to grow slow so they don’t develop bone problems. I would suggest you go to the Diet and Heath Issues forum and read through the Large and Giant Breed Puppy Nutrition thread for more info. See here: /forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/

A member, Hound Dog Mom, took a lot of time and effort to create a list of appropriate foods for large breed puppy growth. I would look through the list and see what is available to you. You may want to choose a food that is very different to what you are currently feeding (different protein, different carbs, etc).
Here is the list: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk/edit?pli=1
It starts with grain-inclusive foods, then grain-free foods, and raw foods last.

I have a Great Dane (aka German Mastiff). He has done well on Annamaet, Earthborn Holistic, The Honest Kitchen (a dehydrated food, not kibble), Primal (raw), and Stella & Chewy’s (raw). You can’t go wrong if you pick anything from the list I provided. I would get small bags to see if he likes it first. You can also buy food online at places like chewy.com or petflow.com if you can’t find what you want locally.

I hope this is helpful Good luck!

[dean ousterhout]

Thanks Sandy and Patty… 🙂

[theBCnut]

Yes, game meat should be frozen first. After that how you feed it depends on you and your dog. Stick to 20% or less of his meal being the added stuff so you don’t unbalance his food, unless you are going to learn how to balance what you add. Have fun with it. Change thing up.

[pugmomsandy]

Either. If your dog likes and tolerates it raw, then feed it raw. If he needs to transition to raw then slightly cook it first. Some dogs when first starting raw don’t like the texture of raw (funny, I know) and they have to lightly sear the meat. Maybe they’re not used to cold food, not sure. And some pups need time to adjust to raw and might have some GI issues. Of course, give bones raw.

[dean ousterhout]

Thanks,

and then… raw or cooked?

[pugmomsandy]

I believe you should freeze game meats for 2 or 3 weeks before feeding them. Hopefully someone else will chime in.

[dean ousterhout]

Hello all… I have a source of fresh deer meat and wondered… should I feed some of it to my new large puppy, 14 weeks old? I love reading all about teh fantastic diets folks are doing for their dogs and I have to say… I don’t think I eat so well 🙂

I am sure I will look back in a few years and perhaps all this won’t be so confusing… but for now …. well.. it is quite overwhelming as to how little I understand.

The plan is to start with the 5 star dry and wet… and augment with quality “other” stuff, like leftovers of what we eat, etc. I got to thinking while reading about supplementing and all teh different raw diets… if I could use some of the venison I have access to for the puppy? I saw about the 20%… but should it be raw(uncooked, straight from the freezer, straight from the butcher) or cooked, like burgers from the grill? 🙂

Shucks, the venison is cheaper than than the canned food and the 5 star dried.

Thoughts??

[Sue’s Zoo]

I have a large breed puppy, Shiloh Shepherd. He’s 55 pounds at 4-1/2 months. With much help from information on this forum I’m feeding him half kibble (rotating between Wellness Core Puppy, Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch, Halo Spot’s Stew Surf N Turf) and half raw (Primal and OCRraw) as well as a probiotic and supplement. He seems to be doing very well. I’m currently feeding him 5.5 cups of food per day but I’m going to increase it, at least temporarily, as he still seems hungry all the time. I’m also feeding him three times a day at this point.

My question–up to what age is it recommended to feed 3 times a day? I wonder if feeding him fewer, larger meals if he would be better satisfied.

Also, does anyone know if there’s a way to search the forums on this site? There’s a search box on the initial forum page but nothing for individual topics that I can see. They’re packed with such great information but I’m sure many questions are repeated and information missed because it’s so hard to find out which issues have already been addressed.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 4 months ago by Sue's Zoo.

[Yorkieville]

Hi, Betsy.

I was just wondering, are you coming to the “Garage Sale” at the Expo Center on the 16th?
If so, you can find me with some friends at booths 17 & 18 in the main hall.

[Yorkieville]

It really is a small world! I have made friends all over the world, through forums.

I have a friend In Cardiff, Wales-we consider ourselves-sisters”Separated at birth”. 🙂

[DogFoodie]

How ’bout it!? I was chatting here with people from Bosnia this morning and now Valpo this evening. It really is a small world, isn’t it. : )

[Yorkieville]

Now, what are the odds that two people that live in Valparaiso, IN would meet here???

[DogFoodie]

Holy smokes. Me too. : )

[Yorkieville]

Hi, Betsy Greer!

Where in NW IN? I’m in Valparaiso.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Yorkieville,

I’m in NWI also. : )

[theBCnut]

In my state, it is illegal for a breeder to let a puppy go home with health issues. Of course that doesn’t stop it from happening.

[Yorkieville]

Thanks-we need to find out if it is the food, before our Vet runs tests. Poor puppy is already going through so much. He came from a Show Breeder in S. IN and she promised us, after we made the trip down when he was 12 weeks old, that he would be seen by her Vet, before we came back down when he was closer to 17 weeks old.

Ha! He had yeast infections in both ears, Giardia, and worst of all, Lacrimal Gland Aplasia of his left eye.

I’ve always trusted AKC Show breeders. I’ve had 3 oh-so-beautiful girls over the past 32 years, each one from an AKC Show breeder and not one of my sweet girls came home with a single health issue.

[theBCnut]

That’s what I would do!!

[Yorkieville]

I researched the symptoms of a UTI, and he doesn’t have them. We are going to put him back on Stella & Chewy’s until his appt. with our Holistic Vet.

[theBCnut]

Well, it is possible that it is the food, but if he has a UTI then it is likely that it’s coincidence. It might be a good idea to get some cranberry powder, just in case.

[Yorkieville]

No, it’s not an anal gland problem. He smells bad all day long. My husband & I wondered the same thing, if he might have a UTI. He has an appt. with our Holistic Vet.

He pee’s very frequently & it has been over 14 years since we had a puppy.

We’ve had Yorkies for 32 years, but this is the 1st one, we’ve ever fed raw. I homecooked for my last two, when all the food recalls started, but I have MS now, and cannot stand long enough to cook for this little guy. (:

Funny-he didn’t smell bad when he was eating Stella & Chewy’s dehydrated raw, rehydrated.

[theBCnut]

So it isn’t an anal gland problem. Could it be a strong urine smell? Is the smell only first thing or is it all day? I wonder if he could have a UTI.

[Yorkieville]

No, not like rotten fish, just a bad odor, that he didn’t have before we put him on the Nature’s Variety raw. My husband built him a great playpen, 3′ x 6′, with a separate potty area.

When we open the French doors in the morning, the odor is awful! And he poop’s before we go to bed at night. So, there’s no poop on the potty pads.

[theBCnut]

Like rotten fish?

[Yorkieville]

No, he doesn’t feel greasy. Just smells terrible.

[theBCnut]

Does he feel greasy?

[theBCnut]

I don’t want to imply that I won’t suggest foods, but my dogs are doing best on foods that are in no way budget friendly, so I don’t have a lot of budget friendly foods that I am good with.

That being said, yes, feeding different kinds of food is better than feeding one kind. The more different variety, the better. Raw is best, but your dogs can get some of the benefits of raw by getting a little raw in their diets, a turkey, duck, or chicken neck each week or a can of sardines. Dehydrated foods are great but very expensive. I use them and freeze dried foods as treats. Homemade is great too, but you have to do it right or your dog will end up sick from not getting certain nutrients. Kibbles are actually the most processed dog food, but there are some great kibbles at a good price. I don’t think they are as inexpensive as Pure Balance, but they are better quality. I like NutriSource and Earthborn.

I hope someone else will post some more ideas for you. What I usually tell people is to print up the list of 4 and 5 star foods and take it with them to all the different place around that have dog food. Take notes about where you find what and for how much. When you are on a budget, but want better for your dog, you can try adding some of a better quality food to whatever your base kibble is, or adding fresh foods like eggs, yogurt, lean meats, etc.

[Yorkieville]

We started feeding our Yorkie puppy Nature’s Variety raw patties approx. 2 weeks ago, and now, he has a terrible body odor.

Anyone have any idea why?

[Nancy M]

I’ve been writing in about a now 7 week old mini-Aussie puppy being treated for Giardia AND Coccidia. He’s been on liquid forms of Albon and Panacur for 6 days now, with intermittent improvement, but for the most part, not improved much. Today we hope to have the vet change the Panacur to Metronitizole.

Since he’s been sick with all of this, he’s been on a homemade chicken/rice diet. At times when we’ve seen a hint of relief, we’ve tried adding in a tiny bit of the kibble his breeder had him on, which is Diamond small breed puppy (chicken & rice formula). He can’t stay on this homemade stuff for a whole lot longer. At some point, he’s got to get on regular food!

Whether it’s the Diamond food (I hate Diamond) or just the parasites still causing havoc, he continues or reverts back to very runny diarrhea again. Provided the vet will change to the Metronitizole today, we want to start back introducing regular food as soon as it’s even possible, but the big question is:

With the exception of raw or homemade, what do all of you feel is a good product to start with as far as a good kibble/wet diet, that may have the best results right now and provide a highly digestible, nutritional and the smoothest transition for this puppy?

PLEASE REPLY WITH SUGGESTIONS, ASAP!

[Jesika]

Hi all. I have two pit/lab mixes father and daughter, and a stray black lab mix I adopted, aged 4, 2 and just a month shy of 1 year. All three dogs have black in their tongues and I’ve been told this means they are all mixed with something other than pit or lab, but what either dad and daughter or stray is mixed with, I dunno. (daughter’s mom was a pit/wimeriner)

Anyway. So I have all three on a wellness plan and they’ve all seen the doctor for my over-worried mommy tendencies at least once a month for the last four months; I got the stray on a plan just yesterday and the docs are all impressed with her bloodwork/health/coat just like my other two.

I never had pets until my late twenties and so right off, I just followed what my then-bf did with his dog (he’d had animals for years), as far as feeding goes, which was to free feed dry kibble. While he would get the cheapest kind not caring to read the label, when I was gainfully employed I fed mine Natural Balance grain-free lamb, then had to change and for the last six months or so, they’ve all been eating the Pure Balance Chicken & Brown Rice from Walmart, as I thought $30ish for a 30 lb bag of what is supposed to be natural ingredients sounds like a good deal to me.

BUT!! I have been reading over on consumer affairs about all the dogs that’ve died eating Ol’ Roy products, sometimes the PB dry line included. My vet said try Purina One, but that has a lesser rating than Pure Balance according to this website last time I checked.

I’m trying to become more healthy in way of eating less chemicals and want to bring my dogs along, so I thought I was doing good with the PB over the Purina being that there were less questionable ingredients. But then I hear about “Well, what does the fish on the boat on its way to the processing plant get treated with?” and “Anything from China is bad for your dogs to be eating, nothing good comes outta there.” and “Dog food companies? It could be one processing plant stateside today and a different one in Taiwan tomorrow, as far as manufacturers are concerned. Both foods are still going into a bag that looks and is priced the same, and thus makes the manufacturers their profit.”

All that said… My FIRST goal, if it can be something I can afford money/time wise to do, is to simply transition my dogs from Pure Balance to homemade food. SECOND, if I cannot do that, is to find two or three trusted brands that will be healthy-as-possible without killing my pocket — I might be living off of just disability soon, but I need my dogs alive as part of my healing process should I ever hope to have “a real job” again soon.

So…let the comment flying begin please! Do you have any cheaper-than-raw-steak-all-the-time recommendations for a basic homemade diet I can start with immediately until I can build from there? Or do you have anything other than Pure Balance that you can recommend based on price-point and natural ingredients, not to mention a GOOD reputation from the brand/manufacturer??

I am very very lost, and have much to stress about already…what I’m feeding my dogs and it’s potential long-term-and-hidden side effects is not another thing I need. It seems that from what I can tell this community of dog people LOVE their pets and share advice, so please please, share!! And THANK YOU THANK YOU in advance.

Signed,
Jesika and her three…Toby, Rhi and Midnight.

P.S. What about dehydrated foods? I just saw these at my local Sprouts Market and wonder — could this, though a little more pricey than what I buy now, be a happy medium between having to worry about manufacturer defect killing my dog and my having to cook them a meal every day, all while getting the nutrition they need? Hmmm…

[Yorkieville]

The Canine Caviar is available to me, but I would have to drive 40 minutes to get it. My puppy loves the Stella & Chewy’s. And it is only a 15 minute drive into town to get it.
I liked the fact that they have a grain free formula.

He loves the Nature’s Variety raw patties, too, but unless I warm them, lightly, he vomits.
And his urine smells horrendous! (He uses potty pads, it is too cold in NW IN to take him outside & I have MS, so walking up & down our deck stairs is not feasible for me.)

[Mom2Cavs]

I used to feed Canine Caviar, and liked it a lot for my dogs at the time. I haven’t fed it since they have their new grain free formulas due to it not being available local. I could order it, but just haven’t. Anyway, I just don’t see how, if it’s an extruded kibble, it can be considered a raw product. Stella & Chewy’s is awesome, though. I think you could use the CC if you want, as I believe it is a good product but I just don’t know if I’d consider it a raw product….?

[Yorkieville]

Thank you, Mom2Cavs.

On their web-site, they claim they are a dehydrated raw food. I have a 5 month old Yorkie puppy, and currently feed Nature’s Variety raw, and when we take him to friends or family for a visit, we bring Stella & Chewy’s dehydrated raw patties, and I put warm water on them.

I had wondered if I could do the same with the Canine Caviar.

[Mom2Cavs]

Well….I say no. Anything with kibble in its name is not a true raw food. It may be less processed than other kibbles, but it’s still a somewhat processed food. I’m sure HDM or others will comment soon.

[Yorkieville]

Is Canine Caviar dehydrated raw kibble, a true raw food?

[theBCnut]

My thought was that your vet should be able to diagnose pano, so if he thought it was pano, I would listen. All Acana formulas are too high in calcium and while I love raw goats milk, I’m not sure if it helps with the calcium equation. Pick a food from this list.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?srcid=0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk&pid=explorer&efh=false&a=v
This is Hound Dog Mom’s list of foods that have the correct calcium levels for large breed growth. Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch is on the list and might be comparable.