[doginlaw]

Thank you! I’m glad your dog is feeling better on the wet food! I talked to the vet about possible allergies and I still want to get him tested for them eventually. The other thing the vet mentioned was that the last time he had blood work done, his thyroid levels were low but they couldn’t tell if that was due to hypothyroidism or something else. (He’s also had some difficulty losing weight, even with a reduced amount of the Nulo senior food, but again it’s hard to tell if that’s his thyroid or he just hasn’t been active as much because of his hip dysplasia.) They took some blood for a thyroid panel so we’re waiting to hear back about that. I have heard that hypothyroidism can cause skin issues in dogs as well.

I unfortunately didn’t get a chance to ask about the best time to give him the taurine supplement, but the vet did recommend 1000 mg twice a day and mentioned “adding taurine to his meals” so I’m guessing it’s OK to give with food. (As an aside, something I’ve learned working at Pet Valu is that they do test the nutrient levels in their private brand, Performatrin, and they add taurine to their dog food if it doesn’t already contain a certain amount. We’ve had a few customers come in worried about grain-free food and heart disease and that was the company’s answer, so I thought I’d share that too in case it’s useful to anyone.)

The other thing the vet recommended was keeping him on a fish-based food because of the omega-3s. He’s crazy about anything with fish, so hopefully no problem there. 🙂

[Chloe B]

Hi, I have a very happy 10 year old corgi who has been diagnosed with colitis — she has gone through a lot of tests to rule out other things, but at this point we’re not sure what is causing it –she’s a rescue and has had it since she was rescued. We’ve had her 3 months. I’m wondering whether anyone else has their dog on a food that they’ve had good luck with? I don’t want to feed her raw diet. I’d love to hear about your experience and what has worked, thank you.

[Susan]

Hi Joanne,

when you look at the Ingredients in the Lamb & Rice formula & then the ingredients in the new Pro Plan Chicken & rice formula are the ingredients all the same? or are some of the ingredients further up or down the ingredient list??…or is there’s a few different ingredients in this Chicken & Rice formula that arent in the Lamb & Rice formula?
I’d say there’s another ingredient he is sensitive too cause he has eaten cooked chicken & is OK you can either take back teh Chicken & rice formula thats what I do lol so Patch can try another brand, I just say he wont eat it, Pet Shops have a Palability Guarantee money back.. then buy a new food & take maybe 2 weeks introducing the new formula…
I stay feeding 1/2 old formula & 1/2 new formula for 5 days..

It can take a 2-3 weeks for a dog to get use to a new kibble, my boy had bad farts for 2-3 weeks when I introduced Canidae Pure Wild dry kibble again, he had eaten this formula last year & the Canidae Pure Meadow Senior formula & same thing happened, bad farts for 2-3 weeks, he was clearing a room lol, it’s the Chickpeas they’re 5th Ingredient, he cant eat too many chickpeas & can NOT eat Lentils, as soon as I was introducing 1/2 Wellness Core & 1/2 Canidae Pure Wild the farts got worse, his poo’s were nice & firm still, it took about 2 weeks then farts were all gone & the small bag of Canidae was finished, so I bought a bag of Purina the new Pro Plan Opti Derma Adult 7+….
I liked the OptiDerma formula cause the fat is 13%max & Kcals are 348 per Cup & its a senior formula for skin problems, the only problem is the kibble size, they are tiny, very small kibbles, good for digesting but not real good when the dog has big mouth Patch loves them…
I’m up to 1/2 Wellness Core & 1/2 Pro Plan OptiDerma Senior & we have no farts, no bad gas so far, so this formula might be OK, fingers X Patch won’t get his acid reflux & his itchy skin subsides & I’ll see if its the Chicken in his Wellness Core formula thats made his skin allergies worse or its his Environment allergies from the trees in neigbours back yard, Patch normally does really well with his allergies thru Winter months but since moving here he’s been a mess this Winter, I also started him on Wellness Core in March cause I had run out of foods to feed him for his IBD & he was having a IBD flare so vet said look dont worry about his skin at the moment, we have to get his IBD under control & he does really well with Chicken & Turkey with his IBD/stomach but not with his paws & skin…

He loves getting a new food & I enjoy going to pet shops with him & looking online for new dog foods.. We are getting alot of new dog foods in Australia at the moment, Im still waiting for CANIDAE’s new Grain Free PURE Ancestral, Red Meat Formula, Raw Coated Dry Dog Food, With Lamb, Goat & Wild Boar..
BUT it has Lentils 6th ingredient 🙁 but I will still try it but VERY slowley over a 1 month period & I’ll see does he react..
https://www.canidae.com/dogs/canidae-grain-free-pure-ancestral-raw-coated-dry-red-meat-formula-with-lamb-goat-wild-boar/
Good-Luck

[Acroyali]

I dislike free feeding personally, unless you’re out of the home 8-10 hours a day.
If you have two babes, this can make it hard to see if one is not eating as well as they should.
If you’re away for hours, I’d say free feed but keep the puppies separate but close by one another so you can see whom is eating what, and how much, and if one goes off their food, you’ll catch it immediately vs. days later when it might be approaching the “too late” category.
I have no problems feeding small dogs, kittens, young cats, young dogs 3-4 meals a day.
Do not fast a puppy. Especially a toy breed.

Fasting is a GOOD thing for grown, healthy dogs in their physical prime, but only if they’re ADULTS and in good shape (physically).
NEVER fast puppies or seniors, and never fast cats longer than 12-14 hours.
We fast ours twice monthly, but only health adults and never babies or seniors. This equals extending every other Sunday’s breakfast from 6:00AM to 9-10AM, and serving dinner a bit early if we can manage.
Again, seniors and babies (large breeds. 9-12 months and toy breeds under 12 months) are exempt from this. Our large adult working dogs do seem to benefit from a fast, but the “fast” includes a lot of water, bone broth and goats milk and recreational bones.

There’s nothing scientific about our method but when it come to feeding schedules and fasting, we err cautiously.
For your adorable Yorkies…..forget fasting for now, feed your puppies like the growing machines they are and enjoy them! If you never fast them, odds are they’ll thrive and be happy. Yorkies are super long lived.
Do the best you can, and enjoy them.

[Susan]

Hi Ryan,
is your boy on any medications for Arthritis pain, as these can cause stomach problems, ulcers etc?
You have to be careful you do “not” want to confuse your vet….
When a dog has a seizure they don’t respond while having a seizure, their body/muscles are all tense & tight, there’s no mouth licking or gulping they do not respond….
This is awful to watch but this is a dog having a seizure
the dog does not lick or swollow like when a dog has bad acid that has come up into the dogs mouth…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzZ-IgD7HXs

Yes, all vet diets are very high in omega oils, the Hills Z/D & Royal Canine Hypoallergenic skin wet & dry vet diet formula’s are VERY high in Omega oils for skin & can upset their stomach, Patch can NOT eat any vet diets or normal premium kibbles for his skin problems, most of the vet diets give him bad acid reflux especially when he eats a fish kibble, even the Intestinal Health vet diets wet & dry give him bad acid reflux 🙁 ….
After trying nilly all the vet diets, I finally worked it out, his acid reflux was from all the omega oils & I saw Dr Judy Morgan “Pacreactitis Again” video, Judy talks about her 16-17yr old dog who suffers with Pancreatitis & other health problems, she worked out her dog can NOT have any fish oils, the same thing happens acid reflux or a Pancreas flare…
I stick with dry foods that have Canola oil, Sunflower/vegetable oil or Flaxseed, Patch ends up licking & swollowing like you said around 1hr after eating these high omega oil foods & high carb foods, especially when you see a fish oil, flaxseed, corn oil, within the first 5 ingredients….
I feed tin pink salmon in spring water drain water add 1/2 boiled sweet potatoes, salmon isn’t as oily like Sardines are..your dog would like that as a small meal, see how he goes…

When I see Patch starting to do his swolling, licking mouth, or doing his weird mouth thing, this is when I give him 1/2 a ant acid quick eze berry chew & tell him chew chew & he chews the quick eze chew, then 20mins later he seems heaps better, they’re not that expensive at supermarket you can get the plain white quick eze lollie, there’s another ant acid chew/lollie a few people in the Pancreatis support f/b group use for their dogs when they’re having a licking swolling attack from bad acid reflux, they use Rennie tabs, I’d give one of these a try next time you see him starting to have an attack, probably will work better then the Sucarafate, the Sucarafate didn’t really help Patch, he wanted to eat grass after I gave him his Sucarafate slurry…
Something better then the Sucarafate tablets is Slippery Elm Powder, it stops nausea, acid reflux helps with stomach problems..
Get 1 teaspoon of the Slipery elm powder put in cup, boil the jug & slowley add boiling water to the slipery elm powder in a cup & stir till you have a thick slurry, put 1 teaspoon of the Slippery Elm Slurry on a plate to cool then see if your dog will lick it up, Patch licked it up once then didn’t again, so I had to get a 20ml syringe & pull up 5ml & give 20mins before he eats, then cover the cup with foil & put in fridge, it turns into a jelly slurry & need to be heated, takeout about 1 spoon put in the microwave or I just add some boiling water to about 1 spoon that you’ve taken out of the cup then when its can be pulled up into a syringe just use 5mls…

You still have to make sure what they’re eating isn’t too high in fat or omega oils & ingredients agree with your dog… Have you looked at the Rice dry formula’s?
It has taken me 5yrs to work out Patch..

His Sphincter flap from stomach to esophagus mighten be closing properly & the acid is washing back up into throat & mouth, you’ll need something stronger to settle this, if the Sucarafate isnt helping him… so he doesn’t end up with a sore throat & burnt wind pipe like Patch ended up with, he may have an Ulcer?? Ulcers happen cause of too much acid, you need ant acid blocker meds to stop the acid burning the ulcer & it can heal…

Sometimes no matter what Patch eats he just has a few bad days, sometimes it all starts again when I feed a wet can/sachet or the low fat vet diet for lunch, so I avoid the wet foods for a 3-5 days & just feed 4-5 small kibble meals…

With a dry food look for 10%-15%max-fat, sometimes a food will be 14.5% fat, that why I say 15% max fat, the lower the fat & protein & the higher the carbs, so you have to find a dry kibble that works for your dog..
Wet foods arent low enough that are sold at Pet Shops, you ned under 3%max fat in a wet foods, best to email the pet food companies ask what the fat when converted to dry matter fat & the MAX fat % you’ll have shock, some wet foods are high…

I have found the Large Breed formula’s work best for Patch, as they arent too high in carbs or fat, the protein is over 26% & seems to help reduce his acid reflux…. I stay around-13%-fat & 34%-protein.

Have you tried any of the Purina One formula’s a few people say their dog does well on Purina One formula’s here’s, but I looked & some are 16%, 17%, 18 % in fat, so way too high in fat for your boy, this Purina One formula large breed formula looks good, the fat is 13%, protein-26%, fiber is 4.5% the fiber is not too high & the carbs are about 40% carbs-
these ingredients are like the Intestinal Health vet diets minus the high Omega Oils….
https://www.purinaone.com/dogs/products/dry-dog-food/smartblend-large-breed-adult
or if you find a good brand you like just have a look at their large breed formula ingredients & fat protein %..

Most small breed dog foods are higher in fat & higher in Kcals per cup, so avoid all small dog foods.. Have you looked at Senior foods? they normally are lower in fat around 10-12% fat & higher protein…
With his skin, I know Patches skin would itch with some of those ingredients in Purina One BUT Patches vet always tells me, we fix his stomach problems first then we’ll deal with his skin problems, in the mean time continue his weekly baths to relieve his itch & use baby creams to relieve any itchy red skin….

Have you looked at the Nulo Grain Free Style Weight management formula.
MedalSeries High-Protein Kibble weight management chicken & sweet potato recipe
Just becareful with fish dog foods the Nulo Cod & Lentil formula didn’t do well & came back High in Metals & Process Contaminates in this last testings…
Most of the Nulo fish formula’s the Puppy & Small breed also came back high in metals & contaminates but they have good ingredient quality….just got a bad fish supplier 🙁

This will not go away over night, it takes time to find the right dry food, the right ant acid meds, the right routine & feed more smaller meals a day instead of just the 2 bigger meals a day..
I know your head is probably spinning with all the info, but there might be something I do for Patch that might also help your boy, all the things that have helped Patch & alot of other dogs…
By the way what is his name??

[doginlaw]

Thank you again for the advice and suggestions! He has an appointment with the vet on Monday and I’m going to ask about his diet and some of the other things we discussed in this thread, particularly the joint issues, which seem to be giving him the most difficulty at the moment. My sister-in-law says she’s seen him limping on one of his front legs and thinks it’s due to a lump on his elbow; the vet thought it was just a fatty deposit but it does seem to be painful to the dog, in addition to the problems with his hips/back legs.

He does seem to enjoy light swimming, though. Sometimes he’ll fetch his toys and other times he just wants to sit and rest on the steps or ledge (I’m guessing maybe it takes some weight off his legs and helps him feel better?), so I usually just try to pay attention to whatever he’s up for.

I was wondering if it was recommended to give it on an empty stomach in order for it to be absorbed better?

That’s a good question, and I’m going to ask the vet about that too! I had been giving it to him either with his food or mixed in with some salmon oil or Honest Kitchen powdered goat’s milk, but I’m not sure if there’s a better or more effective way to do that.

At the moment he’s eating a mixture of Nulo Freestyle Senior and Adult Trim because it’s lower in calories than the Zignature, but I might look into some of the recommendations here after I talk to the vet.

[Susan]

Hi Ryan.
Yes see vet & ask for Omeprazole (Prilosec) ant acid blocker & trial him for 14 dyas & see if he gets better, also Diet change, it’s making his acid reflux worse..
My Patchy was doing the same eating grass & anything in the yard to get the acid out of mouth & throat.. You could try an ant acid medication that isnt as strong as Omeprazole like Famotidine (Pepcid) take 30mins before meals twice a day or Ranitidine (Zantac) worked better with Patch, the Pepcid is an older ant acid drug…
I also was giving Patch Liquid Mylanta when he was waking up 3-4am having a licking attack then wanting to go outside & eat everything in the back yard, another thing that helps is a piece of white bread made into toast & give the dry toast cut in pieces, toast helps stop the gulping & licking…
I have found when Patch is eating a High Kcals kibbles over 370Kcals per cup the acid starts, also when he eats a high Carb kibble & high fat over 15% fat, he has to stay around 10-14%-fat & protein around 28-35% Look at the Large Breed diets as they are made to reduce digestive problems in large breed dogs….
I know you have a small dog same as Patch he’s an English Staffy but the large breed formula’s have the lower Kcals, lower fat & higher protein & are high in Glucosamine & Chondroitin, for their joints, Patch is doing well on Wellness Core Large Breed formula I buy the 6kg bag or look a Senior formula, they have lower fat, higher protein but I dont know if the Kcals are under 360per cup? you have a better range in America the higher the Kcals the more dense the dry kibble so harder to digest…..

STOP the wet can food ASAP this happened with my Patch at Xmas he got that bad the acid went into his wind pipe & burnt his esophagus & wind pipe I had endoscope + biopsies done the vet also said his Sphincter flap isnt closing properly from stomach to espohagus & the stomach acid is washing back up the wet can food made everything worse… now he only gets a little bit of wet food but its a low fat vet diet the fat is 1.7% & no gravy wet can foods the vet food has to be loaf style, the Hills I/d Digestive Care Low Fat Loaf or boil some chicken breast & bpil some sweet potatoes & you can freeze is small meals
Poor Bugger he’s the same age as Patch, its awful watching them suffer & you feel helpless the Omeprazole is excellent everything stopped & he got better until I moved last December & I started buying wet can foods that were 4% fat,
When convert 4-5% fat in a wet food to dry matter (Kibble fat) 4-5% fat is around 20 25% fat, Patch was already on Omeprazole 20mg had been on Omeprazole nilly 2 yrs but it wasn’t working as well no more or the wet can food I was feeding made everything worse, now Patch takes another PPI, Pantoprazole 20mg & the Pantoprazole seems to help the reflux & works better then the Omeprazole, vets in Australia only give Ompraozole 20mg so Patches vet writes me scripts & I buy from the cheap chemist $5.99 for 30 tablets, I also take Pantoprazole for my GORD but a higher dose….

I do not think he need to see a Neurologist like Anon ALWAYS recommends, first try the and acid blocker Omeprazole or Pantoprazole 10-20mg once a day in morning around the same time & stop feeding ant wet can/sachet food & look for another dry food that agrees with him better, avoid small breed formula’s as some are higher in Kcals & fat%..

[Ana C]

Hi Susan,

Any suggestions on low fat senior dog food for my schnauzer with pancreatitis history? They currently are taking Annamaet Grain Free Lean Recuced Fat kibbles. I also add some chicken, vegetables, salmon oil, and sometimes sardines in the water to the kibbles.

Thank you in the advance!

[crazy4cats]

Hi doginlaw-

Zignature is pretty high in fat and calories. I’d get him on a lower calorie food to lose weight. That will help immensely!

I have chubby labs and I try to keep their kibble on average at 350 calories per cup. Fromm has a senior/reduced activity recipe that you may want to look into. Also, more often than not, grain free food does not cure allergies. Especially, if they are environmental.

Swimming is an excellent idea! Good luck with your pup!

[doginlaw]

Hey all, I’m new here and I apologize if this is a redundant question (I did some lurking and found some related topics, but I wanted to bring up some specific issues here–hope that’s OK). In the interest of full disclosure, I will note that I’ve been working at a Pet Valu (the company that makes Performatrin) for a few months, and that learning a little about pet nutrition in my job training has motivated me to learn more so that I can (hopefully) help my family’s dog and give better advice to customers, too. :3

So, background: I live with my spouse’s family and their dog, a yellow Labrador Retriever who’s about 6-7 years old. He gets really bad ear infections pretty regularly, and even when they’re not infected, he seems to be constantly itching, chewing on his paws, and just generally uncomfortable. (He’s not very vocal but he makes grumbly noises when we touch his ears.) Apparently the vet told my in-laws he has “winter allergies,” but the problems seem to occur year-round and we’re not sure what he’s allergic to. He’s also somewhat overweight and just recently (I’d say within this year) developed some hip problems where he’ll be limping on his back legs and can only be active for a little while before he starts panting and seems to be in pain. This makes exercise a bit difficult–the vet suggested swimming as we have a pool, but the water also aggravates his ear problems.

Until recently he was on the Hill’s Science Diet Large Breed Light, but after some research and discussion with my co-workers, I tried switching to Zignature turkey formula (grain-free, limited ingredient). We also have been giving him an omega-3 supplement (salmon oil) and a hip and joint supplement with glucosamine, chondroitin, and MSM, but I haven’t noticed much of a difference since he started taking these. Being a Lab, he’ll eat pretty much anything, so switching him to a new food hasn’t been an issue, but he has gained some weight on the Zignature and again, it doesn’t seem to be making any difference in his skin problems. He’s only been on it for about 3 weeks, though.

I spoke to our vet last week about his diet and she recommended something fish-based for his skin, plus a taurine supplement of 2000 MG per day if he stays on the grain-free diet.
I’ve been considering switching him to either Nulo Freestyle Senior Trout & Sweet Potato or one of the Performatrin Ultra varieties, but I’d very much appreciate any advice or recommendations.

Thank you (and sorry for the long-ish post)!

[anonymous]

“I have used prescription food. Definitely healthier for homemade”

I believe the goal at this time is to stabilize your dog that has a cardiac condition and other issues. Not so much about finding the healthiest diet, he may not be able to tolerate anything but a bland prescription food/therapeutic diet.

At age 14 he is a senior, I would be focused on keeping him symptom free and comfortable.

I hope you have a serious talk with the veterinarian that knows your dog and discuss your concerns.
Lot’s of bogus information on the internet. Don’t be fooled.

[Spy Car]

Driving up carbohydrates (which is what so-called “lite” or “weight reduction” formulas do), is the worst thing you can do for a dog, especially one who is a senior or who need weight loss.

Better to drive down carbs and to reduce the total calories. When cutting calories it is vital to cut non-essential calories (canines have no essential need for carbohydrates) and to retain essential nutrients from protein and fat.

Counterintuitively, dogs metabolize fats with great efficiency. Carbs pack weight on dogs and cut their vitality. Fat metabolism increases stamina and vitality.

The marketing gurus are convincing people to do the exact opposite of what’s good for senior and overweight pets. There is a lot of profit in selling cereals as dog food. Don’t fall for it.

Bill

• This reply was modified 7 years, 5 months ago by Spy Car.

[Mark C]

I too am looking to switch my dogs food away from Foods laden with legumes. To that I have kind of narrowed down to is Dr. Gary’s (available on Chewy) and the nutro ultra. My only problem with those foods they’re kind of low in protein but I can always supplement that. Actually on the Dr. Gary’s I’m looking at the senior/reduced fat which is what my four guys need. I’ll definitely also take a look at some of the foods that were mentioned in this string. I don’t know something nags at me and I keep thinking purina…..I don’t want to feed that. However; maybe it’s not that bad after all I don’t know

[Claire H]

So to conclude here, different stage of dog require different nutrient? Puppy, adult and senior all need a different kind of food.

[Jeanine H]

I have a 15 year old, 8 lb chihuahua named Joey. He’s basically been pretty healthy most of his life, very few problems. He does have bad teeth now, his last dental was over seven years ago because I’ve been able to keep it under control with brushing, but it now really needs to be done. He had a UTI in January that was found on routine exam, he had minimal to no symptoms. He was put on a course of antibiotics, and supposedly cleared, but I noticed no behavior change at all-he was active, good appetite and urinating and drinking normally. In February, I was a little suspicious, only because he was urinating a slight bit more often, but is 15, and it was barely perceptible difference. That test came back positive, and he had another round of antibiotics. Still no behavior change. Nothing that would tell me that he was any better, but he had no symptoms, so he was just his usual active happy self . Pre dental check of urine a few weeks ago showed UTI (still? Or again, who knows), and he was given a different antibiotic, which really showed results-my happy energetic senior because more active, more playful and running around all over! So then he was planning to be getting a dental this week, but it got postponed Wednesday because his blood values indicated that his kidney function wasn’t great. Creatinine 1.8 , BUN 51, phosphorus 7.7. He was put on KD diet, canned. He hates it, but ate it when I added scrambled egg whites. Also aluminum hydroxide twice daily-he hates that too. Question: prior to this, he was eating FreshPet grain free chicken, small dog bites. He absolutely loved it. I’ve read that raw may be beneficial with KD so would FreshPet raw instincts be a viable option for a food if he won’t eat the KD food?

[Amy F]

Hi – I have 3 Large Breed Puppies and 2 Senior small mutts. My Large Breed Puppies are 1) Full Black Lab 7 Months (11/17) 2) Sisters – LabraDane Mix 4 Months (estimated age, abandoned, I adopted) 3) Senior Pups are Terriers Small 14 yrs and 6 years – Both under 20 lbs

I have been feeding the puppies a mix of 1/2 Orijen LB Puppy and 1/2 Acana All Stages Various Flavors. The Seniors get the Acana. I am following recommended feeding per the bag and vet says weight is fine all seem healthy and doing fine. Some Skin issues on the Labradanes around Collars but we live in AZ and I attributed mostly to heat. I have been leaving collars off when I can. Otherwise fine.

Here is my issue – I am spending almost 400 a month on Dog food. Its becoming a bit of a financial issue, we can manage it if there are no substitutions that are just as good but Im looking for suggestions. Comparable Foods/Quality maybe that might help reduce my month food costs.

Thanks for any input – Appreciate It

[Fanette R]

Hello,

I’m posting this message because I’m getting pretty confused with everything that is going on with my dog.
He has been diagnosed with IBD for almost a year now. It has been a long and hard journey but in May I started to put him on Firstmate Fish Original Formula, which has help a lot his stomach.

The only problem is that since April (so before starting Firstmate), he had started to lick the floor literally all the time. I do not know what is happening but it is getting to a point where I cannot even let him walk in my apartment at all (he won’t lick outside though). Furby is a rescued dog and I’m used to him licking because of his anxiety, but it is nothing like what he is currently doing. When he has anxiety, or even nausea, he will lay down and lick his bed for example. Here it’s totally different, he won’t lick his bed, he will lick the floor like he is looking for food and is starving, and if he sees something on the floor that looks like food he will run at it.

The thing with Firstmate also is that from what I’m seeing, you don’t have to feed a lot of it. Which doesn’t help with my dog looking starving. He is crazy about the food and literally bite my fingers out of excitement if I have it, and once he has done eating he will look for more everywhere (I have to add that my dog has never been a crazy eater, more like the opposite. The behavior started 2 months ago, and he is almost 12 years old).

Here are the feeding guideline for a senior dog :
Weight Less Active Active
5-10 lb 1/8-1/4 cup 1/4-1/3 cup
(2.3-4.5 kg) (19-39 g) (39-52 g)

10-20 lb 1/4-1/2 cup 1/3-2/3 cup
(4.5-9 kg) (39-78 g) (52-103 g)

20-30 lb 1/2-3/4 cup 2/3-1 cup
(9-13.6 kg) (78-116 g) (103-155 g)

30-50 lb 3/4-1 ½ cups 1-1 ¾ cups
(13.6-23 kg) (155-271 g)

50-70 lb 1 ½-2 cups 1 ¾-2 ¼ cups
(23-32 kg) (233-310 g) (271-349 g)

etc…

And the calories levels : ME (calculated): 3125 kcal/kg | 484 kcal/cup

There is different things that makes me confused :
– I’m from France so I don’t really use cups, more grams, but if I use a cup to measure the kibbles, I have something like 180g of kibbles for one cup, where here they say that one cup is equal to 155g. Which could make quite a difference
– Calorie levels. They tell me that for my dog who weighs 7.5kg, I should give 85g daily. If I make the calculation, it will mean that Furby will get 265 kcal daily (if I use their cup measurement, if I use mine it will get 222kcal daily). Both of those numbers seem crazy low to me, when Furby started to have IBD and was on bland diet and then homecooked food, I did all the calculation and it showed that Furby should eat something like 381kcal daily (let me know if I’m wrong).

Right now I have increased his food and he is eating 140g of food daily but still seems starving. But I don’t even know if I’m doing good by increasing the food, I don’t want to take any risk with his IBD (I’m watching the calorie levels though to make sure he doesn’t get too much of it).
Plus, he doesn’t have officially kidney disease, but his last blood work showed that his urea levels is high so my vet said that I need to watch the phosphorous level in his food (which seems fine with this brand), and the protein shouldn’t be too high. Which is worrying me because they said on the Firtmate’s website that we don’t have to feed too much of this food because there is a lot of protein. Although on the guarantee analysis there is only 23% protein.

Guarantee Analysis
Crude Protein (min) 23%
Ash (max) 7%
Crude Fat (min) 10%
Calcium (min) 1%
Crude Fibre (max) 8%
Phosphorous (min) 0.75%
Moisture (max) 10%
Glucosamine (min) 100mg/kg
Magnesium (max) 0.1%
Calcium / Phosphorous ratio 1.3:1
ME (calculated): 3125 kcal/kg | 484 kcal/cup

And they also write :
73 % PROTEIN FROM Wild Pacific Ocean Fish Meal
27 % PROTEIN FROM Vegetables
0 % FROM Grains

Sorry for that very big message but I’m very confused and do not want to do something that will hurt my dog. I’m just really helpless at the moment his licking problem has been impossible to manage

Thank you so much for reading this, hopefully some of you could give me their thoughts 🙂
Have a great day,
Fanette

[Chris F]

Puppy food is designed for growing pups and the food was designed with them in mind (meeting AAFCO’s nutrient profile criteria for dogs in the growth). These foods generally contain higher fat & proteins than food targeted at adult or senior dogs.

Your best bet is to feed your dog “adult food” since these foods take into consideration your dog’s age, calorie requirement etc.

[jennifer m]

I am hoping to find out more about the nutritional value of Redford Naturals wet cat food (I know this forum is about dog-related issues/topics, but I can’t find any information on Redford anywhere else online, so please indulge me.) Does anyone have any info on the phosphorus levels in the Redford Naturals wet cat food varieties – particularly the sensitive stomach and the senior formulas? Any info anyone has would be greatly appreciated.

[anonymous]

I would try to obtain a urine sample and take it in to the vet. Has he had a senior checkup recently, if not that would be the direction I would go in.

There are no veterinarians here at DFA. Any comments would just be speculation and opinion.
Taking the wrong advice could result in a delay for the dog getting a correct diagnosis and the right treatment.

PS: I doubt foamy urine has anything to do with the food.

[anonymous]

Good luck at the vets. Please listen to your veterinarian and let him do the necessary labs (blood work) and other diagnostic tests to help your dog.

Has he had a senior workup? Seniors are vulnerable to all kinds of stuff. Sometimes it has nothing to do with the food.

Give us an update.

[Susan]

Hi Miriam,
the Hills Mobility wet & dry dog food or any other dog foods for Arthritis are very high in Omega 3 oils, omega 3 is an anti inflammatory very good for Arthritis, this would have given your girl the bad acid reflux this happens with my 9 yrs old boy also, look for a food that agrees with her, can you cook some of her meals?? a cooked balance diet is heaps better then feeding a dry kibble & it probably won’t cause any stomach problems, just make sure the fat isn’t too high as high fat diet can also cause acid reflux…then start adding supplements to her diet that will help with with her Arthritis but I have found most of the supplements or meds for Arthritis can cause bad acid reflux & stomach problems with myself & my dog, so I avoid them now..
I buy my boy “K-9 Natural” Freeze Dried Green Lipped Mussles & & give him 1-2 mussles a day they agree with him & green lipped mussels are really good for arthritis also have you tried Glucosamine & Chondroitin tablets? you can give your girl the Glucosamine/Chondroitin tablets that’s for humans….
Many veterinarians recommend approximately 500 mg of Glucosamine and 400 mg of Chondroitin per 25 pounds-11kgs. For oral Glucosamine for dogs, here’s the daily dosage that one veterinarian recommends: Dogs 5-20 pounds = 2-9kgs give 250-500 mg per day.

I bought a Wheat heat pack for my dog, you put the wheat pack in the Microwave for 1-2 mins & then I wrap the Wheat pack in a tea towel if its too hot & I put on my boy lower back where his Arthritis pain is, you could use a hot water bottle but they can be dangerous with dogs,…
I also walk my dog for 15min walk every morning & afternoon at first my joints are really stiff & sore but once you start walking your joints become better, start taking your dog on a little walk in morning & afternoon, not real big long walks, just small 15min walk to begin with then after 2 weeks see does she want to walk for 20mins… make sure she is not over weight as this makes Arthritis worse…also when its cold keep her joints warm & put on a jumper or dog jacket…

Ask your vet about “Zydax” injection (unlike other drugs) it treats the disease process that causes arthritis – not just the symptoms. It works on the cartilage and joint fluids inside the joints, reducing friction and pain. A course of 4 weekly injections will often provide 6 – 12 months of relief from arthritis – reducing or eliminating the need for other drugs. The injections are given under the skin (just like a vaccination). They aren’t expensive ($23 – $42 per injection*) and you pay a consultation fee only on the first visit. Zydax works in 80% of cases
A good supplement in Australia is “Glyde” powder & Chews – containing chondroitin, glucosamine and green-lipped mussel powder.

I feed my boy “Wellness Core” Large Breed dry food, it’s high in protein-35%, low fat-13% low carbs-31% & this kibble doesnt cause any acid reflux with my boy like other dry or wet foods cause…..I dont know if you can get the Wellness Core large breed in Spain or online, maybe Wellness is sold on Amazon.
Another good dry food is “Canidae” Pure Meadow Senior….

[Susan]

Hi Stacie,
are you on facebook? join the “Canine Pancreatitis Support Group” post a post asking what people are feeding their dogs that isnt a vet diet?
Try & avoid some of the weight loss/management dry kibbles as they might be lower in fat but some are very high in fiber, over 5%, high fiber diets aren’t really good for dogs with Pancreatitis it’s more work on the pancreas & stomach…
I dont know if you will find a pet shop food that is low in Protein 13-15% & low in fat aswell???….

Have a look at “Artemis Fresh Mix” Weight Mangement/Senior formula, the fat is 6%, the Protein is 20% & the fiber is low at 3%…it’s always sold out in Australia, I know Artemis is American made… Good – Luck

[InkedMarie]

I personally don’t like senior foods. Most are way too low in protein. You said Fromm weight management. Is your dog overweight?

[Mike L]

I just joined Editor’s Choice hoping I’d find some recommendations for senior dogs, but as far as I can tell “Adult” is the only choice for my 14-year-old Yorkie.

Specifically, I want to transition off Orijen senior on the advice of a nutritionist and vet. The 38 percent protein may be too much for him. I’m looking for something with protein in the mid-20s. I tried a nutritionist-suggested home cooked recipe with protein around 20 percent, but he had problems with one or more of the ingredients and I don’t want to make him sick again to figure out which ingredient he can’t tolerate.

A small dog breeder recommended Fromm Senior Gold, but although dogfoodadvisor generally rates Fromm highly, Senior Gold is only 3.5 Stars. Anyhow one why Senior Gold would be rated lower than the rest of Fromm’s selections? Anyhow have any other suggestions for a senior small dog who is generally healthy?

• This topic was modified 7 years, 7 months ago by Mike L.

[JoLynn O]

My 12-year-old rescue has been successfully eating dry Blue Buffalo her entire life now, but just recently she has constantly been plagued with diarrhea. Could it be too “hot” for her now? Other than that and a bit of arthritis, she seems in great health, but maybe she needs an early trip to the vet. What do you think

[Ellies Parents]

My puppy and my senior dog eat a food with dicalcium phosphate. I’m studying towards a degree in animal nutrition (stopped trusting my vet … but that’s another story, hah), and what I’ve found is that dicalcium phosphate is safe.

Calcium and phosphate helps growing puppies (and older dogs with weakening bones develop stronger bones. It’s like calcium for humans. Phosphorus (in dicalcium phosphate) helps form bones and teeth, and it works with protein synthesis for tissue repair. Aka it’s great for pups with injuries.

Through that I know that dicalcium phosphate is safe. I have no experience about tricalcium phosphate though. I’ll ask at my next vet/animal nutrition course. That’s a good question. With my basic chemistry knowledge, it seems like it’s just a different isomer/combination for dicalcium phosphate but I’m really not sure.

[Susan]

Hi emmygirl,
sorry my post is so long but as I’m writing I’m remember heaps of information & what I did with Patch….
You have written everything I have been thru with my IBD boy Patch who is nilly 10yrs old, I nilly put him to sleep in January, instead we did another Endoscope-Biopsies on esophagus & stomach, I thought he had stomach cancer…
Find a vet that does Endoscope + Biopsies & a vet that knows about IBD, you must get the biopsies done if you ever do Endoscope, some vets dont think to do the biopsies when looking at the stomach & small bowel, these vets are lacking experience in IBD, Patches stomach looks perfect when he had his 2 Endoscopes but his the biopsies told a different story. Biopsies tell the vet so much information what is wrong with your boy intestinal tract….Ultra scan was a waste of money, you cant really see the stomach & the vet can see the bowel but only if the bowel is thickening, vets thought Patch had thickening of the Bowel but he didnt, this happens after the dog has diarrhea for years, I wouldnt like to be a vet, 1 dogs cant talk & tell the vet were is sore what hurts etc, so vets have to do alot guessing sometimes when test come back OK.

*Food
Over the years my good vet told me to keep a yearly diary, cause you cant rememeber every single thing you’ve done & they have done.. now I look back thru Patches diaries when I need to remember what was Patch eating when he was doing so much better, write what your feeding, times, meds, what were poos like when he’s eating ?? etc
Is he doing OK when he’s eating the cooked Turkey, Squash & Oatmeal, how are his poos? one of Patches first vets told me in the beginning, to look & see when dog is pooing, does the poo come out of bum properly formed poo?, then when it hits the ground it turns to slop cow patty poo? the vet said this is OK as long as poo’s are formed when its coming out of the bum & as long as the dog is just doing his normal 1-3 poos a day & is not pooing at all thru day & night at all hours, vet said to me this might be as good as your going to get Patches poos, he was eating the Royal Canine Hypoallergeniic dry kibble… but I ended up getting Patches poos firmer when he started teh TOTW kibble & I ended up trying the Royal Canine Hypoallergenic wet can food last year it was better then the dry R/C HP kibble, then after trying all the Intestinal vet diets Hills, Royal Canine & Eukanuba Intestinal Low Residue worked the best but Patch skin was yeasty itchy & smelt bad then after joining the Canine EPI f/b group dogs were doing really well on TOTW or the Kirkland Signature, Natures Domain, Turkey & Sweet potato & Salmon & Sweet potato formula’s so I started Patch on TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb & the Pacific Stream Salmon but teh Pacific Stream Salmon made him vomit he does firm poos but kept vomiting up the TOTW Smoked Salmon later I seen TOTW Pacific Stream Salmon is very high in toxins & another 2 fish formula’s brands Patch kept vomiting are very high in Toxins after being tested, then 3 yrs later Patch refused to eat his TOTW Roasted Lamb kibble, something had changed with TOTW kibble it smelt different, looked different & kibble size became very small….so now it makes me wonder if these kibbles are high in contaminates & toxins making my boy IBD have a flare??? thats why its best to cook their meals or find a really good dog dehydrated dog food that uses human grade ingredients.. as Patch has gotten older his acid reflux has gotten worse so he cant eat kibbles that are over 15% in fat now..
loow for lower fat around 10-13%-fat & low carb diet higher protein

Have you tried adding scramble egg with his meal? also the egg shell dry it out & crush & add 1 egg shell 1 teaspoon egg shell to one of his meals a day for his calcium, slowly start adding the egg shell if you fed home cooked diet……..Patch cant eat any kibbles that have fish or salmon oil in them he gets bad acid reflux from the fish oil also the fiber is very low in those Farmina vet kibbles 1.10% -fiber…Patch would be doing sloppy cow patties eating the Farmine vet diets that are very low in fiber..

When I read your post about your dog can’t eat most ingredients I knew its more then just the ingredients he is reacting too, sometimes it’s not the ingredients they cant eat, it reminded me of Patch when I first rescued him, he does have food sensitivities that I worked out BUT later I worked out there’s In-soluble Fiber, Soluble Fiber, Crude Fiber & Dietary Fiber, dogs with IBD need to work out what fibers agree with them & there isnt that perfect dry kibble diet for our dogs even vet diets dont help Patch or if a vet diet did help Patches IBD he gets his itchy smelly yeasty skin paws & ears.

Have you tried Royal “Canine Gastro Intestinal Low Fat” wet can food??? I bought a 12 can pack last week I had credit from a pet store I had forgotten about & at Lunch time if I think Patch doesnt seem well I open a can of R/C Gastro low fat & I take out the meat loaf from the can as it has heap of oil in the can so I pat dry the loaf with paper towel then I cut into 1/3 & he gets 1/3 of a can & I put the rest in bowl cling wrap bowl & put in fridge Patch does firm poos on the R/C Gastro Low Fat wet can & 5 yrs ago when he ate the R/C Gastro Low Fat he had diarrhea, so sometimes you have to re try foods or wet can or kibbles again cause sometimes its not the ingredients they are reacting too… its something else wrong either their small bowel or large bowel in the beginning it was Patches small bowel S.I.B.O now its his large bowel….
I would start the B-12 weekly injection ASAP you can buy & do yourself, if you join “EPI” Canine face book group they can help & tell you which B-12 tablets to get from chemist & where to buy the B-12 liquid for injections, you can never over dose your dog with B-12′, if they’re feeling crap or have had diarrhea the B-12 can really help them feel heaps better, alot of the EPI dogs take B-12 injections or tablets, I was going to get the tablets for Patch as B-12 is good for them & us humans when we are run down & unwell…..

Try & work out does your boy do better when you cook & add pumkin a soluble fiber soluble fiber is very easy to digest & dissolves in water or does he do better eating Lentils & Chickpeas they’re Insoluble fiber & Soluble fiber food? My boy doesn’t do well on Lentils or Chickpeas he gets instead dirrahea that night if he has ate a kibble with lentils..
google foods that are soluble fiber & foods that are insoluble fibers?

Try & stay feeding the home cooked diet or try a limited ingredient Freeze Dried raw if you I’m slowly introducing a new freeze dried dehydrated raw free range diet we have in Australia called “Frontier Pets” they’re small balls & you add warm water, so many dogs that can’t eat & have IBD symptoms are doing really well on this free range, dehydrated Frontier Pets dog food, it has no lentils, no chickpeas like most of these new grain free foods have now & my Patch is doing firmer poos then what he does when he’s just eating his Wellness Kibble…
I have to feed my boy dry kibble for some of his meals cause his sphincter flap isnt closing now & his food comes back up his esophagus into his mouth causing bad acid reflux, then sometimes the acid goes into his wind pipe & he becomes so unwell, cries, whinges, its awful to watch him when he becames so unwell, I wanted to put him down in January out of his pain, these last 5-6 yrs Ive tried everything & something always seem to work, I had him on Taste Of The Wild, Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb the Australian formula, has no chickpeas or lentils like the American TOTW formula’s have…. I could always fall back onto his TOTW if he started to do cow patty poos again when I was rotating his kibbles his vet said cow paddy poos is the large bowel where yellow sloppy poos is a small bowel problem but when he stopped eating it in December I had no kibbles that I knew worked & didnt iratate his IBD, his vet said please wait 1-2 months before we put Patch to sleep, his environment allergies are real bad at the moment & have put his immune system into over drive, we had just moved as well, so I didnt put him to sleep plus I couldnt do it, I just wanted more help, I wanted a miracle but vets cant always help the dog sometimes no matter how good my vet is, she always tells me Patch is her favorite & she always thinks & wonders how is he going when she doesnt see us but she said she knows he must be doing better cause I havent come…
Have you tried Metronidazole (Flagyl) tablets when he become unwell with vomiting & diarrhea/sloppy poo’s, I have Metronidazole in the cupboard with repeat scripts so I can just go chemist & get them out if I need them saving at $60 vet visit & as soon as I see he’s becoming unwell doing sloppy poos, vomiting or when Im introducing a new food, I put him on the Metronidazole for 14-21 days it helps him, Metronidazole has an anti inflammatory & antibiotic in it, so it helps a few health problems…
With a dry kibble, I’m feeding Wellness Core Large Breed at the moment even though Patch isnt a large breed dog, he’s a senior & when I email Wellness they said yes their Large Breed formula’s are OK to feed a senior dogs, they are high Glucosamine & Chondroitin for their joints & high in DHA, Patch is small to medium English Staffy weights about 40lb -18kgs, the Wellness Core Large Breed formula is high protein-34%, Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, then potatoes, peas, Patch can’t eat chicken he gets red paws but I had no other kibbles left to feed him & the man at Pet Barn said, if anything happens just bring it back all dogs food are money back Guaranteed, I got the 5,4kg bag 1/2 price $40 so I tried it, Patches paws went red but his stomach became better, he had no acid reflux, poos firmed up not 100% firm in the beginning but better then when he was eating a kibble that had grains, I can pick his poos up now on our walk & not leave a poo stamp on the grass, Wellness Core Large Breed is low-med fat-13%max, low Kcals-345 per cup, carbohydrates are 31% you must read the Kcals per cup when looking for a kibble, stay under 360Kcals per cup the higher the Kcals the more dense the food & harder to digest…
also have you tried giving your boy a acid reducer? Patch was taking Losec-(Omeprazole) for 2 yrs then this year I change it to Somac (Pantoprazole) what i take & he stopped eating grass everyday so he mustnt feel sick as much now, sometimes you have to do things yourself when you know in your heart what the vet is doing & advising you isnt helping your dog, & I saw my vet & she now wrote me repeat scripts so I can get the Pantopraozole from chemist cause the vets dont have Pantoprazole in Australia, Pantoprazole is used by American vets… but know if my vet & Patches other vet that does his Endoscopes & Biopsies see a dog like PAtch & cant work out what to do with the dogs bad acid reflux they can rememeber what we did with Patch & touch wood he seems to be getting better he has some bad days but I have his acid reflux under control no & I really want him on this Dehyrated free range, grain free food..
Try the new food just for 1 of his meals, thats what I do now, I feed new food for his lunch 12pm this way Patch has his kibble from breakfast 7am in stomach & small bowel then he eats something different for lunch a small meal then he gets his dinner 5pm kibble again & it seems to work for Patch when Im introducing a new food he gets it at luch time cause you can’t mix kibble & dehydrated raw wet food with a dry kibble, it would probably upset Patches stomach & the Holistic Vet Kathy that help formulate this new Frontier Pets dehydrated raw dog food droped off Patches new food + some samples to try & she said take baby steps, it took 1 of her patient dogs Bernie 6 months to get him onto the Frontier Pets, he was doing well then when down hill but yiou just restart again she said search for “Frontier Pets” on facebook & scroll down, look for Bernies Story” Italian Greyhound story, it will give you some hope…

[a c]

Thank you for the information. I haven’t try Fromm or Eagle Pack before. My senior dogs probably shouldn’t have high fiber. They are getting digestive enzyme and twice a week probiotics. I use the kibbles as the base and I add either can food, fresh vegetable, sardines, or other homemade food to the kibbles for the additional nutrition and flavor.

I will check out Balanceit’s receipes. I got a few receipes from Karen Becker’s book. I like to keep it as simple as possible.😀 I don’t usually use more than 2-3 ingredients for my own food.

I may give Wellness Core a try because it’s available in many local stores and my small breed dogs don’t eat a lot.

[Angie W]

My 19yo’s collie puppy (16 months old) got the Rimadyl that my German Shepherd was taking off the counter and ate the entire bottle. It was two week’s worth of Rimadyl and my GSD had only been taking it for two days (had just had surgery).

We didn’t find out that it had been eaten until about 12 hours afterward. I left for work and my oldest daughter found the chewed up bottle about 30 minutes later, but thought it had been an empty bottle from the recycle bin (she’d been on Rimadyl before the surgery too), so she didn’t say anything or think anything of it. I found out when I went to give my GSD her pain medication after work and found the chewed up bottle.

We took all the dogs (also have a Golden Rottie mix) to the emergency vet and they were on IV fluids for 5 days. At that point their BUN and creatinine were normal. They never had any symptoms during this time and still have not shown any symptoms.

At this point, the collie puppy has creatinine 1.8 and is starting to spill protein. This is after one week off of IV fluids. We are going to do a full panel in four weeks to check everything.

The vet said that at this point we do not want to restrict her protein or phosphorus and is worried about blood pressure possibly becoming an issue as well. She said to keep her on her regular kibble, but add water to it. If our golden rottie mix (6yo) has an increase in creatinine, then she said she will recommend switching her over to a senior food for lower protein but not putting her on a prescription diet yet unless her creatinine goes up much higher. Right now the collie puppy’s creatinine is 1.8 and the golden rottie’s creatinine is 1.9.

What I have been feeding her is Kirkland Super Premium Adult Dog Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables Formula. The local Tomlinson owner is very knowledgeable about dog foods and recommended using Lotus Dog Food. I do like that they list the actual values in their food rather than minimums and maximums.

Any specific recommendations? The collie puppy does not like canned food and never has. She likes crunchy dry food, so I don’t know how she’s going to react to having water added to it. We are going to start adding it in a little at a time and hopefully she just goes along with it. She’s a picky eater

[Robert S]

I used caculator on this site. If I use 11lb it is 301 calories per day for senior dog. I think I just answere my guestion. The 311 KCal is for a cup 8 oz not total can of food I feed. So if i give my dog 50 calories of treats per day I would decrease the 301 to 251 calories. since i feed 2 x’s daily shecwould get 125 kCal each feeding. about 3.3 oz each feeding or 6-7 oz per day. So a can of dig fod with 311 KCal, 13. oz can should last 2 days. (I was trying to make the 860 number for the can and 311 for a cup however mathematically it didn’t work. So I started wondering if the 311 was for the can 13. oz.)

I recently went on wet food. I weigh them often since on wet food. I have tried different food and KCal can be different. So I was just trying to understand the label. They love the wet.

Our female will be 15 in july and has a nass in her abdomen which we assume is slow growing cancer. Plus she has lost some teeth.
Anyway putting her on Canidae Pure Grain Free lamb & chicken has made her into a different dog.

Our male wire hair dachshund has started seizures. I believe that he is a carrier of or has Lafora so I lowered the starch he gets. I feed him Castor & Pollux Butcher and Buhels grain free stew (if on sake) or Merrick whole Earth Grain Free stew. I usually mix some kibbles EVO with his to keep cost down.

Thanks for your help. I have better understanding.

[Blaire S]

Vet diagnosed our 8 yr old Tibetan terrier mix as being on the edge of kidney disease. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Vet wants her to lose weight, limit her protein to 20-25%, and fat to 10%.

[Anonymous]

Hi, again, Nancy

Yes, I understand about pancreatitis — my female has it, and we know all about watching the fat intake. The Wellness Core Tender Bites that I have been feeding my pups for about 5 weeks has 21% crude fat, versus the 6% or so in the canned foods (also Wellness Core) I was feeding. But — I’m happy to report — absolutely no problems so far. And I have not had to throw any of the Tender Bites away, whereas I tossed TONS of the canned foods away, uneaten. I was making a lot of my own dog food from chicken breasts (baked), carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin. The pups ate this, but not with gusto. I also give them two Nutri-Vet senior vitamin tabs a day. But, so far, they’ve been doing really well on the Tender Bites (but I still offer the canned), which are 70% raw, gently dried.

I should mention that my male pup is sensitive to wheat — it was a long process to determine this, as it was by trial and error. When I avoid wheat in both food and treats, he does really well. I took him to a dermatologist several years ago (he’s 11), but they didn’t test for food allergies. Why???? So I had to do my own food testing. Many dog food products are “grain free” in the last many years, so it’s relatively easy to avoid wheat. Treats are the worse offenders. You might want to try staying away from wheat for awhile to see if this is a problem for your Schnauzers. My male is the one on Apoquel for various other allergies — Apoquel was a LIFE CHANGER!

My pups are mixed breed, but predominately Jack Russell terriers. They are litter-mates, but soooooooo different health-wise. The female has pancreatitis, but no other health issues. The male has diabetes, cataracts (he had surgery for this), and lots of allergies. We have only ever fed them premium foods recommended by DogFoodAdvisor, with the exception of Dr. Marty’s, which I bought from the infomercial.

Stay in touch, Nancy. Best of luck with your food search.

[Mike Sagman]

Most senior dog foods are terrible. They’re based on the myth that older dogs need less protein. Or that high protein causes kidney disease, which is not true (unless your dog has already been diagnosed with a renal disorder).

You should still feed a food that meets the AAFCO nutrient profile for Adult Maintenance. But favor quality (4 and 5-star) recipes featuring moderate calories and above-average protein.

Pay close attention to your dog’s weight each month. Chronic obesity is the number one most common problem associated with senior dogs. Obesity can lead to an increased risk of diabetes, arthritis and a host of other life-shortening diseases.

The food you choose isn’t nearly as important as how much you feed.

No matter which food you select, monitor your dog’s Body Condition Score (BCS) every month. And adjust your pet’s serving size slightly up or down to maintain your pet’s ideal BCS. Don’t miss the one-minute video in the center of the article.

And be sure to read our article about “How to Determine Your Dog’s Ideal Weight“.

One more suggestion: While you’re logged into the Editor’s Choice area, click on the link that reads Create Your Own Custom Editor’s Choice List. Select “Type 3” and click the “Senior” feature. You’ll get a list of some of the very best senior dog foods on the market.

Hope this helps.

[Bazuhi]

I have both large breed seniors and many of them and now I have a senior small breed along with younger ones and as long as their weight is great I continue to feed them high end 5 star rated all stages food.
My labs lived to 12 and 16 year with no issues and never ate senior dog food

[sean w]

Hello
I just joined and was hoping to get some specific information on senior dog food. You only have it listed as type 3 dog food but my vet says i definitely should switch to a senior specific formula of food.

Thanks

[anonymous]

I would go by what a veterinarian that has examined your dog recommends.
I would not give over the counter medications or supplements, unless the vet approves.
I would consider making some diet changes as he probably can no longer tolerate raw and would do better on a bland commercial food, but first take him in for a vet visit, labs, senior workup.
There is probably a lot you can do under the guidance of a vet to keep your dog comfortable.
Best of luck.

[Leslie K]

Westie has always had sensitive stomach with occasional bile vomit and refusing of food. Only occurs in early morning accompanied by noisy stomach / intestines. In the last month has been virtually every morning. Murphy is 14 yrs old and has been on a twice a day feeding of prey type raw diet his entire life which eliminated skin allergies.
Have tried splitting his dinner and giving 2nd portion before bed as well as just giving him some sweet potato or 1/2 slice of bread at bedtime. That works occasionally but not enough. Any suggestions on what my senior boy might need in his elder years to make it through the night without waking with stomach distress? Maybe probiotics?

[Alex D]

We just took home our 10 week old Vizsla puppy and were sent home with some of the Pro Pac Ultimates food she’d received since being weened, along with some TruDog Boost as a topper for the dry food (1 tablespoon per meal).

I’d not heard of Pro Pac before and checked the review here and discovered that he puppy formula appears to receive 5 stars. That said, we’d given our old girl, who recently went to the Rainbow Bridge, grain free food (Blue Wilderness Senior among others over her life) and she seemed to perk up when we moved her to grain free. I also am not able to get Pro Pac Ultimates locally whatsoever–I’d be relegated to online ordering only which isn’t a problem (I’d always ordered from Amazon/Chewy/etc. in the past) but it’s nice to have the option to pick up locally in an emergency.

Accordingly, before we picked up our new little girl, I’d looked at the potential dog foods from the Editor’s Choice list and was contemplating Wellness Core (puppy) given it’s high rating, relative availability both locally and online, and the fact that I’d have a better idea about where they source their ingredients.

Pro Pac Ultimates is certainly cheaper than Wellness Core, and is likewise cheaper than the Blue Wilderness we’d fed our old girl, but my wife and I are willing to spend more for a better product if needed (and within reason).

Curious for input on whether Pro Pac Ultimates is a quality natural dog food (especially for puppies and with/without the TruDog Boost) or if I should consider transitioning to Wellness Core or another grain-free brand. Alternatively, would it be best to keep her on the Pro Pac until about a year old when we’d move her to a non-puppy formula anyway and try a different brand at that point?

Any input is greatly appreciated.

[Ryan K]

Hello!

My 8 year old dachshund/terrier mix has recently had a bout of bad vomiting that I wound up bringing him in to my vet for. He has been acting so strange for about a month now. I started him on Royal Canin HP and despite it working so well for his skin I almost instantly noticed him acting super unlike his normal self. He seemed…agitated and his stomach would be audibly grumbling. Well, I switched him off of that and didn’t transition slowly…I wound up putting him on Tuscan Naturals Chicken Meal & Rice recipe…he ate it but wasn’t thrilled so I switched him right away to Zignature’s Catfish recipe…this was the day the vomiting began. I did do something a little unusual when starting this food in that I put the kibble in warm/hot water to soak it in and make it more appealing. Well, He wound up throwing up once earlier in the day and then a second time later on in which a ton of liquid and balled up grass he had been eating in the yard came up. The vomit smelled slightly foul…far more pungent then normal vomit…so I brought him in to the vet. They did an x-ray and said they didn’t see anything. I mentioned that he had also been “wretching” and “gagging” a lot lately so they examined him for Kennel cough but said it seemed super unlikely since he hasn’t been around any dogs and he wasn’t responding when they pressed into his throat. They told me to put him on a bland diet which I have had him on for 2 days now. He hasn’t thrown up again but I have noticed him doing the “gag-cough” thing and he still seems…unhappy. Just so you know, the cough he does looks and sounds just like what I have seen on youtube for kennel cough but my dog truly is never around other dogs so I have no idea where that could come from if it WAS that. Should I be concerned about Heart disease? I remember my Australian shepherd growing up had that and was always coughing when he got excited. My little guy now just seems to randomly hack for no reason. How concerned should I be? Could this just be a case of me being really bad about the transitioning of the foods and making him sick? Should I get blood work done? This vet (she’s not my normal one-my normal vet was out of town) didn’t seem concerned about that being done but I was nervous that maybe it was his pancreas or something else that would cause vomiting that could be seen in bloodwork. Am I going crazy or should I just let him adjust some more to bland food? Is he just sensitive now that he’s a senior dog?

Side note about my dog…he slipped a disc last year and I did at home treatment to get him better. The surgery was far too expensive and I was just not able to come up with the cost of it. Luckily, keeping him bedridden for 2 months worked and he went from fully paralyzed in the back legs to walking within a week and has moved fine since with the help of laser treatments for a couple weeks and keeping him totally confined. But, during this event my vet and I discovered that he is SUPER sensitive to any pain meds and to gabapentin and all those things that he NEEDED during this period. He actually developed CRAZY pica and wound up scarfing down 3 full tube socks when I wasn’t looking. He threw them up whole. I had to leave him there to make sure he was ok for a whole day after that incident. He just gets really sick on those drugs. Had to share that bit of history about his stomach issues.

Sorry this post was so long. I’m rambling. I wanted to fit a lot of his recent medical history in here. I am probably missing something though. Haha

[anonymous]

Before switching food (I have never used Instinct but if it is one of those raw foods, I wouldn’t recommend) Small breeds are notorious for not doing well on raw foods. Not worth the risk for any dog (imo)
I would take her in for a veterinarian visit, senior workup complete with dental check, labs and whatever else your vet recommends (if you have not done so already).
I doubt if her symptoms have anything to do with “dry air”.

If she has had a recent vet check then I would put a call in to your vet and see what he thinks.
There are many things that could cause the symptoms you describe, it’s impossible for anyone over the internet to guess, nor should they try.

[Liz T]

Halo changed its ingredients to be more digestible on both wet and dry food. Unfortunately my springer 10 1/2 its too digestible and caused diarrhea. So after ten and half years I need to change foods – I fed a combo of both wet and dry. My dog is considered a senior but she is a springer so she doesn’t know how to slow down. Need advice on what to switch to – feeding rice and chicken per the vet until I decide on a new brand and gradually work in in. Help ?

[a c]

I did. The puppy like it. However, 28% fat content in dry matter is a little too much for my other two pancreatitis prone seniors. I use Nature Receipe GF tub for the seniors, but I just realized those were from Thailand. Do I need to worry about that?

I used to live in SC when Diamond has that recall. I remembered passed by Diamond plant and realized that’s the plant that manufactured the poinised dog food. Many dogs were affected. So sad.

[Kenneth A]

Thanks to everyone that has responded to my posts. Many people have described labs as always being hungry and will eat almost anything. Describes my Earl perfectly and he will eat 7/8 cup of Pro Plan (three times per day) in approximately 15 seconds when fed in a standard bowl. We now feed him using a bowl full of internal rings which slows him down to approximately 1 min per feeding.

Since his surgeries Earl has been on a walking regiment of approximately 5 miles per day and we have reduced his quantity of food. His weight is down to 80 lbs. from 88 so I feel I contributed to the ruptured ligaments in his knees (totally unintentional – just did not know). The specialist that conducted the surgeries would like to see Earl down to 75 lbs and I do not want to put him on a Senior Dog Food since he is only 2 years old (Jan 6th birthdate). I should also note that prior to his surgeries Earl was being fed a lot of treats (cookies) purchased from the local Pet Store. Unfortunately, I did not think about the extra calories I was feeding him and now his treats consist of baby carrots.

So, after Earl had the TPLO Surgeries I have learned so much about the requirements of being a good and hopefully responsible pet owner. Earl’s local Vet. told me that many retrievers have or need TPLO Surgeries because of the pressure they place on their knees when they run, jump and cut. He said the TPLO Technique was developed to allow field trial dogs to be able to return to field trial work. However, being 10 lbs. or so overweight, in my mind, definitely contributed to Earl’s knee issues.

I have had discussions with my Vet. about Pro Plan Focus prior to the TPLO Surgeries. His feedback was that Pro Plan is a good food, Earl was not experiencing any food related issues and to possibly consider a different food sometime down the road. Well, here I am two surgeries and $8000 later!

Thank you again for the advice. I have two bags of Pro Plan to use (Petco double shipped me last month) and toward the end of consumption Earl will be transitioned to a new food. My goal is to find one quality kibble and stick with it unless Earl demonstrates a need for a change.

Ken

[anonymous]

What did the vet recommend? How old is your dog? How high/abnormal were his protein values? Slight anomalies in lab work are not unusual for senior canines.
However, regarding homemade: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=homemade+diet
I would stop the homemade immediately.

Maybe prescription food/therapeutic diet for a month or two or three (whatever your vet suggests) then retest?
If the labs are normal I would then go with something bland, how about Pro Plan Focus for sensitive skin and stomach. Add a little water or plain chicken broth.

PS: Wait, the labs are from 6 months ago? If so, time to return to the vet.

[Jim T]

Rudy, our Westie is 14 years old. What is the best Editor’s Choice dog food for senior dogs digestive system.

[Tania S]

Need help finding good quality senior dog food or supplement with dog food for a great pyrenees that will also help with hairgrowth. Dog is at least 10 years old, not sure exact age because we rescued him. Not sure of his medical history. He was clipped when it was hot outside and now his hair is having trouble growing back.

[InkedMarie]

You don’t need a senior food. Most are too low in protein, Orijen senior being an exception. There are many foods without chicken. I have a dog who needs a lower fiber food or she poops too much. We stick with 3.5% or less.Earthborn Primitive Natural is the one we use the most often.

[Susan S]

Hi, I have a 2 1/2 year old Great Pyr/Golden Retriever/Beagle Mix (95 lb) and an 8 year old Black Lab/Great Dane mix (100 lb). They both have problems with chicken and some skin allergies so I trying to find a dry dog food for both of them. I am using Nutrish Just 6 Lamb and Rice, but they still seem to poop to much on that too. I am trying not to buy two different kinds of food, but I’m not sure what to do. Buy senior food for him and adult for her, but cannot have chicken or other poultry in it. Any suggestions. Thanks

[Melissa K]

I am also looking for a high quality food that is appropriate for senior dogs (12 y/o border collie mix and 16 y/o basset/corgie mix). They have been on Merrick Grain Free Limited ingredient Turkey & Sweet Potato and producing very large poops so I don’t think they are getting much out of it. Can you tell me, do you like Taste of the Wild (other than it not being low fat), and Royal Canine? Thanks!