[Susan]

Hi Cheryl,
I have a stressful Staffy I rescued 5 yrs ago, he was dignosed with Colitis & anixietys then 1 yr later he had an Endoscope & Biopsies done, cause I wanted to know what is causing his problems, the only way the vet can really know what is happening in your dog stomach & bowel is the biopsies, biopsies results tell a vet so much information plus they look around the dogs stomach etc, Patch has gotten heaps better these last 2-3 yrs he’s in a strict routine, feed same time every day & feed 4 smaller meals instead of 2 large meals a day, I try & not change too much in his life, (BUT we have just moved)
Patch no longer shakes & trembles when there’s a thunder storm, we had bad thunder storm last night & what I do now is Patch the cat & I all get into bed, I turn on my TV a bit loader then usual & when it thunders I look to the ceiling or out the window I point & say go away naughty thunder, go away also the thunder doesn’t seem to bother my cat & I tell Patch look Indy isnt scared, he looks at the cat & see’s her nice & calm, what happens after he has his stress attack (Anxiety) this is when his IBD starts to play up, I’ve been in Hospital the last few days & Patch had to stay at my daughters place & his routine was put out he was whinging & crying waiting for me at her front door, I told my daughter just get him into his routine as much as you can, I came home yesterday afternoon from hospital & today Patch is eating grass & not his happy self, so he must of really stress while staying at my daughters place & since I moved here 1 month ago Patch has been getting up thru the night, tippy toeing thru the house it’s a wierd thing he has done since I got him 5 yrs ago, he tippy toes some night he gets up he walks so slow on his toes so he doesnt wake anyone up, I’d say he has some discomfort & can’t sleep & changes beds, he reminds me of Goldielocks & the 3 bears, as soon as Patch seen me packing boxes to move he became unwell & anxious all over again the tippy toe thru the house re started his Poos are fine nice & firm he has started having his stomach pain again his acid reflux is going good, it depends what I feed him with his acid reflux playing up he’s on 20mg Losec every morning for his acid reflux which has really helped him, wet canned foods all seem to give him acid reflux so I cook & freeze small meals, its ends up being cheaper then buying the vet diet wet canned foods, sweet potato & pumkin is very good for stomach & bowel, I boil sweet potato & some pumkin first I peel & cut in small pieces boil then cool then I freeze them, Sweet Potato & Pumkin stay OK when frozen & you take a piece out & it thaws pretty quickly, I also make rissole balls lean turkey mince or lean beef mince add 1 whisked egg & some chopped parsley mix all together & make 1/2 size rissole balls & bake on a foil lined baking tray in oven turn over 1/2 way & drain any fat water that comes from the rissoles at the moment he’s eating “Nutro Essentails” Lamb & Rice Weight management kibble cause the fat is 9%min & he does good on Lamb, Nutro Australia has reformulated their formula’s the Nutro is on Special & 1/2 price cause its new so I thought I’ll give it a go, the Nutro has sought of constipated Patch, cause he eats 4 meals a day Im feeding 2 of the larger meals the Nutro Kibble & the other 2 meals are smaller & I’m feeding him his cooked meals Rissoles with the Pumkin & Sweet potato all mashed together & this has fixed things up in the poo department, he’s doing 1 poo morning & another poo in the afternoon, I never thought Patch would ever get constiped, normally he has the opposite problem Diarrhea, before I moved I was feeding him a kibbles with the fat 15% & under, but since moving he has started doing his mouth suckling noises & I do not know why he makes this sound & what is wong with him?? in the past he has done real WELL on “Canidae” All Life Stages Platinum, Canidae Pure Wild Boar & the Pure Meadow Senior formula is pretty good aswell, the max fat is 10.80% in the Pure Meadow Senior dry formula & it has everything an aging dog needs, I emailed Canidae & they give you max % on fat protein etc….all ingredients are source from local farmers & Canidae grow their own veggies, here’s Canidae’s site scroll down a bit look to your eight & you’ll see the pages the Platinum is on page 5, there’s also their “Canidae Pure Petite” Small Breed formula it has low fat low protein & only 5 ingredients..
https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
Patches vet has put Patch on “Gabapentin” 100mg last year for his IBD & Anxieties, I open the Gabapentin capsule & tip out 1/2 the Gabapentin powder as it seems to drug Patch up a bit so I make it 50mg instead of 100mg capsule, the vet said Gabapentenin is good for Anxieties, IBD, IBS & other health contions & this drug does not irratate the stomah or bowel like other medications can do, she said this is why is very good for dogs with IBD you could ask your vet about the Gabapentin 50mg & do what I do open capsule & tip some powder out into a empty capsules you buy empty capsules at te chemist, it makes Patch sleep thru the whole night & he doesnt move & doesnt get up & change beds through the night but the next day he seems very washed out & I dont like seeing him lik that so I dont give hime what the vet recommended 2 times a day poor dog would be too drug up need to get my scales out & weight the capsule & give him only 20-30mgs only when he really needs some pain relief & your girl is very small so she’d need a lower dose then Patch weights 18kgs around 40lbs….

I’ve looked at the new Hills I/d Stress wet & dry formula’s when it first came out & I do not know how these ingredients would reduce stress in a dog???, it would make the dog do firm poos but that doesnt mean you have reduced the stress in the dog? Has the I/d Stress made your girl any better Stress wise since she has started eating the I/d Stress?? is she eating the wet or dry kibble I/d Stress formula?? When I looked at these are the ingredients below in the I/d Stress formula the “Beet Pulp” helps firm poo’s up, the Ginger for Nausea, the Vitamin B12, the B-2 in the Riboflavin & B-7 in the Biotin is good for skin & nails… B vitamins, and specifically biotin, help keep your skin, hair, eyes, liver, and nervous system healthy, so its probably the B vitamins reducing the Stress ….
You can give your dog vitamin B yourself, there’s the B-12 liquid you inject weekly or you get the Vitamin B capsules, if you go onto Face Book, put “EPI Dogs” in the search bar & there’s only 1 EPI group it should come up, if not I’ll give you the link, the ladies are all very helpful & know which brand to get, which brand is the cheapest & where to get it from….
I/d Stress ingredients
Brewers Rice, Corn Starch, Corn Gluten Meal, Whole Grain Wheat, Chicken By-Product Meal, Flaxseed, Cracked Pearled Barley, Whole Grain Oats, Dried Beet Pulp, Chicken Liver Flavor, Pork Flavor, Lactic Acid, Ginger, Soybean Oil, Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Citrate, Pork Fat, Potassium Chloride, Iodized Salt, Choline Chloride, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), L-Lysine, Calcium Carbonate, Dried Hydrolyzed Casein, Taurine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), L-Carnitine, Mixed Tocopherols for freshness, Natural Flavors, Beta-Carotene.

I think with a dog who is very stressed out she needs a quiet environment, a strict routine, walked & I use to go to the dog Patch & sit on a seat & let Patch watch teh dogs all playing from afar we also would sit at te beach as he was scarred of the waves in the beging now I cant let him off his lead he’s a nut & loves teh ocean & just runs & runs along the sand & I cant catch him so we stop goingto the beach I ended up having anxieties I’d try the Vitamin B ask your vet & try one of the Canidae formulas, another brand I see people saying their dog who has stomach/bowel problems doing really well is the “Purina One” formulas.. I think you buy from supermarket… also there’s teh “Rescue Remedy”drops you put 1 drop on her tongue morning & night & 20mins before she is going to do something that will stress her out a lady that use to come & bath Patch said her 10yr old dog has really bad anxieties & the Rescue Remedy drops really works for her dog, she just feeds her dog supermarket dry kibble & raw meat…also have you tried teh “Freshpet” rolls & dry food? Ive also red people saying their dogs is doing well on the Freshpet roll..

[Tyrionthebiscuit]

Canidae Pure has a senior and a weight management that works well for a lot of dogs. It’s easy on most stomachs

[Sheila N]

Hi all – This website was super useful to me when I first got my chi/terrier rescue pup, Lola, nine years ago. I ended up trying a few high quality foods and Lola adapted to the raw diet well (we feed Nature’s variety raw – she gets one small patty in the morning and one at night. She would also get a small handful of dry food – wellness senior healthy weight – around lunch time. Up until now, she has been very healthy with no problems. Unfortunately, in the last few weeks, she began limping and holding up her back legs while sitting, and will yelp if we try to touch them. We took her to the vet yesterday who said she has arthritis and needs to lose weight to get pressure off of her joints. She’s 22 lbs at the moment. So we’re going to cut out the midday meal completely, but I was thinking that perhaps I should replace the evening raw patty with a small amount of dry food instead. The vet recommended Hill’s metabolic weight loss (Rx only) but I would love any other suggestions. Wellness core reduced fat seems to be popular – anything else people have used and like? Thanks so much!

[anonymous]

I would go by your veterinarian’s recommendation. Your dog is a senior and has a medical condition that will not go away.
Outrageous ($$) is when the dog becomes very sick and you have to go to the emergency vet on a Sunday evening.
Some science based veterinary medicine here

More Nonsense from Holistic Vets about Commercial Therapeutic Diets

Homemade Diets for Cats and Dogs with Kidney Disease–Most Recipes are Wrong

Check the comments too. You can post a question if you wish, but the veterinarian cannot give you specific advice as he has not examined your dog.
Good luck
PS: There are no veterinarians here at DFA.

[Elaine S]

Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions for a good quality weight loss food for my 9 year old senior Golden. She has been on Acana lite & Fit (or proper name) for a few months now and is not losing. Any suggestions are very welcome. I have my two other Goldens, 8 mos. and 5 years on Acana Grasslands………not thinking that would work….? Thanks, Elaine

[crazy4cats]

Hi Sara-
I have two neutered male labs that tend to be on the chubby side. I also shoot for around 350 calories so I can feed a decent amount of food to satisfy their hunger. I usually feed about 26 percent protein and 12 to 14 percent fat.

Whenever a food is labeled “performance”, it usually means it is for an active or working dog. Victor sells a healthy weight/senior formula that I have fed my dogs. I also always add a little warm water and a topper to their kibble. Canned stews are good to add because they are not usually very high in calories.

Good luck. I hope this helps.

Happy Holidays!

[anonymous]

First of all, if your dog appears to be having difficulty chewing kibble then he probably needs a dental exam, cleaning and extractions as needed. Then he will be able to eat any kibble you choose for him.

I would schedule the vet appointment as soon as possible, senior checkup, labs and other testing as recommended by the veterinarian. Dental care for senior pets is very important.

If your dog prefers softer food, you can always presoak the kibble in the fridg overnight prior to serving and it will be soft, the extra moisture is good for him too.

[anonymous]

The goal of prescription food is to stabilize the dogs, hopefully stop the vomiting and diarrhea. Then, if and when he is doing well for a few months you can talk to your vet about the possibility of transitioning him to another food.
Senior dogs often do best on a simple, bland diet. Such as the appropriate therapeutic diet.
I think some of your confusion is because you are listening to homeopathic vets vs traditional vets.
Views, opinions, treatment differ greatly and often interfere with each other.
Best of luck

[anonymous]

I would work closely with the veterinarian that is treating your dog. I would imagine the vet has recommended soft canned prescription food.
As a senior, your dog has multiple issues, I think the best you can do is to do exactly as the veterinarian advises, prescription meds and all, the goal is too keep her comfortable for the time she has left. Make sure she has fresh water available 24/7, add water to her food.
She won’t eat her feces if you stay with her when she is due to eliminate, scoop and discard immediately.
For anyone to advise you to do anything different than from what a veterinarian that has examined the dog recommends, is irresponsible and those actions may most likely increase the dog’s discomfort and pain.
Call the vet and discuss her symptoms, evaluate your options.
Good luck.

[organic n]

Hi all, I’ve been researching a lot about what to do with my dog with kidney problems. He had acute kidney failure 2 years ago, and has since been doing well but often has episodes where he is not hungry and throws up. Usually clears itself up within the day, however. He also gets pancreatic problems when exposed to things high in fat (learned that the hard way).

I don’t have his bloodwork levels with me (I was actually going to see if i could get a copy from his vet in the next few days for my own records) but I do remember his BUN being higher than normal but the vet never said anything about it in terms of lowering it, but I feel like my vet doesn’t really see it as a problem despite him having high values.

Anyway, he is a few months shy of being 16 years old, and he is a 6-7lbs dog. We stopped feeding him dry kibble for many many reasons (around a year ago), and now we make his food at home. I don’t do raw meat (I don’t feel like trying out the raw meat thing at his age and conditions is worth it), his meals consist of:

Lean ground turkey cooked with white rice, carrots, peas, and green beans. I use a vitamin supplement (Only Natural Pet® Senior Ultimate Daily Vitamin Powder). After reading however, I will make some changes to his food by swapping out the peas (heard they are high in phosphorous) for some other veggies. And maybe switching out the turkey for ground beef 10% fat. He does get treats too – and if he is willing fruit as well particularly apples.

Also, I would like to start my dog on some more supplements – particularly green food supplements (have heard kelp is high in sodium though and the ones i’ve looked at contain many types of kelp..hmm), switching out the vitamin powder to VetriScience Renal Essentials Kidney Health Support Dog, adding salmon oil, and adding pre/probiotics to my dog’s diet.

Is the salmon oil necessary if I use the VetriScience kidney support tabs?

Can someone who is knowledgeable with kidney disease in dogs advise on the supplements I would like to add to my dog’s diet? I know the best thing is to consult my vet, but perhaps someone on here who has gone something similar can advise.

[anonymous]

Wait a minute…..your dog did not have surgery to remove the stones in his bladder.
Okay, the vet is probably hoping they are struvite and will dissolve.
If they don’t (they will x-ray/ultrasound at the re-check appointment) they may be another type of stone that doesn’t dissolve, calcium oxalate for example.

I wondered about the $800, my dog’s emergency surgery was a lot more, they sent the stones off to a lab to be analyzed, otherwise they can’t identify what type they.

That being said, at the 3 month checkup x-ray a couple of new baby calcium oxalate stones had developed already! They never moved around or caused him any trouble, because he was a senior and had other issues we decided not to act aggressively.

[haleycookie]

I know a lady that has a senior french bulldog, he’s fought cancer many times and recently it has returned. She has decided to not fight it this time. So she uses a form of medical canabis in his food just to bring him some relief. He isn’t in much pain while on it. It’s good for pain but it isn’t going to fight anything. Just let them have peace before passing on or help relief pain and the anxiety that goes along with it while having treatment for something painful.

[Susan]

Hi Chris,
excellent choice TOTW Siera Mountain is an “All Life Stages” formula, I feed my Senior boy & he’s doing really well, I also add 2 freeze Dried, Green Lipped Mussels as a treat & I add tin Salmon or Sardines in spring water to his diet about 2 spoons, so he’s getting his EPA, DHA, Potassium, Calcium, Iron, Folate, Vitamin D, E, A, C, B-3, B-6, B-12, for his joint’s, bones, heart, brain.

[Chris C]

Thanks pitlove!
Could I restrict her by building an enclosed area, sure. But honestly I am not taking that freedom to explore and chase things away from her. I think she will be fine until next saw palmettos season. I will just need to find the time to trim the stalks before the fruit ripen and fall. She is too happy and too old to force a lifestyle change on especially one that would be financially significant to do right.

Just for comparisons of all suggestions I will add yours here. For some reason the edit option is now gone so I can’t add it to the others above.

County Naturals Senior/Low-Fat 370kcal/cup @ $2.36/lb
Annamaet Lean 350kcal/cup @ $2.63/lb

I didn’t include Science Diet since last time I checked their ingredient list was garbage.

[pitlove]

Hi Chris-

Could building her a large enclosure where she does not have access to forage items be a possiblity? Letting her out only when you are spending time with her in the yard.

As for food suggestions, I’ve used a brand called Country Naturals with success for my senior Lab and have heard good things about Annamaet Lean and also Science Diet Perfect Weight. Only thing with Country Naturals is it is not available online.

I also like Susan’s suggestion of green beans, but would add those to an actual senior diet, which TOTW is not.

[Chris C]

I have a senior APBT with thyroid dysfunction so she is on meds. She is overweight by about 8 lbs for her frame at 68lbs. We have used “Premium Edge Healthy Weight I” that got a 5 star rating here. After a year of using it Diamond discontinued the line. She is outside most of the time which is good for exercise, but she also forages grass, fruits, saw palmetto berries. basically whatever she can find. Doing so she has maintained her overweight status despite changing to the diet formulation. We were feeding 2.5 cups per day which was probably not enough nutrients but she would put weight on with her foraging if we gave her more.

What is currently on the market that has quality ingredients? Personally, I do not mind a moderate level of fillers since I would rather her feeling full from food ingredients we moderate than whatever she scavenges on the property.

[Susan]

HI
PLEASE see a vet, when a dog is being picky with food this is a sign the dog may have digestive problems…. Yorki’s are prone to Pancreatitis & need a lower fat diet, feeding a higher protein, higher Kcals diet nornally has higher fat as well & may cause more problems.. I’d be seeing a vet to do blood test to see why your dog is losing weight……Have you tried cooking some chickem Breast & Sweet Potato & freeze small meals? “Dr Judy Morgan” has some really good easy recipes you can make & freeze…

Have a look at “Canidae” Pure Meadow Senior, it has supplements for aging dogs, Glucosamine, Chondroitin, Omega 3 & its low in fat-10.80%, Protein is 28% & the Kcals are 409, she will gain weight on this formula, if she doesnt have any health problems & she wont be getting the higher fat in her diet another really good dry food “Annamaet” Lean dogs do really well on but if she is fussy I’d be joining this group on face Book “Canine Pancreatitis Support Group” then look in the “Files” click on 2nd link “Low Fat Food” scroll down a bit & look at all the wet tin foods & the fat has been converted to Dry Matter (DM) heaps of good low-normal fat wet foods…..

[anonymous]

Zignature for a high quality kibble. Mighty Dog canned food, just a little mixed in to make it tasty, plus add a little warm water prior to serving.

That’s what I would try, assuming medical/dental issues have been ruled out via vet exam and the dog does not have any dietary restrictions.
Some seniors do better on soft food only.
A friend has a 13 year old small breed that does well on Blue canned food.

[a c]

I lost my 10 years old dog to lymphoma early this year. I don’t know if it has anything with the dog food. He has been on Hills Science Diet since he was a puppy – Science Diet puppy, active, then senior because that’s what our vets recommended. It never cross my mind that I need to think otherwise.

I wish I knew about dogfoodadvisor.com sooner.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Michael-

Currently, there is not an “official” nutrient profile established for senior dogs. AAFCO only has two profiles: Adult or Growth & Reproduction: /frequently-asked-questions/aafco-nutrient-profiles/

Therefore, each company that labels any of their recipes as senior is doing so using their own concept of what a senior dog food should be.

What exactly are you looking/hoping for in a food for your senior dog? Is your collie in good health? They are such beautiful smart dogs!

[InkedMarie]

Michael,
Is there a reason you want a senior food?

[Michael S]

I have an 11.5 yr old collie. I want a recommendation of a 4.5 or 5 star senior dog food.

Thank you

Michael

[a c]

I don’t know about Annamaet Ultra 32, but I started to feed my 10 years old Annamaet grain free lean reduced fat. Actually, half Annemaet and half Horizon Amicus senior & weight management. I switched to half Annemaet because of high calories(400 kcal/cup) in Amicus. So far so good. No problem at all.

[poodaddy]

Ahhh, it is the weekend again and time to post good stuff. A lot of the above sounds soooo familiar with our situation for our both dogs, plus we had many other simultaneous symptoms occurring with our dogs, inconsistent stools, anal gland flare-ups, tooth/gum issues, we had been “fighting” the symptoms for so long it seemed we were destined for either living with it or changing the outcome. We were at the 4-year mark with our two cockapoos and I had enough of the personal ignorance and following everyone’s prescriptions including our Vet’s. So,… the long road on research and learning began (and it still continues), discussions with our Vet at a far more informed level (or at least the level I could study to), lots of webinars listened to given by licensed Vets with pet nutrition specializations, and reading reading reading. Talking to senior GOV nutritionists including the USDA, talking with pet consultant business owners, etc – you get the idea now that this was a lot of figuring out stuff that I could find in one condensed place. The secret we eventually (over an intense investigation period of months) came to was that we needed to take charge of the food data and get it done (science-based input = good results/output). The bottom-line in our case is that until we went to a complete raw food diet (this means really knowing first-hand what we were doing), we were destined on a course of mediocrity or worse and chasing symptoms which I (we) had enough of. The addition of ground bones and connective tissue with the raw diet addressed many issues (but that is just the beginning of the solutions). The experience, learning, demystification of misinformation, disinformation, and anecdotal information that is “out there” is staggering. This whole experience of ours is one that is very enriching and I am on a quest to tell everyone I can about the lessons learned, the solutions put into practice, the observations and iterations to make tweeks to the raw diet, etc needed to take control. On the money side, we have avoided thousands of dollars and or lots of worrisome situations with our two dogs. Because cost comes up regularly, our food cost ranges from an average of $1.00-$1.25 per dog per day (13.5 lb and 15.5 lb) not including time to plan, design, iterate, shop, prepare, manufacture, bag, clean up. And our Vet just smiles at us when we go in for the check-ups and tells us congratulations, you have broken some barriers of ignorance and have the data to back up your “program”. So, we are on the quest to get this project done and share the nutrition model (and all that goes into it) with those who want or need to start where we are and not have to recreate it. The model is in the final phase of designing the menu analysis section for supplements needed (or not needed) but it is based on nutrition data. Disclaimer: the model does not address any aspect of diet for treating diagnosed disease(s). The model is about proper diet and maximizing probability of prevention of problems that can be avoided by applying nutrition science.

[Noelle M]

This is a hot topic for me lol
I have a dog with struvite stones and chronic utis.
Of course when we were given this diagnosis we were recommended a prescription diet from our vet. I immediately cringed at the ingredient list that was majority corn. There was no way I was going to feed my dog what was essentially corn meal with chicken fat half way down the list for the rest of his life. So I began my very long, very draining journey into finding a decent food that wouldn’t cause a flare up.
First I had to figure out WHY the prescription diets worked. Right on the Hill’s website they explain that the food contains controlled levels of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium to manage the development of stones.
So I took the calcium, phosphorus and magnesium levels from the prescription food and started comparing them to other foods. SO many foods. Many of which I had to email the company directly because they didn’t have those levels available online.
Essentially I looked for food with calcium and phosphorus levels below 1%, the lower the better. There are actually quite a few to choose from!
My boy has been on Performatrin Ultra Grain Free Senior for the past number of months, his meals are floated in water and I add a cranberry supplement. His condition has been kept 100% under control and he is doing wonderfully overall on this food.
Generally I have found that senior or large breed formulas are more likely to have sub 1% calcium and phosphorus.

Some of the brands I have found that could work are:
Performatrin Ultra Grain Free Senior
Nutram Sound Senior and Large Breed
Diamond Naturals Grain Free Chicken and Sweet Potato

I give bonus points to foods that contain cranberry already, though I continue to supplement it.

Bottom line is the prescription foods WILL work to treat a specific condition, but I personally could not bring myself to feed it long term based on the ingredient lists. There ARE decent quality foods out there that match or come close to matching the analysis of the prescription diets that should manage the dog’s symptoms and are generally much healthier overall. Look for subzero levels of calcium and phosphorus, float the food in water and consider a cranberry supplement.

Obviously I cannot gaurentee that any of these foods will work, but it is definitely worth a shot imo and has worked beautifully for my dog who had pretty severe and chronic symptoms.

Good luck!

[anonymous]

You’re welcome.
Glad you found my comments helpful. Continue to add water to her meals and offer frequent bathroom breaks, keep the bladder flushed.
Find a vet you can work with, I know that all the testing can add up $, but now that she has been stable for a year, ask the vet what tests you can skip or do less often.
With my dog, after he had no reoccurrences for over a year or two, plus he was a senior. My vet let me skip all the pH urine testing and x-rays. He said as long as he is not having symptoms, we are not going there. It depends on the dog, the type of stones, etc.

[a c]

I have been adding raw zucchini and yellow squash to their diet. They don’t care for raw broccoli. I tried broil baby kale and then cutting it up today, and they have no problem with it. I just love to give them some fresh veggies. I haven’t try okra. The only time I use okra is in the gumbo.

My 10 years old girl had pancreatitis once earlier this year after we gave her some leftover bbq. She really like it, but not her tummy. She end up getting IV therapy for 3 days, the metronidazole, and Science Diet ID.

Our vet recommended Purina One Smartblend Healthy Weight as maintenance, but it’s nothing but carbs. I tried Horizon Amicus Senior, but the calories are a little too high. I am now trying Annemaet reduced fat. Both are grain free. I will see how it goes. Ideally, I want to mix rotate a couple kibbles. I also add a little wet food or something we eat as the topper.

[Paula M]

Hi, my first post , I have a senior Akita 13 yrs old for a year now I can’t get rid of yeast in one of her ears, one is spotless the other treated the same for 9 months is still a problem . The vet suggested a hydrolysed protein prescription diet. My question is would it be bad to try it out in the meantime have her allergy blood test done before starting a new diet . and try to isolate the ingredient that she reacts to .
Positive screening for yeast no bacteria was done . Is there an alternative in the healthy wet food that would suit a yeasty dog. Low carbs , no potatoe grains or veg that has carbs . I’m going to give her oregano ,minerals, coconut oil Vit k omega oil and a few others . Has anyone had success without a prescription diet . Or anyone had good results from prescription diets. T tree oil belly bath when she licks herself she leaves red stain behind . She’ was treated for infection and daily ear wash’s .im trying witch hazel peroxide and vinager to clean her ears and make a rinse for in the bath not all at one mind . I know she’s had enough of a sore ear I went private using every penny I could find as the PDSA. Only helped up to a point . Thank you please help me help her 🐾

[Susan]

Hi Debbera,
Please be careful feeding fish dog foods, the brands & formula’s you have mentioned have tested 10 times higher the recommend dose for toxins & contaminate’s when these fish formula’s were tested both times the is yeay April & August both fish formula’s have come back very high in toxins & contaminates…..google “Toxins in pet foods” & the **** links will come up…
brands like Trudog, Great Life, “Canidae”, Dogswell, I & love & you, Pet Pride Kroger, Buckly Liberty all rated very well in both pet food testings…. it was their chicken, lamb & Beef formula’s…. The Fish formula’s seems to be very very high in toxins, no good for a dog with IBD, IBS or any health problems…

This happened with my IBD boy, his vet & I couldn’t work out why Patch was doing really then after I being introduced to American fish formula’s then around 3 months while eating these fish formula’s he would go down hill with all 3 different American fish brands he was eating, they didn’t have any ingredients he was sensitive too so it wasnt food intolerances cause I had done an food elimination diet the 12 months before & knew what ingredients he was sensitive too & avoided these ingredients, so we couldn’t work out what was wrong, then this year I read about some fish pet food being very high in toxins & seen these 3 brands/formula’s in the worse top 10 formula’s first & second testing list, they were 10 times higher the recommended amount for toxins & contaminates, I felt so bad I was poisoning my boy slowly……..now the only fish Patch gets is human grade Australian caught or NZ fish that I eat & his “K-9 Natural” freeze dried green lipped Mussels from New Zealand, he’s been doing heaps better with his IBD now & hasnt had another IBD flare since I’ve stopped feeding American fish kibbles……

When a dog is having mucus bloody soft poos normally means she is sensitive/intolerant to an ingredient in the formula she’s eating, Patch was doing condom poos I called them, looked like a condom was wrapped around his poos, or jelly poo’s, no vet diets worked for him, alot vet diets are higher in insoluble fiber & very low soluble fiber making poos slop cow pattie poo’s, later I worked out this is why some of these vet diet formula’s were not working & helping Patches IBD, vets don’t really know whats in these vet diets, I knew more then all of Patches vet knew about the vet diets they were recommending, then finally I read TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb & TOTW Pacific Stream Smoked Salmon formula’s were working for a lot of IBD & EPI dogs, these formula’s both are lower in fiber at 3%max but the TOTW Salmon formula kept making Patch vomit straight after he ate the salmon kibble then he was eating it again, I didnt know this cause I wouldn’t be home some times but I kept seeing a wet patch on the carpet then the cat dob him in one day she was burying nothing on the carpet that’s when I clicked, vomit was there & Patch was quickly eating the un digested kibbles back up leaving a wet spot on carpet, his poos were excellent within 2 days nice firm solid poos, then this year I seen this fish brand foods that made him vomit was on the highest toxins 2nd list testing & finally worked out why Patch was going down hill when he ate fish kibbles..

If you keep having problems with your girl then a cooked diet is probably best to feed even if 1 meal is cooked & 1 other meals are kibble, a few of the IBD/EPI groups the dogs are doing really well the “4health” Sensitive Care, Sensitive Stomach formula it has just Egg & Potato so very easy to break down & digest or the 4Health Sensitive Skin formula it has pea flour & hydrolzed Salmon, so the hydrolyzed salmon has been broken down for the dog, so very easy to digest good for diogs with IBD, in both formula’s the fat & protein isn’t really high, alot of dogs with IBD need lower fiber & protein diets & 4Health has all this… worth a try if your girl still not well, also the “Canidae” Pure Meadow Senior is really good for senior dogs & has all the supplements needed for aging dogs.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 1 month ago by pugmomsandy.

[Susan H]

A c. I actually used canned and rinsed them well because I had some on hand.
She also loved all kinds of vegetables, her favorite was stewed okra (I’m a southerner)

My Abigail had pancreatitis 3 times over the course of her almost 17 year life. She did not have naturally high triglycerides, fortunately. Just some missteps in her diet. One time I let my husband feed her taste of the wild canned lamb and he gave her too much, so off to the emergency vet we went. There is a product called Denesyl that you can use, it really helped with her liver enzymes.

I always fed grain free kibble. Mostly Blue Wildnerness, then the Blue Wilderness Senior but later I switched to Merrick’s Lil Plates grain free. I also topped it off with just a little grain free canned because she got tired of the food as she grew old.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 2 months ago by Susan H. Reason: Correct spelling

[a c]

I first stop giving my 10 years old Orijen senior after she has developed pancreatitis. I have tried several brands. Now I am trying Annemeat g/f low fat.

I also switched my puppy from Orijen puppy to Horizen Amicus puppy and Simply Nourish puppy.

There are so many information out there. It’s overwhelming. It’s difficult to tell which information is valid. The real question is do I want to give something with good quality or something with less toxin. What a hard choice!

[Lewis F]

We have a Cavapoo that is now on Origin Original which has an 18% Fat content; Orijen Senior has a 15% content. As for quality, Orijen is still rated very well. My little Poo has been on it since we brought her home.

If you want to stick with food made by Champion, you can also try Acana

• This reply was modified 8 years, 2 months ago by Lewis F.

[poodaddy]

Dr Sagman, how do members of your forum know what actions are being taken by those moderators with the authority to “ban”? Yesterday I was admitted to a forum and banned forever in a span of 3 hours – must be a new record. Is it possible to share or highlight examples of these trolls and the actions taken? If that is already done, pardon my ignorance and please share.

The reason I ask is two weeks ago I finally started reaching out to the www and took a step to join dog forums because I had exhausted a search for canine nutritionists interested in working with me on a project, and joined dogforum.com the same day I joined your forum then I was “banned forever” yesterday on dogforum.com within 2-3 hours of posting a reply to an individual seeking help about a dog viciously biting anyone including the owner when the dog had a sock and was approached. The advice being given to this poor lad was so lame it was shocking which was primarily “hide all your socks in the house” so I posted for him to quickly use corrective measures and highlighted one professional who has published techniques that will work (because I have selectively used his techniques for over 40 years) – Koehler for this type of condition. But, if not up to it, to retain a professional trainer who has the capability to deal with it before something really bad happens. I was immediately lifetime banned for posting SPAM and an individual as a “Senior Moderator” with alias “TSTrainer” posted a response requesting “poodaddy credentials” , did not allow a response to his post since when I tried to it was disallowed, and proceeded to post his/her reply to (1) medicate the dog and (2) get an animal behaviorist. Holy cow … poodaddy enters the world of forums and human dysfunction.

[anonymous]

@ Dana

Thanks. I often encourage posters to check the search engine at this site.
Example: /forums/topic/senior-chihuahua-mix-needing-joint-supplement/
But, I think folks are maybe hoping for some new and fresh ideas.

Can your Yorkie have an occasional bite of cooked skinless lean chicken breast?

[Susan]

Hi Panya,
I can’t stop laughting, Patch does the same his farts scare him when he’s sleeping & he farts he jumps up & runs off my bed lol when his farts are loud, he’s the same he doesn’t fart now he’s eating the right diet….
Go on Face Book & in the “Search” bar put “Canine Pancreatitis Support Group” join then look on your left & click on “Files” then click on first link “Low Fat Foods” you’ll see all low fat dry & wet tin foods, scroll down look at the wet canned low fat foods, I would be feeding a low fat wet tin food instead of dry kibble or feed low fat wet tin for 1 meal & dry low fat kibble for other meal…. Wet canned or cooked diet is heaps better for dogs who have suffered with Pancreatitis as kibble is harder to digest & is higher in carbs, the fat% has been converted in all these wet tin formula’s, the fat % is to your right, the fat % in raw & wet canned food hasn’t been converted to dry matter (Kibble)….Hills convert their fat % in all their vet diets but the other vet diets brands are not converted, so stay around 1-3% fat in wet tin foods when looking to buy any…
If you still want to feed a dry kibble look at “Canidae” Pure Meadow Senior, it’s low in Fat at 10.80% max, very easy to digest & has all the supplements for an aging dog…
always email the pet food companies & get the accurate max fat % & protein % in wet & dry food your thinking of feeding. I’ve already emailed Canidae & got the fat % in the Pure Meadow Senior, it’s a really good kibble it has No Prebiotic “Chicory Root” you will see a big improvement in your dogs skin coat & health while eating te Canidae Pure Meadow Senior formula there’s also Pure Resolve weight management but teh Senior has all te supplements to a senior dog & te fat % is the same..
Here’s Canidae’s site scroll down a bit & click on “VIEW ALL” on your left, click on page 3 has the Pure Meadow Senior & Page 5 has the Canidae All Life Stages Platinum Less Active kibble its low fat easying to digest & good for dogs with Pancreatitis. https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products

[crazy4cats]

Hi scottNY

Glad to hear your dog is doing well. The Earthborn you are feeding is very high in calories in my opinion. It has 445 calories per cup! I usually try to feed my large dogs kibble that is around 350 calories so I can feed them more food to keep them satisfied while keeping their weight under control.

I tend to lean towards weight control, large breed and/or senior foods. They are six year old neutered male labs. They did great on Authority’s GNC Pets Healthy Weight and Joint turkey formula. It’s a little higher in fiber, but not excessive keeping them fuller. It is not yet rated on this site last time I checked. But, I worry a lot less about stars these days and more about how my dogs do on the food and the reputation of the company that makes it.

Best wishes to you and your pup!

[Bobby dog]

Hi Virgina D:
I have had mostly good results when adding probiotics to my pets’ diet. I started out trying some commonly recommended OTC products such as yogurt, kiefer, and products for humans. My guys liked them, I did see some improvement for my dog, however not much for my cats.

Did some research, talked with my Vet, and came to the conclusion I needed products specially formulated for a cat or dog. I now only use Forti Flora when I need a probiotic for my dog or cats. I have had great results using it for my dog and one of my two cats. It was a great appetite stimulant for one cat, but it did not help him digestive wise; he was very sick and on hospice care. My other cat responded very well and is currently on them again.

Probiotics also made a world of difference for my senior horse in his final year. He was 35 and eventually his body gave way, but he managed to keep decent weight on after the addition of probiotics.

I only use probiotics recommended by my Vets.

IMO it’s worth a try for your pup. The food he’s eating now is marketed as an limited ingredient diet so that should be a plus as well. I used to feed Cali Nat’l cat food before they discontinued it. Good luck!

Here’s some short articles on the subject:

Good Bugs/Bad Bugs – The Confusing World of Probiotic Supplements

http://news.vet.tufts.edu/2016/11/should-your-dog-be-taking-a-probiotic/

http://www.petmd.com/dog/general-health/probiotics-dogs-what-you-need-know

[InkedMarie]

Do a google search on your subject. A few years back, the Whole Dog Journal had an article with supplement suggeststions. At the time, Neutricks worked for the senior dog I had.

[Susie]

I hope your doggy feels better soon. My 11 year old chihuahua was restless for a while at night. He would awake from a deep sleep during the night and sit up. He would get water, hack, and go back to sleep. His abdomen was tight and he hacked. He never had bowel issues nor did he vomit. He was diagnosed with IBD and collapsed trachea. I feel like most of his issues were IBD related. He was critically low on b12 and folate. He was treated with a few antibiotics and finally got better. We did have to put him on a very simple diet for a month to calm is GI down. We boiled yams and lean turkey and he had turkey yam mash. Now he eats The Honest Kitchen Zeal. We try to keep his fat and fiber low. I’m telling you all of this in case you can relate and apply anything to help your dog. I am sad that our dogs have to age and heir health declines. I have four seniors but I’m hoping they live to be 20 and yours can too. ❤️

[anonymous]

I have given rimadyl to 3 or 4 or 5 dogs (maybe more) over the years for short term pain relief with excellent results
No side effects observed. However, one senior small breed (spinal degeneration) did have diarrhea after 3 good months on the medication, symptoms cleared up within a week of the med being stopped.
I have also given tramadol with okay results, no observed side effects.

All effective medications have potential side effects.

[Susan]

Hi Erik,
have a look at “Canidae” Pure Formula’s, Petite Pure formula’s & the All Life Stages formula’s rotate between a few different formula’s with different proteins, all the kibble size are nice & small & as soon as teh dog bites the kibble it crunches & breaks, breaks very easily..
I do the kibble test for my boy cause he has IBD he needs an easy to digest kibble, no hard kibbles that just sit in his stomach & don’t digest then he vomits them back up 6-8hours later, you get a glass/cup of warm water & drop in about 2 kibbles in the glass of water, a good easy to chew & digest kibble will float to the top of water & only take about 15-40mins to go soft all the way thru, Canidae only take 20mins & the kibble swells & is soft all the way thru…
if your other dog is around 7yrs old the Canidae Pure Meadow Senior is a really good kibble it has 3 meat proteins, 1st ingredient-Chicken, 2nd-Chicken Meal, 3rd-Turkey Meal, then 4th-Sweet potatoes + all the supplements needed as they age…or look at Canidae’s other “Pure” formula’s, click on link below scroll down a bit & on your right you’ll see “View All” click on the pages…
https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products

[Susan]

Hi Darlene,
He sounds like he has a lot of life left in him & has a exciting little life, going on daily walks, chasing squirrels, I’d say the Wellness Core Small Breed isn’t agreeing with him anymore it’s way to rich now for an older dog….Wellness Core Small breed is higher in fat & protein, probably causing bad wind pain like my boy gets when he eats a kibble that doesnt agree with him, he wakes up & is up & down thru the night & just walks around the common garden area then he comes back inside, I’d say he’s farting then feels better then my boy comes back inside goes to bed then he’s up again wanting to go out again, see how he goes after eating the Hills I/d wet tin food see if he settle down, cause he’s normal thru the day isn’t he??

I’d feed the Hills I/d low fat Restore wet canned food & also a Senior kibble like “Canidae” Pure Meadow Senior if he still wants a few dry kibble bisuits to chew & crunch on, Canidae Pure Meadow Senior formula is GF very easy to chew & digest, only has 10.80%max fat & has all the supplements older dogs need for their joints, skin, brain, heart etc, I’d start feeding smaller meals thru the day/night, I feed 4-5 meals a day 7am, 9am, 12pm, 5pm, 8pm….easier to digest smaller meals then 2 bigger meals.
You could feed 1-2 meals a dry kibble like the “Canidae” Senior kibble & the rest of his meals he gets the I/D Restore wet tin food & see if he gets better thru the night. Ask vet about “Gabapentin” capsules, it helps them sleep at night, helps any joint or nerve pain & doesn’t cause any stomach/bowel problems, if your on facebook, put “Canine Pancreatitis Support” group in the “search” bar, join then on ur left is their “Files” click & then click on the first link “Low Fat Foods” then scroll down a bit till you get to all the wet tin foods, the fat has been converted to dry matter (DM) fat (Kibble) on your right, then he can have a few different flavours & see which one he really likes best..
Here’s Canidae’s site to look at the dry formula’s but the wet tin foods haven’t been converted & probably will be too high in fat for him, when you see say 5%min fat on a wet tin food after it’s converted to dry matter 5%min fat is around 20%min -25%max fat that’s way too high…
https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products

[anonymous]

Hard to tell, senior small breeds can have spinal degeneration, that might cause spasms and pain?
Keep an eye on it. Is her back arching? Don’t let her jump up on couches and stuff. Maybe less activity for now, check with your vet.

[anonymous]

Any changes in appetite? Behavior?
If not, I go by a 72 hour rule, if it get’s worse, or continues, go to the vet.

If you have a good relationship with your vet, leave a message for the vet to call you back when he has a minute. As a senior dog, it could be anything, impossible for anyone over the intrernet to diagnose.

PS: Panting usually indicates pain and/or anxiety.

[Susan]

Hi Lori J,
are you washing your dog paws in “Malaseb” medicated shampoo, the Malaseb is excellent for yeasty paws, skin & kills the yeast & bacteria & can be used daily as it’s a mild shampoo, it keeps the skin beautiful soft & moist….
You have to work out what foods your dog is sensitive too & what is causing the yeasty paws, it might be a grass allergy? it may be food sesnitivities? that’s a MYTH about potatoes all starchy foods causing yeast in dogs, it’s only when the dog has a senstivities to certain ingredients it starts to react itch & scratch & get yeasty smelly paws, ears, skin, gas, sloppy poo’s etc.. Yeast happens when the dog has become very sensitive to an ingredient he’s eating or environment alergies.
Start your boy on a good probiotic as well, Probiotics are best given inbetween meal, when stomach acid is low in stomach, its normally when you wake first thing of a morning or I just give inbetween meal, I buy & givemy boy the “Yakult” probiotic drink, you buy at the supermarket, Patch gets 1/4 & I drink the rest, cost about 40 -50c a day they come 5 in a pack sold in the fridge section where the milk normally is.

Have a look at “Canidae” the Pure Formula’s, the “Pure Meadow” Senior is really good formula to feed a senior dog you’ll see a big change within 3 weeks, or look at the “Pure Wild” Boar, they are money back guaranteed if you have any problems & email for teh sodium % but I’m pretty sure the sodium is low here’s the link sometimes it’s best to pay a little bit more for a dogs food then it saves the dog not getting itchy yeasty skin & an expensive trip to the vets & medications.
Canidae do make a cheaper food called “Under the Sun” that also has had great reviews. https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products

Your best to join this group on facebook called “Dogs issues, allergies and other information” group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/240043826044760/
& get some correct advise from a Vet Dermatoligist that specializes in the skin & dogs with other health problems & other people that have dealt with the same health problems as your boy has, there’s heaps of really good advice & if any advice given is in correct, Admin steps in & corrects it, epecially about potatoes causing yeast in dogs, its one of the most posted posts cause of all the lies on the internet, it’s a really positive group it’s also has a Dermatologist, Karen Helton Rhodes DVM DACVD who frequents the group & she has her own f/b group called “Canine Skin Solutions inc” she’ll answer any questions you may have. Here’s one of her links “Facts & Myths about Yeast Dermatitis in Dogs” http://www.healthyskin4dogs.com/blog/2015/9/8/facts-myths-about-yeast-dermatitis-in-dogs
Your best to wash paws daily in an anti fungal medicated shampoo like “Malaseb” & wash off any allergens on his paws & any yaest off his paws to make him comfortable & to feed a diet that your boy hasn’t eaten much off or eaten before so he probably won’t be sensitive too those ingredients but it’s best to do elimination food diet & work out what ingredients he’s sensitive too ??
I use creams on my boy yeasty paws, I have found creams to work the best, apply after you have wash his paws, my vet recommends Hydrocortisone 1% cream it’s sold in Walmart probably under a different name, you lightly apply before bed & during the day if dog seems stressed about his paws & is chewing & licking them, then you can put on some socks, I use those elastic bandages, you cut amount needed & use the bandage tape to stay on, this is if the socks keep falling off but this is only needed if he’s licking his paws thru the day or night & won’t stop his licking them making his paws worse & red, best the air gets to his paws thru the day, I also use another cream called “Sudocrem” of a morning before he goes outside, Sudocrem is in the baby section or sold on Amazon or Ebay, the Sudocrem acts a barrier & protects the paws from allergens like grass, dirt etc when walking outside & the Sudocrem stops the paws from itching & stops the reddness, Sudocrem is for Dermatitis, Eczema, Nappy Rash, Pressure Sores in Australia it’s a very popular cream for dogs with skin problems & babies as well at a good price around $8 & it last forever, you can look up the ingredients & try & find a cream that has very similair ingredients, a lady from the F/B Dogs issues & allergies group found a cream with very similiar ingredients to the Sudocrem that worked for her dog itchy yeasty paws but I can’t remember the name of teh cream, I should of written it down, once you change Teds diet, start bathing & washing his paws & body at least twice a week & using the creams, you’ll see a big difference in Ted he’ll be happier comfortable & acting like a young pup, my neighbour has an aging dog as soon as he started to eat the new Canidae Pure Meadow Senior kibble after just a couple of weeeks he was like a young pup again, his skin & coat looks heaps better & nice shinny, no more bold patches, his fur has all grown back, he’s like a different dog, just changing a dogs diet can make a real big difference….
Good-Luck hope Ted feels better real soon, I have to go & bath Patch its his weekly bath today, now I have everything under control he’s doing real well, I hate giving him baths but its just something I have to do other wise I have a itchy whinging dog telling me he’s itchy he starts to get cranky rubbing & slidding his body on the carpet, he has seasonal enviornment allergies & food sensitivities….
Spring has just started in Australia & it’s going to be a hot Summer, you might find Ted is better thru the cooler Winter months as long as he’s eating the right diet he isn’t sensitive too & then Spring/Summer comes around & Ted starts to get real itchy & smelly again, that’s Seasonal Environment Allergies..

[a c]

Thank you, Susan. I can use more wet can food. I already used Natural Receipe wet foods as topper per your earlier recommendation. 😀

Both kibbles I used are low fat. Horizon Amicus Senior and Weight management. Protein 33% Fat 11.67% minimum and 13.33% maximum Fiber 4.25% calorie 400. Purina One Smartblend Healthy Weight. Protein 31% Fat 11% minimum 13.6% maximum Fiber 6.25% calorie 320. All in dry matter.

The lower of protein and fat means higher carbohydrates which means fillers. Many of the best low fat dry dog foods recommended by this site have carbohydrates between 50-61% with the exception of Premium Edge Healthy Wright with 38% carbs 49% protein and 13% fat in dry matter.

I guess I can also broil some chicken or turkey breast.

[anonymous]

Has the dog had a senior workup? Labs? Neurology consult?
If not, that would be the only way to accurately diagnose him. Anything else is guesswork.
If it is not within your means, or you are not willing to have a complete workup $ done on an old dog.
Tell your vet, I mean you could spend a few hundred on x-rays and such only to be told he has an inoperable brain tumor (a cause of late in life canine seizures).
The other option would be to focus on care and comfort which may include anti-seizure medication, this may do the trick and keep your dog comfortable as it would stop the seizure activity. Read some of my prior posts in this thread. Good luck.
PS: I agree with your vet, I don’t think it’s his stomach (based on the info you have provided)
But, then again, sometimes they have more than one thing going on.
If your regular vet is willing to treat him for seizures (1 or more seizures per month) with medication, I would start there.

[Susan]

Hi Croeber,
I think it is really important to rotate between diiferent brands & feed a diffferent meat protein source & different ingredients, a rotational diet allows a beter chance of providing a more complete & balanced diet, while most dog food sold has been balanced to meet nutritional guidelines there’s always a chance that one brand might be a little deficient in a nutrient compared to another brand, by rotating a variety of foods your pet is less likely to suffer any deficiencies & rotating helps strengthen the dogs immune system & may reduce the risk off allergies or sypmtoms developing later on as teh y age this is very important for young animals…
You know your girl does well on Merrick so now look for another brand with a different protein source & different ingrdients but stay around the same protein % & fat % it doesnt have to be exactly the same fat & protein 1-3% higher or lower… some people rotate with the same brand that’s not a good idea, say that brand has toxins or high contaminates in their fish formula then the other formulas may also have the fish meal or whatever is in that brands meats etc so best to look for another brand it doesn’t have to be real expessive to be really good, look at “Clean Label Project” pet food testings some of the very expensive brands had the highest toxins & Purina got 4-5 stars ause of the lean meats tehy buy, Turkey & Chicken are suppose to be very clean meats….

I can’t be too fussy with what I feed my boy, I have to feed him what agrees with him, he was a rescue I rescued at age 4, he suffers with IBD, Skin Allergies & food intolerances, vets & his nutritionist said he probably was feed the same cheap Aldis dog food & when he was reacting with diarrhea & vomiting the owner didn’t bother changing his food or the owner changed & feed another poor quality brand that had the ingredients he was sensitive too & was reacting too, he is a prime example of a dog feed a very poor diet & was never introduced to a lot of different foods…probably why he ended up at the pound cause of his IBD, when I got him he was pooing blood & weeing blood, vet said the weeing blood would have been from being used for breeding..
I’m feed “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb grain free with Lamb meal, sweet potato, potato, peas, egg, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, formula, TOTW Roasted Lamb is Patches go to kibble that he does the best on so far…
I’ve just finished introducing Hills Science Diet, Sensitive Skin formula it’s a grain formula with rice, corn, pork meal & egg formula, I’m trying this in my rotation cause it has Pork Meal & Hills gave me a free voucher-$140, my IBD boy does really well on his cooked Pork rissoles & Sweet potato, so when I saw Hills had a Pork meal formula I had to try it & see how he does on it & he’s doing really wll he gets bad acid reflux so its very hard finding foods that agrees with his stomach & he doesn’t grind his teeth & doesn’t swollow & swollow & lick his lips, I was rotating & feed “Canidae” Pure Wild Boar & I tried the Pure Meadow Senior, “Canidae has some really good grain free & grain kibbles….
I have to give treats instead of adding foods to his kibble, he gets 1-2 freeze dried, “K-9 Natural” Green Lipped Mussels, the mussel shell is high in Glucosamine & Chondroitin for his joints & bones.
“Love Em” Mini Cookies Chicken Liver & Cranberry with DHA for immune support biscuits an Australian Brand, I’ve just started these, he was getting peeled apple pieces, he gets his Yakult probiotic drink, he gets about 1/4 of the Yakult probiotic drink in between feeds when his stomach acids are low so they dont kill the live bacteria in te probiotic & I drink the rest of te Yakult drink, he gets his yogurt ice cream only about 1 teaspoon after his dinner & if I’m running late or on the computer he tells me about his ice cream yogurt he whinges & barks at me till I get it out of the freezer. I can’t remember what else he gets at teh moment, I’ve had him 5 yrs this November & he has tried heaps & different brand kibbles & foods the Australian kibble brands are really good but some are way to high in protein & fat for him, no vet diets have worked for Patch, TOTW has been the best dry kibble so far that covers all his health problems, I’ve strengthen his gut (immune system) heaps since I got him 5 yrs ago he was always very sick before, but now he has a beautiful shinny coat, he is very healthy runs, jumps acts like a puppy doesnt seem to have any arthritis yet, (fingers X) he’ll be 9 years old on the 20th Novemeber & it’s the same day I rescued him 5 years ago his “Got You Day” he was being Put To Sleep on his birthday..

Steve Brown was asked if you had to pick 1 food to add to your dogs diet to make it healthier what would you add & Steve said, “Mussels” you can buy them in the freezer section or buy freeze dried mussels, Mussels are very healthy they have Manganese, Iodine, Fats, Vitamin D he said alot of raw diets are short of Manganese, Iodine fats & Vitamin D so add about 1-2 mussels a day + 1 tablespoon salmon & a pinch of Kelp to your dogs diet….

Follow “Rodney Habib” on his face Book page, you’ll learn heaps about adding really good healthy fresh whole foods to your dogs diet…
Sounds like your doing a pretty good job already….

[suztzu]

Hello, does anyone use The Honest kitchen base mix Preference and how does it work for you ? I am thinking of switching my dogs over and adding my own meats anyones experience with this would be welcome thanks. I have a senior shih tzu with cushings and a overweight pom they are eating Fromm chicken ala veg with Weruva canned now Thanks again Susan

[Susan]

Hi Mary,
take the Royal Canine back to vet, all vet diets are money back guranteed, ask the vet nurse at the front desk can you try the “Hills” Metabolic + Mobility Tuna stew canned food instead there’s also the matching dry formula, there’s NO green lipped Mussel in the wet tin food or the dry that I could see, the wet formula will be nicer to eat & have better ingredients, ask vet can you buy 1 can then if he eats it, buy the 12 pack cartoon or get a script to buy online, it will probably be cheaper online….Hills must add something to make all their food more palatable my boy loves the Hills foods but he wasnt as keen on the Royal Canine vet diets.
or look at the “Canidae” Pure Meadow Senior dry formula, it’s high in omega 3 & has Glucomine + Chondroitin, the old dog up the rd acts like a young pup again since eating the “Canidae” Pure Meadow Senior formula….https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products

You could rotate different meals, Patch eats 4 smaller meals a day, I feed his TOTW at 7am & 5pm then 12pm & 8pm feed, I feed something else either wet tin, cooked, or another brand of dry food & rotate everything….
I was taking Green Lipped Mussel and Turmeric with BioP & the Green Lipped Mussel would repeat on me, I’d burp it back up but it did help with my joint pain but I couldnt handle the taste coming back up, now I’m trying Glucosamine + Chondroitin joint repair it doesn’t repeat on me……
When your weather starts cooling down a bit get those heat packs, I’ve got the wheat heat pack, you put in microwave for 2 mins, make your boy lay on his side & place 1 heat pack on his shoulder area & another heat pack on side of his hip & a electric banket for the other side of his body to lay on, you can buy those heated pet beds the heat really helps the joint pain, he’ll look like a heated sandwich lol
after I go to Physiotherapy once a week, he puts the heat pack on my neck/shoulder & another heat pack on my lower back & gives me a light massage, I feel really good afterwards…