[texasniteowl]

I thought I would come back with a brief update since it has been a while!

After the Orijen we went to Acana Singles…the Lamb and Apple and he did very well on that. We finished the 13lb medium bag. Now we are still on Acana but trying the Duck flavor and we are still doing well. We did a cold turkey switch from Lamb to Duck with no problem.

I am still not giving him a powder supplement, but he is getting “active culture” greek yogurt. His poo overall has been good…mostly normal…except for the day after obedience class usually when he gets a few more treats than normal!

I want to identify 1 or 2 more foods that he does OK with so that I have a 3-4 food rotation. We may try a bag of Nature’s Variety Instinct LID next as an option. Then not sure on a 4th. I may try the Orijen Adult again just to confirm whether it was the food or just the timing that caused him to not do really great on it. But we may just stick with foods in the 30-35% protein range.

[Cyndi]

Here is the ingredient list for Good Friends dog food:
Wheat middlings, ground yellow corn, soybean meal, meat and bone meal, animal fat, salt, calcium carbonate, choline chloride, zinc sulfate, vitamin E supplement, ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, niacin, copper sulfate, vitamin A supplement, biotin, managanous oxide, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, menadione sodium bisulfate coplex, riboflavin supplement, sodium selenite, calcium lodate, folic acid, vitamin D3 supplement, cobalt carbonate.

Crude protein: %18 Crude fat: %6 Crude Fiber: %6 Moisture: %12

Definitely NOT a good dog food!!

[Marilyn E]

I’ve been feeding Darwin’s for 2 years and am very pleased with the quality. (darwinspet.com). I have a standing monthly order, and it arrives by UPS. They send return labels so you can ship the boxes back, which is Eco friendly. If I don’t get around to taking them to UPS, I just leave them out on the next delivery day and the driver takes them. Darwin’s has 2 lines of food, one is free range, no hormones or antibiotics; the other is human grade, USDA inspected. Darwin’s is an complete diet–includes veggies, organ meats, ground bone.
To answer the other part of your question: I supplement the raw with probiotics, coconut oil, omega 3s, and Spirulina-Astizanthan (Mercola Healthy Pets online). I do feed treats cuz I don’t know how you train without it, but if I don’t use meat leftovers, I use high quality treats, such as freeze-dried liver, Real Meat brand dog treats, or ZiwiPeak dehydrated raw food.

[crazy4cats]

Yes, I would definitely feed it for a few days and SLOWLY add back in his dog food. Even, take 3 or 4 days to do the transition back. Now, would be a great time to try a new food as well! BTW, I’ve also used the Fruitables Digestive Supplement brand of canned pumpkin when I was having issues. It is more expensive than regular plain pumpkin, but I think it works a little better for your situation.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Brenda E-
Well, sounds like a stressful situation. Have you tried feeding small meals of boiled chicken or burger with rice and pumpkin to rest and calm down his intestines? Then slowly start adding kibble back in. My pups had diarrhea when we got them, but they did have parasites. Both Giardia and Coccidia. Hopefully your vet sent a fecal to the lab to test specifically for these. Yes, a probiotic would be good to try. I use Vetri-pro BD by Vetri-Science. I order it from either Amazon.com or healthy pets.com. It contains probiotics, digestive enzymes and some supplements that help soothe the intestines.
Your large breed pup needs a puppy or all life stages food that is appropriate for his size. It is recommended to keep the calcium levels down for the growing stage for large breeds. There is more information and a spreadsheet of recommended foods created by Hound Dog Mom on the large breed thread of this forum.
You will need to keep his growth slow and steady to avoid joint issues. Also limited exercise is important.
Check out http://www.dogaware.com for a lot of information on digestive orders. Good luck!

[Barbara]

I was curious what anyone thought of Dogswell Happy Hips Duck Breast, Salmon or Chicken Breast Dog Treats?? They appear to have only the protein ingredient plus Vitamin E Supplement, Glucosamine Hydrochloride & Chondroitin Sulfate. I saw them on Chewy.com. Thanks for any input.

I just noticed I cannot tell the country of origin of these proteins and the packaging does not state made in the USA so I am now skeptical of the source.

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

[lmnordrum]

Wellness Core Puppy is entirely grain free and suitable for all life stages and is on HDMs list as suitable. My dog loves it and does very well on it. I only added in the Fromm later because its good to have them eat more than one thing should your food be recalled. (Although Wellness has never had a recall and is made in the USA in small batches.)

My dog also receives cooked meat as a topper. I buy inexpensive beef (chuck, round or even something on clearance) and cook it, and I also give her chicken. She’s had leftover pork too. The meat I add is just used as a topper–and a way for me to clean out the fridge. I’ll also boil eggs and give them to her if I have some older eggs. So basically my dog gets about 90% kibble and 10% of leftover meat from the fridge. Last week she had chicken parmigiana without stuff on the meat: I just scraped it off and rinsed the meat, and chopped it in the food processor. I’ll grind up my leftover meat, put it in plastic bags, and place in the freezer. Makes it easy to dump on the kibble and she’ll eat her entire meal.

I can’t bear to deal with the thought of raw food in my house or her bowl and am terrified by the thought of salmonella or listeria. When we were trying to find a second kibble I got some Instinct Rabbit which gave her loose stool. So it doesn’t seem like rabbit was a good protein for this particular animal. Plenty of people feed that Instinct Rabbit with no problems. The loose stool was why I settled on the Fromm as a backup food and part of her dinner mix.

We had a brief time around 4 months when the dog has some diarrhea but I traced that back to cranberry supplements I was giving her for a UTI. It wasn’t the food because once I eliminated that cranberry extract she was perfectly fine.

I’ve been very happy with the Wellness Core, and the Fromm. Her stool is a bit more firm when she has more Wellness. I will share that too much coconut oil, like when I decided to tip the jar over her food, gave her loose stool, but I figured that would happen with too much fat.

Hopefully you just have a systemic problem due to grain. I don’t even feed corn to my family (unless it is organic) and I sure as heck am not giving it to my dog.

[Genevieve K]

I want to go completely grain-free. I have a few specialty stores around that carry the higher-end foods. Petsmart now carries Wellness but does Wellness make a grain-free puppy food? I hesitate to deviate from the Large Breed Puppy foods because I know, as a puppy, he has different needs than an adult. Yes, there are All Life Stages formulas but I’m not confident those would meet his nutritional needs.

We’ve been giving him coconut oil this week. He LOVES it. I’m also hitting the butcher today and hoping they have some rabbit – have them grind one up, bones and all. I’ve not fed him raw before but, at this point, I”m desperate. I know I shouldn’t change everything at once because that makes it harder to identify the allergen but if he’s getting mainly meat and veggies with some supplements like coconut oil and maybe some calcium (unsure about that), I’d like to think he’d do ok with more limited ingredients. (OMG, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower are the best treats on earth for my dogs.)

Again, he’s a large breed and I want to make sure he gets what he needs to be healthy and strong as an adult. This makes me so sad, especially when there is so little, yet so much, information (all conflicting) out there on large breed foods and puppy needs.

[USA]

I’m a big fan of probiotics for gut health and for overall immune system benefits. The one I use is expensive but if you calculate the cost per billion cfu’s it is the least expensive. I take one daily and I split one between my 2 dogs. Each capsule contains 100 billion cfu’s and 34 different strains of probiotics.

http://www.vitacost.com/garden-of-life-raw-probiotics-ultimate-care-30-vegetarian-capsules-2

Supplement Facts
Serving Size: 1 Capsule
Servings per Container: 30

Replenish Blend – 100 billion CFU

ISS Bif™ Bifdobacterium lactis (SD-5219), Lactobacillus acidophilus (SD-5221), Lactobacillus paracasei (SD-5218), Bifidobacterium lactis (SD-5220), RAW Whole Food Probiotic Blend: Bulgarian Yogurt (milk) Concentrate, Eastern European Wild Kefir Culture containing Bifidobacterium lactis, Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, lacotbacillus brevis, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens, Lactobacillus kefirgranum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactococcus lactis, Lactococcus cremoris, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacilus kefir, Lactobacillus parakefir, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactococcus lactis biovar diacetylactis, Leuconostoc lactis, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Leuconostoc cremoris, Leuconostoc dextranicum, Kluyveromyces marxianus, Brettanomyces anomalus, Debaryomyces hansenii, Saccharomyces unisporus, Saccharomyces turicensis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharmomyces exiguus, Torulaspora delbrueckii

Protein Digesting Enzyme Blend – 50 mg
Protease, Acid Protease, Protease S

Eastern European RAW Fruit and Veggie Blend – 45 mg
Red Bell Pepper (Fruit), Green Pea (Seed), Carrot (Root), Plum (Fruit), Cherry (Fruit), Strawberry (Fruit), Raspberry (Fruit)

[Haleybop]

Hound Dog Mom – It’s funny…I’ve been contemplating the Swanson Probiotics Dr. Stephen Langer’s Ultimate 16 Strain Probiotic with FOS all day because it’s B1G1 and an additional 20% off until the end of the day with code 20PERCENT. I hesitated because of the ConcenTrace® Trace Mineral Complex (from the Great Salt Lake, 72 naturally occurring minerals, plus other minerals found in seawater). I noticed the Soil-Based Organisms has that, too. Are those ok to give my dog without knowing what they are??? I went ahead and bought them because I figured if it’s not ok for my pup, I can use them. Also, she’s only 10 months and 25 pounds. Would I give her a whole pill. I do know I would only give her one or the other, not both supplements at the same time. I needed some probiotics, too! Thank you!

[Audrey C]

Thank you, Tabitha. That makes total sense, and finally I understand the phosphorous issue vis a vis protein content. I will look for a high quality canned food that has a moderately low level of protein and skip the dry kibbles. I’m also starting to supplement his food with Rehmannia 6, a Chinese herbal supplement containing powdered herbs that work to strengthen the kidneys that my vet sent me home with. I’m also going to research acupuncture! I look forward to visiting your website. In gratitude, Audrey

[Audrey C]

Can someone recommend a canned dog food with low phosphorous content? My dog is 12 years old and was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure. Currently he’s eating Blue (Senior) dog food mixed with Blue kibbles. But I wonder if there’s a supplement I can add to slow down the kidney failure or a dog food that will slow its progression. Any advice?

[milly w]

Daily supplements for human beings are commonplace, but what about dog dietary supplements? Just as human beings require food and supplements to be strong and healthy, dogs also require good nutrition. Veterinarians, to complement the diet and maintain good health of your pet, prescribe dog nutritional supplements.

Most commercial dog foods claim to be nutritionally complete but they all provide a one-size-fits-all approach that might not necessarily suit your dog. Different things such as age, illness, pregnancy, energy levels etc can have an effect on the nutritional needs of your pet. Here are some important supplements that your dog can use.

Brewer’s Yeast – The supplement comprises of B vitamins that take care of some of the most important functions of your dog. The most well known benefit of the supplement is its ability to repel fleas. B vitamins can help metabolize carbs, proteins and fats, which in turn can help in weight loss. It also comprises chromium that can help decrease blood cholesterol levels.

MSM (Methyl Sulfonyl Methane) – MSM supplement is helpful in ensuring healthy skin, connective tissues and coat of your dog. It is also known to reduce swelling and pain caused by sprains, strains, arthritis and bursitis.

Calcium, Zinc & Iron – Calcium is good for the blood, nerves and bones of the dogs. Zinc helps promote healthy skin and coat. Iron supplements help promote healthy blood cells. Iron supplements especially formulated for dogs must be administered to pets, as human iron supplements can be poisonous for them.

Probiotic and Prebiotic Supplements – These are required to bring balance in pets when dietary changes, stress, age or prescription medicine causes an imbalance of bacteria in their intestinal tract. To get maximum digestive and health benefits, both the kinds of supplements can be used together.

Sure grow 100 – The product packs in several beneficial nutrients including vitamin A, calcium, vitamin D, phosphorous and is excellent for puppies when they are growing. It is also known to enhance growth of the teeth, muscles and bones in puppies.

Hip and Joint Supplements – Dogs are generally very active and this can take a toll on their joints, hips and other connective tissues. Incorporating these supplements in the diet of your pet can help prevent these disorders. They comprise ingredients that work to repair and protect your dog’s joints and other connective tissues.

Canine nutritional supplements are generally available in solid form and can be included in dog food. Be sure to check with your veterinarian before you pick any nutritional supplement for your pet. While pets suffering from any of the conditions mentioned above might benefit from these supplements, there may be some underlying issues too that need medical attention. While buying supplements, go for trusted brands and take care to follow the dosage instructions as mentioned on the label.

Today, dog owners are increasingly turning to nutritional supplements realizing that most dog foods do not fully meet the energy requirements of their pet. A high quality supplement can do wonders to a dog’s overall health and performance.

[Sandra R]

@crazy4cats thanks for your answer.
What supplements do you give to your dogs?

[Dori]

Thanks Marie. Really interesting article on senior canine supplements.

[Dori]

I too will keep an eye on this thread. I’ve got a 15 year old Maltese, Hannah. I know she’s lost a lot of her hearing and also night vision but I’m beginning to think she’s developing a bit of dementia. I haven’t started her on anything yet. Her vet just told me that it’s just part of the aging process. DUH????? She’s a traditional vet so she’s not going to tell me to use anything like an over the counter supplement.

Marie: I’m glad the Neutricks worked for Gemma. What do you think? Should I try it with Hannah? The only meds she takes are soloxine for her hypothyroidism and a Denamarin an hour before dinner (combination of milk thistle and Sam-e) for her high liver levels. What site do you order if from? Thanks.

[Aaron P]

The Kahoots brand dog food is not made by Diamond. It is US made and US sourced(Texas). The meat content is much higher than you will find in Taste of the wild. The salmon is wild caught (tow is farm raised)and the supplementation in Kahoots brand is superior. My dogs have been on Kahoots for about four years. My lab is three now and is in beautiful condition. My beagle is nine she is now a healthy and happy senior dog thanks to the kahoots food. Prior to kahoots she was on Nutro or Wellness neither did her justice as she was tormented by itchy dry skin, irritated paws and frequent hot spots. Thank you Kahoots for making great products that allow my animals to thrive!!!

[Jenny]

InkedMarie, thank you again for your insight. It’s so relieving to hear good news, and it’s great that Gemma is better! My dog and I will keep cheering for Gemma’s health 🙂

Quick update: We went to the vet yesterday and was recommended Novifit — the SAMe based supplement that has anti-inflammatory properties + is a powerful antioxidant and may also help with arthritis, liver disease, and depression. So we’re going to try that and see how it goes before taking prescribed meds like Anipyrl (which the vet initially prescribed).

We’re also going to give her Animals’ Apawthecary Hawthorn Plus since we heard it can be good for heart murmurs as well. Fingers crossed!

I’ll update this thread if we see any improvements with the supplements we’re using. Thanks again!

[Akari_32]

I’ve not ordered from Chewy yet. They do have good prices, though. I think I have to pay taxes for Chewy though. I don’t remember lol

To me Wellness is almost like Jello, just not quite as hard lol

Applaws just came to the US. It’s a pretty expensive brand, from what I’ve seen. And the tubs I got from the contest aren’t a complete and balanced diet, they’re just for supplemental feeding. But they do make normal dog and cat food. Seems like a good brand, either way. They do a lot of charity events, and raise food donations for different non-profits every month.

[Robert R]

I supplement my 2 small poodles usual diet of Orijen kibble with Pure Balance canned from Walmart. It’s only $1 per can and I like the ingredients better. It’s rated 5 stars. Both dogs love it

[Robert R]

I used to use Canidae canned for my 2 little poodles to supplement Orijen kibble, but switched to Pure Balance canned because I liked the ingredients better and it was much cheaper — only $1 per can. It’s also better rated. They love it.

[Robert R]

What about Pure Balance canned from Walmart for $1 per can? It’s rated 5 star. I use this for my little poodles to supplement Orijen kibble and they love it. One can lasts for 2 days.

[Denise T]

When they say to just add meat, does that mean that I can add cooked ground beef/bison/chicken and that’s it, or do I have to calculate and add in organ meats as well? I’m feeding 4 small dogs so the amount of organ meat would be only a few ounces. I doubt I could find such small amounts in a grocery store. Is this necessary when using a pre-mix?
Also I was wondering if it is better to cook a whole chicken and debone it, or do people typically add boneless chicken breast? I’ve used boneless chicken in a recipe for them but only as a supplemental feeding, not as daily meals.

[Mom2Cavs]

When it first came out, Red Moon was still around….and now it’s gone. If you recall, Red Moon, was a company that did a similar thing in that you could specialize supplements, etc. I actually liked the looks of it a little better than Petbrosia. I don’t know how long Red Moon was around, and I will be interested to see how long Petbrosia stays on the scene.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Sandra R-
Congrats on the new pup. I think frenchies are adorable. I believe you are on the right track. Variety is even important for dog’s health. I have never fed Acana, but I think it’s a great kibble. Rotating kibbles would be beneficial. I also like to supplement my dog’s meals with add ins to their kibble. I use canned, dehydrated, fresh and even a little raw foods to boost up the nutrition and protein. The fresh foods are typically eggs, sardines and healthy left overs. This is the link that I downloaded a small book with tips on making kibble healthier.
http://www.seespotlivelonger.com/home/sll/page_41/see_spot_live_longer_the_abc_way___electronic_down.html
The author, Steve Brown, also has some books with recipes. The download is $2.95. Following this advise has made me a little more interested in feeding home made. So I bought the pre-mix from the site just recently. You just add either raw or lightly cooked meat to it to make a meal. I am very slowly and gradually improving their meals. It sounds like you might just be ready to jump right in with the home made or raw route. Which ever way you go, I wish you success!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Thomas-
I have seen supplements that you can add to their water or food which is supposed to help stop this from happening. But, honestly, I do not know what is in the supplements that helps stop the grass from turning brown. I’d be a little nervous about these. Not sure how healthy they are. I’m curious about what others have to say, so I’m “bumping” up your thread. Good luck!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Jeffrey D-
I’m not sure how you feel about supplements. My dogs have sensitive tummies with intermittent loose stools. I use “Firm Up” when I add canned food to their kibble. It is dehydrated pumpkin and pectin. In my opinion, it is more convenient than adding canned pumpkin and applesauce (pectin) to their food.
I also learned about helpful supplements on http://www.dogaware.com. I have and currently rotate, Gastriplex by Thorne, Vetri-Pro BD by Vetri Science, and Perfect Form by The Honest Kitchen with great success. They all contain enzymes, probiotics and supplements such as slippery elm that help control loose stools.
My dogs have not been diagnosed with anything. But, I suspect leaky gut or IBS due to previous intestinal parasites and over use of antibiotics.
I feed Victor grain free kibble with various toppers. Such as canned, frozen raw nuggets, eggs, sardines and dehydrated.
Good luck to you!

[Jeffrey]

Marie,

Thanks for responding. For better or for worse I am trying to stick with a holistic type food (non-gmo, protein not fed antibiotics) so I’m not sure if Nutrisource is really something I want to consider.

The dog does get probiotics, thanks. I know it is an often overlooked but beneficial dietary supplement!

I welcome continued feedback from other members,
Jeffrey

[Jenny]

Hi friends,

Has anyone tried Okinawan Happy Dogs Brain and Memory Support Food Mix or any products from Okinawan Happy Dogs?

Here’s the link to the product: http://www.okinawanhappydogs.com/products/brain-memory-support (it looks very promising and is all-natural, gluten-free, GMO-Free, and no artificial preservatives or coloring added! Too good to be true?)

The company seems fairly new so I haven’t found any consumer reviews online… from the company’s website Okinawan Happy Dogs is “a division of Everyday Wellness Corporation, a US manufacturer of dietary supplements specializing in natural herbal nutrition for humans and pets.” But other than that, zero info.

To give you some background details: My dog is a 16-year-old toy poodle who is battling CDS (Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome) as well a reappearing mammary gland tumor and also developing a slight heart murmur (she’s a fighter!). She eats Earthborn Hollistic dry food, but has been losing her appetite recently and only wags her tail for her favorite treats, Dr. Becker’s Bites Grain Free Liver Treats.

If your dog is also fighting CDS, can you please share/recommend any products that have worked effectively for your dog?

Thank you so much!
J

P.S. After reading this old post from “banditsmom,” I’m thinking of trying Novifit if I can’t find a natural alternative for my dog: /forums/topic/cognitive-dysfunction

[pugmomsandy]

He-he! That’s just one wall. The closet wall has bags of kibbles and my personal small kitchen equipment and vitamins/supplements. The the third wall has some more foods, boxes of Halo Herbal Dip, other topicals for the fosters, extra dog beds, shampoos, cases of Merrick GI Bones, Ranger Ribs and Flossies. And I keep chicken treats in there too (tubs of Mother Clucker, Chicken Crack and Cluck Yah) and I just put three 7.1 cu ft freezers in that room too to fill with the 8 cases I just ordered from greentripe.com. And here’s the dog freezer in the garage:

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/fulldogfreezer765x1024_zpsb5463b60.jpg

My personal dogs aren’t eating much kibble right now! I have 3 personal pugs and the rest are fosters. Sometimes I have up to 12 pugs total and they usually eat 1 cup of kibble per day with some toppers. Sometimes I give them a whole raw egg fresh from the coop! So to me, it really doesn’t matter too much if BDN is not aafco compliant like Neezerfan.

Here’s a picture of bath day:

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/pugs8pugs_zps0cd62c42.jpg

My awesome Weston 22 grinder:

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/IMG_5170952x1024_zpsec466d4d.jpg

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

[Susan B]

I use DasquinMSM, which is made for dogs over 60 pounds. My dog is a large breed and old, so hard to tell how well the supplement works, but she has no issues with it, so I hope it helps with her joint and old age issues.

[Oceans11]

I have posted under this topic before but haven’t found anything that works. My one year old Malagasy Coton De Tulear is a picky eater. I have tried Basic Instinct Raw, Fresh Pet, various 5 star canned foods including Tripett, Orijen dry puppy kibble., Fromm Gold kibble, Blue Wilderness. What he will eat on a consistent basis is rotisserie chicken which probably isn’t healthy. We have tried giving him raw ground round and raw steak. All he wants to do is bury it. I have supplements that I try to give him hidden in his food but one whiff and he walks away (supplements: Angel Eyes, Grizzly Salmon Oil, probiotic, and Vitamin supplement). I am concerned that he is not getting any of these supplements or more importantly a nutritious diet. Because he doesn’t eat much on a routine basis, we have all too often shared what we are eating. I don’t believe he is underweight. I would appreciate any suggestions and/or advice anyone could share. Thanks much!

[Dawn R]

Hi Terri,
I’ve got two pugs (brindle and fawn) that are 5 and 6 years old and have suffered from both food allergies/sensitivities and seasonal items for years. I’m had them on raw diets for the past 3 to 4 years and fed kibble prior to that. I’ve tried just about every medicated shampoo, supplements, probiotics/enzymes and testing that is out there including taking them to a vet dermatologist. In the early years the boys had been on antibiotics and steroids until I decided to pursue a more holistic program with them. The most informative testing that I did that helped get me started down the right path was with a company called Glacier Peak Hollistics. They have a Healthy Dog Sensitivity Assessment that costs $80.00 which is a hair and saliva test. You submit hair back to them as well as swabs and it gives you a really extensive report back. You get results back fairly quick and then can make decisions on food proteins you should eliminate from their diet, or allergies to ingredients. I’ve done the more traditional IgE and IGg testing on them and paid close to $250.00 for testing and the results didn’t come close to the holistic testing.

[DogFoodie]

Hi BRT,

My dog with food intolerance issues sometimes will have a reaction to a food that slowly creeps us on us. It’s confusing and frustrating.

I still think I’d try another limited ingredient food, my two favorite bands of which are Wellness Simple and Nature’s Variety Instinct LID.

FWIW, one of mine reacts to fish; including fish meal and oil but he also doesn’t tolerate chickpeas, lentils or flax. NVI LID doesn’t contain any of those things out tomato pinnacle, another common problem ingredient. I would definitely consider that your pup’s problem ingredients could be another ingredient, like flax or something else.

If the Natural Balance worked previously, have you compared the ingredients of that to those foods you’ve tried? I just wonder if it could be a combination of problem ingredients beyond primary protein iin foods.

Coconut oil and diluted ACV might both help, but I think right now, I would eliminate supplements (non-prescription) and treats and just focus on finding one food that yours do well on.

One other thing, using kibble doesn’t make you a bad dog mom! I felt the same way, but when it came down to it, I just wanted to know my dog felt good.

[BRT]

I finally thought I had found the perfect food for my maltese/poodle boy. This has been a cycle for him that just seems to be getting worse the older he gets. He’ll do really well at the start of a food, but after a couple of months he starts obsessively eating grass. I leash walk him, so of course I try to keep him from doing it, but it’s at a point where we will walk by a patch of grass and he will crane his neck to get a bite. It’s getting very frustrating for me because I cannot figure out what’s going on.

I switched him to Zignature Trout and Salmon exactly one month ago. He was doing great on it. No grass eating at all. Even now when I feed him he just gobbles up the food and gets excited when he sees me get it out of the cabinet. Poop is formed and firm. He does poop quite a bit, about four times a day. Besides this grass eating he’s active and happy.

I’m not sure what to do here. I know if I take him to the vet she’s going to want to put him on a prescription food. I’ve been trying so hard to avoid that. But, I feel like I’ve tried everything I can.

Do you think it’s a matter of adding a probiotic to his diet? The only supplements he gets are his hypoallergenic glucosamine chew and an Omega 3 pill.

• This topic was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by BRT.

[Lance B]

Hello,

I’ll be picking up my Great Dane puppy in a few weeks and was wondering if there are any supplements I should begin giving him?

When he got to 10 weeks, I was going to begin giving him Glucosamine/Chondroiton, along with fish oil, for life. However, is there anything else you all might recommend, particularly for a Great Dane?

[pugmomsandy]

The reasons for adding a quality canned food: add moisture to the diet, quality canned foods have a good amount of protein since they don’t need carbohydrate binders like kibble, it’s easier to digest since it’s not hard and dry like kibble, they don’t have preservatives in them, and it’s easy to mix in powdered supplements. Canned foods are more species-appropriate than dry pellets.

Drawbacks: softer stool sometimes and the canned foods usually don’t include probiotics. They might have prebiotics like inulin/chicory root.

You don’t have to stick with the same brand of wet as you are using dry. Use various brands and feed a rotaional diet.

[Tulip]

Just had to chime in here. I LOVE this product and this company. Do a bit of digging folks. Read the label. Just about everything in this product is available at your health food store in whole food supplements. In fact, many of these things are part of my personal regime. You won’t’ get the same results with just a diet change.

Think about it. Take good ingredients and HEAT extrude them. Make them into a slurry and put them through extreme heat and pressure. What comes out the other end is highly process,heat extruded food. Of course, AAFCO labels it complete based on what? Is Beneful complete? Yes, according to AAFCO.

Think for yourself. Do your own research.

I feed the homemade dog food recipe on Dinovite’s site. It includes a couple of dinovite products. And I use their wonderful shampoo. My poor Tulip was so miserable for YEARS. Allergists, dermatologists, medications. The people at dinvoite helped me to detox her which took about 5months. Then we continued and to this day, you would not recognize this dog! She’s perky, beautiful, and completely healthy. Yes, healthy.

You eat highly processed food for 7 years…in a dry kibble….and see how you look and feel.

And for those who have not even used this product, you have no basis for opinion, in my opinion.

[Akari_32]

BTW, this is the fish oil I use:

http://www.naturemade.com/supplements/cod-liver-oil

[crazy4cats]

Hi Cheryl-
I have dogs with digestive disorders. However, mine did test positive for parasites and such for quite some time. After ridding of these pesky invaders, my dogs ended up with leaky gut, colitis, or IBS. I have them pretty much under control now. My favorite kibble is grain free Victor. It contains montmorillonite clay which I believe may be partly responsible for the improvement. I also have some favorite supplements which are helpful. I learned about most of them on http://www.dogaware.com. They have a lot of information on diarrhea. I’d like to discuss these further when I have time if you are interested. Right now, I have to get to church. Check out the site and check back.
I think you and Timber are very lucky to have each other. I am very sorry about losing your brother. Take care.

[Bobby dog]

It’s raining again, Bobby’s sad. 🙁

Akari:
aquariangt recommended Sojos pre-mix earlier in this thread; maybe catch up with agt and ask about it. Are you planning on feeding a pre-mix for each meal? Or will you be rotating canned with a pre-mix daily or weekly? Feeding a pre-mix a few meals a week rather than for an extended time would help keep the cost down and provide variety.

I posted links about eggs & fish oil on page 4 of this thread on 6/25/14 @ 2:14 a.m., to Anita that you should check out. Looking at info I have about feeding eggs I would feed a dog that size ½ egg/week; or as C4c suggests 1 egg every other week. Maybe someone else will have a recommendation for you. /forums/topic/maybe-its-time-for-a-diet-change/page/4/

Here’s a few links to fish oil supplementation, brands, and dosage. The link from Tufts contains information on how much to dose pets with heart disease; I only used the information from them to find a brand of fish oil with certain %’s of EPA & DHA and to help determine dosages for my cats’ and Bobby’s weights:
http://dogaware.com/diet/supplements.html#fishoil

http://vet.tufts.edu/heartsmart/resources/omega-3_supplementation.pdf

[USA]

Hi Omayra

A 5 month old puppy chewing carpets can be anything from normal puppy behavior (most common reason) to something nutrient related to a behavioral issue and so on. I would not rush into a nutrient deficiency diagnosis so quickly!

Before anyone can suggest any supplements for your puppy can you please tell us his current diet including treats please be as specific as you can.

What is his day like? Yard, Walks, Toys, People always around? How much time does he spend alone? Does he sleep and spend any other time in a crate?

Can you please also tell us what brand/type of shampoo and conditioner that you use and how often you bathe him.

And can you please tell us any medicine he is currently taking, including flea control. How much and how often and his vaccine history.

And last but not least has he had any blood, urine or fecal tests run and were there any abnormal or out of range results.

Is there anything you would like to add that will help us to know him better?

I don’t mean to pry but you must take into consideration the WHOLE dog to start figuring things out. Looking at a symptom or a behavior without knowing more about a dog usually results in treating a symptom instead of curing the cause of the symptom by returning the dog to complete and overall optimum health. This may not always be possible but starting with the whole dog is the way to go!!!

Keep Up The Good Work!!!

[Omayra R]

Yeah, I think I’ll hold off on the supplements until I see this new vet. I will def ask her.

I love this dog so very much and will do anything for us to be happy. I can’t find a positive reinforcement behaviorist around my area as of now. I’ll see what this vet says. If anything, she can probably recommend one to me too.

[Omayra R]

Aimee, thx.

I’m in NJ. I was also recommended nuvet supplements for his carpet chewing behavior. I was told it’s a vitamin deficiency he has.

I will look into those links now. Thank you so much.

[Omayra R]

Anyone here give these yo their pets? It was recommended for our 5 month old puppy, bc he’s a carpet chewer.

We were told Carpet chewing = vitamin deficiency.

Thoughts?

[pugmomsandy]

Again, without seeing the actual product your looking at…

If you’re going to use a bone-in red meat grind with organs and liver, then it looking at the book, I would do this:

bone-in red meat grind
vit/min supplement
fatty acid supplement
veggie mash
enzymes, glandulars, probiotics…

So yes, you can use the grind in the boneless beef recipe and leave out the bone meal supplementation.

For a bone-in chicken grind, it replaces the necks and thighs (and hopefully the grind will have organs as well so it would be replacing the whole recipe to where you wouldn’t be adding any heart/gizzard/liver yourself).

Can you post the product links?

[Lilmonster]

Unfortunately, I don’t have the space or budget for a grinder right now, so I have to stick with buying pre-ground. Trying to figure out how to use bone-in grinds with Dr. Becker’s recipes because it’s so much more affordable than boneless grinds. I guess a more simplified version of my question would be, if I use MPC’s bone-in grinds for the meat staple, add Dr. Becker’s veggie mix and her vitamins & minerals supplements, would that be balanced?

[pugmomsandy]

I’m not familiar with MPC grinds, but if you get the ones with bone and organs included, I wouldn’t add anything to it besides the vitamin supplements if you like. The heart and gizzard and tripe count as “muscle meat” in a recipe just like chicken breast. You can feed tripe daily if you like. You might consider getting a meat grinder that has at least 1 hp if you plan on feeding raw grinds long term. 1hp (and even .75 hp) is sufficient to grind chicken bones. You can cut costs by buying bulk chicken legs and necks and organs by the case. Grind up 50 lbs of food at a time and save on time!

• This reply was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[Susan]

Hi USA Dog Treats Thank-You, now more confussed which product to use but I mite try the Dermoscent Essential Spot on’s first & see how he goes…. Patch isnt scratching at the moment, he just has a few hive like lumps on the white part of his head & his paws, inbetween his toes are always red by night time, I put Cortisone 1% cream at night before bed, when Patch wakes up inbetween his toes are all good again, no redness.. its been raining again for a few days & his paws are real red & sore after the rain… Patch hates his baths so he hasnt had his Malaseb bath for 2 weeks & he’s a bit stinky, yeasty smell…the Malaseb medicated shampoo clears everything up, his toes all clear up but then after a couple of days walking his toes are red again…In the summer I make shallow bath & wash his feet in the Malaseb Shampoo but its cold at the moment & if he hears that bath running he’s off.. He runs around the furniture, I cant catch him, then I think if he hates baths that much, I dont bother …Summer is coming & I want to start him on something by the end of August so he’ll be right for hot summer..
A lady just rung me from Blackmores she asked what did the vet recommend & I said the vet reconmended the “Dermoscent Essential Spot on”, she said try that first & see how Patch goes cause its applied on the skin there’s less chance of an upset tummy/bowel.. Blackmores also makes PAW Dermega Omega-3 & 6 oral supplement or PAW Coat Skin & Nails multivitamin chews..but again he has to take these tablets or treats..

[Leah12345]

Thanks so much! I stopped the benadryl and no additional itching so I am cautiously optimistic. I agree Sue66b about buying this stuff and getting stuck with the products when they don’t work. I have gotten better at returning when possible. USA_Dog_Treats thanks so much for your help and for explaining the ingredients. I am going to stick with this while it works and then change to oil supplements later. My experience says she will need a change in a while. Thanks again and for anyone who comes later, I will try to remember to give an update in a month or so with a better informed rating of this product.