[Terry G]

“Small Batch” is a raw, frozen food. The company started in San Francisco, CA. I mix it with “Primal” brand goat’s milk.

[Amy H]

I am adopting an epileptic lab mix rescue pup, 10 months old, and I am told about 60 lbs. I have looked over these forums and printed out a few articles from the Mercola site to bring to my first vet appt with him. Once he is settled in our home I will begin transitioning him to a higher protein, lower carb, grain free diet. The first bag I bought for that is EB Holistic Primitive Naturals. He is on KBr already, as he had multiple grand mal seizures after poison ingestion, but he has been seizure free for several months. I am looking for advice from others who have dealt with this – what worked for you, and what didn’t? I am not up to a raw diet, but herbals and supplements would be manageable within budgetary reason. I wonder whether a rotation diet is still advisable, since I need to worry about affecting his KBr blood levels with varying salt content in different foods. Most labels I’ve checked don’t list sodium content. I read through about 55 pages of the large & giant breed puppy food forum, and think he is old enough that I at least don’t need to worry about calcium content. Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated!

[InkedMarie]

I could have sworn I read something not so good about Big Dan’s trucking raw. A search showed me one person asking about it but nothing else. Anyone know anything about it?

[Naturella]

How cute Ginger and Bailey are! 🙂 And I second Bobby Dog regarding the BCnut and her aunt – age is just a number – fabulousness is forever! 🙂

On my end, things are meh, but I am getting used to it. I think that even though I had been “preparing” myself for this for a loooooong time, I was a bit numb myself when it actually happened. I hadn’t fully thought out the aftermath. I forgot to consider the possibility of my family (mom) not REALLY hearing my message and just retaining her shock factors and not the explanations for them or the reiteration of love for my family and desire for us all to love and accept each other and be open and honest with each other. BUT, I am adjusting, as is she, and we will play it by ear and see if time plus constant/consistent demonstration of care and love on my part will help. Hope is still in me. 🙂

Also on another note, I went through Bruno’s “treat box”, which is overflowing actually, and I pulled out a few things to give to the dog of the family I babysit for. An early Christmas present if you will, lol. After I pulled out a can of Weruva, a dental bone, a sweet potato chew, a bully stick, a lamb ear, a pig snout, a cow ear, a beef trachea, a fish skin, a stingray tail, a tripe swirly chew, a pack of salmon treats, and a few buffalo liver treats, I still have an overflowing box of some of the above treats left for Bruno, plus a Himalayan dog chew, a pig foot (I will probably let Bruno share it with the roommate’s dog), and a ton of food samples! I use them as treats, but I may need to up my usage and just give him meal varieties, i.e. give him his regular food and additive for breakfast; a sample (his normal serving of it, not the whole sample) with THK for dinner. Probably 2-3 meal replacements/week will take care of one sample. And if I do this every other week, I should be good until my kibble supply runs down. And then we start over with collecting food and samples. I really think I won’t hoard like that anymore though… I don’t want to keep more than 6 months’ worth of food at a time in the house… I want more variety, freshness, and deals too, so I will stock up when deals come every 6 months or so, and try to include more fresh/natural additives like freeze-dried/dehydrated/frozen commercial raw. But for now, he’s doing well it seems, and I should be transitioning him to Back to Basics in about 2 weeks. Hope he does well and not like the NVI disaster! LoL.

(P.S. I just realized that my post is halfway entirely related to dog food, but I didn’t know where else to put that second half, so sorry guys – it s here!)

[Amber M]

She still has all of her allergy problems on this kibble and has on other kibble also. She has had allergies since she was around 1.5 years old. Pills don’t help much and are not healthy.

For the raw diets I have been looking at BarfWorld, Natures Variety, and have just looked into Vital Essentials. I am leaning more towards raw because it is a healthier option than freeze dried or dehydrated. I am still unsure of raw and what brand to feed. I am definitely not ready to make my own diet. I am liking the Natures Variety raw more than BarfWorld and I have not looked into Vital Essentials much yet. What do you think of these brands?

[Susan]

Hi Amber, can you do home cooked or raw as it would be the best as you will know exactly what she is eating & can start an elimination diet.. also with the raw or home made cooked meals you can see what foods are causing these problems with the elimination diet……or if you get a freeze dried or dehydrated diets, get ones that has limited ingredients, so there’s less chance of food intolarances….I found my boy can’t have Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, peas, wheat or boiled rice so far…..has she stopped her sratching on the Back to basic kibble?? if you can, get her off the dry kibble its over processedm its only good for us humans, as it is quick & easy……

[Amber M]

I have a 4 year old lab that has allergies (scratching jaw, itchy body, sore/irritated paws that she chews, licks, and bites) and I have been looking at alternative diets to kibble. From researching and speaking with many dog food companies, I have found that even high quality kibble is not the best option for dogs.

I have looked into freeze dried diets, dehydrated diets, raw diets, and spoke with many different companies for each type of diet. I am still very unsure of what to do and would like to get input from people other than the dog food companies.

I have mainly been looking at Sojos, Grandma Lucys, The Honest Kitchen, BarfWorld, Vital Essentials, and Nature’s Variety. I am currently feeding Back to Basics dog food, which is a dry kibble. I am planning on giving a probiotic and fish oil, but cannot decide what to feed. Or if I should just keep her on dry kibble.

[InkedMarie]

My favorites: premade raw by Vital Essentials & Darwins, The Honest Kitchen (dehydrated), for kibbles: Farmina, Annamaet, Dr Tims

[crazy4cats]

Hi Linda J-
Welcome to DFA. My labs’ favorite dry food is grain free Victor Joint Health. I feed other kibble now and then also, but usually end up back with this again. I mix something in with every meal, such as canned, dehydrated, raw or fresh foods. Once a week, I try to feed them a kibble free meal with the See Spot Live Longer dinner mix. I stick to mostly the budget friendly list for both kibble and canned.
Also, most pet stores will take back a bag of food if your dogs don’t like it, or it doesn’t agree with them. Who knew that feeding your pets could be so complicated? LOL!
What do your dogs eat now? I’m sure you will get some more opinions. Good luck!

[neezerfan]

OK, I’ll jump in here. You’re right, Linda, there is no straight answer. First of all, I don’t feed kibble. I think it’s too processed, too high in carbs and not species appropriate. But then I have 2 small dogs and not 3 big ones so that keeps finances more out of the decision.

For one dog, I feed him a combo of Darwin’s raw and a few types of canned I like. Fromm, Whole Earth Farms, Nature’s Instinct and Ziwipeak are my favorites. I also add in fresh human food when available. Plain meat and cooked veggies.

My other dog has food intolerances so he is now eating Royal Canin potato and venison canned food. If you had told me a year ago I would feed this I would have said you were crazy but it’s been a savior for him. After 3 months on this I’m slowly adding other brands of venison food to see how it works for him.

So, it is a matter of what works best for each individual dog. You read and learn and makes some choices of good quality foods, and see what works!

BTW, is there really a food that labs won’t eat? LOL!

[theBCnut]

Here’s Hound Dog Mom’s latest list of safe foods
https://docs.google.com/viewer?srcid=0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk&pid=explorer&efh=false&a=v
You may have to join google docs, but that is an easy sign up and well worth it.

I would definitely look at calcium level as the reason for her issues. If you can get raw green tripe locally, you can add that to what you are feeding th lower the calcium level. But if the food you are feeding doesn’t have a legal AAFCO regs label, I would wonder what else it’s missing.

[Victoria W]

The Malasab is 25-30$ so if you have any other shampoo suggestions that would be helpful. Thanks for telling me about not feeding the raw fish! The neighbor didnt mention that but I guess Ill just bake it or something before I blend it for them. choco lab weighs 56lbs, black lab 72lbs, gold retriever 80lbs, the probiotics I got this morning say 1 pouch for <50 lbs and 2 pouches for >50. Kefir is just youghurt right? I feed my Taz plain low fat youghurt as a topper and occasionally cottage cheese b/c he likes it but how much do dogs this size need? I guess Ill have to read the ABC pdf and see.

[Rachel M]

Thank you for spotting that bug! We’re figuring out how to fix it and adding some new allergens and redoing the simple search.

We’re hoping to add canned/raw/dehydrated foods as well as more brands of food. Common pet store foods and the remaining foods from the existing brands are probably the next step, but I can also prioritize adding certain brands by request

[Bobby dog]

You are very welcome!

Not sure if the fish you bought is cooked or not, but do not feed raw salmon or trout to the dogs because they may contain bacteria that causes death in dogs. Good idea to puree it if you are uncertain about the bones, better safe than sorry.

You will really find that PDF useful. On top of it being packed with great info, it’s an easy read and written so that you can reference info easily. Your questions about food and portions should be answered in there. I don’t feed the ABC diet in one day, I feed all the extras throughout the week as toppers. Please ask if you can’t find what you are looking for; someone here should be able to help.

It does sound like a yeasty skin issue. Dandruff is much better than open sores so the Malesab must have helped. How do you stand budget wise with purchasing more shampoo? I found another budget friendly option for shampoo if you are interested.

My dog had a bad yeast infection last year. It took 8 months of consistent care and tweaking his diet to rid him of it. Changing his diet was integral in the healing process. If at all possible getting them off Ol’ Roy will be the most help. I know it’s not up to you, but if your uncle could at least switch to a food without chemicals, dyes, and meat & bone meal it would be a step in the right direction. With the added fresh foods you are improving their diets regardless, however by eliminating the chemicals etc. I believe you would see their health continue to improve. You might have a fighting chance to prove your point because more than likely some of the issues the dog had a few months ago will show up again after a few weeks back on Ol’ Roy.

I was feeding Bobby a canned food along the lines of Ol’ Roy that contained chemical preservatives and dyes, the kibble I fed was not bad. He had a skin infection so I took him to the Vet. During the visit my Vet discussed the importance of a healthy diet and suggested I stop feeding that canned food and choose another. When I eliminated it from his diet I saw an improvement in his skin within two weeks. That gave me the incentive to find out what else I could do for him.

I can’t answer your questions about enzymes, I don’t use them. Having no teeth would not necessarily be a reason to add enzymes. There was a very interesting conversation on the review side about using enzymes and whether or not they even survive the stomach. This did not pertain to enzymes used for pancreatic issues. Maybe someone else will be able to answer your questions.

I love the results I get from probiotics; wish I started using them long ago. I feed my cat kefir 3x/wk and my dog daily. I upped Bobby’s dose of probiotics when he had a yeasty skin relapse a month ago. When I feel he’s back on track I probably will feed it every other day. I think your choice of probiotics is a good one. Even though I am feeding kefir, it is more out of convenience for me since Bobby and the cats are doing well and like it. Kefir is very affordable, but I think your choice is more economical in the long run and you get more strains of probiotics. Write back with the weights of the dogs who will be getting them, I have info on dosage for human probiotics.

Canned food is much easier for dogs to digest since it is not as processed as dry food. There are several budget friendly canned foods out there. Depending on if they have teeth pulled mixing kibble with canned is an option too. At this point I am guessing it depends on what your Uncle decides to feed them. At the very least, you can add enough water to kibble prior to feeding them to make it a canned consistency if necessary.

I am not sure about specific exercises for arthritis & hip dysplasia. Keeping arthritic animals slim and fit is extremely important. The fish you are adding to their food is really good for arthritic pets! Try searching the forum for this topic and hopefully someone with experience on this subject will stop by.

[Bobby dog]

I am glad you stopped by with an update! It sounds like you are doing everything within your means to help these dogs. Other than a change in diet and seeking medical attention for their teeth, I still recommend probiotics if it is feasible. I listed some suggestions for them in my previous post.

Were the dogs able to transition to Pure Balance without any digestive upsets?

Does she have yeasty skin or just itchy from allergies?

What is the can size of the sardines you are feeding? About how many cans/week are you feeding each dog?

Healthy teeth and gums are very important for all of us; when they are unhealthy it can lead to other diseases. I would certainly address the situation in my dog. The only suggestion I have are for the owners to seek medical care ASAP. Do they have trouble eating kibble? Are the dogs given anything to chew?

I really recommend Steve Brown’s download, “See Spot Live Longer the ABC Way.” It will help you with what you are trying to achieve for these dogs economically. More importantly, it is specific as to the quantities/types of fresh foods to feed and keeping the diet balanced; it would also benefit your dog regardless of the quality of kibble he currently eats!
http://www.seespotlivelonger.com/home/sll/page_41/see_spot_live_longer_the_abc_way___electronic_down.html

Here’s a DFA thread about adding toppers:
/forums/topic/toppersadded-nutrition/

Too many raw egg whites can interfere with the absorption of biotin; egg whites contain avidin which binds with biotin preventing dogs from absorbing it. Lightly cooking some of the eggs you feed or just the whites can remedy this. Dogs the size of Labs should probably be fed about 4 – 5 eggs per week depending on their body condition and weight. Check out this thread for some suggestions from theBCnut on feeding eggs:
/forums/topic/how-many-eggs-shell-or-no-shell/

Other canned fish you can feed is mackerel or wild pink Alaskan salmon; avoid tuna due to possible contaminates. Be sure to feed only fish packed in water with no salt added.

You can try foot baths & rinses. Below are links to several different baths & rinses that would help with skin and coat issues. If you decide to try the povidone iodine solution foot bath or rinse, since the dogs go outside, rinse with clean water afterwards because it makes the skin sensitive to the sun:
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/10/25/dog-foot-bath.aspx
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/05/03/eating-these-foods-can-make-your-dog-itch-like-crazy.aspx
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2009/12/16/thirty-seconds-to-relieve-your-pets-itchy-paws.aspx
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_01/features/Pet-Uses-Of-Apple-Cider-Vinegar_20435-1.html?pg=3

Ol’ Roy is definitely not my choice for a healthy food, but it sounds like it’s your uncle’s. Keep encouraging him to rotate and hopefully feed a better food. Other places to look for affordable dog food are whole sale clubs, hardware, large animal feed, and garden supply stores.

If your uncle will not invest in better food, maybe you can try to research some kibbles that are in the same price range that don’t contain as many undesirable ingredients, chemicals, and dyes. One brand that comes to mind is PMI Nutrition; they make three grades of dog food. I often read comments from people on hunting dog forums recommending their Red Flannel line, their lowest grade of food. I don’t recommend this food, but perhaps it (or another similar food) could be considered the lesser of two evils.

Here is PMI’s website with a store locator:
http://www.pminutrition.com/main.html

DFA review:
/dog-food-reviews/red-flannel-dog-food/

[theBCnut]

Raw eggs a couple times a week are fine, but probably not every day. Lightly cook them the rest of the time.

[Tiffany K]

Yes, I have tricked them into thinking a carrot is a big deal. Thank you for the response!

Do you think it is safe to give the eggs raw as a food topper?

[Jenny Rellick]

My dog, Leo, was like yours–begging for more food. He went from 62 lbs. down to 50 lbs.over the course of a year on a grain-free dry food. Here are my 4 tips for dog weight loss:

1. Feed the calories for your dog’s ideal weight, not her current weight: Leo gets 725 calories per day, including treats, and has gotten that amount since he hit 62 lbs.. Use The Dog Food Calculator on this site’s home page to figure out you dog’s caloric needs, entering an estimated ideal weight in pounds from your vet or from a time before your dog was overweight, and for activity level, select “overweight.” Leo’s food is 500 calories per cup, and I feed him 1 and 1/3 cups per day, for 650 calories from a high protein dog food. I leave 75 calories for other food, and because the grain-free food I use is so nutritious, I am confident he is well-nourished with the small quantity. Leo gets 2 meals of 2/3 cups, measured with a measuring cup (never eye-ball the quantity.)

2. Pump up the volume with warm water: Use a big, flat-bottom bowl to spread the kibble out, and add enough warm water to just cover the kibble, letting it steep on the counter for a minute or two.. Some kibble swells to make it more filling, and even if your part kibble doesn’t swell much, you are making a tasty broth to drink without adding calories. The water makes the meal take longer to eat, and tricks Leo into drinking extra water, which is necessary for weight loss. My dog goes crazy fpr the aroma while it steeps. Many vets recommend canned dog food for weight loss for exactly these benefits I provide by adding warm water to dry food. My way is much less expensive.

3. Feed green beans liberally with every meal. You can use frozen or salt-free canned (never give salted canned vegetables to a dog.) Of all the vegetables, green beans have an extremely low caloric density but, when cooked (canned green beans are pre-cooked and can be fed directly,) they are appealing to dogs. My dog won’t eat cabbage, lettuce, or celery, but he loves green beans. He gets 1/2 cup at each meal, stirred into the steeped kibble. This adds about 20 calories per meal, but he feels very satisfied with each meal, gets plenty of fiber for bowel regularity, and thinks I am preparing something special for him at each meal. He watches each step, and if I leave the kitchen while the kibble is steeping, he barks and cries as if to say, “you are forgetting to finish cooking my dinner!” If he starts begging before I put the green beans in, I show him the bowl and say, “Don’t you want green beans?” He barks and cries until I add the green beans! If I run out of green beans, he looks so disappointed. When I get back from the store, he goes to his bowl and waits just to get his half cup of green beans by itself.

4. Give very small treats. Except for 2 regular Greenies per week (90 calories each,) Leo gets tiny treats for going potty the right way or listening well. They are about 1/2 the size of the tip of my pinky finger. Most dogs will enjoy one treat three times more than they enjoy three treats all at once. Liver biscotti treats are Leo’s favorite tiny treat. Zuke’s mini naturals are also a convenient size. You could chop up human cold cuts or pepperoni and keep them as treats in the refrigerator. If your dog loves to chew for a long time, antlers are great because only a small amount is ingested or digested at a time, and your dog will burn calories by chewing. Elk antlers seem to be a good size and wear down just fast enough for Leo to get flavor and satisfaction from his efforts. Marrow bones from cattle are similarly good chews for dogs, but bully sticks, pig’s ears, raw hide, and the like present a choking hazard, can cause bowel blockages, have empty calories, and often contain chemicals. By the way, my dog loves his Greenies so much that they serve as his emergency recall reward. For the emergency recall reward, don’t worry about calories!

[Kathy N]

I use commercial raw frozen Northwest Naturals..etc… I just called Vital Essentials.they do use necks in their grinds..and weren’t aware of Dr. Dodds info…and the thyroid tissues being ground in too…so am waiting an answer from North West Naturals..now…hate to have to go back to kibble..but I don’t want to cause problems that I don’t have….and Yes I tried making my own raw dog food.by Dr. PITCAIRN’S book..just don’t feel I’m qualified to make my own dog food correctly..HELP……..

[Kathy N]

I feed NorthWest Naturals raw for my dogs..and rotate the proteins..is this a worry about this dogfood? Should I go back to Kibble?..HELP…….

[Victoria W]

So I thought I would give an update……the choco lab with the skin allergies is doing better still not 100% but better.Unfortunately they have only been fed a good food ( pure balance ) 1.5 months and since my uncle picked up ole roy this weekend to replace the dwindling bag of pb I guess my hope of them having seen the improvement with the food change was unrealistic. I now feed all the dogs coconut oil on top of their kibble and I stocked up on sardines from the local Aldis. Currently they each get 3 sardines every meal and 1 or 2 raw eggs cracked over their food at supper. I bought a small bottle of the malasab to use on all of the “itchy” dogs and it helped…until it ran out 🙁 I brush all the dogs every night and I’m doing my best to keep them clean and as flea free as possible ( since they are hunting dogs who routinely go out into the woods this is proving very hard to do ). All the dogs seem happy and are at least recovering some of their hair. My other concern is that the black lab 8 y.o. and the golden retriever 4 y.o. both have lost almost all their teeth, I mean they have worn them down to the point that all that is left of some is the red inside part and they are even with their gum line and their canine teeth are only half left ….I don’t know how long theyve been like this but I’ve been with them for 7 mo. now and I can only assume they have had no teeth ( maybe from all their chewing on themselves ) for several years now. It looks so painful and Im worried its a way for dieseases to enter into their bloodstream. Their vet says its no big deal but what Ive found online says this is something that should be taken care of immeadately. I think its also the reason they are lethargic, they just dont feel good. I see a bleak road ahead and if you have any advice I can pass on and implement while I am here I would again greatly appreciate it.

[Naturella]

I had commented on another thread with wrong info – my dog IS allergic to something in his rabbit-based kibble, and I am not entirely sure what – he has had a small raw rabbit neck before with no issues, but the NVI rabbit kibble made him very sick. I need to check what it is in the ingredients that he’s never had before, but for now, I will go with rabbit, I guess.

[Dori]

Chicken in any form including eggs. Turkey. Quail. Pheasant. All grains. Lamb. Goat. Rabbit. I avoid foods that contain corn, soy, white potatoes, rice in all forms. These are the ones that come to mind this moment. I know there are others, I’m drawing a blank. I’ll get out my list in the morning and add the others.

[Kerry W]

My Dog has just been diagnosed with this also…Lab-pointer cross, full of life, 5yrs and now vomiting and diarrhea bouts for 3 weeks. Have been on all the medications, not steroids – yet.

We tried Eukanuba veterinary diet, worked for a couple of days, then relapse. Then, tried Royal Canin hypoallergenic kibble and cans – same again. WOrked for a couple of days, then relapsed. Now not sure what to try 🙁 Maybe potatoes and something else. We tried raw chicken first, but she doesn’t tolerate that. Nor cooked chicken. Then tried raw beef, comes straight back up 🙁

Perhaps we will try and fine the royal canine venison and potato option

[Jane E]

I am looking for a grain free dry food without lentils/peas or alfalfa. I have senior Boxers with a history of IBS/colitis and one with some reoccurring yeasty skin issues. I would like to have a food that I could feed all 3 if possible (to date I have not accomplished that). I currently raw feed one,another is on Honest Kitchen Zeal with occasional Thrive or Force and the other is on Orijen Senior (and I think that may just be too much of a good thing for her now) her stools are soft. She’s been on this for about a year and is in beautiful condition otherwise.
So I am interested in anyones input. It’ll be greatly appreciated
Jane

[C L]

If it wasn’t so late as I was watching your dogs eating the chicken necks and backs, my eyes would have be popping out of my head! Just watching that chicken neck disappear little by little, as you hear the crunching! Your dogs did very well.

I’m just investigating feeding bones. I bought marrow bones for my 3-1/2 pd 12 year old Chi. She eats Nature’s Variety raw organic chicken mostly, so she’s used to raw food. I put an old bedsheet down, thinking maybe she will understand I want to to eat this bone on it, and she did stay on the sheet, long enough to bury the bone in the sheet by pushing the sheet over it with her nose! I tried giving it to her again, but this time, I dug some marrow out & put it on my finger, which enticed her to eat the marrow, but I took it away before she ate all of the marrow.

I gave her this other type of bone that’s supposed to be a femur, but sliced lenghwise in half and lightly smoked with some meat on it. She really got into that to pull the meat off and the fat and I could see how that would clean her teeth.

[Akari_32]

I’ve got a dog almost exactly like yours. We finally out him By Nature 95% canned food (around $20 a case on PetFlow) and he cleared considerably. Then I put him on a raw diet with See Spot Live Longer pre mix (the lowest carb pre mix I could find, and thankfully the cheapest!), and he’s gotten even better. He still, however, chews his feet from the grass, but there’s just no stopping that. He’s finally got hair grown back in all over body after chew himself bald from his ribs back, and he’s less red, other than his feet and tummy where the grass touches him.

[Michael H]

Hi everyone! Not sure if this is the right forum section to post this, but I’m in dire need of some help.

We have an almost 9 year old rescued Basset Hound, who we have been struggling to manage yeast and chronic inflamed skin since we’ve had him this past year. The vet has him on persistent hydroxyzine and prednisone, of which I try to give the least effective dose, as especially prednisone I’m not that comfortable using due to the side effects.

Upon shelling out for an allergy test (environmental and diet [Spectrum Groups Spot Report]), we’ve found out he’s positive for 19 things and borderline for another 7 out of a total of 91 tested items.

His symptoms are always the worst in the spring/summer, as one of the main allergens is grass, which as far as I know I can’t do much about. I’ve replanted our yard to grass that he’s supposedly not allergic to, but anything that blows our way from a neighboring yard cancels that out.

There are a lot of dietary items as well, and finding a food for him has been a nightmare. I’ve considered cooking food for him, but unsure what’s considered “balanced”, and raw feeding makes me a bit nervous as I’ve heard that grocery-grade meats can possibly be tainted since they are meant to be cooked until a safe temperature, and I don’t want to hurt him. Any outlet in our area that sells organic/free range/etc. isn’t very accessible or is very expensive.

The list of foods he tested positive for are:

Venison
Eggs
Lamb
Wheat
Rice
Oats
Potato
Carrots

Borderline Foods:
Dairy (Milk)

Low-scoring/Negative:
Beef
Rabbit
Poultry Mix
Pork
Soy
Corn
Beet
Flax
Barley
Brewers Yeast
Kelp
Alfalfa
Fish Mix
Green Pea
Duck

So, I have to avoid conventional grains. Due to his yeast issues/dermatitus, I’m also assuming that the lowest starch/low glycemic food would be in his best interest. The main issue I’m running into is that most grain free foods use potatoes, eggs, or carrots, which he’s also allergic to.

On one had it seems that wet food may be the way to go, but as he’s older, his teeth aren’t the best. They are all still intact, but he doesn’t really gnaw on anything at all (can’t really with his droops, they are probably easy to chomp down on and would hurt) to clean them, and brushing hasn’t seemed to do a whole lot, so I’m fearing that wet food may make it worse. I’ve bought knuckle bones for him and our other dog, but he only eats the tasty stuff on the outside and his sister gets the hand-me-down since she will actually gnaw and grind it down. Her teeth are excellent in regards to tartar.

From the test it looks like he can have peas, lentils, or chickpeas as a binder, but again I’m unsure of how much starch content may be in the resulting food. I’m finding sweet potato in a lot of the foods as well, but it wasn’t tested for, and I’m unsure of how related they may be.

So far I’ve tried Taste of the Wild Wetlands & Pacific Stream (which we feed to our other dog), but they didn’t do a whole lot for him-both contain either sweet potatoes, potato, or egg. Our other dog doesn’t seem to have any issues thus far at 3 years, thank goodness, and hopefully it stays that way.

The best looking food I’ve come across is Orijen 6 fish, but it’s very expensive. It doesn’t start listing carb sources until the 12th ingredient, but I can’t really tell if that’s a good or bad thing-chickpeas, red lentils, green lentils, and green peas all have protein as well, and they seem to count that towards the protein % for the food, so their ingredient %’s could be just as high as if it were listed as the second ingredient, like I find in a lot of other, cheaper foods.

If we can get any help with this, it would be much appreciated. Thank you for your time!

Mike & Beth

[InkedMarie]

My Gemma is my toothless senior sheltie. A few months ago, she started with was three bouts of giardia. Ended up on meds & I chose to put her on canned Rx food. Three different times, I tried to add back a couple spoonfuls of her old food: Canidae Pure Sea. It didn’t go well, lots of diarrhea.
I tried her on ground raw, again (we tried when we first adopted her) but it’s not going well. I can’t get hood stools from her. They’re either hard & she has trouble expelling it or its diarrhea. My raw guru who helps me agrees that raw just isn’t for her. So, I just ordered two small bags of Farmina small bites but I want to add some canned to it. With no teeth & a tongue that goes in all directions while eating, I’m not sure she’ll be able to pick up Kibbles without canned.
I’m looking for high quality pate, smushy types of canned. They don’t have to be complete diets because they’re just add in’s. Canned isn’t cheap so I’d rather not buy an assortment to try.

Please tell me what you’ve used for smushy types of canned and thanks.

[theBCnut]

The avidin in egg white binds with biotin so the body can’t use all of what is in the diet, so I only give raw eggs a couple times a week. The rest of the time I give lightly cooked eggs. Feed the shell if you are feeding a meal that is light in calcium. Don’t feed the shell if the meal is heavy in calcium.

[Cyndi]

Here are a couple articles for you: One article says feed the whole egg, shell and all, the other says not to feed the shell. Personally, I feed the shell and all. I give my dog a fresh, cage free chicken or duck eggs a couple times a week and that’s all…

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/feeding-your-dog-raw-eggs-good-or-bad/

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/14_5/features/Improving-Your-Dogs-Diet_20260-1.html

[Lord F]

How often should I be feeding them? I give two of my dogs raw for breakfast, they get 7oz of raw per day, then kibble in the evening. They get 5.7oz of muscle meat, 1.3oz of organ meat, and RMB’s every other day.
I’ve been putting a raw egg (no shell) in their breakfast everyday, but I see most people only do this once a week. Am I doing it too often?
Also, what exactly are the benefits of raw eggs? Should I be feeding shell?

[Nancy C]

In reply to Kristin… After my experiences w kibble I too changed to raw with the help of several wonderful people here and I can’t imagine going back. For me it’s a bit of a job to find resources other than whole foods ( un medicated /chemicalized chicken) and the Butcher shop. I have been to a slaugther house, called local grass feeding farmers (who never return calls) and am networking to find a more cost effective source for the variety of raw food. Nonetheless I will continue the raw because I can SEE a difference in my dogs. My GSD’s teeth are so much cleaner from HARE TODAY’s great Turkey Necks. I am still anxious about feeding the BEEF RIB BONES (any suggestions?) In my head I know his molars can chew them but I keep being afraid he’ll swallow a sharp piece which could cause trouble on it’s journey through and out the other end. Anyone else’s dogs doing fine on chewing Beef Rib Bones? I am asking around and it appears they are not a problem, and are very healthy. Tom Lonsdale DVM writes a worthwhile book RAW MEATY BONES and has a website with that title. I know I need to overcome this concern. Best of Luck, Kristin!

[Dori]

Can’t remember if explanation was given for Nature’s Logic not being on the EC list. 5 star kibble, readily available and many posters on DFA feed it. It is the only kibble in my rotation feeding. All other foods I feed are raw, freeze dried, dehydrated. Thx.

[Kristin C]

This is in response to Patricia B and Mom2cavs from Sept 2014, I fed my 4 yr old Blue Buffalo since we got her at 9 weeks and she did great (along with lazy half raw). Our new pup, chihuahua mix in Dec 2013, did better on the Purina Puppy Chow they fed her at the rescue (than the Blue Puppy-and we were fans of Blue!). After watching it come out both ends for a few weeks (a growing puppy!) we switched her to raw along with our older dog, and I will never go back if I can help it. I realize it’s not for everyone. We use Orijen kibble and freeze dried as we need to once or twice per week. I feel awful for feeding my older dog Blue for as long as I did. She has lost weight and her coat shines so much more than when she ate Blue kibble.

[Kristin C]

Best food choice would be anything with low starch (including rice and potato, sweet potato). Maybe add some coconut oil into whatever diet you chose. We feed our dogs mostly raw so kibble recommendation is not our thing, but we feed Orijen once or twice per week as needed, which is low grain.

[Kristin C]

Yes and OMG sorry because I have never heard of it. Just thought you might be looking for a Top Quality raw food. On first glance, it’s not a food I would feed my dogs. As far as I’m concerned, top quality is where you know where it comes from and prepare it yourself.

[Melissaandcrew]

I think they are referring to the raw company.

[theBCnut]

Some legumes have more phytates than others, but of course, we don’t get to pick which ones are in kibble. I personally don’t mind some legumes, but I don’t like kibble to have so much that I’m wondering where the protein in the food is really coming from. Some dogs can’t handle foods with a lot of legumes. Since I feed a rotational diet and half raw, I don’t worry about the legumes in kibble unless my food reaction dog has issues with the food. But if I was feeding straight kibble, that would definitely be a consideration for me, especially if I noticed my dogs having lots of gas.

[theBCnut]

Dogs don’t make the enzyme necessary to break down the cell walls of plants. They do have some probiotics in their gut that help with that, but not enough for a whole lot of raw plant matter. Best is to cut the fruits and veggies into small pieces and then blanch them, them puree. This predigesting should damage a whole lot of cell walls and make it easier for the different probiotics to do their work too.

[Peter S]

Hi, I have 2 adult male labs…a 3-yr old and an 11-yr old. I currently feed them a high-quality kibble and an occasional raw egg. I want to start giving them a little bit of mixed greens/veggies 2-3x a week … I’m thinking dark leafy greens(spinach,chard etc), mixed lettuces, cucumbers/green beans/carrots/apples etc . Can I just chop all this stuff up small or should I puree it all first ? What I’m going for here of course is maximum digestibility/bioavailability of nutrients . The reason I ask is because I do know that dogs’ digestive systems work differently than humans’ in regards to how they process certain foods.

Thanx in advance for all advice !

[Kristin C]

Hey Sandi – you are lucky! What I would look out for is feeding your dog too much from one source, beef (50%-does anyone disagree?), and be careful on too much sweet potato, starch. Raw poultry bones once or twice per week and one of the base mixes BC mentioned (THK or SSLL) are good. I would add organ meat to the beef in proper proportion, as well as other meat sources. Canned sardines once per week are good, but as long as you are feeding cooked salmon that’s sufficient. I would personally never feed raw salmon or pork.

[weezerweeks]

Dori get ur vet to do the titers on the distemper and parvo. It had been 3 years since my yorkie’s and the titers were very good. I did not have the shots. He sent the blood to Hemopet,Jean Dobbs lab, the cost for her test was only $52. Then u have to pay the vet for drawing blood and sending. I received the results in a few days. Well worth the money!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Julie-
It pains me to read your post as I have gone through basically the same scenario with my two pups, 3 year-old, 80 lb lab mixes. We battled both giardia and coccidia for about a year. I think they have permanent issues from that condition. I found a ton of helpful information on dogaware dot com. Check out this site’s digestive disorder tab. My dog’s stools are still loose after exercise or when they get real excited, unfortunately. But otherwise they have been pretty consistent. I feed mine mostly Victor grain free food. It contains a clay that is supposed to be helpful for dogs with different types of colitis. I also rotate between the Perfect Form, Gastriplex and Vetri Pro BD supplements that contain probiotics and enzymes along with some diarrhea remedies such as slippery elm that seem to help a lot too. As far as toppers go, it seems like when I add either raw nuggets or dehydrated to their kibble, they do better than when I add a little canned food. Of course, murphey’s law, they are much more expensive than canned. I hope you can find a combination that works for you. If you do start switching up, do it slowly and one at a time so you know if it is helping or not. Good luck!

[Peter S]

Has anyone ever tried or currently using Brothers Complete kibble ? I spent some time on their website today and was impressed and am considering trying one of their allergy formulas for my 2 adult labs. They offer 3 different grain-free protein formulas under the “allergy” category : Turkey , Lamb , or Venison (all have dried egg as their 2nd ingredient, and the top ingredient is either turkey/lamb/venison meal). One thing on their site that particularly impressed me was their manufacturing process…apparently they make the kibbles in relatively small batches, then it’s immediately stored in deliberately cool warehouse conditions for a very short time(days) before being bagged and sent directly to the consumer. This way they ensure that the customer receives a very fresh product that hasn’t sat on distributors’ warm muggy warehouse shelves for months before arriving in pet stores. It looks like Brothers only sells direct via online sites and have no physical store sites (except one if FL i believe). The only drawback is price…about $80 including shipping for the 25 lb turkey formula (lamb & venison are even more $$).
If anyone has used/using BC’s kibbles , i’d love to hear what you think, how your dog does on it, etc Thanx !

[theBCnut]

You should see Sandy’s pantry, and her dogs aren’t picky. I think she gets canned food by the pallet. We are a BUNCH of dog food hoarders here. I usually have about 200 lbs of raw in my freezer and 150 lbs of kibble in the house.

[Nancy C]

Listen: My dog’s titer for PARVO was “NEGATIVE” according to my vet. SHE wanted to REVACCINATE him w a Combo shot incl distemper and he had a HIGH titer for that.

I said no. I went to a different vet and got a new titer and BOTH PARVO AND DISTEMPER came back VERY STRONG.

They can make MISTAKES and not on YOUR DOG.
Go get another TITER DRAWN.
BEST OF LUCK.

[Lord F]

Hi!
I am definitely a raw lover. Unfortunately I have 2 large dogs and 1 puppy that we expect to be large-ish as well! (which is an Aussie mix, so cute!) So as you can imagine, raw is expensive for us. We switched to half raw, half kibble, and it works amazingly!
We do raw for breakfast and kibble in the evening. We do splurge on Orijen for their kibble, but they are doing so great on it.
Another thing, I’ve recently decided to switch to store bought meat instead of raw sold in pet stores. Buying the pet food raw, you’re paying anywhere between $7-$13 per pound! Or you can go to a butcher or grocery store and get meat for $2-$5 per pound. They like it more anyway! Plus, you’re paying for the added vitamin/minerals or veggies that they don’t need, they’re getting a balanced diet with regular raw meat plus kibble.
As for Honest Kitchen, I love them too. I buy a big box of Preference and put 1/3 cup with their raw every other morning. It lasts forever and they like it, surprisingly. One of my dogs HATES vegetables/fruits, but she eats this, so lucky me!
Good luck with your puppy!

[theBCnut]

I would use about 1/8-1/4 a can per meal, if I was using it, but I’m not, because I feed raw green tripe, which is really nasty stuff. One can of it replaces about 1 cup of kibble.

[Akari_32]

Sojos does have a pre-mix, but I don’t know what it’s called. THKs pre-mix that I can remember the name of is Preference. They also have two new ones that should be out by now, as well. Didn’t catch the fact that you had actual recipes down in your previous post!

Grandma Lucy’s is also extremely low in calories and has large portions. Some of these pre-mixes you’re looking at require that dogs about the size of ours (in the 10lb range) to eat something like 1 lb of food. I feed 5 oz to Bentley, and even that sometimes looks like a lot, but I couldn’t imagine giving him a whole pound. His belly already gets round after his 5 oz, he’d probably explode with much more lol Thats why I chose SSLL– its measured in tablespoons, not cups. If you decide to go the pre-mix route, just look at how much you’d be feeding, and judge it with canned food. That will already give a good idea of how much your be offering. If you think it may seem like too much, you may want to pick something else.

I’ve never used Dr Harvey’s, nor could I find any directions online on how to make it when i was looking for a pre-mix, so can’t say anything on that. Some dogs may not like the chuncks of veggies (I think Sojo’s is similar? Can’t remember), so that’s more of a does-the-dog-like-it thing.

Like I said, if you have everything available to do a all raw homemade diet, go for it! Pre-mixes are just an alternative for people who can’t find/afford all the organ meats and supliments, or who decide a completely raw diet is something they can’t manage to balance. The other day when I went shopping to buy some meat to replenish the freezer, I flipped out when I saw fresh kidney in the meat department. You just don’t usually see organs in most places, especially not in a grocery store. Now, if you had a good butcher locally, that might be something different, but I personally don’t.