[Shasta220]

I found Paramount at our liquidation store as well (it was 5$ for only 4lb though). It was the grain free variety… The grain-full stuff is garbage. Even the GF isn’t the greatest quality, but hey! Impossible to beat the price! I doubt I’ll get it anytime soon again (mainly b/c the store probably doesn’t have it anymore. It also was starting to make my senior lab smell bad again. She’s suffered with skin problems and awful odor her whole life).

I emailed this website about doing a review on it. (I’m super curious too what rating they’ll give it). They said it’s on their to-do list, so who knows how long it’ll be until they can fit in th review for it…

[theBCnut]

Have you tried probiotics? Canned pure pumpkin? I have seen this in a few older dogs, but I don’t know why other than age has affected their ability to digest and absorb their food. I knew someone who had good luck with a very small dose of Immodium every day, but I wouldn’t try it without talking to the vet first about what to watch out for.

[Shasta220]

Thanks for the help, guys! We have one super picky eater (like I say, the cats have always been on super cheap food)… He only eats Cat Chow so far, but it’s pretty much garbage. So far, a really affordable dry food (that’s also quality) is Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover’s Soul. I also wonder if I could find Diamond Naturals for cats (some people HATE the dog food for it, others love it. All of my dogs are on it and they’re doing great).

I’m planning on finding some quality canned food for my older kitty (I really want to try Evo 95% chicken and turkey). I’m not sure if the other one would eat it, he’s refused other organic canned foods, haha. I’m not worried about him though, because he nibbles on some of our cat’s raw food (just to clarify. We have 3. Maddy is a senior…she just eats the dry and maybe canned. Panda ONLY eats dry…then Millie is too sophisticated for cat food, she eats only raw…)

[OlRedHair]

Thank you so much, Patty. I didn’t realize that about seniors having difficulty digesting food. I see so many obese older dogs. But Molly is still very active. I will definitely research some better quality foods for her.

It’s funny, I had just bought her some coconut oil. How much should I give her per day? Just now I gave her a heaping teaspoon, and she loved it.

[RescueDaneMom]

nata78sha-

I was looking up other bargain high quality foods for another thread and have more options for you. Annamaet Ultra (32% protein) is $70 for a 40lb bag ($1.75/pound). Dr. Tim’s Pursuit (30% protein) is $66 for a 44lb bag ($1.50/lb).

[RescueDaneMom]

To use your example, the brand overall has a 4 star rating meaning the varieties listed rate 4 stars unless otherwise noted. Some varieties can rate higher or lower than others depending on their ingredients. The ones in the list without a rating next to them are 4 stars, the others rate as noted next to their name in the list. I hope that helps you make sense of things.

[Tulmaster]

Hi, new here and hope I reached an appropriate page for comment. First I am searching for the best dry food to give Odin, my 7 yr old Lab/Rot. I have been feeding him Blue Buffalo for years. So to cut to the chase, I was reviewing the Stars, 5 and 4 and noticed when I got to some, and I will use BB as an example, it said in the 4 star category, there were 17 different food that were offered. Of those on the list there were 4 or 5 that did not display a stars rating, and the rest were rated from as low as 2 and as high as 4.5. I tried to find a rating method explanation, but could not so, what do they mean? Did some not meet the 4 star rating and if so why? If they are all 4 star, then why the difference. If they are not 4 star then why are they listed under the 4 star link? All to confusing for me.

[RescueDaneMom]

crazy mom-

The general consensus is that puppies can start regulating calcium uptake at 10 months. Your Danes are both over 10 months so you don’t have to feed one of the foods on HDM’s list. The most important thing is that it is “All Life Stages”. Most of the “large breed,” “giant breed,” “senior” labels are just marketing and there is no real benefit to feeding those foods over a regular ALS food.

Victor is a good food. Most of their varieties are 4 and 5 stars. /dog-food-reviews/victor-dog-food/
The Victor Select Professional formula looks good, it’s rated 4 stars. The Hi Pro Plus is 5 stars. You would be ok feeding any of their varieties but I’d stay away from the Multi-Pro Maintenance and the Beef Meal and Brown Rice, both are 3.5 stars.

If you can, it is better to rotate different brands of foods rather than different formulas within the same brand. Any deficiencies or abundances in certain vitamins or minerals will likely be present in all formulas within a brand. If you can rotate different brands, you are more likely to cover all your bases because different brands have different vitamin/mineral profiles. Do you know what other brands your feed store carries? I could help you sort out some of the better ones to choose from if you like.

Edit- regarding transitioning, you may have to do it slowly at first. The more you change the food the easier transition will become. I changed foods after every bag and my Dane could switch cold turkey from bag to bag after awhile. That’s something you’ll need to watch your dogs for. If their stools start becoming loose then you might be transitioning too fast and need to slow it back down.

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

[theBCnut]

Victor is an excellent idea! There are a couple others that I wish I could bring to mind. But that leaves plenty of room for others to comment.

[RescueDaneMom]

Nutrisource is a good food. I think Victor would be good too. It is rated 4 or 5 starts and is reasonably priced. It can be found at some feed stores or online at sites like Petflow.com or Chewy.com. I would feed the Victor Select Hi Pro Plus (30% Protein). You can get it on Amazon- $55 for 40 pounds: http://www.amazon.com/Victor-Dog-Food-Formula-40-Pound/dp/B00CJLP4EA
I also like all of their grain-free formulas and would recommend any of them.

[nata78sha]

I also added glucosamine to his diet. The only health issue he has is minor arthritis. Thank you for your response. I’ll look into that

[theBCnut]

BB has great advertising, that is not the same thing as being a great food. There have been a lot of people having vomitting and diarrhea issues with BB lately.

I think you are right about the protein versus carbs thing. Seniors have less ability to absorb the protein in their diet and can need as much as 50% more, not less. There are specific medical problems that may need the protein reduced, but your vet would be talking to you about diets specific to kidney or liver disease if that was a factor.

You may just need a good ALS food with a joint supplement added. No food has enough joint supplementation to actually have a therapeutic dose.

Maybe look at NutriSource.

[nata78sha]

Hello. I am new here. I have a St Bernard mix (98 pounds) that will be 9 years old in the fall. I also have a 5 year old miniature schnauzer. Our dogs have been on the grain free natures domain from Costco for years (at the advice of our old vet). The vet here wants my Saint on senior food. He suggested canned food, cooked human food (and buy vitamins if I cook his food) and then dry food or mixing canned with dry food . But he suggested Science diet and said he did not like Blue Buffalo … so that has me questioning him. I know BB had a recall but I had always seen high rating for it. I could have also sworn that he said a low protein diet.. I would think it would be the opposite- less carbs.. but I am not a vet. Does the Saint need to be on a senior food , is there an all stages food that both dogs can be on? Also the schnauzer is very active, the Saint..not so much. Price does matter.. I can not afford to pay $50+ for 30 pounds of dog food when I go through 6 cups a day (current food).

[Cocker_mom]

Hi, InkedMarie! Since about April I’ve been feeding both my dogs the Iams Healthy Naturals Adult Lamb Meal and Rice dog food. They’ve both responded well to it, and it was included on the list of (literally, hundreds–at least one thousand) dog foods the allergy testing company gave me. Basically, it’s an average kibble, but it’s easily accessible in my area. Prior to that, I had my allergy prone cocker on Nature’s Recipe Grain-Free Easy to Digest Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Pumpkin dog food and my older cocker on Blue Buffalo Senior Turkey (both are considered limited ingredient foods). (I’d highly recommend both those foods; it was just a 20+ mile drive one-way every time I needed dog food.)

To put things in context, I got my allergy prone cocker in September, 2012. I was visiting the vet pretty much every two weeks and he was constantly on keto, benadryl, special shampoo for the elephant hide, and various ear medications. The shampoo improved the elephant hide somewhat, but he was still having problems with ears and itching/licking in general. Once I got him on the Nature’s Recipe, he slowly started improving (I was beginning to think we had a definite winner!), but then spring hit and his skin, eyes, ears just drove him crazy with itching, so he really didn’t enjoy a substantial change in his condition. I did the food allergy test first just because I wanted to eliminate as many of the most likely causes as possible before considering something like an allergy panel/allergy shots. After getting the results, I rid the house of any foods, treats, etc. he was allergic to and made the decision to put both dogs on the same food with my vet’s approval. There was a little adjusting of portions for my older cocker, and she definitely liked the Blue Buffalo much better (it has oats, and I didn’t want to risk my allergy prone dog getting a morsel of it), but she’s doing really well on it.

The warm months were a nightmare for the little guy. The exposed skin and the yeast and the elephant hide cleared up completely with the food adjustment but the ears were the worst I’d seen yet–literally Velveeta cheese at the worst, and medicines weren’t providing much relief. More bi-weekly vet visits, and I even participated in some trial drugs when everything else failed. Thank goodness for the first hard frost. It’s winter now, and his ears have cleared up, so I am pretty confident now the food issues have been ruled out. We’ve both gotten a much needed break from the ear agony. He looks far and away better than ever and the constant itching/licking isn’t going on now that it’s winter. That’s what convinced me to do the outdoor panel before his 2nd spring with me. The tests aren’t terribly invasive or expensive–they use only a small blood sample. I couldn’t imagine having a chronic yeast infection! I’m hoping the allergy shots will prep him for the spring allergens.

I could probably start a whole new thread about cockers and their ears, but I can tell you that having owned two cockers now, my experience with the younger dog has been COMPLETELY different than the older one. Basically, I’ve always exercised preventative care with my older cocker just because cockers are naturally prone to infections with their big floppy ears–cleaning and drying the ears once a week or so, keeping the insides or the ear shaved close, and letting them air out. She’s had maybe 3 or 4 ear infections in her 13 years, and her ears are very clean and healthy. My younger cocker’s ears are a mess–gnarly and misshapen on the inside with a lot of scar tissue particularly on the left ear and there is an ugly polyp on the left ear too. He is truly a special needs dog, and I’m thinking the product of overbreeding (resulting in a very cute but very issue-prone pup).

I know a lot of dogs do well on a food elimination diet, and I believe I truly gave that method a fair shake (the food he was on when he took the food allergy test was actually on the testing company’s approved list–although none of the prior foods I tried were), but my dog’s issues are caused by a variety of allergens that aren’t limited to just food. I spent literally thousands of dollars in vet bills for various treatments that treated only symptoms but not the true problem, and I have no regrets with the allergy tests. I truly believe we’ve reached a turning point. They might not be necessary for every dog, but if your dog is experiencing chronic allergies and a food adjustment isn’t completely alleviating the symptoms, the test is worth it.

[Tambourineman]

I have a 14 year old lab with bad arthritis. An xray disclosed he also has a lesion on his vertebrae. So he has a lot of trouble getting up and around.

Due to his age we have not opted for surgery for his spine as we think it would be too much for him.

We give him EVO Senior which does have some calcium (2.10%). I regret to say he also gets a strip and a half of bacon which is used to hide the many meds he takes (Gabapentin, 3 tramadol, Rimadyl, and Amantadine) He now rejects pill pockets which he used to gulp like dog treats (we have tried peanut butter, cream cheese, bread, swedish meatballs, turkey hot dogs, a pill popper tool, etc., etc.) Bacon is the only thing that works and at his age not getting his meds would be worse than having some bacon.

Anyway, I am wondering if some more calcium would help with respect to building the bone in his vertebrae back up. As an experiment I ground up some Citrical and put it in his food and unlike when other meds are mixed with food he will eat it. (He no longer chews bones so he does not get any calcium that way.) I’ve read that some add ground up egg shells.

the dog food project says this about calcium: “. . . The correct ratio of calcium to phosphorus and magnesium is very important for a dog’s health and needs to be carefully balanced – this is not something you would want to do without doing your research on the topic!” . . .

“Excess intake of calcium results in growth retardation and severe bone and joint abnormalities. [Presumably this applies to puppies] When feeding a quality pet food, supplementation of calcium *** during growth *** is unnecessary, and potentially very dangerous.
Note: Excess calcium causes decreased phosphorus absorption (and vice versa!). Lack of magnesium in the diet renders calcium useless, because the body needs magnesium to properly absorb calcium. If adequate amounts of all 3 of these minerals are present int he diet, the body can regulate the balance according to its needs.”

Citrical includes 20% magnesium (80 mg) and also Vitamin D

Any thoughts?

[Missmillie01]

I have 3 dogs, a 14 yr old shelti, and two 4 lb Maltese mixes. I feed the Shellie Now senior, he does ok ,but poops a lot! The little ones seem to do well on Buffalo grain free, but have terrible eye tearing, could be genetic or from food. Either way all three are chow hounds! They eat fast. I want to add a canned diet to the regimine, but I’m confused, do I add the canned to the kibble? Or is it best to feed dry at one feeding and wet at another?
I have also give the little ones Stella and Chewy freezes dried, I have added that to the kibble. I’m concerned the protein level is to high when I do that. If someone can help me understand all this…..

[RescueDaneMom]

I agree with Patty. I wouldn’t look for a “reduced calorie”, “lite,” or “senior” dog food. They are generally very high in carbs which does not help them lose weight; plus seniors need more protein, not less. My family had an overweight senior rottie on Fromm Reduced Activity Senior Gold. I thought I was doing a good thing. After finding this site and educating myself more, I found out that food was almost 50% carbs! He was always hungry and it wasn’t helping him lose weight. We switched him to high protein, grain free foods and he finally started slimming down. We fed him Horizon Legacy Adult and Acana regionals. My family also has a pit bull (70#) that is a little chunky. He is currently eating Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural and is losing weight. When I had my Great Dane on kibble (he eats raw now), he did really well on Go! Fit and Free Adult by Petcurean.

Best of luck!

[lbouch1]

Hello, we moved to Australia 2 years ago and ever since, I have been trying to find a premium dog food that my 2 senior rescues will like. Tried Blackhawk, Canidae and taste of the wild. They were on Orijen but we can’t get that here. Any recommendations out there?

[BlueEyedGirl]

Ok – I am not understanding something here Patty (Math was never my strong suit).

The numbers she gave do not in fact match what is on their website (the data on their website is dated July 29, 2011.)

According to the PDF on their site, Calcium is 374.723 per 100kcal while the Phosphorous is 227.364 per 100 kcal.

With the ratios she provided, I understood that to be 3.34/1000kcal but I see now that I misinterpreted that.

What I am puzzled by is why if the Calcium and Phosphorous ratios play such an integral role in feeding these large breeds, is the Now LBP Dry Kibble formula given five stars on the Dog Food review page on this site?

(from the Petcurean NOW Fresh page Food Summary Review on this site)

Now Fresh – Four Stars
The following is a list of recipes available at the time of this review.

Now Fresh Puppy
Now Fresh Adult
Now Fresh Senior
Now Fresh Large Breed Adult
Now Fresh Large Breed Senior
Now Fresh Small Breed All Ages
Now Fresh Large Breed Puppy (5 stars)

Now Fresh Small Breed All Ages was selected to represent the other products in the line for this review.

[dbentley]

I have a rescue that has CHF and is on Vetmedin, lasix and enalapril. I also give VetriScience supplement Cardio Strength for dogs and cats. I also have a schnauzer with a murmur but she is only on enalapril. I give her the supplement every other day. I’ve been changing foods and doing research but I need a low sodium food for them. I just bought ProPlan sensitive skin/stomach because I read it was low sodium. I mix that with science diet dental because they like that and the schnauzer’s teeth and breath can get kinda funky. I give them a small amount of canned in the evenings and am using nutro natural choice senior but bought a couple cans of science diet mature turkey because it was on one of the lists I read as low sodium. I really don’t have time or equipment to make their food, so I’m just looking for low sodium suggestions. Thank you in advance for reading.

[A.Sandy]

Hi,
That is a hard question because sodium amount is not always specified on food levels but I think you’re best bet would be to feed raw like primal, stella and chewy’s, Nature’s variety are excellent foods and raw is all natural no salt, and has excellent health benefits in general! good luck!!

-Ana S.
pet nutrition expert/advisor
pupcatnutrition.com
@pupcatfacts

[A.Sandy]

Hello,
My name is Ana I am the owner of a small pet nutrition consulting business called Pupcat Nutrition Consulting I am a pet nutrition expert/advisor. Dogs with pancreatitis have very fragile immune systems, avoid high protein and high fat diets, feed small frequent meals through out the day, and less or no processed diets and avoid dry foods and rotation. The next thing PLEASE STOP feeding science diet it’s killing your dog! Here are some suggestions: lean meats,(bison,chicken,turkey) low fat treats, try senior formulas they have less fat and less protein. Here are some awesome brands that will transform your pup forever!! ok , your best bet would be dehydrated raw, I recommend Honest kitchen preference or all except thrive mix with canned for extra moisture and flavor try senior formula canned like merrick , and natural balance(try to stick with 4% fat or less) avoid grocery store pet foods. and it would be beneficial to add a probiotic/prebiotic to aid digestion, like PROZYMES is a really good one I like. and remember there is a transition period when switching foods (7-10 days) for more info on honest kitchen go to thehonestkitchen.com and for more real nutrition facts follow me on twitter @pupcatfacts and on facebook or at pupcatnutrition.com
good luck!!

-Ana

[theBCnut]

Do a search for “low sodium” and you will find a couple suggestions. There aren’t many because dog food companies are not required to report sodium, so you have to call individual companies and ask for their as fed level.

[Judym]

The vet told me I should be feeding my 13 1/2 year old cocker spaniel low salt as he is now a heart patient. She told me to get a food with .20% or less sodium…the food I was giving him was .36%…what food do people out there use for the dogs with heart problems?

[enny]

I subscribe to an independent supplement testing service called ConsumerLab.com. They mostly test supplements for human consumption but they sometimes test pet vitamins. Recently they tested a dog multivitamin called PetNaturals Daily Best for Dogs. This vitamin failed their test because of too much lead in a daily dose, less vitamin C than claimed and and a smaller than claimed weight per vitamin. I use a different named vitamin called Canine Plus Senior for Dogs but it’s manufactured by the same company. They manufacture under various names. The company is called Vetri Science Laboratories a division of Food Science Corp. I noticed recently that the pill I give my dog has shrunk in size too even though it’s supposed to be the same. When talking to the company rep I’ve always felt they were being evasive to my questions. I’m going to try to get a refund on my vitamins because of the poor test results. Thought you should be aware of the lead problem.

[theBCnut]

Yes, have the vet do geriatric blood work, but you may be seeing the first signs of canine dementia. A change in food wouldn’t hurt, not necessarily senior food, a lot of them are rubbish and marketing and totally ignore what a senior dog’s actuall needs are. Seniors often digest proteins less efficiently and can need up to 50% more high quality protein. One way to meet this need is to start topping his food with canned food or protein rich fresh food toppers like eggs, sardines, kefir, lean meat table scraps, etc. If you have been feeding once a day, you might want to go back to feeding twice a day, so he doesn’t have an empty belly.

If he is starting to get dementia, the first thing to go is inhibition, so they start doing thing that they formerly wouldn’t do because they knew you didn’t like it. Which can mean that they also revert to puppy chewing on inappropriate things, so watch for that sort of behavior and if you start seeing him reverting, he may need to be crated while you are gone, to keep him safe.

[Golden_Lover]

My Golden is 8 years old and has recently been exhibiting some strange behavior. He has been eating the same food for quite some time now, but I’m beginning to wonder if he has some dietary deficiencies. He eats Canidae (not a senior formula). Lately, he has been stealing food off of the counter tops (bread, granola bars, etc.) and I suspect he has also been eating poop outside (sorry, I know that’s gross).

This food “stealing” isn’t totally uncommon, but it’s become much more frequent in the last few months. He is in good health, is at his optimal weight and gets good exercise. Besides what I’ve mentioned above, his attitude and behavior have not changed at all.

Help! Do we need a different food or should I have a vet investigate what might be happening internally? In other words, make sure there isn’t something going on that he doesn’t seem to have symptoms for? Do older dogs have special dietary needs that his food isn’t meeting?

Thanks!

[anniearies]

Hi, everyone, thanks for helping.
She been taking glucosamine+chondroitin tablets for over a year, it works for her. But then, she could take it no more. At first we thought she does not like the taste, as it’s bitter. We tried all other brand, instead of giving tablet, we brought glucosamine in powder or liquid form, and we found there is something she could not tolerate in glucosamine products. her tounge wouldn’t stop licking like getting choked,utill it went white, it happened whenever we gave glucosamine to her , either instantneously or later of the day. If we not giving her that, it does not happen at all.
To maintain her joint health, we still give that to her for quite awhile , untill our dog refused to have it anymore.
She is having dry kibble for meals, and i wonder if it’s right for us to add the herbal medicine to help her with it. I mean most herbal medicine seemed made intend to be added to whole food.Would it be in conflict with commercial dog food?

i would also like to try all the products you guys recommend.

thank you for helping without you guys, all i know i could give her is glucosamine and herbal medicine, now we got wilder choice. i believe there must be something suitable to maintain her joint health from what you guys recommend.

thank u guys !

[Molzy]

First off, thanks for adopting a senior dog! She is one lucky girl! Sorry to hear you’re having troubles.

I have been struggling with a similar issue with a dog we adopted in July, Quincy, a year-old cattle dog. While Quincy isn’t officially diagnosed, it is the best answer I’ve come up with for his symptoms (my vet is not concerned because he has never lost his appetite or shown other negative effects…he just swallows/gulps obsessively during an “attack”). His attacks will last multiple days once started, and seem to get worse due to a build up of gas from swallowing air (he will get bad gas and the belches after a day or so).

Patty, we tried Braggs and we were still having issues. Quincy gets 1 cup of Honest Kitchen mixed with almost two cups of water. I was adding a little over a tablespoon, was I adding too much? We did this almost every day for over a month.

We are now trying Pepcid (but I don’t want this to be a long term solution – I just needed a week or two to calm down and stop feeling defeated by this thing!). No major attacks, a little swallowing here and there. I don’t think it’s the miracle I was hoping for, so I will probably wean him off after he’s been on it for a week (he is 40lbs and gets half a tablet, 30 minutes before each meal).

He is definitely better since switching him to a wet food, on kibble he will have MAJOR attacks where he gulps until vomiting. The severity and frequency has decreased since August when we switched him to canned food. We also add a probiotic/enzyme to his food, but if anyone has a recommendation for a specific brand I would appreciate it!

I’ve read that smaller meals spaced out is best. I have hesitated to try this only because I don’t know if my job will always allow me to come home at work, but I will probably start trying that next week, since right now I work 5 minutes from home.

Good luck, it is very hard to watch them when they aren’t feeling good!

[jesswiftca]

You know, I hadn’t even considered changing foods until the vet (not the one we usually see) encouraged me to put him on a senior diet this week. My dog is an eleven year old lab and he’s in excellent health (besides his deteriorating vision.) It seems so silly to me to go messing with his diet now anyway. I think I’ll give our usual vet a call. Thank you!

[theBCnut]

Generally speaking, we don’t recommend senior foods. Many of them are based on bad science. Seniors can have difficulty in utilizing the protein in their food and actually may require as much as 50% more protein than a younger dog, yet most senior foods decrease protein. They also don’t have a therapeutic dose of joint supplements in them, but they advertise as if they do, which keeps owners from giving their dog what it needs in that department. Senior foods are a marketing gimmick, not a need.

[jesswiftca]

Can anyone recommend a lamb based senior dog food?

[Akari_32]

Yes, I’m using a combination of PetFlow, manufacturer websites, and DFA’s Dog Food Calculator to determine whats available, how many calories per cup it is, and how many cups it’d take to feed 130 pound, fixed, senior, lazy bones Dweedle-weedle. Him and Haley have the same activity level (almost negative :p) and Bentley’s one-ish cup a day doesn’t really add up to much compared to them, and I barely even notice any extra in the food bills (taking into account my couponing, as well).

The Wellness sale ended about a week ago, I think. The ProPlan sale at PetCo ended on the 23rd.

Good luck with your new food mix 🙂 My guys tend to not care, as long as its just a tiny bit eatable LOL

[lmnordrum]

Since I posted to the list the other day about Merrick I thought I would share what they provided regarding Calcium. Obviously this food will not go on HDM’s list for large breeds.

Dry Dog Food
Chicken, Brown Rice & Green Peas-Adult -2.50
Beef, Whole Barley & Carrots-Adult 2.50
Lamb, Brown Rice & Apple- Adult 2.50
Large Breed-Chicken, Brown Rice & Green Peas-Adult 2.36
Small Breed-Chicken, Brown Rice & Green Peas-Adult 2.50
Puppy-Chicken, Brown Rice & Green Peas 2.28
Senior-Chicken, Brown Rice & Green Peas 2.20
Grain-Free Chicken 2.50
Grain-Free Buffalo 2.50
Grain-Free Duck 2.50
Grain-Free Pork 2.32

[pugmomsandy]

It’s healthier to have a varied diet and to not become dependent on just one food. Recipes change and then dogs have trouble adjusting to the new formulation when only given one food long term. After your dog has been switching often, he shouldn’t have a problem with it. Give him probiotics with each meal. Why would you want him to only eat one food every day of his life? Different meats have different amino acid profiles to offer. I can’t leave food out at my house because a have pet vacuum cleaners. It sounds like he is not interested in his dry food or his treats. Time for a change. Mine LOVE to eat! Any food, any form, any time.

http://urbanpawsmagazine.com/archives/59

[Mahaghaith]

Thanks for that advice…

One question though I keep reading that it’s important to switch food types around and not have a consistent diet. Is that true? I always thought consistency was better for dogs digestion/stomach issues.

Also my dog is a very picky eater, even with treats he only eats his favorites when teased. So I keep his food/kibbles out all day and he barely goes through a small bowl in a day or two even.

Would you suggest I don’t keep food out? Should I change between dry and canned food? He’s got a sensitive tummy, the times I feed him cooked meat or chicken, he might get diarrhea the next day.

Sorry for my endless questions.

If money was no issue what would you say is my best bet to experiment.
Thanks a bunch.

[pugmomsandy]

You can find a similar food to Life’s Abundance for less $$ like Nutrisource grain inclusive line small/med breed puppy formula (yes, for your 8 yr old). If you’re willing to feed something better than kibble though, look into some dehydrated/freeze-dried foods like The Honest Kitchen or Grandma Lucy’s or Dr Harvey’s Oracle. These are less processed than kibble. If you can home cook for your dog, then those brands I just mentioned have a Pre-mix where you just add your own meat and some oil. I give my dogs probiotics, sardine/krill oil, super greens powder supplement, colostrum, Springtime’s Bug-Off/Longevity and some joint supplements. Mine also get fresh food like raw meat, scrambled eggs and raw sardines and leftovers of meat/some veggies.

[Mahaghaith]

Hi, I am at the stage where am obsessing about the health and longevity of my dog.
He’s a short haired Russian Toy Terrier. Almost 8 years old. Not neutered. He has always been healthy with very few issues. The occasional constipation/diarrhea followed by anal gland infections when he’s fed fatty fresh chicken. However recently I’ve noticed his skin/ coat changing. He has more bald spots and white hairs and has finer hair especially around his ears, neck and feet. He doesn’t itch nor seem bothered by them. His energy levels are great and his weight has always been stable(5.5 lbs). He’s been eating Royal Canine for chihuahuas and the occasional greenies and Macs&buddy treats. Not taking any supplements.

Now I’m wondering if I’m doing enough for his health. Was thinking of switching his food to Life’s abundance. Any advice/recommendations?

This is my first forum convo. All advice would be much appreciated especially since it’s from others who love their pets as their children like I do.

Thanks a bunch.

[elk]

Hi all.
I have been round and round the dog food debates for over 20 years and have fed homemade, kibble, canned, freeze dried, raw, and premix. Right now my senior Papillon with CHF and my 8 year old collie with an unstable gastric system are both on Essex Cottage Farms Gastro formula. Every dog I have put on this food has done extremely well. Yet…it does not appear to meet AAFCO or NRC standards. I do not know if it is complete or not. The science eludes me….but I am wondering if there is any feedback on this issue I might use.
thanks.

[pugmomsandy]

The gas is from not being able to properly digest the new foods. This can happen with all foods – old and new. You can help their digestive tract by adding probiotics to their meals and digestive enzymes until they have healthier guts. I don’t like to feed just one food as this sets them up to have unhealthy guts since they are only exposed to certain ingredients and therefore only know how to digest those certain ingredients. Rotate through several foods to offer variety (4 and 4.5 and 5 star foods). And you can feed them an “all life stage” food. I personally prefer Whole Earth Farms Puppy (for all life stages) to feed the seniors as they require more quality protein. It only has 28% which is not high by any means. There is also Merrick Classic which is good for all life stages (even the senior recipe). For Premium Edge (made by Diamond so be aware) I would not chose the Senior or Lamb recipes. It’s (the Premium Edge review is coming up for an update and the Lamb formula will not be 4 stars). For Healthwise, mark off the Weight Control formula. For Diamond Naturals, I personally would mark off the Adult Lamb Meal and Rice and Senior 60+, Large Breed Adult Lamb Meal, and Lite Lamb Meal formulas. Diamond Naturals grain free and Nature’s Domain (at Costco) is OK at 3.5 stars. They’re more like 3.75! Just like any company can have a recall (like Diamond has had several), don’t become dependent on one food or brand in case you have to change and dog food companies can change and do change their recipes from time to time. Even my 14 yr old foster (and my other nine pugs) eats a variety of different kibbles, canned foods, dehydrated foods, and raw foods without being gassy. I fed them probiotics and enzymes at one time fairly regularly but now they don’t need them every day as they have healthy insides now. Sometimes I just pour a little multi-strain kefir (Lifeway) on their food for the probiotics and they get a powdered probiotic supplement a couple times a week.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 1 month ago by pugmomsandy.

[theBCnut]

I wrote a long reply earlier, but the commenting software ate it when it automatically logged me out. The gist of it was vit C is made by dogs but a little extra might help a senior dog, cod liver oil supplies vit A in large amounts and vit D, which are fat soluable vitamins that the body can’t get rid of if you give too much so I wouldn’t add them to kibble much, Magnesium is supposed to be balanced with zinc and calcium and I don’t know what the ratio is. I really like to add a super green to my dogs’ foods like spirulina or kelp, they have loads of micronutrients that the dog food manufacturer are not required to make sure the dog food has.

[Eldee]

I am so pleased with both the price of merricks whole earth farms food and the quality. The senior canned food is gobbled up by my two in no time, and the finicky chow who won’t touch a hot dog wiener, loves it. The cans up until last week were $1.99 in Canada, but now are $2.39 per tin. I guess I should have bought a couple of cases last week when I was shopping.

[Akari_32]

Revised list. Not too different. Took some off, and added markers at the beginning of each different food.

-Dr Tims’s Pursuit Active
-Dr Tim’s Kinesis ALS
-Avoderm Natural Chicken and Brown Rice
-By Nature Active
-By Nature Pork
-California Natural Chicken Meal and Rice Puppy
-California Natural Low Fat Chicken Meal
-Canidae Life Stages ALS
-Canidae Beef and Ocean FIsh Meal
-Castor and Pollux Ultramix Beef and Barley
-Castor and Pollux Large Breed
-Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul ALL
-Eagle Pack (all but reduced fat and senior)
-Earthborn Puppy Vangate
-Earthborn Small Breed
-Earthborn Primitive Naturals
-Fromm Gold ALL
-Holistic Select Vital Senior
-Holistic Select Radiant Adult Chicken
-Holistic Select Radiant Adult Lamb
-Holistic Select Large and Giant Breed
-Holistic Select Anchovy
-Horizon Pulsar Grain Free Chicken
-Horizon Pulsar Grain Free Fish
-Merrick Whole Earth Farms Adult
-Merrick Whole Earth Farms Puppy
-Merrick Classic Beef
-Merrick Classic Lamb
-Merrick Classic Chicken
-Merrick Classic Adult Large Breed Chicken
-Healthwise Chicken Meal and Oatmeal
-Nature’s Recipe Adult Lamb and Rice
-Nature’s Recipe ETD Chicken Meal and Barley
-Nature’s Recipe Venison
-Nature’s Recipe Large Breed
-Nature’s Recipe ETD Fish Meal
-Nature’s Recipe Healthy Weight
-Nature’s Variety Lamb and Oatmeal
-Nature’s Variety Chicken Meal and Brown Rice Puppy
-Nutrisource Lamb Meal and Rice
-PetGuard LifeSpan
-Precise Naturals Grain Free Chicken
-Premium Edge Healthy Weight 1 Weight Reduction
-Solid Gold Wolf Cub
-Vet’s Choice ALL
-Wellness Complete Health Chicken
-Wysong Adult
-Wysong Growth Puppy
-Acana Chicken and Burbank Potato

[Akari_32]

Would a few of you guys care to make a top 10 (or however many) list for me from my 4 mile long thing here? I think I’m over the Grandma Lucy’s (btw, they told me I could BUY samples from them. What the crap good does BUYING samples do for me?? I don’t have the money for that crap, that’s why I asked for some! ‘Tards…).

Small to medium kibbles would be best (for Bentley– Haley and Dweezle do fine on the smaller piece), a few adult-appropriate puppy foods perhaps, and different meats. And please don’t give me all the more expensive ones.

Dr Tims’s Pursuit Active
Dr Tim’s Kinesis ALS
Avoderm Natural Chicken and Brown Rice
By Nature Active
By Nature Pork
California Natural Chicken Meal and Rice Puppy
California Natural Low Fat Chicken Meal
Canidae Life Stages ALS
Canidae Beef and Ocean FIsh Meal
Castor and Pollux Ultramix Beef and Barley
Castor and Pollux Large Breed
Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul ALL
Eagle Pack (all but reduced fat and senior)
Earthborn Puppy Vangate
Earthborn Small Breed
Earthborn Primitive Naturals
Evanger’s Chicken and Brown Rice
Fromm Gold ALL
Grandma Lucy’s Artisan Grain Free Pork
Grandma Lucy’s Artisan Grain Free Chicken
Grandma Lucy’s PureFormance Chicken
Holistic Select Vital Senior
Holistic Select Radiant Adult Chicken
Holistic Select Radiant Adult Lamb
Holistic Select Large and Giant Breed
Holistic Select Anchovy
Horizon Pulsar Grain Free Chicken
Horizon Pulsar Grain Free Fish
Merrick Whole Earth Farms Adult
Merrick Whole Earth Farms Puppy
Merrick Classic Beef
Merrick Classic Lamb
Merrick Classic Chicken
Merrick Classic Adult Large Breed Chicken
Healthwise Chicken Meal and Oatmeal
Natural Balance Ultra
Natural Balance Fat Dogs
Nature’s Recipe Adult Lamb and Rice
Nature’s Recipe ETD Chicken Meal and Barley
Nature’s Recipe Venison
Nature’s Recipe Large Breed
Nature’s Recipe ETD Fish Meal
Nature’s Recipe Healthy Weight
Nature’s Variety Lamb and Oatmeal
Nature’s Variety Chicken Meal and Brown Rice Puppy
Nutrisource Lamb Meal and Rice
PetGuard LifeSpan
Precise Naturals Grain Free Chicken
Premium Edge Healthy Weight 1 Weight Reduction
Solid Gold Wolf Cub
Vet’s Choice ALL
Wellness Complete Health Chicken
Wysong Adult
Wysong Growth Puppy
Acana Chicken and Burbank Potato

[cdubau]

We switch our hound to Fromm gold reduced activity senior dog food. Never used Fromm until then but it has greatly reduced her poop amount . She’s 65 pounds.

[Dolly]

Are there any other viatimin subsitutes that I can use aside from DinoVite? Something I can pick up in a petfood store, or any other choices? I recently took my dog off of Sceince diet, and like I said previously, am concerned that her current diet isn’t nutritionally balanced, but I also want to explore my options as quickly as possible.

[pugmomsandy]

I have several dogs. I have 2 or 3 bags open at once. So technically, they are eating 2 familiar foods when I open a new bag. I used to only have 2 bags at once, but with fosters, they allow me to open 3 bags (I use about 300 cups a month). Even using only 2 foods, you wouldn’t need to transition since one of them will always be something “old” when you add food #2 because I’ve never had 2 bags of food go empty at the same time, there’s always one “old” food in there. I usually make a “mixture” so I can make it how I want – the amount of “old” food and the amount of “new” food. It’s like always being in transition, I guess. When I’m too busy to make a “mixture”, they get a scoop directly out of one bag so that would be just that food, no mix. I also have fosters so they don’t get a food transition at all. I give probiotics/enzymes, ground psyllium for loose stools and they just have to eat what I give them which is 4.5 to 5 star foods. I just don’t want you to be discouraged if there is tummy troubles. A switch can be done, quickly or slowly. And poor quality foods can have sugar and MSG or other addicting ingredient which can make transitioning difficult when they refuse to eat the new food! You can do a mix of our old food with some new food until they can get off of the old food. I can’t seem to give up Ramen noodle with at least 5 sources of MSG in it!! Bad, I know!! My dogs have been eating mixes for at least 2 years so they can eat single foods any time. They actually eat different kibbles, different canned foods, raw food, dehydrated food, anything, no problem. That is (hopefully) what you can achieve by starting to rotate. I even got a 13 yr old foster that was eating Hill’s W/D when I got him and I put him straight to my regular food, supplements and he’s fine. He’s 14 now and still eats 4.5 to 5 star kibbles and wet food (canned, dehyrated). Seniors should get more wet foods BTW. Sometimes I give ground psyllium or chia seed with canned foods to make the stool more formed (solid formed vs soft formed). I have 5 fosters right now who did fine with no transition. BUT some dogs do have trouble with it.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 1 month ago by pugmomsandy.

[Melissaandcrew]

I would be leary of the feeding requirements on the websit. Note it states to feed a 2-5 lb dog the SAME amount, whether its a pup, adult or inactive senior.

[DogFoodie]

How much does your pup currently weigh?

Here’s the feeding chart for the product you’re using:

Daily Feeding Guide
Weight Senior/Less Active Adult Puppy
LB (KG) cups (8oz) cups (8oz) cups (8oz)
2-5 lb (1-2.3kg) 1/8-1/4 cup 1/8-1/4 cup 1/8-1/4 cup
5-10 lb (2.3-4.5kg) 1/8-1/4 cup 1/4-1/3 cup 1/4-1/3 cup
10-20 lb (4.5-9kg) 1/4-1/2 cup 1/3-2/3 cup 1-3-3/4 cup
20-30 lb (9-13.6kg) 1/2-3/4 cup 2/3-1 cup 3/4-1 1/4 cups

Edit: Shoot, it looked fine when I wrote it, but when I post it everything gets bunched up.

[theBCnut]

Try adding a little Apple Cider Vinegar(make sure it has the mother in it) to her meals, about a half teaspoon per cup of food mixed with a little water. Seniors often don’t produce enough stomach acid on their own to signal the sphincter muscle at the top of the stomach to close all the way(humans and dogs both), so they get acid reflux. Then they are treated with acid reducers, which just compounds the problem rather than fixing it.