[Kristin C]

Have you looked at Zignature dry or canned food? Also, this might sound strange (but I feed my dogs raw), have you thought about feeding her pancreas? Like cures like philosophy. I tried it with heart and one of my dog’s heart murmur is almost gone. Just a thought, you could cook it and top her food.

[Susan]

Hi, yes adding cooked food with his W/d kibble is a good idea, only add 1 food at a time, till you work out what foods he can eat & what foods don’t work in the poo department…. I was buying 1 kilo of 99% fat free turkey breast mince & scrambling 1-2 raw eggs then mixing the raw scrambled egg thru the turkey breast mince then making rissole balls, (meat loafs) & little small bite size turkey breast egg balls for treats…. I was getting 1/2 cup of the turkey breast egg mix, then I would make a round rissoles & flatten the rissole & shape the rissole like a mini meat loaf, like a snicker bar, then I put foil on a cookie tray & bake them all in the oven…. then after they were cooking for about 15mins in the oven, I’d get an egg flipper & turn all the rissoles over & there would be water stuff coming out of the rissoles, so I would tip this water out into sink so nothing burns, also I would make a few real small bite size rissole balls for treats as well, the bit size rissoles only take about 10-15mins to cook in the oven, the bigger 1/2 cup rissoles take about 25 mins, depends how flat you make them…….then I would let them all cool & freeze the rissoles & take out when needed……the little bite size rissoles only take about 15mins to thaw out… the rissoles break up real easy & you just break up over his kibble… you can even boil some potatoes & add a tin of tuna in spring water, drain the spring water & mix the boiled mashed potato thru or salmon in spring water drained & add some potatoes……

[Paula W]

Hi everyone…. I have a six-year-old Shih Tzu boy (ChewieBahka) who has been having tummy troubles for about a month now. I’ve taken him to the vet twice in the past few weeks and the vet feels he may have colitis. I was given Forti Flora to add to his meal, Metronidazole (antibiotic), and Cerenia for his diarrhea. I fed a bland diet of chicken with rice. By day two of the meds he was feeling noticeably better, and didn’t need the anti-diarrheal.

He had previously been eating Hill’s Rx Science Diet D/D Egg and Rice kibble. I do not like this food at all. My other dog, my girl Lhasa Apso mix, Coco Latte’, (who I will post about later) was put on this food. I was told it was ok for Chewie to eat it also. (Really mad at myself for not researching into that further.)

His symptoms are as follows:

* Diarrhea – (Not watery, but not well-formed….almost like a cow patty.)
* Trembling (which I believe is due to the cramping he feels in his tummy)
* Periodic lack of appetite (He’s a foodie, so this is unusual!)
* Lethargy

His fecal sample was tested and the lab results saw nothing bad with it.
Temperature is normal. No dehydration. No vomiting. Chewie is about 1/2 a pound overweight, and has a very good appetite 95% of the time. He’s an active, happy, curious litte boy, but when his tummy is bothering him, lethargy sets in.

I was afraid that he may have eaten something in the back yard, and spent two days pulling every single thing I wasn’t sure about out of the ground. (Believe it or not, Chewie enjoys “gardening”. He watched me pulling weeds one day, and he mimics what he sees. He does eat them sometimes.)

I also think that stress contributes to whatever the problem is. My husband “threw me away last December”, and it was very unexpected. As you can imagine, depression/stress for me are very high. I know it transfers over onto my dogs. Coco handles stress pretty well, but Chewie is more of a gentle soul and it’s harder on him. Also, having nowhere else to go, I became a full-time caregiver to my mother who has dementia (a lot more stress.)

The meds helped, but his symptoms returned today (about two weeks later). The vet advised that if this happened we should look into doing blood work and changing his diet. He also suggested pumpkin and a high fiber dog food. I was wondering if anyone has had similar troubles with their dog, (or a diagnosis of colitis) and what you found helpful. I just want my little boy to feel better, and I’m open to all suggestions you might have for us.

I want to feed him the best possible food I can. What’s the best possible commercially prepared food I can offer him? Is canned food better? Dry? Raw or freeze dried? Should I home cook? I have a million +1 questions and would value your insights.
Thanks in advance.

[Bobby dog]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Bobby dog]

I used to feed Bobby Pedigree too! I feed about half kibble, topped with either canned, frozen/FD commercial raw, or fresh foods, and he gets home cooked meals one day a week. So we’re all over the place.

I will post a list for you when I get on my PC. I’ll give you all brands I have fed and note which ones are lower fat for your pup with weight issues.

[Ashley W]

The budget isn’t really a concern. I wish I had the time to do the raw food but I don’t even cook for myself anymore. I’ve just been doing research on dry food and what I’ve found makes me sick. I want something that is going to be good for them. I’ve had dogs my entire life and I’ve always fed them pedigree. I know… I know… I’m just looking for the best option.

[Yorkieville]

Hi, Ashley.
I feed my 3.5# Yorkie canned food. Dr. Karen Becker has a video, and she discusses the best foods for dogs.
#1 Raw
#2 Excellent Quality Canned
#3 Dehydrated Raw

Last on the list is Dry Food.
“Many pet owners mistakenly believe dry food cleans their dog’s or cat’s teeth. That’s a myth. Dry, crunchy kibble doesn’t clean your pet’s teeth any better than granola or crackers clean yours. ”

I’ve had Yorkie’s for 34 years. It wasn’t until my late Yorkie’s, Sweet Sydney and my precious little Kia, were older, that I learned the best food for them was canned.

My Yorkie is 16 months old now & has the cleanest white teeth.

[C4D]

Hi Ashley,

Soaking kibble is better than feeding dry kibble, but canned and fresh is still better since it’s less processed. I have several big dogs so I do a combination of canned/kibble/warm water for 1 meal and fresh cooked/premix or raw for the other due to the cost factor. Red is correct, if you free feed you can’t control portion size of each dog.

[zcRiley]

Some dogs don’t do well on raw or an all wet diet. Unless your dog has a severe allergic reaction to the 4 proteins used in Zignature formulas, it’s probably the best on the market because it excludes chicken, egg and potato. I switched my pups overnight to Zignature Zssentials after intestinal issues with Orijen Adult. If they have a bad reaction to any food, I stop it immediately. Cleared up every issue they were having in 48 hours. Side note: their canned food’s not that great, so I use Weruva and ZiwiPeak for soft. The new Zignature Kangaroo formula is a hit as well!

[Jamie P]

We recently rescued a ridgeback mutt (9 weeks old), and I am researching the raw diet options and am so thankful to have found these forums to help me wade through the info available on the web (as well as help me formulate good questions for our vet!).

I’ll be checking out dr. Becker and other concerns listed here. My follow up question about transitioning to raw is– what’s the most cost-effective and convenient way to feed raw? Freeze dried or frozen? The prices are all over the place!

Also, is there a kibble that can (reasonably) mimic the raw diet?

[Dori]

Red, I’m sorry but I can’t agree or accept any of the reasons on your list. There is absolutely no excuse, in my mind, for not getting medical treatment if you have chosen to be a guardian to a companion animal or multiples. It is akin to saying that you will not get medical help for your human children and use any of those excuses. It is one thing to say that you may not be able to feed expensive, or whatever, foods. So that is why you are feeding a, b or c. I happen to believe there are a lot of quality foods that are not all that expensive far better than some of the garbage people feed. I’m a raw feeder so I’ll go no further on that topic.

I know you don’t actually think that homeopathic, holistic, natural, etc. is gobbledygook and just going to take it as you being cute. That’s okay. I use allopathic medicine and doctors as well as integrative and homeopathic medicines with my three dogs. Some work better than others and also, of course, depends on the extremeness of the situation. I also use tissue salts, essential oils, remedies, etc. All in moderation and with a watch full eye. None at the expensive of good old fashioned medicine which I also at times will take with a grain of salt. BUT…..I do get my dogs checked out once every single year, Hannah will be 16 on 9/9 and she goes twice a year. If I find lumps, bumps, drooling or what have you, I’m at the vet like a shot.

As for finances. Credit Card. A lot of doctors will give you a payment plan. Though I may be glib at times about allopathic vets I do believe there are a number of really good caring veterinarians that will help you make a payment plan and their concern is the animal and do no harm. If one is going to the other type of vets, then they should have moved along a long time ago. Okay, I’ll get off my band wagon now.

[Allison A]

He has not been tested for EPI, nor have I given him enzymes. I can contact Hills, but based on the ingredients list, the majority of the ingredients that contribute to the fiber content are insoluble (wheat, corn, etc.). His poops are not great with Hills Light, but that has been BY FAR the most successful food for him. He probably poops 5-8 times a day. First thing in the morning, the stool is formed. After that, it gets softer and softer with each subsequent BM. On any food other than the Hills, his stool is just straight liquid.

I am trying to get him off the Hills (chicken, wheat, corn) because his ears and bum are clearly bothering him. Both of those issues have gotten exponentially worse in the last two weeks with the incorporation of the Orijen (he’s getting half Hills, half Orijen Red). It hardly makes sense!

He has never had a full raw meal, only a couple freeze-dried nuggets (Primal brand) on top of his kibble. Because of that, I can’t say that going raw is the definite solution for him, but I am investigating how to go about that in a way I can afford. The commercially available frozen raw diets are going to run $400 a month, which I just can’t do. Unfortunately, I live in a very large, major US city where all meats are ridiculously expensive. We’re talking about $3/lb for the cheap stuff.

[Susan]

Hi was your dog tested for EPI & have you ever used a Digestive Enzyme? when I reed what you have used I see pumkin & the pumkin didn’t help …..Pumkin is high soluble fiber, what % fiber is the Hills light kibble made up of more soluble fiber or more insoluble fiber, email Hills & ask you want the % of the soluble, insoluble & crude fiber in the Light, but were his poos ever firm on the Hills light??? the Hills Z/d vet diet is high in insoluble fiber, it went thru my boy, so my boy needs a kibble & foods that have soluble fibers, not insoluble fibers, my boy did real well on the vet diet Euknauba Intestinal low residue kibble, the fiber is only 1.7% & the Royal Canine Intestinal low fat the fiber is 1.7%
another thing if he’s doing better on the raw, raw doesn’t have much fiber so ur vet may have it wrong, have you seen any other vets that specialise in IBD, I can try & work it out with you….I think ur dog need less fiber…..

[InkedMarie]

Tracy,
I’m going to address the raw food. If you still want to feed raw & like ground, you can save money by ordering from other places. Reel Raw Dog has free shipping; if you’re in the northeast, it’s free if you order 30lb, outside that area is free shipping on 50lb.

Other places include Hare Today (my favorite & the owner is very helpful), My Pet Carnivore & Raw Feeding Miami. Even with shipping, it’s cheaper than what you’ve been buying.

[Tracy M]

Slippery Elm Bark works great to firm up stools.

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/03/26/dealing-with-dog-diarrhea.aspx

I also would add a digestive enzyme and probiotic to the food.
Mercola has a great one as well as well as NaturVet

http://shop.mercola.com/product/healthy-pets-digestive-enzymes,271,90,0.htm

http://www.naturvet.com/index.php?
page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_images.tpl&category_id=15&product_id=90&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=8

Another option is to go completely frozen raw and see if that improves the stool.
Maybe try rabbit as a protein.

[Susan]

Hi, I had a white boxer Angie, she just had a tan patch above her left eye, her skin was good, she ate home cooked mainly, so that’s probably why her skin was good, (no Kibble)
Angie ended up having Mast Cell Tumor on the rump of her back leg & stomach, when she was about 9years old they were removed but they were high grade 2 cancer, broke my heart when I had to put her to sleep, she was a real lady & sooooo gentle….

Origen or Acana Regional is suppose to be good, high protein & less carbs….
I worry about the higher protein diets cause the fat % is normally high, that’s one thing my boxer didn’t do well on foods that were higher in fat… some boxer have a sensitive stomach…

“Earthborn” Grain free kibble “Primitive Natural” has only 17.5% carbs….their Great Plains Feast has 25% carbs the Coastal Catch has 29% carbs the Guaranteed Analysis tells you the Carb %
http://www.earthbornholisticpetfood.com/us/dog_formulas/primitive_natural/

I was feeding raw for breakfast & kibble for dinner with the dog I have now, he’s eating
cooked or wet tin for breakfast & kibble for dinner at the moment….

[Kristin C]

Hi Anna-I do think some dogs do well on a grain free diet. I have one beagle/aussie mix as an example. She has lost 7 lbs (from 37 lbs) when switched to raw plus grain free kibble. She currently eats Farmina Lamb Grain Free a few times per week. But of course it has potato,has to have something to bind it. I have another dog that seems to do better with grain. I have fed her Farmina Lamb Ancestral Grain, but since I don’t feed kibble enough it’s hard to say whether it works. I have better luck with satin balls putting weight on her. I have learned that each dog is different so it’s not one size fits all for food.

[INGRID S]

hello, i saw a new brand of dog food called RAWZ.
it was given 5 stars.
do you know anything about the company that makes it?
i think they have something to do with Mother Rubhard or something like that.
they claim to get all their ingredients from the US and Canada nothing from China
however it DOES NOT SAY MADE IN THE USA on the food.

thank you
ingroide

[Tammy H]

I wouldn’t feed Pedigree or anything Blue Buffalo. Fromm GF Surf and Turf or Orijen Six Fish would be great choices as would any of the quality raw diets available but you need to transition slowly. You can also add a small amount of quality canned or freeze dried raw. Adding fish or crill oil are great ideas. Honestly, anything you feed that is not grocery store food is going to make a big difference.

[Tracy M]

Hello

I have a 70 lb White Boxer with skin issues.
I have been feeding Frozen Raw and it has been costly.
Can anyone recommend any advice on possibly doing both? Been stressful looking at kibble, as I don’t want high Carbs. I just lost my other Boxer to cancer, and I took them off kibble completely.

Thank You for any input.

[InkedMarie]

I wouldn’t take this dog off of raw, I’d add boneless to it. I have one that needs boneless; the other one doesn’t.

[Pitlove]

Ah ok, I misunderstood. Are you planning to take her off raw? If you do not want to switch from raw back to kibble, you can buy grinds of different proteins that don’t contain bone from companies like Hare Today and work with a nutritionist to balance the meals. Wysong also makes a supplement that is said to balance a raw fed diet.

http://www.wysong.net/products/cotw-dog-cat-supplement.php

[Jan M]

Hi, no …not bones….frozen raw chicken patties with ground bones as part of the ingredients. It called for 3 patties a day for her size but I only gave her 2 as a supplement cause they are expensive. I am just praying she will eat and poop it out but she still feels horrible tonight and won’t eat! Thanks.

Red….if you see this…how long before your dog cleaned out?

[Jennifer E]

For a variety of reasons, I am in the process of transitioning Alice, my GSP/Redbone Coonhound mix, back to kibble with raw toppers. Alice has been exclusively raw fed for two years. (I no longer believe in the “never feed kibble mixed with raw!” mantra that’s been circulating the internet for years. See this article: http://therawfeedingcommunity.com/2015/01/08/digest-this-kibble-may-actually-digest-faster-than-raw/).

I’ve decided to start with Fromm Prairie Gold and then try Four Star. I’m hoping for information on how long I should expect the process to take. I started Saturday with 1/2 cup of kibble added to a smaller portion of raw. Alice does have a weak digestive system. It’s one of the reasons I decided to go back to kibble. The only time she had nice firm poops was when she got a raw knuckle bone. I was tired of having to put her teeth in danger to give her firm poop. Since Saturday, she has had pudding poops that have gotten firmer each day (so far). I have not yet upped the kibble portion from 1/2 cup. My main concern is knowing when the transition should reasonably be done so that if she still has pudding poops, I will be able to conclude that the food is not agreeing with her vs she needs more time to transition. Any guidance I can get would be so appreciated!! 🙂

• This topic was modified 10 years, 4 months ago by Jennifer E. Reason: Added link

[Pitlove]

Jan- Wow! So sorry for what your girl went through, but very glad you found out what it was. Not sure if you want to continue feeding the raw bones or not, but I was curious as to how often they were given? Raw meaty bones really should be recreational feeding only, meaning not every day and more infrequently than not. We carry Primal’s raw meaty bones at work and it even says that right on the packaging.

Perhaps she was getting them too frequently and it wasn’t allowing for enough digestion time? Or perhaps she really just can’t break them down. Either way, best of luck with whatever your choice is for her!

[Anonymous]

Same thing happened to my poodle mix, I would give her a frozen beef marrow bone and she would work on it for at least an hour and consume a bit of the ground up bone.
Well, I took her to the emergency vet after she acted like she was in pain and vomited….x-ray showed calcified bone material in the colon and stomach (it turns into cement). Luckily she did well with pain meds (tramadol) and Pepcid for a few days and the material passed. She did not need surgery.

The raw thing doesn’t work for all dogs. Click on my avatar or use the search engine to get more info.
She does well on Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea with a bit of cooked chopped up chicken breast and a splash of water added.

Brush the teeth every evening if you are worried about the teeth, check youtube for how to videos, it really does make a difference. Pekes have lousy teeth 🙁
Good info here: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/nutrition/

[Jan M]

Well, we had a horrible night with her…she felt so bad, paced and paced.i was at vets early and guess what? X-ray showed a mass of the ground up bones from raw food was blocking part of her stomach! And I thought I was giving her the very best! I was the cause of it! He gave her a shot to help with her nausea, several medications to help with her tummy right now. She is already feeling better. Most of her misery was coming from nausea due to partial blockage. Needless to say , she will never go back on a raw diet. Thanks for your advice.

[Jan M]

Oddly enough she is mostly Peke! Never constipated…usually two poops a day.switched to raw to make her poops real firm, hoping they would express on their own . Vet and groomer said glands were not full. They look perfectly fine…not red or swollen, but she is not happy!! No tests done yet as she is health in every other way. Thanks for your input.

[Jan M]

help! My 9lb. Mutt has terrible rectal issues for a few months. Her glands have been expressed, has had cortisone shot for constant digging at her anus as well as constant scooting. She will put her paws and chin on floor with butt in air and stay for several minutes. Vet can’t figure out what is wrong. I switched her food from a kibble to Stella and Chewies raw chicken …hasn’t helped. Her anus doesn’t look swollen or red but she is miserable. When vet expressed her, he said glands were not even full.???

[cherryl]

Hi all,
I have an 11 year old Maltipoo (Friday) who’s been battling Yeast infection for 3 years. I got tired of going to the vet having the same treatment over and over (they just prescribe her some medicine,Royal Canin sensitivity and medicated soap and shampoo) without any good results, she’s still stinky, itchy and miserable. I started researching and found out that possible cause of yeast is diet (vet never mentioned that to me) and it’s when i decided to try raw. I followed the yeast starvation diet on homemadedogfood: lean ground beef, boiled egg with shell. I live in Asia so Dinovite is not available so I replace it with supplement, fish oil and megaderm (alternate). Friday loved it. Her yeast is now coming out as expected. However, i observed that her bowel changed dramatically. Her normal schedule on kibble is after meal but once she changed to raw, sometimes it would take more than 24 hrs for her to poop. Her poop is also inconsistent, one day it would be very soft and wet but can still be picked up, the next day then it will be well formed but with mucus, then it will be tarry.. oh and its really smelly too..these changes on her bowel keeps me awake at night as well. Then the other night, her poop was tarry with fresh blood and some mucus, this worried me a lot so i sent her to the vet the next day. She was examined thoroughly and found everything is normal. Also, no vomiting and coughing occurred her movement is also normal.

So i researched again and most of what I read is that I’m supposed to start with chicken, so last night i bought chicken wings and chicken breast fillet. I cut the fillet in small portion and gave Friday half of the chicken wings (this is after 24hr fasting) . She DOESN’T like it. I had to give her the chicken meat by hand and most of it she spit, she ate the chicken wing but with so much pleading. This morning when i tried to give her meal, she did not eat the wings at all. I tried cutting the bones to small pieces but to no avail. (oh this is plain chicken not the yeast starvation diet)

I have another dog Bailey, (Wire Dachshund, normal size) she started on raw the same time with Friday, she’s also having the same bowel problems like Friday (but without the bloody poop (yet)), so now she’s taking chicken wings and no problem eating it at all.

Both dogs started raw about 3 going on 4 weeks now and I dont know if there’s any alternative recipe/food that I can give her. Oh like i said I live in Asia so Turkey, lamb and other kind of meat isn’t readily available here. Basic is pork, chicken and beef.
Should I stick with the yeast starvation diet but with ground chicken? How important is the bones for the dog? And what can i do to make my dog eat chicken?

Really sorry for the long read and I really hope you guys can give me some advice on this.
Thanks so much!!!

[Dori]

All Orijen is grain free, so is Acana Singles. The Honest Kitchen has a few grain free formulas. It has for quite some time.

As for freeze dried grain free foods there is Primal, Vital Essentials and I believe Nature’s Logic makes a grain free freeze dried food. I feed commercial frozen raw diet for my three but I do use freeze dried in a treat jar near the back door when calling them in. They consider it a reason to come flying into the house regardless of what they were up to outside. From time to time the only dehydrated food that I will use is The Honest Kitchen grain free fish formulas. Zeal is one and I believe they have just come out with one that has even less ingredients in it, I believe it’s called Brave (?) something like that. I just got an email about it last week or could have been this week. I don’t care for any of the other dehydrated foods that I’ve tried although Grandma Lucy’s is not bad.

[Barbara W]

I feed Orijens kibble and mix Honest Kitchen in it. My dogs love it but I really want only grain free and not a lot of plant based protein. I read here that HK doesn’t get its protein from a lot of meat. Is there another raw preferably dehydrated that is grain free and high in meat rather than plants? I’ve seen Stella and Chewy and Primal but not sure if that is the best route. Is Honest Kitchen really good? It doesn’t seem to make the editors choice list.

[Susan]

Hi, some kibble companies will write the Carb % on their website …. you add the protein % the fat% the fiber % the Moisture % & the ash % if the ash % isn’t on the bag or their site just add about 6-8% then take away from 100 & you’ll get a ruff estimate of the carbs….

Earthborn Holistics has the carb % written on the guaranteed analysis, I’m introducing the Natural “Ocean Fusion” it has 12%min fat the least ingredients, no peas, tomato pomace or probiotics… The lower the carbs the better, when dogs eat a raw diet some dogs don’t eat carbs, Patch was eating about 5% carbs when feed a raw diet but that was cause he was a bit under weight, all his yeasty smelly ears paws & skin went away….
http://www.earthbornholisticpetfood.com/us/dog_formulas/

[Pitlove]

If you are nervous about raw you can lightly cook the lamb. Obviously no salt or any type of seasoning or butter. There are many people who don’t feel 100% comfortable feeding raw that do that.

Number one thing is making sure the meals are complete and balanced.

[Laura S]

I am thinking I will look into cooking for Stella. The raw thing scares me a little. I am thinking of going with a grass fed lamb because she is a little on the thin side. I have been adding a little white rice to her kibble now and it seems to be preventing any diahrrea. So some lamb, rice, fruit, veggies and salmon oil is on the menu next I guess.

[Gary L]

Hey everyone

My puppy now doesn’t want to eat anything else then cooked chicken and egg.
I tried giving him RC Mousse that he started off with, Wellness Core puppy canned, Wellness Core puppy air dried, THK Embark. He wouldn’t eat any of those but once I laydown a plate of chicken he’ll eat them all.

Any ideas what should I do in that case? Should I feed him raw instead?
I worried most about him not having all the nutrition he needs to grow up.

Please help!

[ldsb67]

My beagle was hit by a car. Have been feeding him lots of beef and chicken and rice, but very expensive. It’s been six weeks and am looking for more inexpensive alternatives. Thinking raw bones but he seldom chews…my 50 pound dork. Love him like my baby and he has lost a lot of muscle, and is still very weak in hind legs with some pain. Any suggestions on care and feeding. My vet is very uninformative and unhelpful.

[Dori]

Yeah, Marie. Prices are really crazy. They’ve gone up in price way more than any of the other commercial raw foods that I use in rotation. Unfortunately, and I know this is incredibly hard to believe, there are no raw food co-ops anywhere in my area. I’ve searched on line thinking I’d be willing to drive an hours or so away but, nope, none to be had. I don’t know how I would feed my three if they weren’t toy breeds.

[Susan]

Hi have you thought of feeding raw or a cooked diet & stop feeding kibble?? A dog digestive tract has been made to digest meat not peas, garbanzo beans, lentils, chickpeas, tomatoes these are all high in Lectins & can cause leaky gut.

My boy suffers with IBD & skin allergies from certain foods & he doesn’t do well on grain free kibbles, (bad gas, sloppy poo, rumbling bowel noises, nausea) … Over the last 2 years I’ve tried heaps of kibbles & in the end I found the kibble with just rice & 1 protein like fish was the best a limited ingredient kibble then I add fresh chicken or beef or fish on top….I try not to feed kibble & feed a wet tin food or cooked meals with ingredients that I know my boy can eat, some kibbles have tooo many ingredients & it just takes 1 ingredient & your dog is scratching, sore ears or has gas diarrhea etc…

If you don’t want to feed a raw or cooked diet have you looked at “The Honest Kitchen Zeal” its low in carbs, gluten free high in protein – http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/zeal

ZiwiPeak – http://www.ziwipeak.com/air-dried-dog-food-ziwipeak-daily-dog-air-dried-cuisine/

K9 Natural – https://www.k9natural.com/

[Dori]

Chuck. I’m wondering if you’ve checked out Darwin’s on Amazon. They only sell it in variety packs but the shipping is free regardless of the size of the variety packs. As long as your dog doesn’t have any food intolerances with any of the variety packs proteins I feel it’s a good way to do rotation diet. For a raw diet I’ve never thought it was particularly expensive, or should I say any more expensive, than any other commercial raw frozen. It was the shipping that made it unaffordable as far as I was concerned. All other frozen raws that I feed I can purchase locally so I didn’t care for the shipping fees.

[DogFoodie]

From the MPC website:

“We recommend a diet consisting of 80% meat, 10% bone & 10% organs which approximates a whole prey diet as we believe nature intended. Any My Pet Carnivore product that has “Whole Ground…” or “Whole Prey…” in the description is the complete animal (minus intestines, fur or feathers). If you are looking for an easy meal, that’s the way to go! ”

https://www.mypetcarnivore.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=143&Itemid=391&lang=en

When I order raw, I order from MPC because I’m on their home delivery route.

[InkedMarie]

Hi Chuck,
I have a brittany who is 5! I buy grinds from Hare Today, Reel Raw Dog and a new england meet up. I feed ones with bone & organ, tripe too for most. They’re complete. I add minimal supplements: salmon oil 3x weekly, eggs 3x weekly, Bug off Garlic & joint supps for my older dog. All you do is put the bowl on a scale, tare it, scoop it then feed. I do use some beef rib bones & necks as well for dental care.

[Susan]

She may have more environment allergies, if the raw didn’t really help, I saw a change with 2 days when I started to feed a raw diet…..When you did the allergy testing did you do the “Glacier Peak Holistic” Salvia & Hair testing, it tests for 100+ Environment triggers & 200+ food items for $85….. http://www.glacierpeakholistics.com/More-Than-an-Allergy-Test_p_80.html …

[Elyse M]

Thank you!!!! I was trying to stay away from grains, but I don’t think I will be able to, and truthfully- she doesn’t have an allergy to them.

She’s a sensitive dog with many issues in the past (cardiac changes, bloat, etc.) I was trying so hard to get her on a diet that was balanced, that her body could tolerate. The raw didn’t really solve any of her allergy issues, and- instead, added a GIANT issue.

[Elyse M]

Ok, new to this site and need help!!

Bella’s history. Adopted at 3-years-old from shelter. No history.
Switched to grain free (Wellness), then to Merrick BG in November 2011. Switched to Acana Pacifica in May 2012.

She has had numerous health issues, but we have battled allergies from the start. This spring I ran the Heska environmental/food panel. She came back allergic to sweet potato, peas, and flax. I put her on raw diet to see if it would help iron out these issues. We don’t notice an allergy difference and now I am treating salmonella. I also have a 15 month old human child at home. I can’t continue raw.

So KNOWING she can’t tolerate sweet potato, peas, or flax- any suggestion on kibble? Or is my best bet to cook for her?

[Pitlove]

Very loaded question FoxEye. Someone on Susan Thixon’s website commented about people being so concerned about homemade dog food diets being nutritional sound, when we, for centuries have been able to homecook for our children and have them be healthy. We don’t rely on bags of “complete and balanced” processed foods for our kids made by human nutritionists or big name companies. I thought it was a clever comparison and held some truth.

Kibble works for a lot of dogs and it doesn’t work for a lot of dogs. We used to have a 23 year old toy poodle that would come into the groomer I used to work for that had eaten nothing but Kibbles N’Bits for her whole life and was completely healthy. Does that mean I want to run out and buy a bag of Kibbles N’Bits? No, but it shows that some dogs can do fine on kibble (even some of the worst ones).

Looking at the other side, there are tons of raw feeders whos dogs are equally as healthy and look amazing. I definitely think that fresh diets are the healthier option for dogs and humans, but not everyones lifestyle works for a homemade diet either.

But, to answer your question pointedly, yes, a lot of people think dogs should eat kibble and not raw. More and more people are seeing the flaws with processed diets though.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 4 months ago by Pitlove.

[Susan]

Hi Kevin, You need to change her diet, kibbles aren’t really good for yeasty dogs as they are very high in carbs, you need to cut out the sugar carbs Potatoes, peas, sweet potatoes etc yeasty dogs need a low Gi diet, raw, wet tin, home cooked diets are the best, most vet diets are high in carbs…. if you have to feed a kibble try “Earthborn Holistic’ their grainfree flavours the carbs are only 17.5% -29% the “Great Plains” & “Meadow Feast” are potato free….their natural kibbles are a bit higher in carbs… http://www.earthbornholisticpetfood.com/us/dog_formulas/
I feed wet tin food for breakfast & I have just started the Earthborn Ocean Fusion natural kibble for dinner, my boy needs a lower fat diet & the grainfree diets are too high in fat for Patch…he has IBD… also read what the carb % is in the kibble, if it isn’t written on the kibble bag or their web site you add the protein% + fat % + moisture + ash % & then you take what you have away from 100% & you get the carb %….Earthborn has it written on their site under Guaranteed Analysis…

Glacier Pecks Holistic does Salvia & Hair testing & test for 100+ Environment triggers & 200+ food items for $85….
http://www.glacierpeakholistics.com/More-Than-an-Allergy-Test_p_80.html

[Pat J]

I am new to this site. I would like to switch to a raw diet, I am elderly with health issues. The diets mention are too complicated and time consuming for my condition. I have been looking into a dehydrated food from Big Dog Natural company. A dog breeder told me about this company and likes their food. Has anyone tried their food and if so, what were the results and opinions? Thanks

[FoxEyeX]

Kibble really hasn’t been around for that long. People started this idea its cheaper and less time consuming to feed their dog kibble then…let’s say freeze dried, raw, frozen, or refrigerated, and preparing and cooking your own…until they get hit with the vet bills and do one of two things feed holistically or continue to get vet kibble $80 a bag….

Yeah that’s one sentence ehheheh. Just trying to get insight…

[InkedMarie]

I wouldn’t feed that food. Maybe the vet wants him on it but you, as the owner, makes the choice. I would NOT feed a dry food. A dog with crystals needs moisture. It’s best that you feed a wet food (canned, raw etc) but if you must feed dry, add canned & water.