[Mom2Cavs]

Hi, Cav lover! I have 3 and all 3 of mine have murmurs. Hazel has a grade 2 that was early onset and hasn’t changed in 5 years. She’s 7 now. She is on no meds at this time. Laverne is 9 and was diagnosed with a grade 3/4 about a year ago. She is on no meds at this time. Rupert is 7 and was just diagnosed this past April with a grade 5 and MVD. 🙁 He is doing fine, atm, and is on enalapril. I do give supplements like coq10 and fish oil. I have used others in the past, in supplements like Bio-Cardio by Thorne and Cardio Strength from Vetri Science. My vet likes to use Standard Process glandular supps. and I’ve used the Cardiac care one. I do know that homecooked or raw would probably be best but I do as good as I can for them. I am feeding a rotation of base kibbles, Wellness Simple Small Breed, Fromm Salmon Tunalini. I add canned foods like Fromm 4Star, Wellness 95% or Stews, Simply Nourish and also Fresh Pet Vital. They are great eaters! You can also find tons of info. at this site: cavalierhealth.org. Good luck with your pup, they are a special kind of breed!

One more thing…..I do know that Wellness makes a Small Breed Senior (only comes in 4lb. bags, though) that is lower, controlled sodium but it’s not grain free (if that’s a concern, may not be). Actually, pretty much all of Wellness Small Breed formulas have decent salt percentages (not outlandish).

• This reply was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by Mom2Cavs.

[theBCnut]

I use horse supplements on the dogs. I really like Cortaflex, but I add MSM separately. I order from Jefferspet dot com. They have a supplement in their dog section that I have used before and liked, but I like Cortaflex better.

[Terri M]

Yes! The coconut oil is organic, virgin pressed. Thanks for all your feedback/help. I value others opinions as this is the first time I have had to deal with allergies in my frenchie. My other 2 are brindle and they never had issues. He (my honey one) seems to be allergic to air! I agree about adding things slowly. 🙂

Check out this site: http://www.healx.com and look at the Omega3 Booster. This is what was recommended to me. It is a whole food supplement. Let me know your thoughts on this.

I know what you mean about treats. I came home one day to a big bag of animal cookies on my kitchen counter. My husband was trying to be sweet and fed the dogs animal cookies! LOL I knew he meant well. I have tried berries and sometimes they will eat and sometimes not. They love apples. What is your opinion on chicken? Everyone is telling me to stay away from it. We have had them on rabbit and geez it is SO expensive. Thanks for the tip about sardines!

[Dori]

Hi Terri M. Please make sure that the raw virgin coconut oil is organic. Also, with the coconut oil, don’t start at 1 TBSP. start by adding very little per meal and eventually work your way up to the TBSP. Giving your dogs that much coconut oil without having introduced it slowly is sure to cause diarrhea. As far as the raw goat’s milk, I would also introduce that slowly until you’re sure that your dog is tolerating it well. I would also not start with both the coconut oil and raw goat’s milk at the same time. If you’re dogs have any issues you won’t know what caused it. What omega 3 supplement were you thinking of using? Canned sardines in water with NO salt that you buy in the grocery store is a good way of adding omega 3. Another way is also adding a fish oil. I use Nature’s Logic Sardine Oil. I keep it in the fridge and splash a little on one of their meals in the day then the bottle goes right back in the fridge. Fish oils go rancid pretty quickly so even though a food will say it contains fish oil, it’s viable really to be of any use which is the reason that fish oil should be kept refrigerated. I feed my girls canned sardines two or three times a week either as a mid day or evening snack or as a topper on their meal and on those days I do not add the sardine oil. I prefer sardine oil to other oils because sardines have a very short life span. In other words they’re not swimming around in waters long enough to absorb a lot of the dangers and toxics that have now so contaminated our waters. I never ever feed my dogs salmon or salmon oil because of the contaminated waters that they general come from. You have to really trust your fish monger when selecting fish for your dogs and make sure they know where the fish came from.

I noticed that you said you also bought freeze dried. Keep in mind that freeze dried is the most expensive way to go.

Let me say that I am delighted that you are going to feed your dogs raw. I’ve been feeding my three dogs commercial raw foods for a little over 2 and 1/2 years, maybe closer to three and the difference in them is nothing short of miraculous. I have a maltipoo, Katie, who I used to say was allergic to life in general. She was a complete and total mess. She was always itchy, tear stain,, gas to clear a house out, diarrhea, yeasty ears, shedding like crazy (her breed is not suppose to shed, they have hair not fur…..I’m allergic to animals), I could go on and on and on. Other than the occasional bout of seasonal allergies (Spring, Fall), all those issues have cleared up. No more scratchy, stains, gas, yeast, her hair is now not shedding at all and very very shiny. Good luck I know you’ll be happy you made the switch. Eventually when you have things better under control I hope you’ll give thought to rotating your dogs commercial raw meals with different brands and the different proteins within those brands.

Sorry, one more thing. Don’t forget the treats you feed. Most commercial treats contain grains and other garbage. Not all, but most. I feed little bits of organic fruits and veggies as treats. Healthy and none cause harm as commercial treats do. You also don’t have to worry about the dreaded recalls.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by Dori.

[Terri M]

I really appreciate all the feedback I have gotten. I am determined to heal my dog holistically, if at all possible, and I believe I can. I am not anti-vet by ANY means……I just believe his immune system is not where it needs to be along with the allergy problems and I believe it starts with nutrition. I picked up some raw food today at the pet health food store (Stella and Chewy’s) and also some freeze dried raw. It was also suggested that adding raw virgin coconut oil (1 TBSP per day) to their food, in addition to 4 oz. raw goat’s milk and omega 3 supplement (1-1 1/2 tsp) per day. Do any of you have any experience with this? I was told it works particularly well to cure yeast as well as heal the skin.

[Wendy E]

Hi all,
I’m new here, so hello! Lots of good reading here! I have a 5YO Cavalier female named Willow, who was just diagnosed with a grade 3 heart murmur, which seems to have developed very quickly (our regular vet did not hear it just 6 short months ago, but the cardiologist found it this past saturday at a heart clinic). I’m trying to research what the best food and supplements are for this condition. I really prefer feeding her a dry/kibble food. The vet recommended a low-sodium food (have no idea what I should choose – nothing seems to be marketed specifically as low-sodum), and supplementation with CoQ10 and Vit E. My head is swimming with everything I’ve found in just a short amount of time researching. Are these the only supplements you’d recommend? I’ve also read quite a bit about glandular therapy for heart health and am wondering what everyone here thinks about that and what a good supplement for that would be.

I found this website when searching for glandulars. http://www.pethealthandnutritioncenter.com/natural-heart-cardiovascular-remedy-treatment-dogs-cats-pets.html wondering about the Heart Tonic product and the Daily Multi Complete (which has glandulars in it). Anyone have experience with this supplier or these products?

I’m also wondering (and these might be ultra-basic knowledge to most, but I can’t find anything that will tell me): If I do a Fish Oil like this one http://www.pethealthandnutritioncenter.com/nordic-naturals-fish-oil-supplement-for-pets.html do I also still supplement with Vit E and CoQ10?

I hate researching this stuff because there always seems to be such conflicting information out there. Any help anyone could give me would be SO appreciated! TIA!

Wendy
mom to Willow

[Sandra C]

Does anyone have experience with alpha lipoic acid? I would like to find it as a supplement but don’t know the proper dosage. I’ve seen 1-5mg/kg…my dog is 28kgs, that would be a range of 28 – 140mg! I would prefer to supplement naturally through diet but I’ve read that the absorption is minimal.

[Victoria W]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I am trying to convince them to invest in better dog food, they don’t see the point in sacrificing any of their monthly extras so they can afford decent food. I’m a college student and therefore am on a limited budget, but every month since I found DFA I’ve put aside money to spoil my baby min pin/ chi mix, he comes first you know and I really don’t care to spend money on him. I bought some of the Malesab Sue and I will give her weekly baths like you suggest, God knows her owners wont take the time to do it. Naturella, thank you for the food suggestions I supplement my Taz’s Dr. Tims and Pure Bal with Merrick Southern Comfort among other canned food plus eggs, raw meat, and veggies b/c he loves them 🙂 I’m unsure if I can afford to much food for 4 huge dogs but I will try for their sake. I did not know I could give a dog sardines though, should I be concerned about the mercury usually found in bottom tier fish? How much do you think I can safely feed her or could I give her Fish oil pills in place of the sardines and avoid the merc. all together? I will try the yoghurt too. Again thanks for any suggestions, I am feeling a little better about helping this poor baby out now.

[Akari_32]

Thanks Patty, I’ll look for something like that. Any brands you know of that would be a good starting point for my search?

Melissa, that is exactly why I brought her home in the first place. The previous owner literally came into the vets office I’m interning at and said she’s biting, and to put her down. She was obviously extremely stressed about something and in poor health, which right away caught my (relatively slight, but ever increasing) knowledge of animal behavior. She had been in about two weeks before for a bladder infection, and was given liquid amoxicillin. The owner was, and I quote, putting her in a head lock and shoving it down her throat. And guess when all this biting started? Right after the antibiotics started. Imagine that. Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out a simple change in administering the medication would have solved all your problems, lady! I just wunna smack that chick… lol

So now, I’m working with her on not flinching away from contact (she used to expect every touch to hurt, but now she’s pretty good about not being so stressed about it, and loves butt scratches and ear rubs), and I’m working with her on at least accepting being picked up, because lets face it– a small dog has to be picked up at some point or another. There are places they just can’t (or won’t and need to be) get to themselves. I think once she’s on something that is helping relieve some of that pain, we will get further with getting her more comfortable with certain things. I think she may need to be on something like Previcox for the rest her life for actual pain relief, though. But before I do that, I want to see how she does on joint supplements, as it is safer in the long run for her, and easier on my budget.

One big thing I’ve noticed, after we take a decent walk, and she’s all exhausted and in a good, happy mood, and she’s too tired to care, I can pick her right up and she’s happy to let me. You can see a relief and acceptance in her eyes at being picked up when she’s in that state. So a good deal of it is certainly mental from whatever rough treatment she was subjected to before, but I have no doubt that over all, she is in some degree of pain, and it does need to be dealt with. I can only imagine how uncomfortable it is for her to be hurting all the time.

[theBCnut]

Look for a supplement that has HA in the name or hyaluronic acid in the ingredients. I also like MSM in joint supplements. It helps as a carrier for glucosamine and has biologically available sulfur, which joints need.

[Akari_32]

As you guys may know, I recently took in an old Dachshund with several health and behavioral problems, all due to lack of proper care and rough treatment.

One of her biggest problems is she’s always limping and when she hurts too much, she lashes out at almost any handling (mainly when being picked up). I know they are prone to back problems, and from what I’ve seen of her extremely limited vet records, she’s had no such problems. She does have problems with her shoulders and hips, though. Typical old dog stuff, really, but she’s learned from experience in her previous home that lashing out and biting when she’s in pain will get her left alone. I need to get her on some sort of good, but relatively cheap, joint/etc supplement (glucosamine is the first thing that comes to mind) that will help with any pain she’s having, and help prevent or slow down any further joint or bone damage and help with the arthritis I’m sure she has. I also need some tips on getting her to understand that biting is not the answer, if anyone has any.

She loves to be active, and I want to keep her that way. She does limp more after walks, but she doesn’t seem to notice, and loves the stimulation. It’s like she loves to just be so tired she doesn’t want to do anything. She just looks so happy after long walks, and you can tell that she is over all calmer and less high strung (she paces all day with no good walks) . Obviously, I want to keep her happy and active, but I don’t want to cause any more damage to her joints, so we need to get her on something good before she gets much worse.

I’ve tried Pro Sense glucosamine chewables from Walmart on my other dogs, and they really didn’t do anything that I noticed. Granted, they don’t really have any problems in that department, despite being large and freakishly huge, and 10 11 years old, so there is that. I shop mostly at Pet Supermarket and PetSmart, but can also go to PetCo and look at stuff online, and I work at Publix (only one dog joint supplement there, but it’s like $20, so I’m good on that, but people supplements are always an option, too).

And she is already on fish oil and coconut oil, rotated daily, so that’s already covered. So, anything you guys have, go for it! I’d like to only spend about $10 a month, if possible, but take that loosely when giving me suggestions.

Thanks guys!

[Victoria W]

Hello All,
This is a desperate attempt to help a dog who is currently very very miserable. I am living with relatives for a short duration, and ever since I have been here with them their beautiful chocolate lab has had severe allergies. She is 4 years old this fall and suffers from seasonal allergies. She is so itchy, her fur is being chewed off on her abdomen and legs, and every few weeks she gets a horrible irritation under her neck that looks so infected! I don’t trust the vet my relatives are using, she seems more than happy to keep pushing very strong antibiotics and prednisone off on this dog. The dog will get better after about a week, but by better I mean the rash and oozing sores start to lessen, at the expense of her vibrance (when on the prescribed regimine of meds she just lays around and sleeps). They feed all 4 of their big dogs Ol’ Roy dog food, one of if not the worst dog foods out there. They wont listen to me about needing to change them over and currently I can push no more. ( I will continue to try though) Until they see reason what natural supplements can I give her on top of her food to help her out. Also, I’ve been giving their golden retriever who has hip dysplasia glucosimine tablets any suggestions there also.

[CMZ]

Crazy4cats
Sorry for the misunderstanding, he was diagnosed with hip dysplasia as a pup. 4 months old.
I agree when the first ingredient is corn!! I do keep his weight down. He is only 94-95 lbs.
They are so stoic, I can never really tell if he is having trouble. When we took him in to the vets in August, they thought he was a bit stiff, so we started him on the injectable adequin
Again, so hard to tell if its helping. I just took him off the rimadyl a couple days ago, I don’t really notice any difference. So I guess thats a good thing.
As far as the food JD is suppose to have a good amount of glucosamine for his joints. But for now I think I will keep him on his current foods and just the supplements. I don’t like the corn as the first ingredient. thanks

[pugmomsandy]

I wouldn’t feed BDN as a sole diet without supplements long term without receiving a full nutrient analysis (I’m sure those tests are expensive too). Even the recipes in “Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats” comes with a vitamin mix recipe and a nutrient analysis for the different recipes. There are some folks (maybe hardcore BARFers) that only feed whole prey and nothing else. Depends on which school of thought you go with and your comfort level. Back in the day dogs grew up on table scraps. Sometimes we make it more difficult than it is.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[theBCnut]

Maybe look at Nature’s Variety Instinct, especially their limited ingredient line. Or you could look into the Honest Kitchen’s supplement called Prefect Form. It has ingredients to help with digestive issues and help calm the gut.

[Dori]

cindy q. I don’t add any supplements to is but as I have mentioned previously, I feed a rotational diet so it is not necessary in my case or anyone else that feeds rotational with great frequency (every meal and/or every other day). Keep in mind that each and every meal (I feed twice a day) you feed your dog does not have to be complete and balanced. Complete and balanced needs to be met over time but not each and every meal.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by Dori.

[cindy q]

those that use BDN do you feel it is nutritionally complete or do you think it needs a supplement added to it?

[Lisa M]

Does anyone have recommendations for a toy poodle who can only have venison as the sole protein in his food (no chicken meal, eggs, or proteins from other animal sources) due to allergies? We’ve been through Natural Balance (didn’t help with allergies and he didn’t like the taste of any of it), Wellness (VERY fishy and made his allergies acutely worsen), Evangers (which was discontinued). Right now we use Evo 95% wet food, which has had recalls, and California Natural dry venison (which has had recalls, and seems to be being possibly discontinued? or at least it is very hard to find). I have a source for venison ground hamburger meat with ground bone, but I also have been unable to find vitamin supplements to add to it. I’d ground up some of the dry CA Natural and called it “sprinkles”, and he would eat it that way sometimes. He’s seen 2 vets, consulted with a vet internist, and has seen a veterinary dermatologist, so yes, it is documented that it is both food allergies and skin allergies. He did not go for any of the freeze dried stuff. Thanks so much.

[Nita P]

I’m not familiar with that brand if food, but if you like it, I would stick with it. For my dog Bella, I actually switched her to just white rice & ground elk meat when her ear issues got really bad this summer. I had ordered the dynovite and it arrived a few days after we went to the vet. The vet gave us a round of meds that really made her feel bad – she lost complete control of her bladder & just laid around with no energy. Took her off meds after 2 days. Kept with the rice and elk (you can use rice and chicken too) with broth mixed with the Dynovite and the Lickychops omega oils. I had a different dog in 2 weeks. Her personality changed completely too! Her ears (yeast infection, allergies) cleared up, the bad breath got better (it’s not all gone), her coat is amazing and she sheds about 10% of what it was before dynovite. She also had the paw chewing & licking issues, which are supposedly allergies. From my personal human issues, antibiotics caused yeast issues (along w/ diet choices) and I see that in my dog too. I read a lot of the info on the dynovite website and I wasn’t up for the raw diet, but I did learn a lot from their suggestions. I went to the rice/meat only with the dynovite to clear any food allergies we might be dealing with (just like I’ve done w/ myself in the past).

I don’t store it in the fridge – just in an airtight container.

We recently lost our oldest dog & I stopped the dynovite for about 7-8 days (just for no reason other than grief forgetfulness) and Bella’s paw chewing came right back. Needless to say I’ve now had a 2nd round of proof this supplement works for my dog.

I moved Bella to a full serving pretty fast and she tolerated it very well. I’m very pleased with Dynovite!

Hope that helps!

[cindy q]

Kristin what supplement do you add?

[Kristin C]

Thanks for the picture 4FF. Looks dehydrated to me so I probably won’t try it. Sojo’s dehydrated comes out like it goes in which I don’t like at all, doesn’t digest well. A 2 lb bag of Sojo’s Complete is 14.99 but that’s with no meat. So as Dori said BDN would be less expensive. I keep coming back to making my own raw food and adding a supplement that meets AAFCO standards. But that doesn’t work too well on a 2 week vacation.

[Naturella]

Hey, T. I second Sue on not giving leftovers. When you first said “human food”, I thought you meant things like raw/cooked lean meats and veggies (no seasonings or only such that are dog-friendly, like cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, a little bit of garlic). Yoghurt is ok, but only if it is plain – not the sweet-ish, fruity-ish stuff a lot of us eat. Noodles are sometimes okay if that’s all they are – one noodle (he really doesn’t NEED it though), and not covered in pasta sauce and seasonings. Cheetos are not very good for humans or pets (they contain formaldehyde and burn like they’re made of pure petrol if you set them on fire).
Bottom line – anything on your plate for dinner is PROBABLY not good for your doggie, especially cooked bones of any kind, because they could splinter and cause all kinds of internal disasters if he/she doesn’t choke on them first.

Good news though! What you CAN give to your dog are raw or lightly cooked lean meats (no bone) and veggies/fruits, eggs (probably just 1 egg/week for a teeny dog like a yorkie), canned sardines in water with no salt added (their spinal bone is okay to give), plain yoghurt/kefir, and safe seasonings like the ones mentioned above (a pinch of cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, garlic are totally fine). Also coconut oil and canned pumpkin (the plain one, not the pie-filling cans) – the latter can help your dog’s tummy when introducing new foods. You can add a teaspoon of canned pumpkin with every meal at which new food is present, and watch the stool. If it is still bad, back off the new food, and give just pumpkin or just his BB kibble until the stool is normal. Sometimes probiotics and digestive enzymes may help strengthen his/her gut too.

It is really good to supplement a dry kibble with canned or otherwise wetter food, or any of the fresh foods mentioned above. So maybe try that for your pup, and good luck!

[Zach M]

Sandy what green supplements do you use? And I have a slightly overweight lab/whippet who is also very pick lol.

[Kristin C]

Hi Holly-I know you posted this a while ago and have probably figured some of this out. I feed my dogs mostly raw, but I think if you are using this only as a kibble topper and not more than 25% of their diet you can use whatever’s left over from dinner. I personally would avoid the fatty part of the meat. I use a ratio of 80% meat/organs, 5% fruit/veg purée, 15% sweet potato or pumpkin. You might want to omit the rice as that’s probably already in the kibble, if not another carb. Eggs are good, as is a little fish oil, vitamin e and yogurt. Any cooked meat is fine. I avoid pork and fish because I feed raw. There’s a book called See Spot Live Longer that has a few pages on how to supplement your kibble FYI.

[Kristin C]

Thanks for mentioning BDN Cindy. I have not heard of it and am very interested so I emailed them with a few questions. I’m afraid their pricing might be too good to be true though. I’ve been using Darwin’s for the last few months and their trial was worth it, but they’re changing their formula and not offering any samples so I cancelled after my first auto shipment. Plus their meat turns brown in the frig and that can’t be good. My homemade raw stays nice and pink unless it’s older. I see you’ve queried on BDN on another post so I’ll keep my eye out for anyone else chiming in on whether they add supplements to it. I may just try it as “supplemental” feeding.

[pugmomsandy]

The majority of the time I add some greens/joint powder and other supplements but I add those with any wet food topper I use, whether it’s BDN or other canned food. If I’m in a hurry, I don’t add anything. I have one super picky obese pug (sounds odd, right?) right now that will only eat BDN and ZiwiPeak, sheesh!!! I need to find something to transition him to, maybe the Freshpet soft kibble C4C mentioned on another thread.

[Barbara]

One of my dogs has had leakage problems twice in the last 2 years. She is a Husky Shepherd mix going on 12 yrs and about 75 lbs. After blood and urine tests to make sure there was no other indications my vet decided it was a hormonal issue due to spaying as theBCnut suggested. Both times he had her on diethylstilbestrol 1mg for only a short time (less than a month each time). I know it is a hormone supplement and it worked great both times. I do not know what others on the site think of this hormone treatment but it did work. Also it is important they get enough exercise. Good luck with your dog.

[Bobby dog]

Hi again Kristin:
Did you notice Tripett is for supplemental feeding?

I forgot you asked about the other ingredients too. I researched carrageenan when I first took an interest in what I feed my cats and dog. I found lots of info both pro and con. Most of the con, for both people and pets, was regarding it’s possible negative effect on digestive systems. I found info on its use in human food from one researcher, Dr. Tobacman who has been studying it for many years, but I can’t locate all of it. Europe has banned its use in baby formulas. I believe there are people and animals that can be affected by its use in food, others it may not.

Here’s a newspaper article that mentions Dr. Tobacman’s research:
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-03-18/health/ct-met-carrageenan-0318-20130318_1_doubts-surface-fda-scientists-u-s-food

This is one ingredient that is hard to avoid, but I do take it into consideration in regards to my rotation. I alternate with stews and other fresh foods so Bobby doesn’t eat it everyday. It’s harder to do for my cats because they are so picky and only like pate’s.

Here’s some other articles (most of it is human info) if you’re interested:
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/carrageenan-just-dont-do-it/

http://www.naturalcatcareblog.com/2011/07/stunning-info-about-human-grade-cat-food-and-carrageenan/

http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/070113p16.shtml

http://www.prevention.com/food/healthy-eating-tips/carrageenan-natural-ingredient-you-should-ban-your-diet

[Heather S]

4 year old lab mix 70 lbs. in April 2013, she had a bladder/urinary track infection. Found out she had struvites. She had been eating EARTHBORN Whitefish. Some time later, leaking began. After talking to makers of EARTHBORN, we switched to adult vantage. Also began supplementing with Solid Gold cranberry powder. Struvites and leaking continued. In June 2014, had urine tested and everything came back normal, even the pH. Except she still had struvites and was still leaking. Finally gave in to putting her on Royal Canin OS. Vet has been insisting for a year that she has to be on it, and for the rest of her life! Called 2 other vets that said it was the only option for struvites. No one would address the urine leakage as long as she had the crystals. After 2 months, crystals were gone, but but still leaking. Tried INCURIN for 3 weeks, still leaking. Switched to PROPAC GRAIN FREE, and started PROIN ON 7/22/14, and also started the Solid Gold again. On 9/13, she leaked. Did a urine test at the vet and pH was 7. Vet says only option is the ROYAL CANIN, bc pH is going up. I checked pH at home today and it said 8. She leaked even when struvites were gone, but we keep being told leaking is bc of crystals and pH going up. I can’t afford, and don’t want our dog to be on the ROYAL CANIN for life! Isn’t there any affordable, dry dog food, that will lower pH? And prevent crystals? PLEASE, PLEASE, HELP! I don’t understand why this is so hard to treat and don’t believe the only option is ROYAL CANIN.

[Kellye P]

USA — I am looking at the fructosamine test from March and it says the reference range is 260-358. I remember my vet saying that he was in the range that might require us to lower his insulin but she didn’t want to do that because he was doing so well. The specialist always tells me to not treat the numbers but to treat the dog. Per the explanation on the results, 260 is just above the range that might mean prolonged hypoglycemia. I am home all day so I observe his behavior. He does not drink a lot or act like he’s unhappy. He is quite content. The specialist says a happy dog is the goal so to stop worrying. (easy to say!!!) Neither vet was the least bit concerned about the 250 glucose reading when he was off insulin. They expected him to be much higher. My vet talked to the Vetsulin people and many other specialists. She calls anybody and everybody to get consultations on this little dog. He goes for his thyroid and fructosamine test in a couple weeks so I will have new numbers and will post them here. As for the thyroid, since he has been on the thyroxine, he has tested normal every time. I really hoped that was the problem but the full panel done last year showed everything was normal. In fact, the most frustrating part of this whole story is that we can’t get my dog to test positive for anything that will give us a new idea for how to treat him. He is the most abnormal “normal” dog in the world.

sue62b – I paid big bucks to two different companies that specialize in vet formulated recipes for dogs. When I saw the final results, I was a bit skeptical. The amount of food they advised was less than what I feed now and it was so amazingly healthy. Yes, that’s a good thing, but maybe not for a skinny dog??? For example, lean chicken breast – broiled, with a tiny bit of chickpeas and a dash of corn oil. It came to about .25 cup. (with a vitamin supplement added but no calories in the supplement) I don’t like corn oil due to GMOs but that’s another story.
Another recipe had lots and lots of broccoli. Does anybody have a very picky dog who would willingly eat broccoli?? And, of course, I researched every single ingredient they told me to feed him and I had a few issues with broccoli. They told me I wasn’t feeding enough to cause harm but why would I feed anything that might be dangerous? There was a study done that showed broccoli could cause problems in dogs but they told me it was not a proven fact and many dogs eat it and there are no problems at all. That’s not good enough for me. 🙂
I did try the Wellness Duck and Oatmeal. Duck is a preferred protein per my Traditional Chinese Medicine vet. Duck is “cool” so it counters the “hot” diabetes. Turkey is also “cool”. Lamb is “warm” but I may try that one too. My boy was not super crazy about the Duck and Oatmeal. It would be great if he’d eat it because there is a store that sells it right by my favorite grocery store. I am keeping Chewy.com in business with my many orders of almost every food they sell! I had good luck with ZiwiPeak canned food but only one type was considered tasty by my boy and that one became unavailable in January. It cost $5 per can, by the way. 🙂
I do use didgestive enzymes, plus coconut oil because my TCM vet said it adds calories and is another “cool” food.
He has always preferred dry kibble and right now he likes the Nulo food but he used to like Fromm and he was heavier at that time so I just ordered more Fromm. (they have a duck recipe)
Thank you for the info on K9Kitchen. I will check it out!!
Good luck with Patch. If you have access to vets who went to the Chi Institute, they have all sorts of herbal supplements that might help you. I used Liver Happy back when my boy had slightly elevated levels. His next test showed a reading of 45, as I recall, which was fantastic. Even the Chi TCM vet was amazed. Unfortunately the Chi blends for diabetes contain cinnamon and my boy will throw up cinnamon every single time. That is really a shame because that herbal remedy gets rave reviews from other parents of diabetic dogs.

Thank you both!!!!

[Angela H]

I make a homemade dog food, but I don’t really have a recipe, I use what ever ground meat, veggies and fruits are on sale, but here is what I do;
Use;
70% meat/mixed with organ meat
20% Veggies
10% Fruit

Ingredients;
2lbs lean ground beef
1lb ground chicken
1lb ground turkey
1/2lb beef liver, chicken livers, or chicken giblets
Brown all meat in coconut oil, let cool
Steam the following veggies, fresh is best if you have them on hand, or you can use
frozen veggies (just make sure there is no corn, onions or mushrooms in the frozen blend)
Broccoli
Spinach
Kale
Peas
Sliced Carrots (they don’t have to be peeled)
Red Bell Peppers -chopped
Swiss Chard
Add the steamed veggies to the cooled meat
Then add to the meat mixture;
1 Apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 Banana, chopped
1/2 Raspberries
1/2 Blueberries
2 raw eggs, shell and all
1/2 tsp chopped garlic
1 Tbsp Coconut oil
1 Tbsp Vitamin fatty acid supplement, such as Dr. Maggie
Using a potato masher, mash all the ingredients together as much as
possible. Then transfer to a food processor to blend, or if you have
a hand emulsifier blender you can mix it together
Make sure to blend evenly leaving no big chunks
Put approx. 11-12 oz into Ziploc freezer bags and freeze
I take out only 1 bag as I need it and let defrost in the fridge

• This reply was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by Angela H.

[Donna L]

If there are any wholesome, balanced cooked food recipes out there, I’d love to see them. I’m sure there needs to be a calcium and multi supplement.

[Susan D]

I have a 5 yr old black lab (Jake). In the last year or so he has been constantly licking and chewing his feet. We tried allergy shots (depomedrol) and it didn’t help at all. He is eating a chicken based dry dog food that has not wheat or corn. We add canned food and also cook chicken thighs and add that meat. We also have 3 other dogs, 2 german shepherds and a mixed breed. The others do not have this problem. I bought a natural formula supplement for dogs and he has been on it for about 3 weeks but I don’t see any results yet.

Any suggestions? My husband and I are retired so cost of food is an issue (of sorts).

[TheNaturalDog]

I do not recall if this formula is manufactured by Diamond, or not, but it’s an option.

Solid Gold Holistique Blendz
Protein, Min 18%
Fat, Min 6%
Fiber, Max 4%
Moisture, Max 10%
Calories per cup, 340

Oatmeal, Cracked Pearled Barley, Peas, Ocean Fish Meal, Potatoes, Canola Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Dried Eggs, Dicalcium Phosphate, Flaxseed, Tomato Pomace, Natural Flavor, Potassium Chloride, Salt, dl-methionine, Choline Chloride, Salmon Oil (source of DHA), Taurine, Dried Chicory Root, Parsley Flakes, Spearmint, Almond Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Sesame Oil (preserved by mixed tocopherols), Yucca Schidigera Extract, Kelp, Thyme, Blueberries, Cranberries, Apples, Lentils, Quinoa, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Calcium Panthothenate, Riboflavin, Copper Sulfate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Manganese Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Cobalt Carbonate, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Rosemary Extract

[Angela H]

Sounds to me like Kennel sores.. Whenever a dog is lying, they are putting a lot of pressure on certain points of their body such as elbows etc. The hair tends to fall out on such areas. Sounds to me that you are doing the right thing by making your own food, which is what I also do. But I would suggest removing all grains from your home cooked food and supplement them with lentils and beans for fibre. Also purchase coconut oil and rub it daily on the areas of your GSD that is rough. Coconut oil is also great to add to your home cooked dog food. If anyone is interested in my recipe, I’d be glad to share it with you all.

[Laurie B]

My vet also made the recommendation of Royal Canin SO, but after looking at the ingredients, there was no way I was going to feed that! So I switched to a kibble with a higher protein, gave a vitamin C supplement, and D-Mannose. My dog’s urine pH went down to normal levels within a week. The kind of levels where the crystals won’t form (about 5.5.) a friend switched her dog to raw for the same reason, high pH and struvites. Crystals gone, pH normal, within two weeks. Neither case had a UTI present.

[Adina S]

Hello,

Does anyone have any experience with the use of this supplement and/or just thoughts on using bovine colostrum for healthy puppy weaning? I’m finding varying information – and not much of it.

Thank you,
Adina Silberstein
Canine Nutritional Counselor
Philadelphia, PA

[mandy d]

I’m not sure if this actually exists…

My five year old mini schnauzer has periodic bouts of colitis after having an intestinal blockage&surgery a few years ago and a low fat, high fiber food helps. However she also has a poultry allergy and basically all the foods that are significantly lower in fat and higher in fiber than her current food have chicken or turkey as the protein source. We currently feed her Wellness Core, alternating between the ocean and lamb flavors, but she still has the occasional bouts and just had the worst one yet. At one point we tried the Wellness Core reduced fat version, and the fat/fiber content worked really well for her but it is turkey based and this confirmed that it was poultry in general that she was allergic too, not just chicken. I’ve done A LOT of searching in the last year here and on other websites, but I’m hoping maybe I’m just missing something and the perfect food is actually out there. I was originally looking for a kibble, but at this point I am totally open to canned or raw food, it would just be best if I did not have to prepare her food myself. Any suggestions?

Right now I’m leaning towards trying her on Addiction canned foods or the OC Raw dog goat&produce formula. Although I am a little hesitant to try her on raw food when she is so sensitive.

I also think it would also be nice for it to have things like omega 3s or other healthy oils, added nutrients for joint health (she has early signs of degenerative disc disease), and maybe something low-carb to prevent any other future health problems. But of course, I can always supplement the omegas and joint health. I can also always add more fiber too, so a low-fat, low-carb food with average fiber would be ok.

[Lisa]

After about 4 months of various symptoms my 18 month old male GSD was down to 64 lbs(normal weight was 80-85 lbs) we finally got a the EPI diagnoses from our vet. He was originally on Eagle Pack, then Taste of the Wild eventually we tried to Go!Sensitive and Shine and Grandma Lucy’s Goat. With these 2 foods he improved a little and gained about 5 lbs in 2 weeks. The vet prescribed enzymes but after doing some research we decided to try raw food including raw beef pancreas. We ordered beef pancreas and green tripe from http://www.hare-today.com and from the very first feeding we saw results. Green tripe is totally gross but Reggie absolutely loves it!
It took about 3 weeks for him to completely stabilize, he went from 3 meals a day to 2, his poops are perfect and he goes about 3 times a day, no gas or stomach rumbling, he sleeps through the night again. Now he is about 100 lbs and is full of energy he probably runs/walks about 5-7 miles a day, barely sheds and his coat super soft and shining.
We are been able to reduce the amount of beef pancreas per feeding so a 16 oz tube will last a few days and his diet is probably about 70% raw he likes ground meat,organ,bone mixed with Taste of the Wild kibble or Grandma Lucy’s with a occasional egg. We switch the type of protein(fish,chicken,beef, turkey, goat, even llama) he eats every few days and their is no change in his bowel movements. He gets coconut oil as a supplement as well as 8 Gentleman Chinese herbs. We got the Chinese herb from a local holistic equine vet, we believe it was a key component in his recovery.
I love to watch him eat RMBs he throughly enjoys laying in the grass and slow tearing into the meat and savoring every bite, just like his ancestors did..this is the way canines are supposed to eat!
Raw feeding takes a little extra work but it is definitely worth it. We have a freezer in the basement and we have a small refrigerator where we keep the raw food separate from our food. I know every dog’s situation is different but this solution saved Reggie’s life.

[DogsAreMyLife]

I mentioned to someone that I supplement my dogs’ meals with Grizzly Salmon Oil, and give them vitamin E a few times per week. This person acted like I was the worst person ever, and told me I’d end up with 3 dogs with mercury poisoning! Is there any truth behind that?

[Audrey C]

Hi Andrew. Are you using salmon oil from the health food store–the same you would use for yourself as a supplement? How much does your dog weigh and how much do you mix into his/her food? Thanks, Audrey

[DogFoodie]

Hi Lori,

He’s reacting to something and until you figure out what that is, simply changing foods won’t help – assuming you end up switch to something that also happens to contain his triggers.

It takes a lot of work and diligence to figure out what those triggers are. What you need to do right now is start keeping a detailed list of everything you feed him and the ingredients of those foods (save the labels if you can as ingredients change often). Make a note of how he reacts to each and every food you feed and remember that treats and supplements contain triggers also.

Figuring things out will be a bit easier if you feed him a simpler diet of foods that contain single proteins and binders.

It’s very frustrating, I’ve been there too! Had I simply fed my dog one of Wellpet foods listed above, my dog would be a mess, since he has a fish intolerance. Don’t get me wrong, I love Wellness foods in particular, I use them all the time for one of my dogs and wish I could for the other. My pup hasn’t had an ear infection in many months since I’ve identified his intolerance issues.

[Brenda E]

Thanks for checking back! We went camping this weekend and he got diarrhea pretty bad; I woke up every two hours with my poor pup. Being fed up, I stopped feeding him Blue, he’s been eating boiled chicken with some pumpkin and an herbal supplement from The Honest Kitchen for two days and his poop is great. We have two samples of The Honest Kitchen and I bought him a small bag of Wellness brand puppy food. Hopefully his poop improves, but I’m still doing my research on food.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Weimdad-
One of my cats urine samples recently showed some Struvite crystals. The vet recommended that I give him some cosequin for cats. This is a combination of glucosamine and chondroitin. She explained why it helped, but I can’t remember exactly how. Something about it protecting the lining of the bladder. I bought some, but it is difficult giving cats any kind of medicine or supplement. Do some research and see what you think. It probably would help with your guys joints as well! Take care. 🙂

[Jason A]

“If you are not satisfied with Dinovite Supplements we will gladly refund your purchase price. This means we will stand behind your initial purchase of product and refund your purchase price if you are not happy with the results. You are responsible for the cost of shipping. We do not refund shipping or pay to have returns shipped back to Dinovite, Inc.”

I would buy their products if the guarantee included the shipping cost.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by Jason A.

[mountainhound]

For those who feed freeze-dried/dehydrated. New line by Bravo. Similar to Sojos in consistency but higher protein and contains organs in addition to meat and veggies. Comes in 3 flavors, turkey, beef and pork and 2 sizes, 2 and 6 lbs.

http://www.newbravopetfood.com/homestyle_complete_family.html

Beef, beef liver, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, beef hearts, beef kidney, beef spleen, green beans, cranberries, dried eggs, tricalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, choline chloride, dried kelp, turmeric, rosemary, parsley, thyme, oregano, salt, mixed tocopherols, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, sodium selenite, calcium iodate, vitamin E supplement, thiamine mononitrate, niacin supplement, calcium pantothenate, biotin, vitamin A supplement, riboflavin supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid, rosemary extract.

[InkedMarie]

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

[Tom L]

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

[crazy4cats]

Hi Patricia-
Did your vet put your pup on the low residue food due to the gas? Is it a veterinarian prescription food? I give my dogs a digestive enzyme with their meals that seems to help with that issue. I rotate them. Right now im giving them a Vetri-Pro BD tablet with their meals. It contains digestive enzymes, probiotics and soothing intestinal supplemts. It is made by Vetri-Science and I buy it through Amazon or Healthy Pets. I think it is a good idea to rotate kibble and toppers for your dogs. Other supplements that may help with the switch are Fruitables canned digestive support and Honest Kitchen’s Perfect Form. I hope you find something that works!

[Patricia O]

Thank u so much for your responses ! Yes i know I am the problem ! 🙂
He is sooo spoiled !
However now he has been eating this raw chicken drumstick all by himself without problems :)- however i am concerned he is not getting a balanced diet . So my question to u is what supplements should i give him so he gets a balanced diet 🙂
I am adding so organ meat like giblets and liver …. Thank u guys !