[Akari_32]

So an update on Ginger is in order.

Mom, once again, is a complete idiot. She put the doggy stairs up to her bed, which in and of itself is great, and I’m glad she’s remember to do that, but her bed is a good 10-12 inch taller than the stairs are!! She expects this 7 inch tall (probably less!), 14 year old dog to get from the top of the stairs to the top of the bed. Even worse, she expects her to down. Ginger fell down the stairs getting down while I was at work the other day, and now she’s limping on her front right leg, flinching away from contact, and biting (mouthing and snarling, really) when being picked up. She’s also pacing the house, obviously uncomfortable, and doesn’t seem to know what to do. Hopefully she’ll just need some Previcox and down time to recover, and nothing more.

On the Previcox note, I can’t help but wonder if she’s at a point where she needs pain management to live comfortably. I’ve been thinking this side before the steps incident, because she never has fully stopped flinching away from certain contact. She’s also got another fatty tumor forming very quickly on the side of her stomach– I can’t help but wonder if it’s hurting her with how fast it’s forming, or if it’s something else. She also went out peed the other morning, then came in, drank a ton of water, then peed straight water on the floor. Had no color at all to it. The vet said she maybe be diabetic or have some other problems (just looking at her you can tell she’s not in the best of health), and to try and get a pee sample (he said that before the even happened). Either way, vet in the morning. Thankfully orthopedic exams are free, so that’ll save me some money…. Lol

Some good news though, I can’t believe how nice her coat has gotten over the last two weeks I’ve had her. She was eating Royal Canin Dachshund, and now I’ve got her on Wellness Toy Breed and various canned foods (was Pure Balance, now on Wellness Senior), as well as coconut and fish oil rotated on a daily basis, and kefir daily. She’s very soft and shiny and doesn’t shed as much. I may put her on Wellness CORE Small Breed. Depends on if I can get a good price, and how she adapts to changes in just the canned food for now. Lord knows she’s probably been on that one Royal Canin for her entire life.

[crazy4cats]

Here we are, Ray T! I’m never sure what people mean by a food is too rich for their dogs. Do you mean that it has too much fat, too much proten, or both?
A lot of the healthy weight and senior recipes tend to be a little lower in fat. In fact, I just bought the Nutrisource senior formula for my two dogs who are only three years old. I feel like I add toppers that tend to be a little high in fat so I should try a lower in fat kibble. I haven’t opened it yet. I’ll let you know how it goes. It has 26% protein, 10% fat, 5.5% fiber and 392 calories per cup. It’s a chicken and rice formula.

[Bobby dog]

Very nice pics! I haven’t seen pics of Haley or Dweezle before, they are very nice looking dogs. I think it is only fitting that Alec is in the middle! He is the king of the castle after all. 😉

Have you tried brushing her teeth? It may not be as bad as it looks.

I hear you, unfortunately senior pet care is a little more costly than it is for are young pups. You’re right, getting her teeth checked for quality of life and life threatening issues is important. But, from your description it does sound like trying to save her teeth is probably not the best or safest. Getting some teeth pulled is much better than living with discomfort or future illness if that’s what she needs.

My senior kitty has lost two this past year alone. The last one was a surprise, but the one before that might have left behind a little of the root which meant surgical removal if that was the case. Luckily for him (and I guess my bank account) the root wasn’t left behind and it healed over nicely with the help of some antibiotics. I just hate the thought of putting him under anesthesia at his age. But, it is what it is and it’s just something I have to monitor in his golden years. Like Ginger, he’s got really bad teeth too. Good thing he loves canned food, that’s the only thing he is going to be able to eat soon! He’s the pet that’s going to have every senior ailment known to man as he ages, my other three you would never know they are 14+ years old. lol

[Akari_32]

Nails are done! Whoo! I tried to do them myself, but my clippers are just too small. I did trim them, at least.

But today at the vet, we had some down time, so I walked home and grabbed Ginger, and walked back over. Managed to muzzle her in one try, and got her flipped on her side to hold her down very easily.

I feel like if we had rushed into this sooner, she would have been so stressed and scared. But she didn’t even growl or try to bite. I held her down while the tech I’m shadowing did the cutting. When I get some bigger clippers, I’ll try it at home again, when it’s time to do it, of course. I’ll have someone hold her while I cut. Hopefully, though, daily walks will keep them down at this point.

Speaking of walks, when we were walking home, I started up the driveway, and she was still walking down the sidewalk LOL She really loves to walk. We walked about a half mile yesterday, and we got home and she was just so happy. I’ve never seen her eyes so bright, despite the fact she was so so tired out her tounge was almost touching the floor, even with her head held up LOL I always say I hate Flexi leashes, but I do walk her and Haley on one. She has such little legs that she lags behind if she’s not running (you know she’s excited when she’s running LOL), and I don’t want her to tangle in the leash. She also stops abruptly for potty breaks, and I don’t want to jerk her (and hurt her) on accident. And then Haley just needs a quiet verbal command, or even a just hearing the lock start to click on the leash to know what I want her to do. And neither of them approach random people we pass, either. But you’ll never catch me walking a dog like Bentley on a Flexi leash! He’s stupid enough to run out into the road or run up to dogs that clearly want to eat him. The only Flexi leash I would consider for him is the Flexi City, which is a 6ft retractable, and is absolutely genius. But I ain’t paying $20+ for a leash, so that’ll never happen unless I find one at goodwill (where I got my other two full size ones lol). He gets tangled in his leash all the time because he can’t just walk in a straight line like a normal dog. I hate walking him sometimes, but someone’s gotta do it… Lol

Anyway… Lol Ginger is doing good, and eating well. I started her on a 1/2 teaspoon of keifer every day, and her poops look much better than they have been. Not all runny and smelly like they’ve been the last week. I think I’ll just keep her on it every day. I’ve been giving it to Bentley as well, the same amount, to mix the SSLL mix into, along with some canned food and coconut oil or fish oil. I also need to up her food, I think. I’ve been giving her 1/3 cup with a couple tablespoons of canned Wellness Senior (my free cans! LOL), but I think I’ll start giving her a little more of the dry, especially since she loves walks so much. Gotta keep some meat on her bones.

That’s all I’ve got for now, I think. She’s passed out on the couch, sleeping off her nail trim lol

[crazy4cats]

Hi Mandy-
How low of fat are you thinking? A lot of the senior or weight reduction foods are lower in fat and higher in fiber. Have you looked into any of those? I think some of the Nutrisource kibbles are a little higher in fiber than average, but I’m not sure if they are as low in fat as you are looking for. I try to use lower fat foods as well, but my dogs can eat chicken, luckily. Also as you mentioned, you can always add fiber to their meals. Good luck to you!

[Ivan L]

Hi
I’m very new on this dog food subject.
I have three dogs and I’m lost of what is the best way to feed them.
I have a 10 years old cocker spaniel and 2 shih tzu that are 4 years old.

Should I use dry food or wet food?
Should I mix them?
What food do you recommend taking in consideration one is a senior dog all of them are small breeds?

Thank you for the advises

[Audrey C]

I am looking for a moderate to low phosphorous canned food for my 13 year old 45 lb. hound dog. I add Chinese herbs to his food to help strengthen his kidneys and the Blue Buffalo “Blue’s Stew” is the only canned food that “absorbs” the bitter herbs so he enjoys his meal. Can you tell me if either the Blue’s Stew and/or Blue Buffalo “Senior” canned foods have low phosphorous level and appropriate for an aging dog? They don’t list phosphorous level in the nutrition analysis on the cans. Thank you.

[Akari_32]

I emailed Wellness the other day looking for a low carb kibble to use as treats for Bentley, and they, awesomely, sent me the as fed and dry matter carb values of their entire dog line! Decided I’d post it here, and possibly help someone out in the future 🙂

Wellness® Dry Dog Foods: Carbohydrates

Wellness® Dry Dog
Complete Health Deboned Chicken & Oatmeal Recipe:
As Fed: 49.58%
Dry Matter: 53.89%

Complete Health Whitefish & Sweet Potato Recipe:
As Fed: 45.89%
Dry Matter: 49.84%

Complete Health Lamb & Barley Recipe:
As Fed: 48.15%
Dry Matter: 52.34%

Complete Health Healthy Weight Deboned Chicken & Peas Recipe:
As Fed: 53.11%
Dry Matter: 57.73%

Complete Health Senior Deboned Chicken & Barley Recipe:
As Fed: 52.42%
Dry Matter: 56.98%

Complete Health Puppy Deboned Chicken, Oatmeal & Salmon Meal Recipe:
As Fed: 36.72%
Dry Matter: 39.91%

Large Breed Complete Health Adult Deboned Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe:
As Fed: 44.58%
Dry Matter: 48.46%

Large Breed Complete Health Puppy Deboned Chicken, Brown Rice & Salmon Meal Recipe:
As Fed: 43.56%
Dry Matter: 47.35%

Small Breed Complete Health Adult Turkey & Oatmeal Recipe:
As Fed: 37.67%
Dry Matter: 40.94%

Small Breed Complete Health Adult Whitefish, Salmon Meal, & Peas Recipe:
As Fed: 35.43%
Dry Matter: 38.51%

Small Breed Complete Health Puppy Turkey, Oatmeal & Salmon Meal Recipe:
As Fed: 36.36%
Dry Matter: 39.52%

Small Breed Complete Health Senior:
As Fed: 44.16%
Dry Matter: 48.00%

Small Breed Complete Health Healthy Weight Turkey & Brown Rice Recipe:
As Fed: 43.38%
Dry Matter: 47.16%

Toy Breed Complete Health Adult Deboned Chicken, Brown Rice & Peas Recipe:
As Fed: 32.48%
Dry Matter: 35.30%

Toy Breed Complete Health Healthy Weight Deboned Chicken & Barley Recipe:
As Fed: 41.71%
Dry Matter: 45.34%

Toy Breed Complete Health Senior Deboned Chicken & Oatmeal Recipe:
As Fed: 42.43%
Dry Matter: 46.12%

Wellness® CORE® Dry Dog
CORE® Grain-Free Original:
As Fed: 29.47%
Dry Matter: 32.03%

CORE® Grain-Free Ocean:
As Fed: 28.52%
Dry Matter: 31.00%

CORE® Grain-Free Reduced Fat:
As Fed: 34.19%
Dry Matter: 37.16%

CORE® Grain-Free Puppy:
As Fed: 23.58%
Dry Matter: 25.63%

CORE® Grain-Free Small Breed:
As Fed: 23.79%
Dry Matter: 25.86%

CORE® Grain-Free Large Breed:
As Fed: 31.29%
Dry Matter: 34.01%

CORE® Grain-Free Wild Game:
As Fed: 28.18%
Dry Matter: 30.63%

Simple Limited Ingredient Diet Dry Dog Recipes:
Simple Grain-Free Salmon & Potato Formula:
As Fed: 43.20%
Dry Matter: 46.96%

Simple Grain-Free Turkey & Potato Formula:
As Fed: 41.99%
Dry Matter: 45.64%

Simple Lamb & Oatmeal Formula:
As Fed: 48.11%
Dry Matter: 52.59%

Simple Duck & Oatmeal Formula:
As Fed: 49.26%
Dry Matter: 53.54%

Simple Grain -Free Small Breed Salmon & Potato Formula:
As Fed: 35.13%
Dry Matter: 38.18%

Simple Grain – Free Healthy Weight Salmon & Peas Formula:
As Fed: 42.76%
Dry Matter: 46.48%

[Sarah Y]

have you checked out http://www.dogaware.com/health/kidney.html. I find these a great place to find more info on diets, prescription and non prescription for dogs with kidney disease/failure.

My one dog is eating wellness senior food which is one of the lower commerical foods out there with low phosphorus (.74%) It’s still higher than the diet foods though. Also, keep in mind, what doesn’t seem tasty to you may be tasty to your dog. Wouldn’t hurt to try it.

One of my cats is in renal failure and she loves her can food (Hills K/D prescription)

[InkedMarie]

Hi Tom,
First, thanks for adopting this senior gal! I would not feed that food. No offense to your vet but they get very little nutrition education.
Years back, we adopted a senior dog who was obese. She should have weighed about 25lbs but was 43.7. We used Wellness Core reduced fat & she lost the weight. For snacks, you can use some of her kibble from her daily ration, fresh green beans, we use The Honest kitchen quickies but they’re costly.ni think Buddy biscuit itty Bitties and Charlee Bear treats are low calorie.
What supplements are you using? I’ve used Joint Mobility Plus (from SwansonVitamins.com), green lipped mussel, salmon oil, Liquid Gold K9 and salmon oil for ours with bad joints.

[Tom L]

We recently acquired an overweight (78#) 12 year old Labrador with severe joint disease who can have limited walks and exercise due to bones rubbing on bones. This is a loving female who loves to eat and likes snacks and treats. Our vet recommended feeding her Science Diet Senior Food 1 cup in the morning and 1 cup at night along with supplements.
She hasn’t lost any weight and is always looking for snacks. We are concerned that this is the correct food for our overweight dog. Ideally, we would like to give her 3 small servings a day. Tom L.

[crazy4cats]

Hi All-
I’m home! All my pets are still alive. My senior kitty stayed with my parents to make sure she got Her medicine and food on a regular schedule. No, I didn’t trust my teenage son to handle this responsibility. My mom was a good sport. She has never had a cat before and doesn’t even particularly like pets that much. Not sure where I got my “disease” from. Lol! Anyway, after about two days of hiding, Rosie came out and was sleeping with them by the end of the week. The other cats stayed home and it looks like my son fed them here and there when convenient. They are young and strong so no issues with that! The dogs were boarded and came home healthy and TIRED! I had them kenneled because I thought it wouldn’t be anymore expensive than an emergency trip to the vet due to my son leaving out yummy stuff they would get in to.

Akari- My human boys are not as responsible as you!

Bdog- Nice pic! Is that his best side? Lol!

I bought some Blue Healthy Gourmet canned cat food yesterday. They are not eating the Nutro Max very well anymore and looking for a replacement. Also bought some Dave’s the other day as well. We’ll see what happens!
Take care!

[Melissaandcrew]

There is no magic date that all dogs need their food decreased. Adults don’t need to be fed three times a day like a pup, but the amount they eat will vary from dog to dog. For ex, my shihtzu ate three very tiny meals per day. As she reached adulthood, the amount increased, but the frequency did not. I have not found my crew needed reduced food simply by virtue of spay/neuter, but rather based on their particular activity levels, and those change depending on the weather. All my dogs, from pup to senior eat an all life stage food.

[Audrey C]

Can someone recommend a canned dog food with low phosphorous content? My dog is 12 years old and was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure. Currently he’s eating Blue (Senior) dog food mixed with Blue kibbles. But I wonder if there’s a supplement I can add to slow down the kidney failure or a dog food that will slow its progression. Any advice?

[Aaron P]

The Kahoots brand dog food is not made by Diamond. It is US made and US sourced(Texas). The meat content is much higher than you will find in Taste of the wild. The salmon is wild caught (tow is farm raised)and the supplementation in Kahoots brand is superior. My dogs have been on Kahoots for about four years. My lab is three now and is in beautiful condition. My beagle is nine she is now a healthy and happy senior dog thanks to the kahoots food. Prior to kahoots she was on Nutro or Wellness neither did her justice as she was tormented by itchy dry skin, irritated paws and frequent hot spots. Thank you Kahoots for making great products that allow my animals to thrive!!!

[Daria S]

Hello all, Hello HOUND DOG MUM 🙂

Speaking about Ca:P ratios – I’ve just received response from First Mate pet foods according to their actual Ca:P ratios. On their pages and on the internet the figures are really really high (1,9:1 for Pacific Ocean Endurance/Puppy which made it to the HDM list). Here are the figures I received by them:

Pacific Ocean Fish Original 1.44:1
Pacific Ocean Fish Endurance/Puppy 1.50:1
Pacific Ocean Fish Large Breed 1.45:1
Pacific Ocean Fish Weight Control/Senior 1.40:1
Chicken with Blueberries 1.85:1
Australian Lamb 1.78:1

The ratios are lower than shown on their pages BUT still high for any large breed puppy because of too little Phosphorus. It’s a shame, I really liked the company and the food so now I’m thinking about Orijen Puppy Large (new formula since January 2013).

Orijen CS couldn’t give me answer about actual Calcium level and kept saying the same info as on the pages – Ca is between 1,2 – 1,5. The best i got from him is “The minimum calcium and phosphorus contents that are listed on our guaranteed analysis are reflective of the typical content.” Kcal is 3800/kg. So while 1,3 would be acceptable, 1,4 is too much. Now I really don’t know. I have a 3,5mths GR puppy and as everyone here I want the best for him. I like high protein in Orijen and quality ingredients.
Also I heard that Orijen is being too high in iron – I still need to analyse this topic.

Any thoughts here?

• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by Daria S.

[Susan]

Hi Erin, Patch cant have wet tin food as he also gets sloppy poo but since I found the Kangaroo at 1.5% fat he’s Ok, so it must of been the highter fat in the other tin foods they were around 4-5% in fat that must of made his poos sloppy..
When I soak Patches kibble in his bowl I drain the water then put the kibble on a paper towel & touch dry & all the kibbles are just soft with a little crunch still & no its the same & doesnt give sloppy poos,
When I first got Patch he was always having sloppy poo then good poos & for about 9 months, we thought it was the fiber, it was flaxseed, then he had a Pancreas flare & it was the higher fat giving him the sloppy poos, so now I make sure I stick around 10% fat for kibbles & 1.5% fat for wet tin foods..
I’d try the Merrick G/F Healthy weight cause the max fat is 11% the protein is 32% min, fiber is 5% but if you have trouble with Merrick it will probably be the protein being to high at 32%
With Pancreatitis some dogs cant have a high protein diet either, thats why Ive never try the Wellness core in the begining cause the protein was 33% & the fiber is 8.5% too high, Patch cant have a high protein, nothing over 24% …also there’s the ‘Holistic Select’ senior at 10% fat & 26% protein, I did try this but I had to take Patch off chicken as vet thought he was allergic to chicken, that’s why he’s on the Wellness Simple Duck & Oatmeal with no chicken fat,
I think that’s why dogs do well on the Vet prescription diets as they are made for illnesses & lower in fat protein & fiber, needed for some dogs with Pancreatitis, you’ll just have to see how ur girl goes, when I joined the dogpancreatitis group on Yahoo I started to learn heaps then I understood why Patch was still having his flares, I was trying to keep his protein high, I’d add a boiled egg to his meal, then he wasnt his usual happy self playing, after eating, I didnt realise that the yoke was too high in fat & protein.. but ur girl will probably be OK, not as bad….

[crazy4cats]

Fresh Pet makes soft kibble. I’ve tried to feed it to my senior kitty, but she turned her nose up. My dogs loved it, however! They don’t mind eating the cats’ rejects. But, anyway, I highly recommend it for your dog. How about canned food? Hope you find something.

[Susan]

Hi Erin, you said her current food is 15% fat is that min% or max% if its min% then add another 1-2% on top making it around 17% fat, very high for a dog with pancreatitis…I normally email the company to find out the max fat% if it isnt written on the bag… there’s a good group on Yahoo called “dogpancreatitis” they have alot of good info in that group…Ive read that wet food is better for pancreatitis then kibble, so if ur girl doesnt get diarrhea form wet foods i’d use wet instead of kibbles, here’s a link to all the wet Wellness foods, they have a Senior complete health its 3% fat also they have their grainfree Core weight management is 3.5% fat..there’s a few to look at http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/recipes.aspx?pet=dog&ft=

[Mom2Cavs]

There are a few that I would use. Wellness has a Small Breed Healthy Weight and also Core Reduced Fat. The problem with Core RF is that the kibble size is pretty big for some small dogs. I prefer the Small Breed. Annamaet also has a grain free food called Lean that is good. Victor has a food, while not really a weight loss but billed as a senior food, it would still be a good one to feed for weight loss. Fromm has a food in their 4Star line called Whitefish and Potato that has less fat and fewer calories that might work, as well. These are just some suggestions. You could always just feed a lesser portion of her current food and add in some green beans (fresh cooked, frozen or no salt canned) as a filler to make her think she’s fuller. I hope this helps and I’m sure others with more knowledge than me will post later.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Brenda & Linda –

Pregnant bitches should be fed a high quality food appropriate for puppies or all life stages. All of Orijen’s formulas would be acceptable, all of Acana’s formulas with the exception of the Adult Large Breed, Senior Dog and Light & Fit would be appropriate and all of Natural Balance’s foods with the exception of their Fat Dogs formula, their Vegetarian formula and their Ultra Reduced Calorie formula would work as well. Personally, however, the only Natural Balance formula I would feel comfortable feeding to a pregnant or lactating bitch would be the Synergy formula – the other are all too low in fat and protein for my liking and I feel it would be difficult to maintain body condition on those foods. I would also highly recommend mixing in a quality canned food with high levels of protein and fat with whichever dry food you choose, this will not only aid in further increasing the protein and fat levels of of the kibble but will also increase the moisture level in the diet helping to keep her hydrated and increase the palatability (many bitches tend to not eat enough to support the high energy demands of pregnancy and lactation so this is important).

[MastiffMomma]

Hi everyone–I hope someone can help me out here! My mom has a 9 year old JR/Chihuahua cross who has had diabetes for about a year now. He is currently on Royal Canin Moderate Calorie Gastrointestinal Veterinary Exclusive dry and wet food, and has been on this since he was diagnosed with diabetes. He currently takes 8 units of insulin twice daily, and weighs about 15lbs.

Since adopting my own dog (mastiff/German shepherd/ lab cross) I have begun researching dog food and ingredients, and after reading the label of my mom’s dog’s food I am concerned that he is not getting the nutrition he needs. The first ingredients are brewers rice, chicken byproduct meal, corn, and brown rice. There are also several other ingredients noted as “controversial” according to DFA. This food is also quite expensive for the number of poor ingredients it contains ($40 for an 4kg bag of dry food, plus the canned food to mix with as he is a picky eater).

I was wondering if anyone here could recommend a low calorie dry dog food that would be suitable for him? I know it’s difficult to put a star value on therapeutic dog food, so something with higher quality ingredients and no byproduct meals would be excellent.

Thanks in advance!

[crazy4cats]

Oh, Bobby dog, I could have done without the snake story. Eeeeek! I remember you saying that you tried Fresh Pet for your cats. Did you try the chub type food, or the more kibble like stuff? I’m wondering if my senior thyroid kitty might like it. The trick would be to keep the other cats out of it, though. She’ll be 15 next week. I’d like to feed her a little higher quality if I could. She can’t or doesn’t eat kibble anymore. I give them all the same birthday pretty much. Next week, I will have a 15, 6 and two 4 year old cats. I can’t believe the babies are going to be 4! 🙂

[DogFoodie]

Hi Nan,

Your pup definitely could do well on a homemade diet that’s low in fat and high in high quality protein. It’s critical though to make sure a homemade diet is properly balanced.

Here is a great website with lots of information that could get you started: http://dogaware.com/articles/wdjlowfatdietsamples.html

Here are some suggested low fat foods: /best-dog-foods/suggested-low-fat-dog-food/

If they’re low enough in fat for your boy, some I think are excellent are Orijen Senior, Go! Fit and Free Senior, Wellness Core Reduced Fat and Nature’s Variety Instinct Healthy Weight.

Good luck!

[Corinne M]

Something happened today that really moved me & I thought I would reach out to the dog community and see what happens. Tell me your thoughts – also, share any resources you know about, please.
So here’s the story: I make my own dog food but sometimes I rotate to a commercial (complete) or commercial supplements and I don’t like my ingredients to go to waste – so today, I realized I had enough egg shells on hand to make about two months’ worth of calcium supplement, which I don’t need right now – so I decided to look on Craigslist to see if anyone in my dog community might need it.
On Craigslist, I accidentally came upon a post that said “I NEED DOG FOOD” – it was a few days old, but I sent a reply asking if they had gotten what they need. Turns out, this lady is sort of having a hard time financially, is renting a room from a church & most of her needs are met except dog food. She has 2 weeks before any funds come in. I told her I could bring her a couple weeks of dog food, and I said she could just “pay it forward” for someone else’s pet someday. Well it turns out that she was involved in running a “death row dog rescue” for 20 years – the 2 dogs she has are, as she calls them, “former inmates”. It got me thinking – I know that there are so many people in this country just barely getting by, and I’ve heard from shelter workers that its not uncommon for pets to be surrendered by loving families who just can’t keep up with food costs. After a little research I discovered that “ Meals-on-Wheels” have begun to include pet food delivery, particularly to low income senior citizens because they found that many of their clients were sharing their meals with their pets out of desperation.
So it occurred to me to reach out to the food pantries in my community & the local “Meals on Wheels” to donate pet foods for them to distribute as needed. Maybe someone who reads this will do the same. ..I hope so.
Best, Corinne

[Jane E]

I like to use a grain free dog food and feed less…the diets geared toward weight loss drop protein and fat and the dog acts hungry because they are not typically satiated. I like both Orijen Senior and GO! Sensitivity and Shine Grain Free and use a measuring cup every time

[LexiDog]

Dogswell LiveFree dry dog food on Petflow.com for $3.99 for 4 lb bag.
Recipes:
Puppy Chicken
Senior Chicken
Adult Salmon
Adult Chicken
Adult Lamb
Adult Turkey

These are regularly priced at $16.99 for 4 lbs. All are rated 5 stars…

[RescueDaneMom]

Hi Kelly,

The only good food I know of for joint care is Victor GF Joint Health / Adult Canine Formula
with Glucosamine. Here is the website: http://www.victordogfood.com/

However, the amounts of glucosamine and chondroitin in dog food are usually not enough to be therapeutic. There is 750mg/kg of glucosamine and 250mg/kg of chondroitin in this food. I have a senior Great Dane (8 yrs old) that needs joint support. I am giving him glucosamine and chondroitin from Springtime Inc. I use their equine line because my dog is so large but they have a canine line as well. I would check out the Supplement forum and look for threads on joint health. I know there are a few of them. It would probably be most beneficial to get your dog on a high quality joint supplement in addition to a high quality food.

Best of luck!

[texasniteowl]

Short story: we’ve been on chicken and rice for a month and need to get back on a kibble.

You can skip to near the bottom about what kibble to go with or you can read…the long story.

Long story:

My dog Wilson is about 7 and 1/2. We have had him for about 19 months. He came to us on Purina lamb and rice. I first switched him to Fromm’s Duck and Sweet Potato and then later to Fromm’s grain free Salmon Tunalini. He also with every meal got a tbsp of yogurt, usually Fage Greek Plain but sometimes other brands. He was on the Salmon Tunalini for about 7 or 8 months.

In late April, he started eating a lot more grass than usual. Prior, he ate grass maybe once every 2 or 3 months. But he started going out in the a.m. (mostly a.m.) to eat grass about 4 times a week. But no other symptoms really presented. At first.

By mid to late May he was still grass eating but poo had started changing and not for the better. But we would have days were it was fine and then days where it was bad and then days when it was fine again. He still ate his food and still loved his walks, etc. But we also did have a few days where his interest in his food in the morning was not present. Then finally, after seeing some blood in his poo, we went to the vet.

Fecal test #1 was negative for parasites/giardia. Fecal test #2 showed a bacterial overgrowth of the bad, rod shaped bacteria. So vet put us on a 5 day course of amoxicillin, metronidazole, and pro-pectalin. We stayed on his kibble during this course. Finished the 5 days and on day 6, we had not only very liquid, essentially water, diarrhea, we also had vomiting. Called the vet…another 5 days of amox, metro, pro-pec. This time, went to chicken and rice.

The chicken and rice was meant to be short term!

After the 2nd 5 days, we kept on the chicken and rice and waited to see what would happen. It initially seemed like his poo started to improve. So I started mixing in a little kibble. Like less than 1/2 of 1/4 cup.

And things got worse again. So called the vet again.

The vet suggested that in spite of the parasite fecal being negative that we do a dose of panacur. And that if no improvement, our next step would be to take blood and fecal samples and send them to the vet school at Texas A&M to be evaluated. So we did the Panacur.

At first, didn’t see much improvement. But then about 4-5 days after his last dose his poo started to improve. Still on the soft side. And worryingly, a bit orange even though he wasn’t getting pumpkin. But firmer than we had seen in a while.

So, I went by a local boutique pet store who gave me a sample of Orijen Adult and I started mixing in some. Just a little.

And the poo got even better.

Nearly normal! Using the Purina fecal scoring model, we’re up to a 3 where 2 is ideal. We had been averaging a 4.5-5 at one point with some individual poos even worse!

So, I want to slowly increase the amount of kibble. And at some point, I plan to re-introduce probiotics (maybe powder instead of yogurt) and maybe add enzymes.

(I also bought the $3 book about supplementing kibble with fresh stuff…and would like to do that…eventually. First things first.)

Anyway, props to anyone who made it thru all that.

The main question:
Which kibble to go with for now?

A friend of mine who has a dog with severe IBD suggested that maybe a food intolerance started the whole cycle to start with, but I don’t know that I buy that. She suggested a novel protein. But, he’s been on chicken and rice, and the Orijen Adult is chicken based and his poo is improving right now. Is it possible he has a food intolerance of some kind? Sure. Allergies? Yes. In fact, he seems to have a grass allergy. Since I know he has had chicken and duck and lamb and fish, if we start looking at a novel protein, I’d be looking at pork or venison or rabbit. But I don’t know what else he might have had before we adopted him. And in terms of amount paw-licking, etc. I don’t think it is much different than any other time. He can get itchy ears too, but the vet attributes that to mostly seasonal allergies.

The qualm I have about the Orijen Adult is mainly due to the high fat content. 18%. We are mostly inactive. He is a lap dog most of the day except for our daily 1.1 to 1.2 mile walks. And a little bit of fetch with a tennis ball. But otherwise he loves nothing more than snuggling in my lap in the recliner. And he is 65lbs! And, as mentioned he is 7 and 1/2. Should I start watching the fat %? Though his weight last time we were at the vet was within 3 lbs of what they called ideal. So we are doing pretty good so far.

Then there is the matter of grain free vs. grain inclusive. In the best scenario, I prefer grain free. But I’m not sure I’m crazy about all of them going to lentils for fill. Though, the Orijen Adult has lentils and I have not seen a problem so far. But it has only been about 4-5 days and he is getting a limited amount.

I do like that the Orijen Adult is a higher protein level. His previous food was only 31% protein and the Orijen Adult is 42%. Maybe it was the fact that he has been on chicken and rice for a month that made the higher protein level an easier switch? It’s been proven now that a higher protein percent for senior dogs is OK, right?

Orijen Senior is similar to Adult except uses pea fiber also. The fat is 15% instead of 18%. And fiber is 8% instead of 5%.

Some other mostly chicken or at least poultry based foods I was considering are:
Taste of the Wild Wetlands
Wellness CORE Original
Wellness CORE Reduced Fat (37% protein, 11% fat)
Acana Adult Large Breed (37% protein, 14% fat)
Acana Light & Fit (39% protein, 10% fat)
Acana Senior (37% protein, 14% fat)
Earthborn Holistic Great Plains Feast
Merrick Grain Free Chicken & Sweet Potato

Anyway, I’m really at a loss here. Novel protein or not? Fat %? Protein %? Lentils? Other food suggestions?

[Susan]

Hi Maureen, My boy has Pancreatitis & IBD, I noticed when I gave my boy a kibble that was higher in protein he got his pain back, I tried the Holistic Select Senior Chicken Meal & Rice the fat was min-10% on bag, I emailed Holistic Select & max Fat was 11.98% the protein was 26%, I thought good higher protein then his Eukanuba Intestinal vet prescription diet which is 23% protein fat-10% that he was put on but I dont know if it was the fat% being 11.98% or the higher protein at 26% but he started his whinging again & had his pain, so now Im tryng the Wellness Simple “Duck & Oatmeal” fat% is min-11% on the bag & max fat is 11.98% the protein is lower at 19% but he seems better on the Wellness Simple…Duck & Oatmeal, Im mixing the Simple with his Eukanuba Intestinal .when looking for a new kibble try to match the Fat % & the protein% & fiber%..the Wellness simple has their Healthy Weight Salmon & Peas Grain free the fat % min 8% the protein is 26% fiber is 6%, the fiber is a bit to high for my Patch, maybe this will be similer to the Hills W/D diet & its grain free.. he’s a link if u want to compare things you might see another flavour that is closer to his Hills W/D diet, & slowly so slowly start just adding a bit of the new kibble with his old kibble..Ive taking 2 weeks & Im still just adding 1/4cup & using the Wellnes Simple duck kibbles as treats.. having the IBD on top does not help. http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/categories.aspx?pet=dog&cat=3

[pugmomsandy]

Your senior beagle can eat this food. Just keep track of her weight and reduce her portion if needed. For some dogs, less carbs actually helps them loose or maintain weight. It does for all of mine, young and old. My oldest is 15 yrs.

[Dfwgolden]

Hi everyone!

Ok so I have serious question for xx large breed dog owners.
I have a 12 week old male Great Dane puppy.
When we got him he was on Diamond Puppy formula and doing iffy.
We feed ourdogs a grain free rotational diet.
And they have done awesome. However Bane has seemed to decline since we got him.

He’s growing normally and everything however he has had soft stool since day one.
And these past two weeks it’s literally been water/patte.
Two days ago He had to go CONSTANTLY. And just explodes I kid you not it’s like an explosion.
A norm poop just falls even if it’s diarrhea however his blows like a gun. Splashing everywhere.
Including in our new car… Three times within two hours.
And it’s not just a little it’s A LOT.

He’s been on-
Diamond Puppy
Whole Earth Farms
And recently Diamond Naturals Large Breed chicken and rice.
This last food is when he hit his worst.

After two weeks of this I took him off the food sunday afternoon. And only gave him canned pumpkin salt, plain crackers, plain yogurt (live culture) and some probiotic human capsules.

Last night I finly have him some solid food:
Wellness Simple Salmon formula.
This morning he finally pooped and it was solid! But very orange defiantly could tell it was from the pumpkin! Haha!

He has since pooped three more times all of which have been mostly solid but could be better.
Shaped but mushy.

I’m wondering if it’s poultry and the Petco guy recommended it as a way to start into a LID and see if that helps. (The simple)
He had his ears cropped about 3-4 weeks ago and was on antibiotics which could possibly play a roll? And he is down on his probiotics?
He was only on them for a week though and this didn’t start up to water until recently.

He is on dewormer and flea/tick. Sintenal. And has received his last round of puppy shots. No rabies yet.
My dad brought up the possibility of Giardia and Coccidia. Had a fu work up done today he he’s clean as a whistle on his fecal Giardia and blood.
Our vet is a dane breeder herself

Bane is eating and drinking normally and has shown no signs of “illness” he’s just his goofy self as always!

My biggest
Concern however is the fact that if he does do good on wellness simple that we won’t be able to keep him on it.
It’s $68 for 27lbs.
And with him already eating 6 cups a day and is having 4 other dogs.
You get the gist.
I live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Texas area and believe it or not my food choices although broad are limited to either $&!+ or high dollar.

We’ve done 4Health and Diamond and Proplan and purina one (which believe it or
Not the weight loss formula did fantastic for out over weight senior golden)

The vet said it’s possible he has a grain and poultry allergy.
Which limits my choices even more as even “duck and oatmeal” formulas contain chicken fat.

I leave for a month long Vacation with Bane to Poplar Bluff Missouri on the 15th white it being so Rural that lowers my availability even more.
Meaning I don’t have time to try a raw diet for him.

I need something that’s no more than $45-$50 a bag that can basically “hold him over” until I get back In 4 weeks.

I’m in need her Hound Dog mom! Lol.

[USA]

Hi Cordell

You deserve to be praised for the time and effort you take to prepare your dog’s meals!

Personally I would not mix raw with cooked. I believe that over time a dog who eats only cooked foods will develop changes to his digestive system that will make it harder to deal with the bacteria in raw food. For senior dogs I think this problem could be even worse.

I would think about about adding digestive enzymes tor your dog’s diet to replace the ones that are lost during cooking. I would also read Steve Brown’s book “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet”. While your homemade supplement looks wonderful, Steve’s book will help you make sure you are feeding your dog’s a diet that is perfectly balanced and nutritionally complete.

Keep up the good work!

[Cordell N]

Hello,
I home cook for my three dogs. A 7 month old Australian Shepherd, a senior Boston Terrier and a senior Bassett Hound. I make their food in a crock pot twice a week.
I use a combination of meats which usually include chicken thighs or chicken quarters and ground beef and chicken gizzards. I also add ground lamb if I can find it in the discount area.
I throw in carrots, green beans and other vegetables from my garden like squash and tomatoes. If I have some fruit that needs to be eaten I throw that in also. I add some water and cook until done. I remove the everything and debone the chicken and mash with a potatoes masher and mix well. I then cook my carbs in the liquid. Sometimes rice, potatoes, lentils, oats or barley. I least that cook until very well done add a can of pumpkin and mix it all together. I would estimate that the meat comprises about 75% of their diet.

I add a supplement I make at feeding that includes ground egg shell, nutritional yeast, kelp powder, lecithin granules, ground multivitamins, salmon oil, yogurt, apple cider with the mother and Brazil nuts. I also put a cube or two of cooked beef liver or canned sardines on top a couple of times a week.
I would like to add some raw food and bones to their routine.
I bought the following at the Asian and Mexican markets.
Chicken and turkey necks
Pork neck bones
Beef feet cut up
Pork heart.
My questions are can I give a neck a couple of tomes a week as a treat?
Are raw pork neck bones and cut up raw beef feet safe as treats?
Should I cook the pork heart in the crock pot with my other meat or serve a small portion raw on top of their cooked food?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Cordell

[Amy E]

Hello, I’m new here.
5 months ago I adopted Moby, a 9 year old miniature schnauzer. He was from a puppy mill and weighed 7 lbs. when I got him. He now weighs 12 lbs and the vet says he’s a good weight. He came to us with ear infections, which we treated and cleared up.

He developed some small itchy bumps on his head, neck, legs and chest, which he licked, scratched and rubbed his body along the furniture. Vet diagnosed skin infection due to stress or allergies. Rx: zeniquin & clemastine for 10 days with KetoChlor shampoo followed by Allergroom shampoo daily for 3 days, then twice weekly for 2 weeks.

At 10 day recheck: All bumps healed and went away during the 2 weeks, except for one new bump on chest so 3 more days of zeniquin prescribed and continuing clemastine until winter arrives. Also supposed to bathe with the 2 shampoos once every 2 weeks.

Well… the bumps have returned on his head and neck. They started with just one here and there and have increased daily over this week. He’s starting to itch, rub and lick more again, even though he is still taking clemastine.

I feed him Eagle Pack Holistic Salmon kibble, but he also gets various treats (chicken based) and yogurt daily along with various other things like pumpkin, fresh veggies, fruit and sardines.

He came from Oklahoma and now lives in Minnesota. It just so happened that winter ended and spring began around the time we got him…the same time he started a new diet at our house…so it’s hard to know if his allergies are environmental or food based without testing (I’m considering doing a home-based test like Immune IQ). I suspect a life of poor diet and low exercise has weakened his immune system and now he’s more susceptible to everything, causing skin reactions. Besides the bumps, he has no other issues with his skin or coat (no hair loss, raw patches, etc). He has no digestive issues either. He’s a happy little guy, always wagging his tail, eats voraciously, sleeps like a log, potties on schedule (output looks good).

Do you think I should switch to a different food with fewer ingredients? If so, what? I’m going to eliminate the yogurt. We have another [senior] dog so feeding completely raw is cost prohibitive for me.

Thanks in advance for your help and advice.

[Dori]

Hi BRT. It will take a minimum of 2 to 4 weeks at least until the itching stops unless he’s allergic to something in the raw food you’re feeding. Katie can’t eat all raw foods, only some.

I feed all my girls twice a day. I feed them between 2.5 and 3% of their body weight daily divided into two meals. Hannah, 15 year old Maltese (9/9/14) weights 7.5 lbs. I feed her closer to the 3%. Senior dogs need higher protein and more calories. They don’t process or utilize nutrients because of aging and slowing down bodily functions. Katie 5 year old 6 lb. Maltipoo I feed 2% of her body weight. She’s my allergy girl and lives her life in one speed. SLOW MOTION. She’s not planning on exerting herself about anything anytime anywhere. She’s funny little girl. Would love to live her life in someones arms (not gonna happen, but in her ideal world I’d get a Bjorn pouch and put her in it), Lola my 5 year old Yorkipoo weighs 5 lbs. She I feed 2.5% of her body weight. She gets fed more than Katie because Lola is complete polar opposite. She is never still, has boundless energy and is always “ON”. She only stops go collapse at night for bed time. Hence she needs more food than her lazy slow motion sister Katie.

Three days is really not long enough to notice many changes. Don’t forget she has to get all other stuff out of his system then his gut has to start healing. His immune system has to normalize itself once he’s not eating any things he’s intolerant of. It doesn’t happen overnight even though we pray it would. Just be patient and give him a chance to heal. Which food are you feeding him?

[Mom2Cavs]

It just goes to show that not every food works for all dogs. Mine eat Wellness Small Breed (Simple, Senior and White fish and I’m going to use Healthy Weight soon) and love it and are doing great on it. I’m sure you can find another food that works for your crew. Some I like are Dr. Tim’s, Victors and Annamaet. Holistic Select is fine, too.

[eli s]

The problem with foods that are not senior/weight loss, is that there is also an increase in % fat. I am well aware that its better to give the normal kind, but I am afraid of a weight gain.

Ordering online wont change anything as a lot of brands just does not exist in my country.

Looking at the Wysong senior and Wysong adult again, I can see that the difference between them is only the % protein which is higher for the adult brand (28% vs 25%).

I am leaning towards the Wysong. All other parameters looks the same (besides the meat ingredients)

http://www.wysong.net/products/senior-healthy-natural-dog-food.php

http://www.wysong.net/products/adult-healthy-natural-dog-food.php

The Wysong has 14% fat and the Vets Choice Holistic lite has %9

• This reply was modified 11 years, 5 months ago by eli s.

[DogFoodie]

I’ve used Wellness Core Reduced Fat with success for my young Cavalier who gains weight very easily. I’d recommend it.

I recently came across another food I’d love to try her on, Go! Senior. I buy most of my dog’s foods online and Chewy.com carries it. It looks like an excellent product!

http://www.petcurean.com/for-dogs/go/fit-and-free-grain-free-senior

[Susan]

Hi, sound like he gets irritable bowel, my rescue boy gets the rumbles, its gases going thru their bowel very uncomfortable, when I first got my Patch, he was having the grumbles & rumbles every 10 days, I think he couldnt handle high beef proteins, one vet said Colitis with the rumbling bowel plus he’d sometimes poo light red blood which suggest the small bowel, now a new vet has said that he has Irritable Bowel & wanted to put Patch on Prednisone, I said NO as they havent done a biopsy to comfirm the IBD, He was put on the Eukanuba Intestinal vet diet last August. Ive kept him on the Intestinal, the diarrhea stopped so did the rumbling bowel, Ive so slowly been tryng new kibbles, Ive tried the Holistic Select Senior Chicken Meal & Rice but I only mixed with his Eukanuba Intestinal which was good with no rumbles or diarrhea, this week Ive bought the Wellness Simple Limited Ingredients Duck & Oatmeal as Ive read that oatmeal sooths the stomach/bowel & the Simple has less ingredients & is suppost to be for stomach problems… Wellpet state that their Simple range is formulated like vet prescription diet foods without the corn, wheat, eggs, dairy & by-products etc… I too hate the vet diet formulas but maybe start with one just to get ur boys stomach/bowel better & rested like I did with Patch, Patch was on the Eukanuba Intestinal for 5months no treats no extra foods, then this year Ive started playing with different foods but when anything goes wrong, I go straight back to his Eukanuba Intestinal & start again so slowly…maybe give the Wellness Simple a try , the Duck & oatmeal only gets 3 starts on this site I think, BUT thats cause it has a low protein, the other Simple kibbles gets 4 stars & in the end if ur dog stops his rumblins & diarrhea who cares about stars http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/dog-wellness.aspx scroll down to the bottom & u’ll see Simple limited ingredients…also Patch is on a good probiotic for his tummy…Good-Luck

[Cait Y]

Hello everyone! I am new, and in need of advice. I have done a lot of research and still cannot find the correct food for my two Seniors. I have a Dobbie and a Walker hound – both are 15 years old. I originally had them for three years on chicken soup for the senior dog but due to this food being incredibly difficult to find anymore I have had to change dog food. Since then I have tried Canidae Grain Free Pure (Dry), Castor and Pollux Natural Ultramix Grain-Free (Dry), Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural (Dry), and Solid Gold Barking at the Moon (Dry). The Walker Hound (Forest) did not like the earthborn or solid gold, the wellness grain free was too rich for him (he got really gassy and he has had bloat before) and the others did not keep weight on the seniors. I am at my wits end, what was not too rich is not keeping weight on either dog. Any suggestions? Nothing is physically wrong with them, they check out with bloodwork and the yearly physical. I have upped the feed amount but the Forest doesn’t finish his food and Emma I mean 2 cups per feeding twice a day is a lot. Thanks in advance!
Red

[DogFoodie]

I was just browsing “weight loss” foods and found one that looks like it would be an excellent choice.

Petcurean Go! Fit + Free Senior. 32% protein, 14% fat and 4.5% fiber. 394 kcals / cup

Ingredients look excellent: Chicken meal, turkey meal, salmon meal, de-boned chicken, de-boned turkey, de-boned trout, potatoes, peas, tapioca, lentil beans, chickpeas, pea fibre, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), natural chicken flavour, whole dried egg, apples, duck meal, herring meal, flaxseed, salmon oil, alfalfa, de-boned duck, de-boned salmon, sweet potatoes, canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), coconut oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), potassium chloride, pumpkin, carrots, bananas, blueberries, cranberries, broccoli, spinach, alfalfa sprouts, blackberries, squash, papayas, pomegranate, glucosamine hydrochloride, dried chicory root, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Aspergillus niger fermentation product, dried Aspergillus oryzae fermentation product, L-carnitine, vitamins (vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, inositol, niacin, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (a source of vitamin C), d-calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, beta-carotene, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement), minerals (zinc proteinate , iron proteinate, copper proteinate, zinc oxide, manganese proteinate, copper sulphate, ferrous sulphate, calcium iodate, manganous oxide, selenium yeast), sodium chloride, taurine, New Zealand green mussels, yucca schidigera extract, chondroitin sulphate, dried rosemary, green tea extract, peppermint, parsley, rosehips, zedoary, dandelion, chamomile, ginger, fennel, tumeric, juniper berries, licorice, marigold extract, cardamom, cloves.

Here’s a link to the product on the Petcurean website: http://www.petcurean.com/for-dogs/go/fit-and-free-grain-free-senior

[[email protected]]

hi all,
re Jasmine (13yr old dog with colitis and poss. IBD/ food intolerance.)

There are so many good suggestions here. I have been making Jasmine a diet of browned ground turkey and oatmeal for a week now hoping to address her colitis and loose stools. I haven’t added the psyillium as yet as it seems to loosen her even more. This diet was vet originated through Balance it. I have added pumpkin today to her mix to help firm her stools, I hope! She is still on metronidazole.

I have tried so many things and have settled on this home made diet until maybe a holistic vet can help me move her more into dogfood and apppropriate supplements.

She did the best on a hypo allergenic diet from RC – pot & venison but they changed the formula & the potatoes were also causing reflux. Noe sure where to head but at the moment enjoys the turkey, oatmeal & pumpkin. I add a senior vitamin each day.

Any thoughts on mixing in a kibble that is hypo or grain, chix potato free to help as she proceeds?

Best,

Karen

[Mom2Cavs]

Hi, Cavvie lovers! I have 3 of this beautiful breed. I have Laverne, a Ruby retired show champion who weighs around 17 lbs. and tends to have mild intolerances and trouble in the past with anal glands. She is 9 yrs. and has a murmur according to my holistic vet. No meds, though. She’s lived with us for 3 years now. Hazel is my 7 year old Black and Tan who weighs around 19 lbs., all muscle. She was born with a murmur but has never had meds. She’s been with us for 5 years. She and Laverne are registered therapy dogs. My newest is Rupert, a 7 year old Blenheim retired show champion who weighs around 19 lbs. I’ve had Rupert for 3 months now. He has a grade 5 murmur and MVD, asymptomatic, however he is on enalapril twice a day. Now that his health is pretty good for him (he came to me not so healthy) I plan on making him a therapy dog, as well.

I had to try many foods due to Laverne’s intolerances, which started with loose stool, rumbly tummy, not wanting to eat at times and of course the dreaded anal gland issues. We are finally (hope I don’t jinx us, lol) doing great with Wellness totally. I’ve always used Wellness cans and biscuits/treats but their kibble size was just too big for them, especially Laverne who I needed it to work for the most. So I used others, like Acana Singles, Merrick, Instinct LIDs, Zignature, Annamaet, Dr. Tim’s, Victors and probably others I’ve forgotten about. Some worked and I’ll still feed if needed…Annamaet, Dr. Tim’s and Victor, but a lot of others didn’t. I even tried premade raw, which was fine but too hard for my household to deal with. Foods like THK didn’t go over well. However, recently Wellness came out with new Small Breed formulas…YAY! So I tried them. I now rotate through Small Breed Senior, Small Breed Whitefish and Small Breed Simple Salmon along with their canned Stews for topping kibble and Yogurt biscuits for bedtime snack. I use their Pure Bites for training. Things are great, atm!! I do add a probiotic/enzyme supplement and a fiber supplement called Firm Up with each meal. It’s simply dried pumpkin and apple pectin. They also get coq10 for their heart. This has been working for us for 2 months now and I will continue this regimen. Sometimes I will use other canned toppers, like Simply Nourish, Fromm or Weruva for variety. All 3 have such soft wonderful coats and great skin. I did shave them down a little for the first time this summer and can honestly say that I love the haircuts! I kept their ears and tails long. I will keep them cut this way. I hope some of this info. gives hope for you guys with other Cavvies, my heart breed! 🙂 <3

• This reply was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by Mom2Cavs.

[Mom2Cavs]

Hi, and I’m sorry to hear that your little dog has this. I’m not recommending Hills but the diarrhea is probably coming from an abrupt diet change. I’m sure you didn’t transition to the Hills…I apologize if I’m wrong on this. Anyway, there are a few foods I would consider for a dog prone to pancreatitis. Annamaet Lean is a good food (annamaet.com). It can be ordered form Chewy.com or Wag.com, and other places. I can’t get it locally so I would have to order online. Wellness Core Reduced Fat is another I would try. Wellness is available most places like Petsmart and Petco. Wellness also has a Small Breed Healthy Weight that might work and a line called Simple that has a healthy weight formula. I love Wellness. Victor dog food (I order mine from Sportdogfood.com) has a senior formula that looks good, too. Remember, whatever you choose try to transition slowly from whatever he’s eating now. If that’s not possible try adding some plain canned pumpkin to the food to help firm up stools during transitioning. Not pie filling, just plain pumpkin.

[Debbie S]

Where do I start? Some background – back in 2013 our home consisted of two parrots, a cat, Mandy a 13 yr. old female Sheltie, Shadow an 11 yr. old male Sheltie, Roxie a 4 yr. old Pomeranian and two parents. About Sept. 2013 I was stupidly giving the dogs Milo’s Chicken Jerky (small pieces), when Mandy became ill. She was vomiting, had diarrhea and was very lethargic. We admitted her to the Vet hospital and she was put on IV’s for a couple of days but there was no helping her at this point and it was recommended putting her to sleep. We did and I started researching and found about the chicken being from China! I felt horrible and wanted to die right along with Mandy. I had obviously been poisoning my babies and Mandy wasn’t strong enough to fight it.
Fast forward to May 2014. We had been feeding Blue Buffalo Senior Grain Free dry and Blue Buffalo Family Favorite Recipes (various chicken/turkey flavors) mixture twice a day. Every single treat that we gave was made in the U.S.A. Shadow stopped eating any treats that were hard, would eat around the kibble and started acting strange even for him. At that point we started cooking chicken breast and white rice. (Then we find out rice can be toxic also). None of the dogs ever turned down the sweet potato that I give daily to the parrots. We took him to the vet thinking he may be having teeth problems. Nothing. Maybe a slight gum infection so he was put on a mild antibiotic. He still had his slight heart murmur but nothing to worry about. Exactly a week later on May 7th he was really restless, couldn’t find a place to lay down and about 11:30 pm he came out of the bedroom panting extremely heavy and drooling, I knew immediately something was wrong, woke up my husband, and called the vets for the emergency location. We hopped in the car, with me carrying him and he was panting louder than I’ve ever heard anyone breathe. We were almost there when Shadow bucked up into my chest and flopped down. He was gone.. supposedly by heart attack and they pronounced him DOA.

Now we only have Roxie and she has been as depressed as we are. She’s normally a little pig with treats and always cleaning others bowls if they walked away. She basically stopped eating, laid around and was totally depressed. Knowing this, we gave her time because she wasn’t acting ill and since she was a little overweight it wouldn’t hurt her to not eat as much as normal. Then she started turning down hard treats, and not eating the kibble in her food just like Shadow did. We took her to the vets after a couple of weeks of this because I was so anxious after the last couple of years and losing two of our babies. The vet took X-rays and a full panel of blood work. When he laid her on her back, her tongue turned blue so he was concerned. But her blood work was perfect and the only thing showing on the X-rays was the extra fat she was carrying which is effecting her breathing and probably the cause of her blue tongue.

We changed her food because she has to lose 1.5 – 2 pounds so we tried Hill’s Ideal Balance Slim and Healthy Adult mixed with the comparable canned food which was weird for us because we had always steered away from anything of Hill’s. Now after reading about it I want to stop feeding her that even though she loves it and is eating well again.

I need advice on what to feed a large framed five year old Pomeranian currently weighing 11 1/2 lbs. who needs to weigh no more than 10 lbs. She has arthritis starting in her knees and has just recently started constantly licking her lips. In the past we have just let them run the fenced back yard using the doggy door but I’ve started taking Roxie on nightly walks to help the weight loss along.

I’m thinking of Wellness Core Reduced Fat & the canned Weight Maintenance mixed or one of the Merrick choices. Any suggestions are appreciated since this seems like a very intelligent group.

• This topic was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by Debbie S.

[Susan]

Hi Paddy, so you buy something that you have to add to their food, also if Patch was ur dog what would you do, where would you start, when I give Patch his chicken & pumkin at night he gets his gurgling bowel 2-3am so I have to stick with the kibble at nighs for his dinner,id love to either stop his kibble or maybe change his kibble, the Holistic Select senior is min fat 10% but max is 11.98% maybe this has been causing him his pain also the protein is 26% Ive found when I started giving him more protein he had more reflux & his pain. I was going to try the wellness Simple kibble heathy weight its 8% fat but the fiber is 6% & has peas is second ingredient then theres the Eagle packs new range & their low fat is 6% but the new formula is coming out until October..all the grainfree kibbles that I can get are too high in fat, I just dont know what to do no more…

[Susan]

Hi Jerry, With EPI, dogs need a low fat & low fiber diet, the Purina one would have to much fiber for EPI thats why she is pooing so much ..My boy has IBD & Pancreatitis & was put on Eukanuba Intestinal low residue vet prescription this has really helped its 10% fat & 1.75% in fiber & he does just 2 nice firm small poos a day. Ive slowely been adding the “Holistic Select” Senior Chicken Meal & rice its 10%-fat 26%-protein & breaks up very easy, I add water & within 1 mintue the kibble has soften also the Eukanuba Intestinal softens within 1 minutue, thats how you can tell if a kibble is soft or hard the harder kibbles take forever to soften especially if they have potatos…hard kibble are to hard on their Pancreas & cause pain Ive found, can ur girl eat tin wet food cause thats better for Pancreatits a low fiber & low fat… there’s kibble & tin food that a few people on this site reconmend that’s sold at Walmart called Pure Balance or Rachel Ray that are suppost to be better then Purina one & are a good price there’s another one but I cant remember the name for tummy problems, I live Australia so we have different kibbles but we do have the Purina one sold at the supermakets & its high in fillers & the fiber is 5-6% I wouldnt feed that to Patch he’d be pooing & pooing & have his stomach pain..also I give Patch a probiotic to help with his digestion & bowel…

[Tina]

Anyone own a Cocker Spaniel If so what do you feed yours?
My Cocker Spaniel American Cocker Spaniel is 9 years old and has these problems;
*Colitis
*dry skin
*itchy skin
*Very gassy
*cataracts
She is on Nutro Natural Choice Senior and Hill’s Ideal Balance Mature Adult mixed. She has only had chicken her entire life. These are the brands that she has tried as a puppy and a adult;
*Purina Pro Plan Puppy
*Purina One Adult
*Hill’s Science Diet Mature Adult Small Bites
*Hill’s Ideal Balance Mature Adult
*Nutro Natural Choice Senior
*Hill’s Prescription Diet I/D

None of these I was happy with and none of them did the trick except Hill’s Prescription Diet I/D. What can you suggest? I’m open to ANY suggestions, including all life stages dog food. She will eat anything and I mean anything at all. My only stipulation is that I can find the brand in multiple stores. She never gets bored of the same brand or flavor. My Cocker Spaniel has colitis so any food that she goes on must be easy on a dog’s stomach and good for digestion. She does well on chicken but definitely no beef. The kibble must be small because she had bad teeth. She’s no longer on Hill’s Prescription Diet I/D.

[Tina]

Anyone own a Golden Retriever? If so what do you feed yours?
My Golden Retriever Angel is 8 years old and has these problems;
*dry skin
*itchy skin
*red skin
*scabs all over back, chest and tail
*weak hip and joints
*Gains weight really quick
*eats very fast
*Very gassy
She is on Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Senior along with Hill’s Science Diet Large Breed Adult and Wellness Simple Salmon and Potato mixed in. She has only had chicken her entire life. These are the brands that she has tried as a puppy and a adult;
*Eukanuba Puppy
*Purina Pro Plan Puppy
*Purina One Adult
*Hill’s Science Diet Large Breed Adult
*Royal Canine Golden Retriever
*Blue Buffalo Large Breed Senior
*Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Senior
*Wellness Simple Salmon and Potato
None of these I was happy with and none of them did the trick except for Royal Canine (kinda). What can you suggest? I’m open to ANY suggestions, including all life stages dog food. She will eat anything and I mean anything at all. My only stipulation is that I can find the brand in multiple stores. She never gets bored of the same brand or flavor.

Thank You All