[Jo C]

Crazy4cats and Rusty,

Thank you both so much. I’m like super excited for her checkup tomorrow to see how much she weighs now since she was previously weighing in at 70#. I also, got a list of things to ask the vet to see if she can spread some light of the exact amount and calories based on her current weight and depending on her weight if she needs to lose some or gain or remain the same. referring to not having to add toppers as some call it I guess in order to feed more homemade I have to find out tomorrow how much I should be feeding her exactly then I can add more homemade then dry. Right now I am feeding her 1c am/pm dry kibble and I believe 1/2c am/pm homemade. So hopefully I find out more and keep you guys updated. I like the whole “Fish Friday”. She doesn’t like raw and she has been very gassy lately haha I did make coconut oil w/ blueberries and sweet potato treats. It’s coming from something lol. She does shed a lot a lot so I’m also trying to make her coat shiny 🙂

[Rusty T]

Sorry Jo C. The side of the can of salmon will tell you how many calories per serving, and how many servings per can. The calorie content varies based on kind of salmon. But say 200 calories per 3.5 oz can.

Then go here for your total calories per day per your dog. I generally try to balance out an average per week over a seven day period in the calories per day. My Siberian/gsd mix tends to put on weight, so we really count his calories while our GSD must have the most amazing metabolism.

/dog-feeding-tips/dog-food-calculator/

(We’ve a service here where I live which is overseen by a vet with a nutritional background that will custom make your dog and cat food, either raw or gently cooked. All organic, all free range or grass fed. They sell lamb and beef tripe, turkey necks, marrow bones, etc. My two are on a mix of raw diet, kibble, canned food, and cooked foods. Hence my calorie thing. I mix up their diet all the time.)

[crazy4cats]

Jo C-
No, you do not have to add anything to a complete and balanced kibble for your dog to get all its required nutrition. However, I feel better adding fresh, less processed food to it. I feel like it’s just a little healthier. There is a download on dogwise.com called See Spot Live Longer by Steve Brown that was helpful to me for ideas and amounts to add to kibble. Also there is info on dogaware.com on the subject.

I rotate adding canned, eggs, tripe, commercial raw and sardines to their kibble meals. Just remember if you choose to do this, decrease the amount of kibble being fed to avoid over feeding. Good luck!

[crazy4cats]

Pacific salmon may contain flukes that cause salmon poisoning if it has not been frozen for at least 7 days or cooked before being fed. I mix canned salmon, tuna or sardines in my dogs’ kibble at least once a week.

My dogs are about 80 lbs. and I usually add about 100 calories of topper to their meals.

Again, Pacific NW fish is totally safe as long as not fed raw unless has been deep froze for 7 days. This kills the fluke that may have attached itself to the fish. Hope this helps!

[elaine c]

I hope you have done the research and know that you can NOT feed Pacific salmon… Also if you are trying to really make the food better.. why not get rid of kibble. Kibble is cooked so much there is nothing left in it… except the profit for the dog food companies.. Check out answerspetfood.com… it is really a great raw food. with fermented items.

[elaine c]

the best dog food I know, in a category by itself, and what I feed my two pits is Answers Pet food. It is raw and fermented. Dry dog food is only going to be so good because it is processed. So all the goodness is cooked out of it… then they put in synthetic vitamins and research has shown that long term this is not good for the dogs.. Check it out on dogfood advisor.com. Good luck.

[elaine c]

Callie K did you know that canned food is raw food cooked in the can and all that metal is NOT good for your dog.

[elaine c]

Hi Dave, as a trainer with years of experience and having talked to many dog nutrionalist, personally I wouldn’t recommend anything else but Answers Pet food. You can find it in review at dogfoodadvisor.com… so you can understand this exceptional raw food. Personally, I wouldn’t feed any kibble to any dog… too processed all the goodness is cooked out of it.. and the synthetic vitamins and minarels they have to add back in have proven, long term, to be more harm than good. I PROMISE you, once you start this food you will be telling people about it like I do… I have two Pits and it changed their lives… as any good raw food would… But this one is fermented… there is the difference!!!

[Blkdoodle]

Caster Pollux, Natural Ultramix Grain Free Red Meat Recipe with Raw Bites has Glucosamine and Chondroitin, which helps with arthritis. That might be an option. PetSmart carries a limited supply but I also know Natural Foods carries it. It is a 5 star and since I have switched to it, our Golden Doodle loves it and has no trouble eating it dry without a topping of canned food.
It is pricy but I think well worth it.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 11 months ago by Blkdoodle.

[zcRiley]

Start the below routine right away for Dewey. And of course, run all blood and fecal tests. I spent thousands of dollars and 4 years of trial and error research to figure out a non-raw diet that actually works. Still learning new things every month.

ZiwiPeak air dried formulas in beef, lamb or venison. Their canned wet food is equally top rated. Reverses ailments, proven. Dasaquin with MSM for large dogs daily. Prescription Previcox before bedtime. You’ll see a difference within days.

[Susan]

Hi, my boy has a IBD, has food sensitivities, in the beginning vet said he had Colitis, Patch starts farting, sloppy poos & itchy skin, depends on what ingredient he’s sensitive too, carrots make his ears itch & he starts shaking head & scratches his ears, with chicken he gets red paws, sloppy poos, itchy skin & vomited his raw chicken, there’s a list of foods that I finally know he cant eat…
Your best to feed a Elimination Diet, start with just 1 novel protein & 1 carb feed for 6 weeks, if she is OK you have found 2 ingredients that she isn’t sensitive too, then you add another new ingredient & feed for 6 weeks….
Food sensitivities can take from 1 day to 6 weeks to show any symptoms or look at a very limited ingredient kibble or wet tin food “California Natural” has their Lamb & Brown rice has just 3 ingredients or they have a Puppy formula with 4 ingredients but its chicken choose a different protein to the one she’s eating at the moment..
or try a Vet Diet like “Royal Canin” Potato & Venison or Potato & Salmon or the Potato & Rabbit wet tin is better to feed then a kibble, then when you find she is doing best on the say the potato & Venison after 6 weeks cause the vet diet is balanced you can start adding 1 new ingredient say boiled rice 2 table spoons is she OK with the boiled rice my boy cant have boiled rice it irritates his bowel but he can have the ground rice in a kibble…
In the end the best kibble for Patch was “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roast Lamb it’s grain free, the Protein-25% fat-15% & fiber-4% it has purified water as well.
Try & find a kibble with the same percentages don’t go too high with fat & protein….

There’s also “Canidae” Pure Formulas but the protein & fat is higher in some formulas so read them…
California Natural- http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products
Canidae- http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
Taste Of The Wild (TOTW)- http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/

[Cherisse G]

Diet could be definitely the cause i would try that, before following the vet. Because most puppy food, is made with chicken. Which is the most common sensitivity. And you don’t have to feed puppy food because its for puppy’s, the only thing you should avoid is the ones that say adult food. So a good food to go for, is grain free, high quality meat, no mysterious meat, no colouring, no starch. Most of the time vet tests come up negative or inconclusive. Also, sometimes it is the way the food is processed in dry food that your dog can react to. In which case, try raw, it is more expensive, but it is fantastic. Vets go against it because they get a day training of nutrition provided from the big company brands at the vet. And they have to meet a quota each month as well.. Id say try raw and if you are worried that it is not nutrionally balance (because all vets will tell you different), get nupro gold, it has all the vitamins a dog needs.

[Courtney A]

Hi I feed premade raw and I also try to feed without synthetic vitamins as well and I know Primal and small batch do not use any synthetic vitamins and use organic veggies and fruits. Also Vital essentials they are prey model no veggies or fruit. I also just started trying a company called the bones and co. Hope these suggestions help!

[Shelby J]

Hi All!

I’m very new to the raw diet. I have 2 10 week old Golden Retrievers and now that we know they can tolerate the food (we’ve been mainly feeding them chicken and an egg (1) daily) I’m ready to move on to new protein sources and menus to make sure they get a balanced meal. I’ve seen some of the menu’s posted on here and it all seems really confusing and complicated. We aren’t overloaded with extra time but I want to make sure they get what they need. Anyone have simple, sample menus for puppies? Kilo is about 20 pounds and Murph is about 17.

Thanks!!

[Heidi B]

In your “Editors Choice Puppy Foods for January 2017” you list Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Boost Puppy as appropriate for large breed puppies.
However, in your review of the product, you clearly state “Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Boost Puppy appears to be suitable for small and medium breed puppies only. This recipe may not be appropriate for larger breeds.”

[Cannoli]

Hi,

There is Hare Today Gone Tomorrow, Miamia Raw, My pet Carnivore which offer pre-made raw with no vitamins added.

You can then buy all natural none synthetic vitamins online at Amazon that you can add to the pre-mad raw from the above suppliers such as Animal Essentials Herbal Multi-Vitamin

[Stephanie W]

I’m wanting to switch my dogs to a pre-made raw diet. I have been home cooking for them for about a month now and they are doing fantastically on it! However, it is very time consuming and seems to be about as expensive as a raw pre-made.
I really do not want to put synthetic vitamins or carbs back into their system though.
Is there a balanced pre-made that does not use synthetic vitamins/minerals and has little to no carbs? <10g

Thanks!

[Jean R]

I have the same story as Kelly: 6 lb Parti Pom with collapsing trachea (taking Lomotil), hypothyroid (.1mg bid), seizures (Keppra 0.6 TID), knee issues, hair issues and she is diabetic getting 0.5U of N TID. She is on raw diet of meat, I mix in blender: 2 eggs with crushed shell, 1 can of green beans, 1 can pumpkin, 1 can of spinach, 1 banana, 10 blueberries, 1 tsp concentrated OJ, 1/2 Quinoa (Just added for fiber/protein). Garlic And anything else I have like broccoli/low cal high fiber, little or no sugar foods. Once a smoothe, she eats anything mixed in her meat. Her Frutosamines have been low and she went from 2U N to 0.5u but she still went into DKA with over 10000.00 ICU bill. We are not looking at frutosamine any more. I check her urine daily and if she has ketones, I add o.5u to her regimen. She is on it now after high ketone and high glucose reads last week. Her curve was done and she was in the 300s dropping to below 200 at noon and then back up to almost 400 at 5p. Her norm goal is to be under 250. We started her on the extra 0.5u and she is now maintaining 250-500 glucose and no ketones. I am told that she will always have 250 glucose but I get her to negative a lot. The good thing is that we avoided the ICU, the bad thing is that she has lost from 6lbs to 5.2lbs. I try and keep her just under 6lbs. Today she is 5.5lbs. She had been in the 8-9lb area when I started looking at her reasons and found all the above. (her seizures are from a fall down 22 steps, running out the door when a friend opened it to leave). I now feed her 1/4 raw (duck, rabbit, venison, quail-she is allergic to beef) at 6-7 am with insulin (her choice, definitely not mine), either goat milk (a tablespoon) or cottage cheese (a dab) with insulin at 1-2pm since she falls low then and again at 6-7 1/4 cup raw and at 9pm another snack and 0.5U of insulin…so today she is 250 glucose and no ketone urine dip. and has been relatively there for 3 days. I came here to see if there is anything else I can do for this little angel of 10.5 years. I think I will give her pumpkin for snacks, she is on a probiotic, 1/2 canine health and 1/4 tsp mangosteen as well as a small amount of milk thistle. She gets no rabies and her titer is high coverage (that is a total vet racket and kills off their internal organs and give seizures) and no other shots. I have pet protector which seems like voodoo but no one has had fleas the last 3 years so it works, I stopped fostering because she has become so protective of me, I can not work with the dogs in a healthy manner, she has a yorkie sibling that is on thyroid meds and stopped seizures after I fostered him and stopped all the shots/flea stuff. Any suggestions you have for weight gain (and anything else) I would be thankful,

• This reply was modified 8 years, 11 months ago by Jean R.

[Cannoli]

When I started sneaking veggies into my dogs food I invested in a good blender. I am a fan of sneaking veggies into my homemade dog food as it provides an additional plethora of vitamins that meat can not provide.

I normally feed him 1 large tablespoon per meal. My pup gets two meals a day.

Here is an example of one of the smoothies I make. I rotate veggies every 3 weeks. This makes enough for 3 weeks

large sweet squash roasted in the oven with extra virgin coconut oil- Squash has sweetness that sweetens up the veggie mix and most dogs like a little sweetness in their life.
Organic raw apple
Package of blueberries
Spirulina- This is blue-green algea loaded with minerals and has naturally occurring salt
Mother’s apple cider vinegar
Fresh tumeric root
Fresh ginger
Some fresh parsley
Alfalfa sprouts
Pumpkin seeds
Some organic supplement powder that covers any other vitamins I might be missing.

It taste good to me. It has a hint of sweetness, a little bit of saltiness from the spriulina, and a wonderful coconut apple cider tumeric aroma.

[InkedMarie]

Pamela,
If you go to the Hare Today website, click on “raw food education” (it’s a picture of a cat wearing glasses) then click feeding dogs. Tracey, the owner, says if you feed a variety, all you need is salmon or anchovy oil. I feed strictly Hare and use salmon oil, joint supplements and I feed egg 2-3x weekly.
Tracey is very helpful; email her and she will answer your questions. Remember to do a review, send in pictures, ‘like” Hare on fb to earn points that give you money off future orders!

[Pamela C]

Is it recommended to supplement with hare today? I’m planning on doing half kibble & half raw. I ordered a pretty good selection of protein but I’m just paranoid about giving her too much bone or not enough organ.

[zcRiley]

Answers Pet Food (stated above) has whey in it. Whey is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. Just FYI, it’s from milk. Butter is also listed as an ingredient.

ZiwiPeak air dried formulas of beef, lamb or venison is your best bet if you don’t want to mess with raw. As long as your pet isn’t allergic to mussels. It’s been known to reverse or stabilize diseases. Expensive but worth it.

[elaine c]

Answers Pet food is wonderful even if you do not have those allergies… it has nothing in it that you mentioned. It is a very high quality raw dog food. It is a national dog food and you can check it out on the dogfoodadvisor.com page. It is all fermented and so good for the gut.. I think the best food on the market… kibble is not great.. it is processed. Even the best. Good luck. Elaine

[Stan C]

Soulty Raw is a high quality dog food provider in my area which has no review from dog food advisor. Does anyone have experience with their product line? http://www.soulyraw.com.

I have a 1 year old male Golden. I want him to have the very best to keep healthy and happy.

Thank you

[Jan D]

Kristen, I am sorry to hear that your pup had problems after giardia as well. It is so hard to watch them get sick over and over, and not have any answers. I think it must really destroy the gut, not to mention being on metronidazole, which I know kills all the good bacteria.

I have been wondering lately if he might have one of the bad bacteria, like Clostridium or Cryptosporidium. I know they can cause the same type of symptoms. I don’t think they routinely test for bacteria on a regular fecal exam, and the next time I talk to my vet I will ask him about it.

He is still pooping a LOT on the TOTW food. They range from firm, to soft serve throughout the day. He has been on it for a little over a week now. Do you think things should have regulated at this point if this food was going to work for him? He used to eat raw, so I’m sure it is taking his body a little time to get used to digesting kibble. His body is almost reacting as if I am overfeeding, but he is still not eating the full amount my vet wants me to get into him daily.

I did ask the vet about the excessive pooping, and he said he didn’t want to change anything at the moment because he has put on a little weight (he needs to gain a few pounds) and has more energy. I do agree that those are positive things, but pooping that much (8 times yesterday!) has to be a sign that something isn’t quite right. He said as long as they are somewhat formed, that it is ok.

I guess I will just keep things as they are for the moment and hope that he starts to regulate on this food. I do have an appointment to see a new Holistic Vet in a few weeks, so it will be interesting to see what he has to say about diet.

[Naturella]

Hi, Krista!

I feed my dog Bruno “soups” for every meal. He gets his dry kibble and a topper that varies at each meal, whether it is canned food, dehydrated/freeze-dried raw, or some other topper, such as coconut or fish oil, yoghurt/kefir/goat milk, raw egg, or canned sardines, and add warm water, stir it all together, and serve him the soup. He loves it! He has been eating soups for years now, precisely because of the added hydration.

[Krista B]

Try fruitables, it’s a digestive supplement. Also perfect form by honest kitchen is a good one. Sometimes adding some calcium will firm up loose stools. For example in canned whole sardines there are soft bones that provide calcium. Also RMB’s (raw meaty bones) will work.

[Jeanne M]

I have been feeding Vital Essentials Raw and Freeze Dried Raw. My Shelties are thriving on it and I think it is an exceptional dog food. There are no grains, fillers, veggies, etc. Just meat, bones and organ meat. Please check it out! It’s awesome!

[Ef H]

Any suggestion on dog food to help with this? Have tried Angel Eyes, whitening shampoos and other solutions. Someone said diet could be the problem contributing to saliva issue. Now eating Natures Variety Instinct Raw Boost Chicken Meal formula.

[Denise P]

I have been feeding all my dogs K9 Natural for about 3 years now. Previously my dogs had been on Innova for many many years, but when Innova was acquired there were like 3 recalls in less than a year when there had been zero in all the years before, so I thought to be safe I needed to change manufacturers. Previous to this I was very pleased with Innova. When on high quality food, the output of poop should be much less since the nutrients should be absorbed. After ruling out any medical issues, I tried many different foods and my big 10 year old dog was just not processing and absorbing them well. On the recommendation of a friend and I have been very pleased. I buy the frozen raw food. I actually use only the chicken (they sell lamb as well that is to fattening and rich for my dogs) and I also purchase the green tripe and mussels. I feed raw meet twice per day and alternate the tripe in twice per week. My bigger 10 year old dog had dramatic results, his poop was reduced to a few drops of white movements that would disintegrate into almost sand when picked up. His coat became soft like a rabbits and his energy level increased dramatically. Clearly from the look of the poop… he was absorbing all the nutrients in the food. I also put my Maltese and Chihuhua on the diet. Results on my Maltese was that the brown eye tearing was greatly reduced and again the poop what white in color. (there is ground bone in the raw diet.) All of my dogs love this food.

[Susan]

Hi again,
I just remembered yes the Metronidazole takes time to fix things up & can cause sloppy poos, takes Patch around 5 days for poos to start getting better & farts to stop, you really won’t know if the TOTW is agreeing with your pup until you have finished the course of Metronidazole, I asked my vet can I have a few repeat scripts of the Metronidazole, just in case I start to see Patches poos going sloppy yellow & the farts start up again months later, I just go chemist & buy the Metro it’s cheaper from chemist but he hasn’t needed the Metro since eating the TOTW kibble….
In the Beginning my vet wanted Patch on the Metronidazole for 6 months but after being on the Metro for 1 month Patch was acting weird, real paranoid & was jumping at his own shadow, then 1 morning on our walk he was dazed & confused & he didn’t stop at the usual intersection that he always stopped & sat at, lucky no cars were coming, I went home & google side effects to Metronidazole then I rung the vet & told her what do I do, she said, yes it’s rare but some dogs can have reaction stop the Metronidazole, so now if Patch has to take the Metro he cant take it more then 3 weeks…
also make sure the Probiotic is given 3-4 hours after or before a feed that the Metronidazole tablets were given, Metro has to be taken with food, I was putting the tablets down his throat, Patch was leaving the tablets in his bowl….. I was giving the Metronidazole every 12 hours & Patch was eating 4 small meals a day, I made sure the 2 bigger meals were 12 hours apart to give his Metro tablets…..To gain weight I gave an extra meal (Lunch) 1/2 a cup kibble, then when he’s at his proper weight or looks like he’s gaining too much weight then reduce to 1/4 cup & see does he lose any weight.
Patch does 3 poos on the TOTW some days he does 2 poos he only eats 2 & 1/2 cups kibble a day made into 4 meals & some days I feed a cooked meal for dinner & take 1 cup kibble away replace with the cooked meal & yes the poo that was from the cooked meal is smaller…… later you’ll do the same feed 1 meal raw & the other meal still his kibble & slowly go back onto the raw diet & have the Metronidazole on hand just incase poos start going yuk again & give another course of the Metro while introducing the raw diet again… and remember the Metronidazole will kill the good bacteria in the Probiotic, best to give probiotic after the course of Metro is finished….
Buy a diary write down what your feeding, doing & what is working, just incase yrs later you need to look back, what worked & what didn’t work…. I also write it all down then when I see my vet she puts it in the computer so she can look back if needed….
He’ll get there but it takes time….

[Kathy R]

Hi Jenn, first post but important enough to share with you. Forza has been a godsend for my girl. She is a Shep/Pit cross about 80 lbs., large boned and intact.

Since a young pup she had severe IBD issues. I tried so many various, high quality, limited ingredient, etc to no avail. I switched to raw 2 years ago and it helped her tremendously. She put her weight back on, nice coat, etc.

Raw was becoming expensive and I’m now a single mom so this food was highly recommended. It is the ONLY food other than raw she can eat and have a nice, solid stool and no GI issues. I now feed Forza digestion and she is also eating some raw.

Hope this helps. Kit Kat

[Angie D]

Hello, I am new to this forum and fairly new to raw feeding …. based on what I have seen so far in my dog I will always feed this way 🙂

I have a 14 1/2 year old shep X this is what he is currently eating

morning he gets taste of the wild kibble before I go to work approx 1.5 cups ( he weighs 50 pound)

his evening meal consists of raw muscle meat chicken and either heart , liver , or gizzards depends on what I have on hand , I mix this with spirulina, coconut oil, and sometimes plain yogurt , I try to buy hormone free meat , sometimes it is just too expensive .. he gets aprox 8 oz…I try to give him a can of water packed sardines once or twice a week as well. I was useing brewers yeast , but I did not like his stool consistency after I started this so I discontinued , I had heard it was good for flea’s , I may give it another shot…..

My question is about Calcium Phos ratio, I do not give him RMB due to his age… I would be concerned that he would not be able to chew them… I maybe am just being paranoid as he chews his treats just fine :)…. but none the less, this is the route I am going… if he were younger I would just give him bones to balance all out….. should I be adding calcium to his eve meal? or does the kibble meal straighten things out enough? If I should be adding it , how much based on the amount I stated I feed…. his energy is VERY good for his age, weight fine as well… I have been feeding this way for approx six months and am still amazed at the increase in his energy and overall attitude towards life since I started, not to mention his breath does not smell at all…. the only thing I don’t care for is his coat… it looks a little dry sometimes…. I am concerned that this could be due to the calc phos issue , or possible un related… we have had a HORRIBLE flea prob this year… and since I refuse to use chemicals on him it is harder to control them…. I am thinking that he coat issue could be that…. if not would a calcium phos imbalance cause coat and skin issues?

Appreciate any feed back 🙂

Angie

[Susan]

HI Jan,
since being on the TOTW are his poos the best they have been since they were good when eating the raw?? I would keep him on the TOTW for a bit longer 2-3months, if you don’t want to try a vet diet, let his bowel heal & adjust to eating a kibble, remember his stomach & bowel was use to eating a raw diet & they do less poos & nice small poos…..he’s only been on the TOTW kibble 1 week also have you tried stopping the enzyme just for 2 days & see are the poos smaller & better, does it make a difference?…..
My Patch was put on a vet diet for 9-12 months, I didn’t want him on a vet diet, also Patches vet is into feeding more natural diets not kibbles, she explained we need the stomach & bowel to rest & heal & not work hard digesting his food, I said OK how long do I feed this vet diet look it has corn grits, she said just for 1 yr to let the stomach & bowel heal….I nillly had a heart attack, 1 yr but she was right in the end, 9 months later I started looking at other kibbles but I still knew I had the vet diet to fall back on just in case the new kibble wasn’t working out….
We tried Royal Canin Gastrointestinal but Patch started to itch, scratch & smell real yeasty, he has food sensitivities & in the end the vet Diet “Eukanuba Intestinal” a low residue kibble worked & there’s also “Intestinal Plus” it has more fiber, he was doing just 2 small poos a day at the same time everyday but sometimes his poos were very soft to pick up & yellow but vet said as long as when the poo is coming out it’s formed, its OK, I look back & I think the Eukanuba Intestinal may have been too low in fiber for Patch, it was 1.7% crude fiber…

Iams also has their Intestinal Plus Low Residue Puppy, Iams KO Oats & Kangaroo & beet pulp, its for Skin & Coat has better ingredients, there’s no corn, no gluten corn meal in the Iams KO & it does have the Beet pulp, Beet pulp makes poos smaller & firmer, a lot of cheap kibbles & vet diets use beet pulp cause people judge a dog food by the way a dog poos & when poos are small & firm they think the food is good but its just the added beet pulp…

Also look at the Hills Vet Diet, Hills I/d Digestive Care, remember all the vet diets are guaranteed money back so until you find one that works you don’t pay for all this kibble that doesn’t work for the dog…
http://www.hillspet.com/en/us/products/pd-canine-id-dry,
the Hills I/d kibble has the digestive enzymes, electrolytes, vitamin B what is needed to gain weight, omega 3-6 fatty acids, prebiotic fiber (Beet Pulp) everything needed to heal the stomach & bowel, I know vet diets have awful ingredients for dogs with intestinal problems like corn, maize, gluten corn meal but they seem to help their stomach & gut heal, I don’t know why but when you find the right vet diet they do work…
Just remember in the back of your head this is temporary it’s just for 6-9 months …

In Australia we have better ingredients in our vet diets or they are not allowed in Australia, I don’t know why Hills & Royal Canin don’t make the ingredient list the same for the American pets as well….probably where they make more money….

Here’s the Iams site to compare ingredients with the Hills & Royal Canin vet diets, Iams KO has just Oat Flour & Kangaroo & has the Beet pulp…. the “Eukanuba Intestinal” also has a puppy formula made for puppies, puppies need more fat in their diet….
http://www.iams.com/dog-food/veterinary-formula
It’s just a thought if nothing is working after a couple of months..
I really hope he starts to improve then when he’s older & better he can go back to a raw diet & a nice raw meaty bone..

[goldenstar]

Well, I had to ask. I had been curious.
“That’s ridiculous. One could say the same about the posters that post the same diatribe over and over again against science based veterinary medicine and promote homeopathic cures, raw diets, etc. Advising pet owners to disregard what their veterinarians tell them is best.”
I have to admit….That kind of sounds like something the skeptvet would say.
I am not against science based information. I am just not crazy about the skeptvet.
You have some great advice and that is appreciated. You and I will probably never agree on some things.
I would not tell people to disregard their vet’s advice. Do people here actually do that?
And the blood work is a very good idea, I do plan on doing that.
I am very sorry about your Corgi.
My dog had soft tissue sarcoma. It started out as a small growth on her leg. About a year and a half later. I had to let her go.
Yes breeding is a factor. But environmental toxins and diet has to be in the mix. I mean… Look how it affects humans.

[Jan D]

Hello everyone. My puppy had Giardia at 9 weeks old, and I think it has really messed up his gut. He was treated with 10 days of Metronidazole and Panacur. He’s had several fecals run since, and they have all come back negative for it. He is 6 months old now and we are still dealing with loose stools off and on.

We have been to the vet several times to try and resolve this, and it usually results in them just doing another round of Panacur. I can’t imagine he has any parasites at this point with all the dewormer he has gotten. My new vet currently has him on 2 weeks of Metronidazole at the recommendation of an internist, who thinks there may be some type of bacterial infection. He is also taking a pancreatic type enzyme to help him digest his food along with FortiFlora probiotics.

He used to eat raw food (first NW Naturals, and then Vital Essentials Freeze Dried), but the two vets I have seen didn’t want him on raw, and said it might be too rich for his system at this point. My current vet wanted to put him on Royal Canin Gastrointestinal Kibble. I refuse to feed this food because I think the ingredients are junk. I thought there must be another food with better ingredients that I could try. I decided to try him on TOTW Sierra Mountain Kibble. He has only been on it for a week now (still transitioning over). His stools are now huge in size, very frequent (6 times yesterday!), and are formed, but very soft. He would usually only go 3 times a day on the raw and they were very small and firm.

I am so confused at this point. I am not sure if I should stick with the TOTW, or switch to another food? After doing some reading, I have read several posts from people stating that TOTW made their dogs have large frequent stools as well. Do you think I should just give him a few months on it hoping that his stools will get better? I am just worried that 6 bowel movements a day is a sign that it isn’t agreeing with him and that he isn’t absorbing nutrients. The fiber content is only 4%, so I am not sure why his stools are so large. He is underweight, so one of my main concerns is getting some weight on him.

Has anyone had a dog with Giardia and found a food that is easy to digest and produces good stools?

[anonymous]

“I am wondering if this person posting the skeptvet link is the skeptvet. When someone else recommends a company or product over and over in this forum, people have asked if they have a vested interest in that company. I am wondering the same”.

That’s ridiculous. One could say the same about the posters that post the same diatribe over and over again against science based veterinary medicine and promote homeopathic cures, raw diets, etc. Advising pet owners to disregard what their veterinarians tell them is best.

I am sorry for the loss of your dog, if it was hemangiosarcoma, it’s a very aggressive form of cancer common in certain breeds. Often there are no symptoms until it is too late. I went through this with a corgi. It tends to strike between 8 and 10 years of age.

Annual checkups along with the recommended blood work might help to catch it early, even then, the treatment options are limited.

I blame the puppy mills and backyard breeders that continue to breed dogs regardless of hereditary genetic disorders.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 11 months ago by anonymous.

[Cheryl M]

Hello
I’m looking for help/advice, as I am sure others must have been in the situation I am in.

I have a 10 year old staffy and for the past 4 years or so she been awful with her skin and ears. A couple of years ago she was diagnosed as food intolerant, but I’m in the U.K. and my vet said there was no test to show what foods are safe/unsafe for her. So upon their advise I did an elimination diet….chicken, beef, turkey, fish, kangaroo, buffalo, bison, home cooked meats, raw meats, etc nothing seemed to make a difference. Finally I found a dry food which although very boring for her did calm her down a little. It was grain free and hypoallergenic etc. She came off the steroids and went onto apoquel. She will have the odd scratch and scoot but on the whole it was bearable for her.

In December she had a big flare up – and still is – she is back on steroids as well as the apoquel, and has ear drops from the vets for her ears; she has been scratching them until they bleed then crying in pain. She is always worse in a morning.

At the moment I’m not working so can be with her, but I can’t leave the house for fear of returning to bloodied ears.

I’ve tried anti fungal/bacterial sprays, shampoos, powder enzymes for her food. I’ve tried the lot.

I’m guessing she’s built an intolerance up to the dry food. The vet gave her a strong injection of steroids yesterday she was so bad.

I am just at a loss what to do. I am so stressed out at her suffering. I wish there was a test so we could find what she can eat.

Any advice please?

[Cannoli]

Hi Mary N,

To add to my previous comment I think it’s difficult to answer your question of whether we should trust your vet’s recommendation in regard to your pet’s food.

It’s hard for me to tell no or yes since we don’t really know anything about your vet.

For me when I first got my pup two years ago I had to decide between three vets. This was a daunting experience for me since I knew nothing about Veterinary medicine and most lay people don’t. So I checked out their yelp reviews and how long they have been in business. All of these 3 vets all had over a hundred reviews but two of them had really terrible reviews (quite a lot). The first two vets people complained a lot about their pets getting even sicker for months after the treatment received from these vets and being forced to buy unnecessary shots.. But the third vet and the one that I chose had only negative reviews based on the amount they charged.

In addition the first two vets were relatively new in practice while my 3rd vet has been around for 20 years. I chose the 3rd vet. He really knows his stuff..I have had few times that I had to take my pup to the emergency to see him and all times were false positive. He never orders unnecessary blood work or tests, never pushed me on food that he sells at his store, and he never pushed me when it comes to unnecessary shots. For example lyme disease shots. He knows that I know that my town has no history of ticks with lyme (my town has a website and they list any instances of lyme infections) he doesn’t recommend it. But yet the other 2 vets are constantly mailing me “it’s time for your dog to get lyme desease shots”

Even if my vet recommended me his food he knows I would grill him on the ingredients. He knows I am fanatic about eating healthy. We have had animated discussions about raw food and my home cooked food. He is against it but so far my pup is thriving and he is impressed with how healthy my pup is. My vet has seen a lot of malnourished dogs.

So sorry for the long diatribe but if you have a good relationship with your vet and they listen to you and don’t send you mailers in the mail every 3 months that your dog needs this shot and that shot (ha) than I see no reason why you should not trust your vet’s food.

[Cannoli]

Hi Andrea S,

Congrats on making your own treats. maybe you can provide us with an example of the ingredients in your current home made dog treats and we can add some input on what you might add.

Since these are just treats they don’t need to be complete and balance.

I make my dog treats occasionally. Sadly I don’t have the entrepreneurial spirit to turn this into a small side business.

Here are some of the treats I have made:
Liver Cookies.. Basically liver that I cook on very low heat in the oven for about 4 hours ( i cut them into round cookie shapes) and then I dip them in a tumeric extra virgin organic coconut paste. I love the taste of them and so does my pup ha.

For Christmas I made my pup and I the following cake:
Coconut glazed cake-basically i baked some sweet potatoes and butternut squash. Then smashed them.. Then I use one of my cake baking trays and put the smashed sweet potato butternut squash in it. Drizzle some raw honey on top. Sprinkled it with fresh coconut and baked it for 25 minutes until coconut got nice and toasty brown.

Would love to hear some of your recipes.

[Caryl R]

I have switched my dogs from Orijen to Timberwolf Organics. They are doing great on it. I have read some complaints about their customer service but I have not experienced any problems. One draw back is they don’t sell it on Chewy. You have to buy it direct from their website unless you have a store near you that sells it. It is less expensive then the Orijen and I feel it is a great food for the price.

[pitlove]

Hi Mary-

Veterinary Theraputic diets are made for specific illness and disease processes. They are not intended for healthy pets. Therefore when your vet is recommending one of these diets, its to help manage those disease processes.

Veterinary nutritionists do not use an ingredient deck to evaluate the quality of a pet food as it tells you very little about the food besides what’s in it. It does not tell you the quality of the raw materials, the manufacturing process, how the raw materials are stored and handled, the companies quality control procedures or who is formulating the diet and what credentials they have. Nutritionists prefer to use this set of guidelines when choosing a pet food http://www.wsava.org/sites/default/files/Recommendations%20on%20Selecting%20Pet%20Foods.pdf

I suggest you start there when asking yourself these questions. It’s great to have discussions like this with friends or as part of a public forum, but the opinions expressed should never be misconstrued as fact.

I personally also feed a vet recommended diet and have found it works best for my pets out of the countless “better” brands I’ve tried.

[Susan]

Hi Paul,
as we get older we don’t make as much hydrochloric acid to digest our food & its harder to digest food so the food sits in our stomach, Google “Hypochlorhydria” is low stomach acid
it may just be a coincidence the glucosamine has cause this, I prefer to give my 8yrs old Omega 3 supplements or feed foods high in omega 3 fatty acid for his joints, skin etc, I’ve been very lucky with Patch he doesn’t have any joint problems yet, he is walked 3 times a day cause I live in a unit & he’s kept lean…but my boy does have IBD mainly stomach problems & skin allergies & was vomiting undigested food a year ago, I had to make his gut strong & healthy. Dog probiotic like Purina Fortiflora is good, they tested 10 dog probiotics & found only 3 of them had live cultures & Purina Fortiflora was voted number 1, I give Yukalt it’s a probiotic drink in the fridge section at supermarket, I drink 1/2 & Patch gets the other 1/2 there’s 5 small pink drinks, he has stoped his vomiting & eating grass every morning, so the Yakult drinks have probably fixed his bacteria in his gut & bowel & made it healthy again..
https://www.chewy.com/purina-pro-plan-veterinary-diets/dp/50000
I feed lean white meats, I buy lean pork grounded mince 1kg (2lb), add 1 whisk egg, a few chopped up small broccoli heads broken off the broccoli, 1 teaspoon chopped up parsley, some kale chopped up just 1 leaf, or you can use 1 spinach leaf or another veggie, I was grating 1 small carrot, I suppose start with less is best then the next batch of rissoles add another finally chopped up veggie….. mix all together & make 1 cup size rissole, (it makes about 8-9 x 1 cup size rissoles) & bake in oven on a foiled covered baking tray, when they’re 1/2 cooked take out tray of rissole & drain any excess water & fat there’s normally hardly any fat, then turn over the rissoles & bake, don’t over cook the rissoles as soon as there’s no blood they’re ready, I also peel & cut up sweet potato & boil, I do not boil rice, rice ferments in the stomach, it’s no good, the new thing is to cook either potato or sweet potato…. Hamburger mince is very high in fat it’s not recommended anymore…. I also boil some pumkin & freeze you can also freeze the rissoles, I only add about 1/3 to 1/2 a cup of sweet potatoes or potatoes & a small piece of pumkin to 1 rissole, mix altogether & cut up rissole finally so it’s easier to digest…
Do not give a raw feed dog any dry kibble, kibble is harder to digest even when water is added, vet hasn’t prescribe any kibble, fed a wet tin food if vet advises a vet prescription diet…but a cooked diet is heaps better then any vet diets….cook foods that are easy to digest & white lean meats for now, beef is a stronger more rich meat like Kangaroo, I didn’t know this lol poor Patch he loved his beef & kangaroo rissole but his stomach didn’t it came back up undigested…
also cook some home made healthy doggy treat biscuits there’s a few recipes online… I have a few if needed.. he may need a 10 day course of Metronidazole it’s an antibiotic for stomach & bowel.. also feed 3-4 smaller meals a day.

[Mary N]

If you go with senior dog food try and find something that has a great amount of protein. If you want your Labrador to keep on developing and getting stronger then he is going to need an extra amount of protein.

Like someone said above, I would also suggest that you include some raw diet plans as that would increase the amount of protein your Labrador can use to build more muscle and overall more mass. But stick with lean protein sources like beef for example

[David H]

I am a huge believer in Fromm Foods. I currently feed Whitefish and Patato to my older dogs. I do like to add some fresh raw hamburger to it also. I lost my 15+ yr old Golden in October. She had some kidney issues from age 10 on. I feel she outlived what the vets told me because of the great low phos. in the Fromm Whitefish and the addition of 80/20 hamburger. The difference I have found between senior and regular adult food it is Calories. If you watch what you feed them i would not worry about a senior food. The joint supplements if high quality can be a huge benefit.

[anonymous]

Give the vet a call and ask him to call you back when he has a minute.
I would stop all supplements, keep his diet as simple as possible. He is a senior at 8 years old, break the piggybank and get some lab work done (if you haven’t done so already).
Lab values tell a lot and can identify ailments in the early stages, when they will respond to treatment. I would stop the raw. Instead, get a quality kibble and gradually mix the cooked beef/rice mixture into it, add a splash of water to meals. Maybe presoak the kibble in H2O if he doesn’t frequent his water bowl. Hope this helps.
Also, http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=raw

PS: I would continue the bland diet for your dog, boiled rice and hamburger, until stable.
I would add a splash of water to meals.

[Paul H]

Hello, I’ve been feeding my 8 yr old black lab raw for about 2 years. He loves it and has been very healthy. Recently I changed his glucosamine supplement and after a few days he got sick and was throwing up most of the day. We took him to the vet, he had no temp, no diarrhea, or blood in vomit. Our vet said to wait until 12 hours after his last vomit, and cook up some ground beef and white rice. We fed him that twice last night, he seemed better, but now my wife found some vomit with the food in it. Could it be because we fed him cooked beef? Thank you in advance.

[Susan]

Hi, stop feeding the Pedigree, it sounds like its up setting his stomach & he’s reacting badly to ingredients, having bad skin & his stomach problems, he cant eat it.. He probably has food sensitivities they have stomach/bowel problems & their skin itches, smells yeasty, red paws, itchy ears, some will rub bum on carpet, floor & grass… My boy has IBD (stomach) & food sensitivities & skin Allergies, look at foods that have limited ingredients & NO LENTILS OR CHICKPEAS these are harder to digest… Can you cook a lean meal boiled potatoes & a lean white meat or afford wet tin food or a raw diet?? When I rescued my boy I think he wasn’t feed kibble & was feed either a cooked diet, wet tin food or a raw diet, cause he would just look at the bowl of kibble & wouldn’t eat it, he preferred the wet & cooked food, then my nightmare began with his IBD (food sensitivities), vomiting, acid reflux, sloppy poos, up early hours of the morning with his bowel making loud noises, itchy skin, rubbing bum on my carpet, red paws that he licked & licked…all this just cause he was sensitive to something he was eating, I couldn’t believe it, I have never owned a dog like this all my pets could eat anything & were feed Pedigree & Purina until I learnt they’re are awful foods with bad ingredients….The Vet put him on Royal Canine Hypoallergenic HP till I worked out what I was going to do, the Royal Canine helped his skin stop itching but not his sloppy poo & vet gave me “Malaseb” medicated shampoo said to bath daily if needed or do the weekly baths…..you might need something stronger then the oatmeal shampoo your using & do weekly baths. Look for shampoos that are Anti Fungal shampoos like the Malaseb medicated shampoo, I’m pretty sure I read that Walmart sells a Anti-Fungal shampoo that’s like Malaseb…. Can you afford to feed a lean raw balanced diet or feed raw for breakfast & a kibble with limited ingredients for dinner? A Balanced Raw Diet is the best to feed a dog with food & skin sensitivities..
Finally I found *”Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb, 30lb bag for $49 thru Chewy, it worked the best for my boy, it’s Lamb, sweet potatoes & peas & it has limited ingredients..
* “Sportmix Wholesome” Grain free or grain a 40lb bag $$29-$34
*”California Natural” Lamb Meal & Rice it has just 3 ingredients.
*”Pro Pac Ultimates” there’s their grain free or grain a 28lb bag is around $29-$35
*”Holistic Select” Adult/Puppy Salmon, Anchovy & Sardines Grain Free it’s Fish & Potato $54 & its for Digestive health & their skin as well, Holistic Select is high in Omega 3 fatty acids what’s needed for the skin..
Look for kibbles with Lamb & Rice or Fish & rice, or Lamb & Sweet Potatoes or Fish & Sweet Potato NO chicken for now till you work out what he can eat, theres also
*”Canidae” Pure Formulas that’s are limited ingredient the Pure Sea or Pure Wild or look at the Canidae Life Stages formulas the All Life Stages has their 44lb bag for $54….
make sure you read ingredient list, most kibbles are money back guaranteed that’s why I like going to Pet Shops so I can take back the kibble & I say he wont eat it, when I say he scratches or vomits it becomes too complicated. Holistic Select covers every health problem & refunds money but it depends on the Pet Shop, so I always send the kibble company an email telling them what’s happening with my boy & is your kibble refundable then when I go to the Pet Shop or online Pet Shop & I show them the email or say they said it’s money back, I’ve tried nilly every kibble in Australia & taken back so many kibbles…
Look at the Fat% look for around 10-15% max in fat & 24% to 29% Protein he probably wont do well on a high fat over 15% & a high protein diets over 30%….. then later after he’s doing good look for another kibble & rotate between them..

[Jeanne M]

I was dealing with a similar situation with my Sheltie. Food allergies was the culprit. I was already feeding raw freeze dried but it had alot of fruits/veggies in it. I purchased a test from http://www.glacierpeakholistics.com and they did a complete scan of my dog from her fur and saliva samples I sent them. They told me everything she was reactive/allergic to. It allowed me to build her diet from there whether it was something i made myself or purchased. The test was about $80 and worth every penny. Hope this helps!

[Jeanne M]

I have been dealing with allergies of some sort with my Sheltie… didn’t know what was causing it. Her feet were raw (some some of her legs) – she was biting them all the time. I purchased an allergy test from a local privately owned pet store who focuses on holistic remedies and high end dog foods. The test is produced by Glacier Peak holistics – its called a Pet Wellness Life Scan. You purchase the “kit” and send them fur/hair and saliva from your dog and they test for absolutely everything. It took about 3 or 4 weeks to get the results back. You get a complete scan of everything that your dog is reactive to and you can build their diet from there. Whether you purchase your food or make it yourself, this scan provides your answers. I am so glad i did it! The cost was about $80. which is much much less than my vet wanted. http://www.glacierpeakholistics.com Hope this helps.