[Chris S]

A year ago the vet a heart murmur in my 7 year old Cavalier. In searching for help, I have found a few websites that recommend certain supplements & food for him that are suppose to help with this health issue. All of the info seems to make sense, but I am looking for other dog owners that also have dogs with this problem to see what they have found to help.

I know there a several other breeds that have the same problem…such as dachshund, terriers, chin, etc. So I am assuming there are many owners dealing with this problem.

I would like suggestions as to good food & supplements that have had some positive effect on dogs with this problem. Also what brands of supplements to use. Its difficult to find objective reviews & recommendations for natural supplements for humans…so finding the same thing for animals is even more difficult.

Thanks for any help!!

[Zach M]

C4C, I just use kefir for the wide variety of friendly bacteria it contains. There are also some studies that show kefir fights against salmonella, and I supplement with raw so I feel if this is true it will help. Even more benefits include helping protect against allergies, helping the digestive tract, and defending against bloating and heart burn. I feel like there are noticeable differences in her health. And i am glad you like this topic guys!
Nice choices too, Dori and Bobby Dog!

[Becky H]

Should I introduce each ingredient of my supergreen mixture separately to make sure there are no allergies? I’m thinking back to when I gave my kids new food, I didn’t give them all at once. The supergreen mixture I’m going to give has alfalfa, kelp, chlorella, wheat grass, and spirulina. My newfie is 14 weeks old and is getting Fromm’s Large Breed Puppy Food, but I want to supplement some greens.
Thanks for any advice!

[crazy4cats]

Hi dana-
I’m so jealous that you can get such a good price on the food! That’s awesome! Another thing that you can do to help with the transition is to include probiotics and/or digestive enzymes in their diets. A favorite supplement on this site is, Perfect Form made by The Honest Kitchen. Sometimes it is hard to find so I usually order it online from Amazon. It could help with the gas issue. I hope it works out!

[Laurel S]

Hello – Happy to have found this forum. We have a 5 year old Aussie Mix who is also seizure prone. No medication, and has had about 6 seizures over 5 years, but very serious grand mal variety. I have had good luck with removing Rosemary from his diet as well. As others have said, better safe than sorry. We have also added a supplement called Cholodine that was recommended by our vet. While he does still have seizures, I’m sure there are other triggers that we have not identified that are at work, but at least they are very infrequent since changing his diet.

As far as food, at the time (several years ago) one of the only dry foods I could find that didn’t include Rosemary was Natural Balance Ltd Ingredient Sweet Potato and Fish. Only available near us (Illinois) from Petco. We were sailing along until Del Monte purchased Natural Balance last summer. Since then I’ve been keeping an eye on them closely. Recently I’ve read about several issues with their foods, not necessarily the dry, but feel it’s only a matter of time.

I too, have been looking to make a change. Heard recently about American Natural Premium made in Mequon, WI. They make several grain free options (I don’t think potatoes are considered a grain). There’s also some question whether this food is actually a part of Fromm (also made in Mequon), but for legal reasons they won’t actually claim that, however ANP was a bit more vague about it so I’m curious for sure. Fromm is a very well respected company with no recalls and family owned and operated since i think 1949. American Natural Premium, I believe, is more of a private label, not advertised, etc., and therefore less expensive.

I’m curious if anyone has used either Fromm Grain Free dry or American Natural Premium Grain Free varieties for there seizure prone dogs. Appreciate any and all info. Reading this forum it’s helpful to know others are dealing with the same issues and just trying to look out for our doggies best interests 🙂

[Barbara M]

@Derek L the antibiotics was for the UTI not the crystals. The crystals require either a prescription for or wet food and increased water. I use solid gold berry supplement and someone recommended above Cranimals supplement. Nate I ise Blue Buffalo grain free turkey and potato I think the flavor is.

[Bobby dog]

Ryan K:
Have you tried adding a fiber supplement to a food?

[Derek L]

Thanks Nate i’ll take a look.

So background. I noticed my dog had red in his urine when marking so I immediately took him to the vet. It was a UTI. The vet found the struvite crystals and then gave him a few rounds of antibiotics. Each with a urinalysis afterwards to see how he was doing. He didn’t give me much feedback aside from either do a $200 test to check which antibiotics would work or continue giving him what he already was.

I wasn’t pleased with his answers and ability to really help me understand. I’ve then used the vitamin c and cranberry supplement, incorporated more wet food into his diet and tried to further encourage my dog to drink more water.

I’ve been monitoring and trying to find a better vet in the process. Any next steps that I may be missing?

[Derek L]

Does anyone else have tips to encourage drinking water?

I have added much more wet food for moisture, there is fresh water out but i’m not sure what else I can do to encourage my dog to drink water.

He’s had struvite for a few months now and the antiobiotics didn’t seem to do too much. I purchased the cranberry vitamin C supplement to assist but I notice his urine is a lighter yellow but still noticeable. The vet I visited did not provide me much quality input and I am looking for another vet.

Should I be looking into a urinalysis?

[crazy4cats]

Melissa-
I’m going to bet that your neighbor’s dog has dental issues. Quality canned dog food does not cause bad breath. How about making up a batch of the home made recipe that was posted and just use it as meal mixer in the kibble?

Also, there is Fresh Pet Select that comes either rolled or kibble form. I don’t think that it is as “yucky” as canned food. I would rather use it than canned for my dogs, but it is a bit too expensive to feed regularly to my crew.

BTW, Did you notice that the recipe called for a Centrum adult multivitamin as a supplement? Maybe you should start giving them one now until they start getting well balanced meals.

One of my dogs quit eating a while back which was really really strange for him. Took him to the vet concerned about his teeth, but it turned out he had a swollen salivary gland on his tongue. He had to be put under and have it drained. Thank goodness it has not reoccurred. If it’s not one thing, it’s another!

[Nate D]

Here’s a quick update after making some phone calls.
My dog will be going on the Science Diet for 2 weeks. I actually already started. Went and picked it up. After that if there are no crystals I was told I can go back on the dry food, I just need to add water to it……or I can mix wet and dry and add water. I’m told the solid gold supplement is also ok once off of the SD.
So I will still use dry food, but will mix it with wet. I just can’t afford all wet.
I’m also looking at switching the dry food to grain free. The big problem is with Doxies it’s not easy finding a food they won’t gain weight from no matter how little food you give them. Fromm Gold Weight Management has been the only food that keeps both of my dogs stable and where they should be. They do have a new weight management formula, but I don’t believe it’s grain free either. I have tried grain free in the past, but they just kept slowly putting on the weight. Even tried Wellness Core Reduced Fat. I kept lowering the amount I gave them, but anymore they wouldn’t have any. lol
I see Merrick has a grain free low cal dry food as well as canned. I’m also looking at Evo and Fromm for canned food. Natural Balance has a low cal food as well, but doesn’t look as good as the others, but it is more affordable. By Nature looks good as well.
The Evo dry looks good, but the protein is extremely high. I tried that route with Orijen and Acana before but that high just made their stools very soft and they farted all of the time. lol Not to mention my females anal glands were over active on very high protein.
What brands of foods are you all feeding your dogs that had crystals?

[Barbara M]

I read that people have rid Struvite with supplements alone, but I trust my vet and took his preferred course of action and then did my own research for after. That’s how I found Solid Gold. I started her on the solid gold right after the crystals dissolved. I believe the s/d food has a higher level off salt which is why they drink more and wet food has more water in it as well. Keep us posted Nate. You are a good pet parentnfor exploring what’s best and not what’s easy!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Nate-
If you do decide to go with the prescription food, I think I’ve read not to give any of the acidifying supplements. Definitely check with the vet on that. I believe it would be harmful to do both. So many opinions. Good luck!

[Laurie B]

I used all supplements to get rid of my girl’s struvites. So saying that supplements are preventative, and not curative, is incorrect. I’m not a vet, and what I did may not work for all dogs. I used a high protein food (and yes, it was kibble!) along with D Mannose (a highly concentrated cranberry) and 500 mg of vitamin C with every meal. Lots of distilled water available. I tested her pH once a week, and when we got it down to 6 and held for a couple of weeks, retested. Crystals were gone. First, what the vet recommends to feed makes them drink/urinate more, which flushes the crystals out. I’ve never heard that the C/D food actually dissolves them. Might be true, but in my research, I never heard it. It’s also made of crap ingredients, which I’d never feed my dogs. Acidifying actually does dissolve them. She’s been crystal free since then, and every couple of months, I supplement her for about a week again. Just my two cents.

[weezerweeks]

That sounds great my YORKIES went from 8 to 6.5 in a month. I also used the solid gold supplement. The canned foods that I use are wellness stews, go fit, simply nourish and all canned that are below average in carbs and below or near average in fat. They will do great with the diet change. Good luck

[Nate D]

Thanks everyone! I’ll report back soon.
I think what I will do is put her on canned prescription food to get rid of the crystals then switch back to other wet food and give the solid gold supplement on top of it.

[crazy4cats]

Nate-
I agree the kibble ingredients aren’t great. What little kibble I give him, I feed the Royal Canin dry urinary Rx food. I thought it was better than the Hill’s. I rotate between the hills c/d and the Purina c/d wet foods. Now I’m only feeding about half prescription and half regular canned with a small amount of Rx RC kibble. If his next urinalysis is good in about a month, I’ll even feed less of it.

I don’t agree that the vets are selling Hill’s just to make money. However, that is another subject! Lol! I have contacted two holistic vets and they both agreed that this is the one and only condition that they would recommend the hills c/d or s/d temporarily to dissolve the crystals. It may be different for a dog, though. And everything else I’ve read says to definitely keep any kibble to a minimum. The d-mannose supplement comes up quite a bit too. Im going to check that out when I get him off the Rx food. Good luck to you. Let us know what other info you come across. It could be helpful to all of us.

[Nate D]

crazy4cats thanks for the reply to my post. Although I do agree that the Science Diet works for most I can see why because of it’s ingredients which are just fillers. I just don’t believe this is the route to go nor the only solution like my vet said. I think of it more as a temp. solution since Dachshund’s are crystal prone. I haven’t decided if I want to use it for 2 weeks, but corn, wheat, soy, etc. that is in it is imo not healthy at all regardless of it if works or not and I feel I’ll be depriving my dog of other nutrients. I may try the supplements for 2 weeks then retest and go from there. I am however going to be switching to a holistic vet or at least one that doesn’t just push science diet as every solution is just for their profits. I have been to another non holistic vet in the past who didn’t believe in Science Diet at all and said they would never feed it to a pet, but they are a bit of a drive. I am looking into switching to wet food instead of dry, but of course wet food is much more expensive. I think highly of Fromm so I’ll have to look into their wet food selection.
I have been feeding them more frequently lately instead of just twice a day. As far as stress levels nothing different or changes….besides going to the vet. lol
I won’t totally rule out the S.D., but will look at other options before and the S.D. will be last.
We had the urinalysis done along with a blood profile because our male has been on and off of Rovera (Carprofin) for his back so for him it was to mainly to make sure he’s doing ok from having been on NSAID’s. My female didn’t do well on it for her back as she has back issues as well, but do give her aspirin rarely when needed.
Since I was having my male tested I thought I might as well have both tested. I’ve never had a blood profile done on her before anyways, just him so that was another reason to have it done. Over all though the vet said they are both very healthy and am amazed at how well their teeth are, etc…
Just the ph issue and crystals I have to work on which I will.

weezerweeks, also thanks for the reply. I will defiantly look into wet food.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Nate-
The good news is that Struvite crystals are dissolvable. The other types are not. The bad news is that Hill’s Science diet has been proven to dissolve them. The Hill’s s/d is to be fed only short term to dissolve them and the c/d can be fed long term to prevent them. My cat had Struvite crystals as well and I wish that I had fed the Hill’s when I suspected a problem. It may have saved him from a blockage.

While that is much less likely to happen to a dog, they still may be painful for him because they are sharp little suckers. You want to feed as much moisture as possible to flush them out, so getting the fountain was a great start. I would also try to feed as much canned or raw food as possible. Dry kibble is not the best option.
Another helpful bit advice that I’ve learned is that feeding smaller meals more often per day helps to keep the pH more steady. I now feed him 3 times per day. Also try to keep the dog’s stress level as low as possible. I think that was one of my cat’s biggest issues. We had a lot of changes in our household. Our son moved home, we stopped kenneling the dogs in the house, his litter boxes got moved and to top it off, I switched brands of litter! Does your dog have anxiety or had some changes lately? Did you have a urinalysis because you suspected something or was it routine?
After my episode, I would definitely follow the vet’s advice and use the Hill’s to dissolve the crystals and then go from there. After using it for a month, Casper’s crystals are gone, there is no blood or infection. It has been four months now and I am slowly weaning him off the prescription food. But I still feed mostly canned. His ordeal almost killed him so I’m being very careful!
So in conclusion, 1. Dissolve the crystals with the Rx food 2. Moisture, moisture, and more moisture, 3. Small frequent meals and 4. Reduce stress as much as possible. Then maybe you can start to use those supplements rather than the yucky food. And I do agree it seems yucky, but it did work for my cat who is lucky to be alive! Anyway, you will get other ideas as well. But that is my two cents. Good luck!

[Nate D]

I’m happy to have found this forum. Just found out both of my Dachshunds have high ph. One has 7.5 and the other 8.0. My female has crystals in her urine, not my male, but the vet didn’t say anything about an affection. All he said was to put her on Science Diet prescription for 2 weeks, but as everyone knows it just a bland acidic diet full of junk.
When asked if there’s anything I could do besides the food he just said no.
I asked about vitamin c which he put one of my dogs on before and he not only asked if they were ever on it before (he should know they were as his records/notes were in front of him, but said it wouldn’t help with anything but the ph.
I feed them Fromm Gold Weight Management and am now giving them vitamin c again. I’m also mixing distilled water with the filtered water I get for the house. I use a fountain for them which has a filter in it which does make them drink more. The filtered water I get for the house has a neutral ph of 6.0, but between that, the rich food they are on, and the filter in their water fountain, I wonder if that’s whats causing the high ph levels.
I work from home so letting them out to go to the bathroom isn’t an issue. They get let out a lot.
I see the Solid Gold supplement looks like a great product and something I’m willing to try. The cranimals sounds good as well, but I’m not sure which one would be better.
I’ll try anything besides using Science Diet. That would be my last solution.
I am going to look for a new vet as I’m not happy with him just saying the Science Diet is the only solution.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Nate D.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Nate D.

[joyce h]

Hi Everyone, I’m Joyce and I am also new to the forum…ready to learn and exchange ideas. I’m a positive dog trainer that used to feed her dogs raw years ago and stopped for some unremembered reason. I’m BACK!! A lot had changed in the arena.
At another trainers recommendation I’m trying a raw food called “Tucker’s’ (www.tuckersraw.com). I looked it up on DFA and it’s not listed…so, don’t really know what that means…has anyone heard of it? It’s complete and balanced.

I also bought a 3/4 horse power grinder (that can easily grind any and all chicken bones) in hopes of making some raw ‘patties’ to freeze of my own. Bought Dr Karen Becker’s book on Raw Food , but hadn’t yet actually tired any specific recipe yet. I’ve been watching her on YouTube speaking on raw food and it’s advantages.
I noted that she was against mixing raw and kibble together as it moves thru the short digestive track at different rates which is not good for proper absorption…just an informational thought 🙂
So…is anyone grinding their own raw dog food and freezing it? I understand that if you do this you will need to add supplements for sure for it to be complete and balanced.
Looks like a great forum…thanks for any comments or help you can give…Joyce

[dana i]

Hi! I’ve been reading this forum all day today, but am overwhelmed by all the choices. I’d really love to hear people’s actual experiences and thoughts– what is on paper does not always match what makes the dogs happy and healthy.

I have two lab mix dogs– both rescues.
Diesel is a 1 year old Lab/Shephard mix who has allergies. 65# dog
Dudley is a 1 1/2 year old lab/Greyhound mix who has gas issues when he eats ANYTHING other than the current food… (even treats) 83# dog

They were both given horrible diets before they came to me.
I have them on Science Diet Lamb and Rice Large Breed formula.

At the time, it’s the ONLY thing that I found that helped Diesel’s allergy symptoms (they are completely gone on this food but when I try anything else it comes back) and Dudley’s gas is now a very rare thing on this food.

However, reading it seems that people don’t like this one and that there may be better out there… And the fact that when I went to buy it today I found it went up in price AGAIN. uugh. Maybe now is a good time to switch…

I want what is best for them, with budget kinda on the mind at the same time.

Right now, it takes us 11 days to go through a 33 pound bag of Science Diet Lamb and Rice large breed formula dry food and used to cost us around $45 a bag but did just go up to about $50.

I’d really love to get them something better. Maybe something that also makes their poop a little smaller too? (I know–wishful thinking? LOL)

Any suggestions based on the gas/allergies?
I priced raw diet– which I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to do, but it’s way out of our price range from what I am reading.

I CAN and will supplement a little bit of our cooked food on top (If I can avoid the gas and allergy issues– that will take a little experimenting)….

I have a feed store 1 mile from my house that sells some food but he’s kinda expensive on some items. I also live near Petco, Petsmart and have Amazon prime… I live in Texas, suburb of Dallas if that helps.

Any thoughts or tips would be greatly appreciated!

[Brian K]

Hello everyone, I’m a new Editor’s Choice member and this is my first post here…

I’ve found a lot of conflicting information out there about when we should transition our dog from “Puppy” formula food to adult food, so I thought I’d ask for advice here. Our puppy, named Reggie, is a 20-week old rescue “farm mutt.” The only breed in his ancestry that genetic testing returned with any confidence was Cocker Spaniel (1/4), with a highly mixed cocktail including 3 different terrier breeds, greyhound, shar-pei, and havanese all potentially in the mix. At just under 25 lbs now @ 20 wk we’re expecting him to reach an adult weight of approximately 35 lbs.

We have been feeding him a mix of Orijen puppy, Wellness Core Puppy, and Wellness Complete Health puppy sometimes supplemented with Wellness Complete Health puppy wet food or plain cooked chicken. We want to work some more variety in, but he’s a pretty finicky eater (he will even separate individual kibbles of foods he likes from those he doesn’t, which he neatly deposits next to his bowl), so if I’m going to spend money trying some new things for him it might as well be age-appropriate. So I’m wondering when the right time to start feeding him adult food is, either entirely or as part of his mix? Thanks in advance for the advice.

[Ellen G]

My doxy has had seizures since he was 2 yrs. I researched this product and it really helps control and can stop the seizure while happening. The site is Allergic Pet and he is on VSF Nuroplex Herbal supplement and drops. You can read up on all those dealing with Pet Seizures and how it has helped lesson or elimate (as long as they remain on the program). I did not want to put my Ozzy on the drugs the vet recommended, too many side effects. I do have to be careful using different heart worm and flea and tick meds. Frontline plus caused an immediate seizure and had to bath my dog with Dawn blue dish soap so please stay away from it. Many owners even lost their pets so before giving your pet anything read side effects. If it lists seizures stay away!

[Dori]

Aimee. And I disagree with you. If you have an inflammatory illness, as I do, and inflammatory illness, as I do, having similar underlying attributes, as I do, the general advice is to avoid pro-inflammatory ingredients and supplements. Aimee you and I go back and forth on many issues but this one happens to be one that I am closely related to and completely informed on. I’m not only speaking of canines or animals but of all. Having an inflammatory illness since 1997 I know of what I speak. I don’t live somewhere in the boon docks and not knowing of what I speak. I have been to the best of the best around the world, not just the USA. All have told me the same thing in different languages as to their knowledge and experiences with inflammatory illnesses. Having a dog with allergies….again, I know of what I speak. I realize that you are well versed and researched on the areas of science which I will readily admit I know very little of in schooling and education. Not my interests. I know what I know from many years of experience and knowledge. Let’s leave this particular issue alone between the two of us. I’m coming from extreme personal experience, you’re coming from it from data. Very very different. I mean no disrespect Aimee as, if you know me at all from our posts back and forth, I have a great deal of respect for you and feel you are probably one of the smartest if not THE smartest person on this and other sites, but this is not an issue you want to go head to head with me. Let’s just drop it right here. I don’t want to stress myself which is not good for inflammatory illnesses and I have too much respect for Dr. Mike to put him in a position that he has to be put in the middle of this particular discussion.

[constant_lurker]

I created an account just to respond to this, because it took me a long time to learn about this same issue.
My dog has a bunch of allergies — still sorting through them — and she started having problems with supplements that had digestive enzymes in them. Long story short, a lot of what’s used in kibble and supplements comes from aspergillus, which is a mold species. If your dog has yeast or mold sensitivities, those enzymes can cause problems. I abandoned them, closest thing she gets now is goat’s milk with probiotics in it, which really seems to help with keeping her system settled.
I hope this is helpful, and please keep in mind I’m not an expert or vet so some of what I say may be wrong.

[Akari_32]

I was making up some meals for Bentley last night, and remembered I had a ton of beef tracheas in the spare bedroom (where I keep all my dog food, cat litter, treats, supplements, etc) so I pulled out the open bag with 5 pieces in it, and stuffed them with smelt, ground beef, and beef heart.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/BFA7C9FE-0F3A-4837-BE3B-00B8BA705AA0_zpspjjcylps.jpg

I’ll have to post pics of how they go over when he gets one. They’re randomly mixed in with his other meals in the freezer lol

[Bobby dog]

My mom orders human supplements from them all the time, no issues, good customer service. She’s happy with them.

[Becky]

Has anyone used any pet supplements or vitamins from Puritan’s Pride? Are they reputable?

[pugmomsandy]

I’m fortunate enough to have 3 dogs and no UTI’s the past 7 years. I feed a high moisture diet (raw and canned), never just plain dry kibble. I also give a bladder supplement with cranberry and d-mannose (and other herbs) and I give probiotics. I also used to monitor my dogs’ urine pH using home pH test strips. Hopefully someone who’s actually dealt with UTI’s will give some input.

http://products.mercola.com/healthypets/bladder-health-for-pets/

https://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/struvites-crystals-urinary-tract-infections-treatment-and-diet/

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2009/10/22/these-3-things-may-indicate-your-pet-has-a-bladder-problem.aspx

http://www.dogaware.com/articles/wdjanxiety.html

[Dori]

Aimee.
Sorry, I must learn to thoroughly read original posts. I sometimes skim read and I just focused on the part of the dog having stones. I thought he was asking for help with a diet for a dog that has or had stones.

Tom. I agree with you completely on the ingredients in the foods that vets prescribe. I understand that there may be some animals out there that will benefit from them but I’ve had many dogs in my life and have never come across one of them needing one of those diets. Not to say that I haven’t been asked by vets to feed one or another of them through the years. I just politely let them know that I appreciate their advice and I’ll think about it. This vet that I’ve had for 13 years knows that I feed commercial raw diets so none of the vets in the practice or the techs ask me anymore what I feed my dogs. Dr. Susan Wynn is a nutritionist that has seen my 15 1/2 year old Maltese when she was diagnosed with very high liver levels, then a tumor in her bladder and then a mass on the lobe of one of her lungs. All those were discovered early last Spring. At that point Dr. Wynn suggested that I put Hannah on Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Diet because it is HPP and if Hannah’s immune system was working hard with all that was going on with her she didn’t want her to be exposed to any unnecessary bacteria. I feed a rotational diet with all three of my dogs and Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Food was already in their diets. I continued to keep with my rotational feeding of commercial raw foods as I have for the last three years. Some are HPP and some are not. Actually most are not. Typically poultry is what is put under HPP and I don’t feed any poultry because one of my girls is highly intolerant of all fowl. I also don’t feed white potatoes or any night shade plants because they are pro inflammatory. April will be a year that she was diagnosed. To the delight of all, she remains asymptomatic to bladder or lung cancer. Her liver levels are back down in the normal range. (The elevated liver levels were discovered in last Spring’s blood work during her annual physical which is what started the initial visit to Georgia Veterinary Specialists where Dr. Wynn practices and was one of her doctors). I did add a few supplements to Hannah’s diet manufactured by Standard Process. She is regularly monitored and her blood work comes back normal. Her titers are all really good also. Her vet and I decided last year that due to the cancer only titers will be done for her for the rest of her life which I pray is for many many more years. Hannah is the picture in my avatar that was taken last year.

[crazy4cats]

Is cocolicious a supplement or a food?

[DogFoodie]

Hi guys!

Fish is my nemesis! I have done some research on the protein profiles of different types of fishes and found that some are so similar, cross reactivity is almost a guarantee; ie: cod and pollock; and sardines and herring. I also noted that cross reactivity wasn’t a guarantee when it comes to dogs that can’t eat fish reacting to shellfish and other types of seafood. I would treat them all as separate proteins with the hope you might be able to feed some fish – which it sounds like you can, thankfully! There’s another poster here whose dog can’t eat some fish, but can eat salmon. And, yes, somehow my dog does react to oils even though the protein should be removed. I’ve been tempted to try Springtime Naturals fish oil which is distilled (it sounds so pure in the item description) – somehow I think it might be less likely to have any protein in it, but it probably does. He does fine on an organic algae supplement. BC mentioned poultry / fowl being the same way; ie: chicken, duck, turkey, quail, etc. I still remember the day Sam refused to eat his sardines – he knew better!

My Sam also recently reacted to rice bran oil in a vegeterian skin and coat supplement so it looks like rice is out now, too. Sam can’t have fish, fish oil, chickpeas, lentils, tomato, barley, rice, flax or millet… so far. BC has a similar list.

What do you think your guy is reacting to? What kind of reaction is your pup having.

If you need to go the route of a true elimination diet, you’ll have to do it the way BC suggested. I’ve been on what I call a “modified” elimination diet for about 2-1/2 years now and Sam will be 3 in May. It’s frustrating. Welcome to the club. : )

[lovemypuppy]

I switched my puppy at 10 weeks to a commercial raw diet. She’s been on it for only a week but already appears healthier. I chose Primal Formulas because there are 8 different formula options, it’s convenient (pre-portioned into 1 ounce nuggets), it is rated for all life stages with a calcium to phosphorus ratio of 1.2:1, and the ingredient list is commendable, IMO, with all veggies being organic and the addition of fish oil, apple cider vinegar, and coconut oil. The only supplements that are added are zinc, copper, and selenium – the rest is all food derived.

[brit]

I use eggshells for calcium if I am cooking the meat or using raw meat without bones. We use organic eggs for ourselves and our pets so I collect at least 6 eggshells, rinse the shells with cool water and leave to dry overnight. I put them in my little Braun coffee grinder (also handy for grinding dry herbs etc) and grind them to a powdery consistency. Use approx 1/2tsp per lb of meat. If I give chicken necks that morning (usually give them at least twice a week)I don’t worry about calcium that evening I buy Wholistic Pet Canine Complete and use on the food (I use half the dose that they suggest) as a supplement plus some herbs that I grind and add. During the winter I give a tsp of Carlsons Cod Liver Oil (unflavored) a couple times a week (its low in A and D which is good as some is way to high). I make all my own dog food but often cook and also often feed raw (usually Primal raw). So if I am buying something like Primal I don’t need to add calcium because it has bone ground in. Usually breakfast is cooked sweet potato/plain goat yogurt/raw egg yolk although often I buy canned Alaskan salmon, rinse it and use a small amount. Then evening meal is either the Primal with crushed raw veggies (I put them through my Greenstar Juicer which has a gadget that allows them to come through whole but crushed) or cooked meat with the veggies. If I have a dog that needs to gain weight I throw in some organic oat flakes while meat is cooking.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 10 months ago by brit.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 10 months ago by brit.

[mountainhound]

I would never feed any prescription food to a dog with joint issues, the bulk of those ingredients are highly inflammatory and will cause more harm than good. Feed a good quality raw diet (even premade raw will probably be cheaper than Hills), raw food contains natural sources of glucosamine/chondroitin from ground up cartilage. Lack of carbs will help with inflammation and pain reduction. You can also give her treats like tracheas and duck feet since those are good sources of glucosamine. I’ve had good results with a supplement called Liquid Health, its tasteless and easy to mix with ground raw food.

[Dori]

Hi Kimberly. The dog in my avatar is my 15 1/2 year old Maltese named Hannah. I also have a 5 1/2 year old Yorkipoo named Lola. My girl with all the issues (she also has environmental allergies) is a 5 1/2 year old Maltipoo. Her name is Katie. She was the runt of the littler and the tiniest dog I had ever seen. She was due to be put down and so we brought her into our family at the age of 9 weeks. She had food intolerance issues right from when we got her. She also had to have knee surgery for a level 4 – 5 luxating patella at under a year old. We could no longer adjust her leg (knee) manually so surgery was the only course of action left for us. She also had to have her four front top teeth removed because her lower canines were growing straight out the bottom (not to the sides where they should be) so the top teeth were interfering with the lower canines. It’s been one thing after another with our poor sweet Katie but for all that, I will say that she has been the most loving, sweet, affectionate little dog we have ever had. With the exception of a Tibetan Terrier that I had a number of years ago all the dogs in my life and now with my husband have been toy dogs with hair. I’m allergic to animals so fur is a no go in my home.

I will mention that other than seasonal allergies that Katie still has to deal with she has remains allergy free as it concerns diet since making all the changes. She was a complete mess before. Yeasty smelly ears, scratching 24/7, horrendous breath, gas to knock you out of the house let along the room, red rimmed eyes, her eyes were always full of goop and awful tear stains. Oh I could go on and on. She was at the vet all the time. I also was taking her to an allergist. Of course she also had her orthopedic surgeon and then there was her oral surgeon. She was on Atopica back then which is a horrendous prescription allergy medication that really does a number on their organs. She was also supplemented with Benadryl. None of that actually helped by the way. So I got serious about figuring out what to do and came across this site on the web and that was the beginning for all three of my dogs nutritional health. I cannot remember when the last time Katie had to have an antihistamine. It’s been years.

[Kimberly C]

The most recent diets/supplements I’ve had him on are PetDiets.com and BalanceIt, both recommended by my vets. One of my vets suggested taking him off chicken to see if he was allergic. I took him off the white chicken for a while and it seemed to help some, and when we put him back on the white meat he seemed to itch more. I’ve also tried the “Honest Kitchen”, numerous premium canned foods, dry dog foods (which he absolutely hates) and have use some recipes from Dr. Pitcairn’s book (except I lightly cooked the meat) and Janie Knetzer’s book, “Home Cooking For Sick Dogs”. Some of the vitamin/mineral supplements I used with these have been “Vitalmix” which I bought from Purely Pets, and Drs. Foster and Smith multivitamin. The list goes on and on, but these are the main ones.

[Dori]

Hi Kimberly C. It sounds as though your dog is having food intolerances/sensitivities. First off he should be on grain free foods. Avoid corn, soy, white potatoes, rice and all poultry. That’s for starters. You also mention that your dog has seizures. Very important is to avoid any foods that contain rosemary in any form.

I have three small dogs all of which are on commercial raw dog foods. One of my girls has a multitude of food intolerances which is what led me on the road to raw feeding about three years ago. I started by eliminating all the ingredients I mentioned above. I feed commercial raw foods. I’m not inclined to make my own because, well…. truth be told I just don’t feel like doing it. Here is the list of commercial raw food companies that I have researched to death over the years and that I trust. Primal Raw Pronto, Primal Raw Formulas (these are Primal’s complete and balanced foods…you don’t have to add anything to them in the way of supplements). Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Dog Foods, Vital Essential Raw Foods, OC Raw Dog Food, Answer’s Detailed Raw Frozen. I also from time to time have on hand their freeze dried foods (they’re raw and you can feed as is without hydrating). As for dehydrated foods, the only one I use is The Honest Kitchen’s Zeal formula. The others contain some type of poultry or white potatoes that I choose not to feed. I feed what is called a rotational diet. I rotate different brands and different proteins within the brands with the exception of any and all poultry. I also do not feed any commercial treats. For the most part they all contain some sort of grain and there have been way too many recalls of dog treats for me to take a chance with my dogs. For treats I feed them little pieces of fruits and vegetables. Sometimes I puree them. Sometimes they’re cooked from our dinner. For the most part since I use them as treats for them I’m not particularly concerned about how much nutritional value they get from the fruits and veggies. The enjoy them, as they would a commercial treat, and that is my intent in giving them to them. If they get some nutritional value from them, even a little, that’s great; if not, that’s not the purpose I give them the treats. Of course you know you can go on google and just google what fruits and vegetables you can feed your dogs or go in reverse and type in what fruits and veggies you should not be feeding your dogs. Always, of course avoid onions, grapes, raisins. As for fruits, never feed anything that still has it’s pit or seeds. They tend to be toxic. As for apples I always don’t feed the peel. Apples are sprayed continuously to detract worms. They are also highly waxed to appear pretty for the consumer. I think I read somewhere, but don’t now remember where, that the skin of an apple has more bacteria than any other fruit on the market. That would probably hold true for cucumbers on the market due to the same reasons. I feed both but I peel them. Hope any of this has helped you. If you have any other questions, please ask.

Please remember to check any and all foods you feed your seizure dog so that you avoid rosemary in any form. Studies have shown (in people so far as no study has been done in animals as of yet) that if one has a predisposition to seizures, rosemary can trigger a seizure.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 10 months ago by Dori.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Kimberly,

What supplements are you adding that you feel he doesn’t like? What are you feeding him currently? Where are you getting your recipes?

Have you identified his food intolerances? It sounds like he’s reacting to something.

You’re doing right by him.

[Kimberly C]

I want to try raw for my seizure dog, but am highly concerned about the quality of the commercial ones. However, I don’t want to prepare it myself. I have researched and researched soooo much and spent a small fortune on dog food, homemade diets, etc. My dog loves the homemade cooked recipes I cook for him, but hates the supplements I have to add to balance it out. He doesn’t seem to thrive on anything…..he scratches, has ear problems, chews his feet, you name it. So, the only option I seem to have left is raw, although it does scare me……guess I’m looking for support and reassurance.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 10 months ago by Kimberly C.

[Lyndel M]

Hi Gloria,

Yes, there is certainly a lot of confusion amongst the raw and the cooked dog food camps. I have been reading heaps about it. Those in the raw food camp put forward for the raw food diet. I shall do my best to summarise a few of the key points that are important to me. First, they say that the dog’s metabolism has changed very little from the wolves, the original wild dogs. They suggest that when we provide our dogs with the right proportions of meats, organ meats, vegetables, fruit matter and bones, they’re digestive systems have the best chance of exacting the nutrients they need for shiny coats, healthier skin and teeth, stronger bones, and decreased chances of modern-day ailments and diseases that dogs in the wild rarely if ever have. Some of these ailments include itching, skin irritations, including dryness, fleas, hip dysplasia and arthritis.

In the other camp, there is some criticism of the raw diet saying that giving a dog only food i.e., meats risks feeding contaminated food, that people don’t take enough care in raw food preparation, that dogs today have evolved to adjust to modern (cooked, commercial) food and that dogs are at moderate – high risk of injuries from bone which become lodged in the throat or gut.

I am definitely against using any commercial dog foods. There are some great you-tube documentaries disclosing the shocking truth about the poor quality of nutrition of kibble and canned dog foods and the associated illnesses. In addition, that most Vets receive very little real knowledge of nutrition in their veterinarian studies and are just as influenced by the unregulated marketing and commercial dog food producers as GPs are by drug companies.

Regardless, Jean Hofve & Celeste Yarnall “Paleo Dog” is one book that has been recommended provide excellent information for providing your dog with all of the information needed to provide our dogs with all of the nutrients required and how to do so, if we want to go down the raw food pathway. Also there is the BARF raw foods that you can purchase and other online info about this pathway. And there are heaps of recipes for cooking our dogs food as well. Andi Brown “The Whole Pet Diet: 8 wks to great health for dogs and cats”, which is also excellent for going down the cooked food pathway. They both recommend certain supplements and they both provide enough evidence to suggest that just like for humans, if we give our pets fresh wholesome, organic foods (either raw or cooked) we will be doing our beloved pets a great service.

Given I have been a passionate advocate of healthy, unprocessed foods for more 40years, I certainly want to extend this to my pet. People on this post have just been concerned that I was being cruel to our new puppy for placing his food into chewtoys. However, I made the mistake of saying that we would be putting all of his daily foods into chewtoys, whereas that won’t be the case. But I will definitely using chewtoys together with crate training, self-soothing, stimulation and entertainment as I mentioned in my previous post. I am definitely not an expert, but a concerned pet owner who has done lots and lots of reading in order to do the best by our new puppy in terms of nutrition and training. All the best!! :0)

[Kristin C]

Addition to my previous post-I also add add raw eggs to the poultry I make, and add cottage cheese once a week as well as yogurt and green tripe once a week as a frozen treat. On the days I don’t feed sardines I will add a small amount of fish oil and vitamin e to supplement. It’s hard to include every single thing on these posts. Just remember balance over time.

[Kristin C]

BulldogMom-I make most of my dogs food and if you are looking for a chicken recipe here is one.

30% breasts
30% thighs
5% liver
15% gizzards
5% pureed vegs and/or fruit
15% pumpkin
If you are not adding a supplement with calcium then add 1/2 tsp ground eggshell per lb of meat.

Please note that this is not all you can feed in the long term. I feed beef with many organs, plus a variety of other proteins/organs and raw meaty bones, plus sardines. Hope that helps.

[Gloria K]

Lyndel M., you wrote an excellent post. I agree that dogs cannot sit all day and do nothing. Fortunately I’m home all day so I have time to play with him and take him for walks and his favorite past time- going ANYWHERE in the car. Unfortunately the car trips will and in the next month or so when the weather here starts to heat up. Temperatures are well above 100° from late April through October.
When I fed him this morning I only gave him the homemade food plus a tablespoon of his cottage cheese. Then supplemented with kibble in his Kong about 20 minutes later. He loved it and has the system down pat so I may be doing this a lot more often.
I do have a question though.. why the raw food versus cooked food? I know there has been a lot written on this site about it but not sure why. What is the advantage of raw over cooked. It’s difficult for me to get my mind wrapped around giving Mickey raw food. Enlighten me. 😉

[Lyndel M]

Hi again,

Thank you for all of your comments. However, can I say that I was responding to another member’s query as to how to stuff chew toys when she is using a raw food diet and I provided with options from my own my own research and provided a link.
However, given some of the confusion that, i) it is cruel to make a puppy work so hard for its food by giving all of its food in a chewtoy, ii) that they can’t get all of their nutritional needs met from a chewtoy due to the difficulty of getting all of food out, especially the raw meat out; iv) the raw food may go off or the chew toy become contaminated with raw food left in there and cleaning difficulties etc. Yes! I agree to most of those responses.
A puppy has very specific needs indeed. He/she needs a balance of 70% protein, 20% carbs !0% veg/fibre. Their protein should also include 10% organ meat, with only 5% of that being organic liver.
I am going on my own research and as most of your know there are many benefits to using stuffable chew toys and food puzzles. Dr Ian Dunbar (a UK vet and one of the first positive dog trainers) recommends that for the first few days to a week only feeding you puppy either by hand or in chew toys to teach them i) bite inhibition;ii) to teach the a chewtoy habit so they only chew on appropriate chew toys. However, in his day in the 80’s kibble was viewed as the best food for all dogs and he did feel his puppy’s chewtoys with kibble.

We do not intend to feed all of my puppy’s meals in a kong and we will not be leaving our puppy unsupervised…ever! We have used chew toys with previous pets and of course know the importance of cleaning. While our puppy is getting positively conditioned to his portable crate, his chew toys will be in there for him to chew on for entertainment and teaching him to self-sooth for those times in the future when he will need to be on his own. Outside of his crate (which by the way, will only be used in this way for the first few weeks), his food will be hand fed and given as treats in his training sessions.

I have found and spoken to a holistic vet in my area and will of course be guided by her expertise. We will also be supplying certain omega -3 & 6 rich oils for a shiny coat and skin health and other vitamin supplements. We love and have always loved dogs, however, this will be the first time that we will be introducing raw food into the diet after our growing awareness of how poor the quality (even premium) commercial dog foods are. Given the controversy around raw vs cooked food, my partner and I have decided to offer a mixture of both home cooked and raw food.

As most of you know that daily physical exercise is essential for a healthy pet, I am a big advocate of not allowing our pet just sit all day with nothing to do except sleep and wait anxiously for us to come home for his walk. So chewtoys are great for reducing anxiety and boredom and providing mental stimulation.

As our pup grows, we will of course be providing some of his meals in bowls and some in puzzles, kongs etc and some still by hand.

It is great to see though that some of you who are concerned about the issue of animal cruelty are being outspoken about this, we are all definitely on the same page there. I am passionate about preventing cruelty to all animals and humans. Have a good day!

[Naturella]

Welcome to DFA! It can be overwhelming, yes, but sometimes the best way to learn is just by trying some of the different ideas people post that appeal to you, see how it works with your dogs, and tweak the thing or choose something else.

I just posted the below info for someone else, lol, but it is altered to fit your questions. I am not a professional or anything, I can just tell you what I think and do:

I think that no single dog food is perfect, and different foods have varying amounts of protein, carbs, and fat, but Victor is a high-quality food and all the flavors within it seem pretty good to me. If you want, you can also rotate both within a brand (basically switch up the Victor flavors), or rotate the Victor brand with other good foods, like Dr. Tim’s, Earthborn Holistic, and Annamaet, among others – this will offer your dogs a variety in the formulas, tastes, vitamins, etc. The kibble sizes in most of these foods are pretty viable for a Chihuahua to handle, but I am not sure about Dr. Tim’s – the kibbles may be a bit big for a 4-lb dog.

If you choose to rotate brands, give it at least 10-14 days, adding a little bit of new food to the old at a time, and watching the stool – if stool is good for 2 days or so, add more new food, take more old food out, and so on. If stool is not good, back down the amount of new food, up the old food. When they get used to rotating, you can switch brands with every big bag (what I do, but with small bags, lol). For now, you can switch to a brand, then exhaust most of the flavors within the brand just so they don’t have too many changes at once, then go to another brand. Also, you can add canned plain pumpkin to aid their digestion in the process, or a supplement called Perfect Form by The Honest Kitchen (THK). I swear up and down by it – anytime my Bruno has an upset tummy, it tightens him back up in a snap! But don’t overuse the Perfect Form – use it only as needed, and the amounts to feed are on the package, as well as on THK’s website. Which leads me to…

… if feeding Perfect Form with kibble, you will need to add some water to it. It will look like a greenish soup of kibble, lol. But, with that said, extra moisture added to dry kibble is always good for the dog. You can add plain lukewarm water, yoghurt/kefir, coconut oil and water, or canned food (and water). Any mix of kibble and canned is fine as long as the dog’s tummy is ok with it and as long as you adjust the amount you add and remove the appropriate amount of kibble so that the caloric intake stays about the same. So introduce the canned slowly, and not while transitioning between brands. You can also add dehydrated/freeze-dried/air-dried foods and water to kibble as toppers too, canned sardines (no salt added, in water only), fresh vegetables and meats, some fruits, and the above suggestions. Make sure you add NO onions or any grape products (grapes, raisins), some mushrooms.

For my 15-lb terrier mix I feed 1/4 cup of dry kibble twice/day, each time with some different topper from the ones mentioned above. I use coconut oil (twice/week), raw egg (once/week), The Honest Kitchen dehydrated foods (4 recipes, each one once/week), Big Dog Natural air-dried food (once/week), yoghurt/kefir (twice/week), 1/2 of a 3.5-oz can of sardines (once/week), 1/2 of a small can of dog food (right now either Weruva or Wellness, twice/week, no kibble at said meal), and a raw meaty bone once/week. All toppers minus the egg, sardines, can of dog food and the RMB I give a teaspoon of. And I add warm water to the mix in all meals. The dehydrated/air-dried foods kind of require it, lol. Bruno loves his “soups” (that’s what kibble and water and toppers look like) and he is slim, but muscular – his body condition is great, his coat is great, and he loves meal time.

So you can implement some, all, or none of the suggestions, or tweak them to fit your dogs’ needs. Good luck, keep us posted, and let us know if you have any more questions. 🙂

[Naturella]

Oleanderz, thank you for the kind words! You are such an eager-to-learn doggie mommy, it is awesome! 🙂

Ok, let me first say that I completely second Dori’s suggestion to NOT start rotating foods before she is well recovered from the surgery and back to normal, stool included. Sometimes stress, or the pain meds, can affect the stool, so if you had just started introducing a new brand of food, you wouldn’t know what’s causing the stool change.

But, after she has fully recovered from her surgery, you can start introducing and transitioning her to a new food of your choice. I think that no single dog food is perfect, and they do have varying amounts of protein, carbs, and fat, but all 4 brands are high-quality foods and will offer her a variety in the formulas, tastes, vitamins, etc. Like Dori said, if she’s gaining weight, feed her less, exercise her more; if she’s losing weight, feed her more, and still exercise her – she will be gaining muscle mass, which is healthy.

Now, for the rotation – it really depends on how her tummy’s taking it. Give it at least 10-14 days, adding a little bit of new food to the old at a time, and watching the stool – if stool is good for 2 days or so, add more new food, take more old food out, and so on. If stool is not good, back down the amount of new food, up the old food. When she gets used to rotating, you can switch brands with every big bag (what I do, but with small bags, lol). For now, you can switch to a brand, then exhaust most of the flavors within the brand just so she doesn’t have too many changes at once, then go to another brand. Also, you can add canned plain pumpkin to aid her digestion in the process, or a supplement called Perfect Form from The Honest Kitchen (THK). I swear up and down by it – anytime my Bruno has an upset tummy, it tightens him back up in a snap! But don’t overuse the Perfect Form – use it only as needed, and the amounts to feed are on the package, as well as on THK’s website. Which leads me to…

… if feeding Perfect Form with kibble, you will need to add some water to it. It will look like a greenish soup of kibble, lol. But, with that said, extra moisture added to dry kibble is always good for the dog. You can add plain lukewarm water, yoghurt/kefir, coconut oil and water, or canned food (and water). Any mix of kibble and canned is fine as long as the dog’s tummy is ok with it. So introduce the canned slowly, and not while transitioning between brands. You can also add dehydrated/freeze-dried/air-dried foods and water to kibble as toppers too, canned sardines (no salt added, in water only), fresh vegetables and meats, some fruits, and the above suggestions. Make sure you add NO onions or any grape products (grapes, raisins), some mushrooms.

Finally, where to find Victor dog food: sportdogfood.com Victor GF and Farmina N&D GF are the best options, but Farmina is on the pricy side. Victor is pretty affordable.

Oh, and for the boxes – hope she gets some flying discs in her BarkBox or whatever other boxes she gets! 🙂

Ok, sorry for the novel… Good luck, keep us posted, and let us know if you have any more questions! 🙂

[Rachael D]

I just switched My dog and cats to a grain free diet. My cat was having grand mal seizures. after thousands of dollars at the vet just to be right back where we started I decided to try this approach after much research. I have them on Orijen brand dry food “six fish” flavor and supplement with fish oil or coconut oil a few times a week. So far so good!

[weezerweeks]

Get the book by Dr. Becker at Mercola products. I am reading it now. You have to have the right supplements and foods. She says if your not going to do it correctly your dog will be better off on commercial.