[Bobby dog]

Hey Akari:
Maybe consider giving Bentley some coco oil too. It has antiseptic properties that may help him and also will help moisturize him from the inside out. He would only need about a teaspoon/day.

Now that Bobby is all healed up I only supplement coco oil 2x/wk. I will up it if he needs it, but so far that seems to be enough. He also gets fish oil 2x/wk and Vit E 1x/wk (the water soluable variety) too. It was the added fish oil and coco oil that helped him though because I just started the Vit E recently. If you would like some info on it, let me know, you know I love to post links! lol

[spaniel39]

Mimi, thanks
My Sophie is so sweet too; I knew the importance of socialization given the protectiveness
factor as an adult and I think I went too far.
If she sees anyone walking towards her or across the street, she will sit and “smile”
and wait to greet them. Impossible to take her/walk her anywhere lol
but I don’t mind, She is just starting to form her “cords”
I didn’t read your post carefully. Sorry, didn’t realize you had been on raw.
I found it much too expensive and kibble has come a long way (Acana, Orijen, etc)
and you can always supplement it with a tablespoon of a good canned lamb/duck/etc.
or in Sophie’s case last night, a big extra lean, Hamburger!
I forgot to mention Evangers!
They’ve done research for decades on large breeds
They have a meat lovers with Rabbit, not real expensive, my dogs loved!

[Bobby dog]

Alright here’s my info: 🙂
~Pure Love Chlorhexidine 4% Shampoo for Dogs and Cats $8.99 – Same % of the same active ingredient in Nolvasan shampoo.

Info on Nolvasan shampoo:
http://www.vetstreet.com/nolvasan-shampoo

Shampoo link on Petflow:
http://www.petflow.com/product/pure-love/chlorhexidine-4-shampoo-for-dogs-and-cats

~Pure Love Ketoconazole 1%, Chlorhexidine Gluconate 2% Shampoo for Dogs and Cats $9.99 – Active Ingredients in Malaseb shampoo are 2% Chlorhexidine Gluconate and 2% Miconazole Nitrate. Ketoconazole looks similar to Miconazole.

Info on Malaseb shampoo:
http://www.drugs.com/vet/malaseb-shampoo.html

Info on ketoconazole:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/ketoconazole-topical-route/description/drg-20067739

Shampoo link on Petflow:
http://www.petflow.com/product/pure-love/ketoconazole1-chlorhexidine2-shampoo-for-dogs-and-cats

I probably would buy the Pure Love Ketoconazole 1%, Chlorhexidine Gluconate 2% Shampoo for Dogs and Cats. These are good prices for the amount of product. Maybe someone else will have a suggestion for you as to which shampoo sold on Petflow they would recommend.

You can also buy antiseptic/antibacterial cleansers in the first aid aisle of most stores that have the same % of the active ingredient in Nolvasan shampoo. Hibiclens is a name brand example, but many drug stores have their own versions of it. I have a bottle of Hibiclens in the barn; I must not have been able to find Nolvasan the last time I needed it.

Here’s a link to Hibiclens:
http://www.hibiclens.com/retail
http://www.hibiclens.com/retail/where-to-buy-hibiclens

[crazy4cats]

I hope not either. Mine were treated four times maybe five with flagyl and panacur for giardia. The with Albon for coccidia. They did, however have parasites. So, boy, do I know about loose stools and diarrhea. It was the main topic of conversation here for about a year! We have all kinds of “grading” systems for poop! I’m not sure if the bugs or the meds did more damage to their digestive systems. Have you checked out dogaware.com? There are several suggestions and information for digestive issues on that site. Another supplement you could use with the vetri pro is Phytomucil. It is made by Animal Essentials. I believe it has slippery elm, plantain, DGL and marshmallow root. It helps to soothe the tract. I guess the main thing, though is to figure out what is causing the issue. Does it occur more when she is excited or after exercise? My dogs do best when I’m feeding Victor with raw frozen nuggets and a supplement. Good luck!

[crazy4cats]

Yes, it seems to be the case with all the supplements I’ve used. Is your dog having issues? If yes, I would go ahead and start with the double dosing. If not, just go with the maintenance dosage. Actually, the first couple of days you could build up to the initial dosing if concerned about any side effects. My pups do well on it.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Raam-
I too, have had some battles with Giardia. During that time I never knew if they were suffering from a food intolerance or if the Giardia was back. It was very stressful. Luckily, they have been negative for about 9 months. They were also treated several times with panacur and antibiotics. It has taken a long time to get their tummies back to normal. They have always been interested in eating though, thank goodness! I am feeding them Victor grain free with a variety of toppers with good luck. However, I do use various supplements which have also helped soothe their tummies. Much information can be found on dogaware.com with digestive issues. It is a great site. Many of the supplements that I’ve used are made by Vetri Science, Thorne, Animal Essentials and Honest Kitchen. As Sue said, it might be best to start with something bland and work your way back to a better kibble. Good luck!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Case-
I have used and recently ordered the same digestive enzymes that you just ordered made by Vetri-Science. They are a combo product. They contain enzymes, probiotics, prebiotics and other supplements as well. The other supplements such as, NAG and L-Glutamine are known to be helpful with loose stools. My dogs do well with this supplement as they have bouts of leaky gut or some type of IBS. Not sure if this is what you were looking for or not. I also occasionally use Gastriplex or THK Perfect Form. Good luck.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Case-
I’ve never used this product, but I have thought about it. lol! Just wanted to let you know that Nature’s Logic has something similar that I also have thought about. They both look like a great supplement.

[Shawna]

I think maybe they just don’t know what to say to help but they want to try to make you feel better!! As I noted in my first post Dr. Dressler says tcbc is very treatable.

You also can’t beat yourself up over choices you’ve made up to this point or from this point forward. Everything we do, we do with our pups best interest in mind.. If you weren’t treating and she got heartworm you would have been kicking yourself for not giving her the preventatives. We all do the best we can with the information we have at the time. You simply can’t do better than that!!!

I definitely would hold off starting too many supplements (unless made from food) to make sure one doesn’t counter or have a negative reaction with another etc. My dad is a Master Herbalist and I know he would give me some guidance if needed — if some of the supps are herbal that is. The food ones (if therapeutic) I would introduce slowly so as not to initiate to fast of a healing. I also think it is VERY important for you to read Dr. Goldsteins chapter on the healing crisis in his book. Do you have a library close?

You can reach me any time tomorrow from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm Central time. Tomorrow is house cleaning / laundry day. We may go out for lunch or dinner but otherwise I’ll just be cleaning. Try to get some restful sleep tonight.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by Shawna.

[crazy4cats]

Yes, Dori, please don’t give up. I sure wish I knew about this site 3 years ago when my vet told us that our previous dog “most likely” had cancer. He ran a few blood tests and did an X-ray. Said it would cost too much to do more tests and he was almost 12 so he didn’t think it would make sense. We just gave him steroids and metronidazole for about 6 months before he died. I just can’t help but wonder if I changed his diet or tried some supplements, we could have had him around longer. I just believed the vet. So anyway, do everything you can to help your little girl, so you won’t have any regrets. I’m sure I really didn’t need to tell you that though. Keep smiling because she knows when you’re sad. Best wishes!

[Dori]

Shawna: I’ve been giving them whole house filtered water for years. Hadn’t been giving them HW medication until losul had HW diagnosis and I started in again. Stupid Stupid Me!!!!
I have read about the issues with HW medication and bladder cancer just yesterday and a few of the sites specifically name Sentinel and that is the brand I’ve used for years. Obviously I’m never ever using HW medication again. Dogs are all on 3 year rabies vaccination. Hannah at almost 15 years old and bladder cancer will never get it again. I have read everything I can and everyone’s posts here and well wishes and kind words and, of course, they all make me cry knowing everyone is so caring and loving. Just breaks my heart. I’m just a weepy mess right now. My husband and close friends keep telling me what a wonderful life Hannah and I have given each other for 15 years and, selfishly, I just don’t want to hear that kind of talk. That means everyone of them is resigning them to the fact that it’s the end for Hannah and I just can’t deal. She’s the only thing that got me out of bed after my son, Matthew, passed and she’s my last tangible connection to him. It’s just too damn hard. I’ve ordered tons of supplements today and read every site that everyone has guided me to, thank you, thank you, thank you everyone. I’m now concerned of having ordered too much and making matters worse my overdosing her on supplements.

Shawna, I know how crazed and consumed your life is with your family both human and furry, so please let me know when might be a good day and time might work out for you for me to call you. I’ve been feeding all the girls raw for over a year and I think that I want to continue feeding commercial raw as I’ve been doing. Just to let you know Hannah has never had a urinary tract infection in her life, no bloody urine and her urine tests are still clear. They only discovered this because of doing ultra sounds checking her liver because of all four liver levels being so high. They have all come down significantly. Still high of normal but not sky high like before. Okay. I need to breathe right now and attempt to pull my self together because all three dogs are too attuned to my stress. Love to all and from the bottom of my heart I thank you all.

[Shasta220]

What other brands have you tried? Have you tried supplementing with fiber (canned pumpkin or cooked sweet potato), digestive supplements (like probiotics), or extra oils (like fish or olive)? The reason why SD makes him poop so much is because of all the worthless fillers in there.

I went from a 1 star to a 4star food with my dog way back years ago. He went from making 7-10 BIG piles daily to only 3-5…

[Shawna]

Oh Dori!!!!!!!! I’m so very sorry.

I did a quick google search and found that apoptosis and antiangiogenosis are both effective treatments of Transitional Cell Bladder Carcinoma (which I’m going to abbreviate to tcbc for the rest of the post). Then I googled “Dr Demian Dressler tcbc”. Dr. Dressler owns the website “dog cancer blog”. There is a video of him and his partner (who is an veterinary oncologist) specifically on tcbc. They say it is very treatable!! GOOD Dr. D also specifically mentions it responds to apoptosis. GOOD The video is here http://www.dogcancer.tv/transitional-cell-carcinoma-what-you-need-to-know-about-your-dogs-cancer/

As a quick reminder — apoptosis is when the cells of the body get old, damaged or unhealthy (like cancer) and commit “suicide”. It is normal and supposed to happen but sometimes it doesn’t happen (due to certain drugs or bacteria/virus or other reasons). Angiogenosis is when new blood vessels are formed (this happens with healing but tumors also cause these blood vessels to grow to them which supplies them with the nutrition they need to grow). ANTIangiogenic products (medications and foods/supplements) cause those blood vessels to die which blocks nutrients from getting to the tumor and the tumor starves to death.

Dr. Dressler and Ettinger recommend a home cooked “cancer” diet. BUT, Dr. Martin Goldstein is well known for great success with dogs that other vets have given up on due to cancer. Dr. Goldstein recommends a species appropriate raw diet. That said, they both also utilize other treatments and supplements. If the finances allow, I think his office (Dr. Goldstein) would be a great one to get a consult with (by phone if nothing else – they are in New York (or is it New Jersey?)). I personally would stick with raw but you have to do what you think is best for Hannah.. Both raw and cooked are appropriate for different reasons in my opinion.

Okay, so we know that tcbc responds to apoptotic and antiangiogenic products. With that in mind I would DEFINITELY start turmeric or even curcumin (which is the anti-cancer active ingredient in turmeric). Turmeric also has additional benefits so maybe both versus one or the other?? If buying turmeric it MUST be organic as otherwise it could be irradiated. I would also start the enzyme bromelain away from meals as it induces both apoptosis and antiangiogenosis. As does fresh garlic (pending there is no blood loss, surgery, anemia).

Other antiangiogenic foods are blueberries, mushrooms, strawberries etc. More antiagiogenic foods here http://blog.ted.com/2010/02/10/dr_william_lis/ Dr. Li states that antiangiogenic foods work synergistically so the more you can add to the diet the better off. Not all in one meal or one day of course.

Some other supplements known, in the holistic world at least, to help with cancer are apricot seeds (due to their high amounts of vitamin b17), essiac tea (which includes a bunch of anti-cancer herbs), flor essence (a specific brand of essiac like tea), coconut oil (not sure it actually helps the cancer? but it will help keep the calories up in a pancreas friendly way and has so many other benefits), probiotics (help the immune system and have been shown to help “bladder cancer” I believe through the fatty acids (like butyric and lactic acids) they produce), enzymes given with the food will help for the most complete digestion and nutrient absorption plus allow (many think) the metabolic enzymes to be spared from having to help with digestion (especially in older dogs). I know there’s more I’m not thinking of. I’ll post again if/when I think of them.

Call or email me ANY TIME if you want.

[Shawna]

Oh Dori!!!!!!!! I’m so very sorry.

I did a quick google search and found that apoptosis and antiangiogenosis are both effective treatments of Transitional Cell Bladder Carcinoma (which I’m going to abbreviate to tcbc for the rest of the post). Then I googled “Dr Demian Dressler tcbc”. Dr. Dressler owns the website “dog cancer blog”. There is a video of him and his partner (who is an veterinary oncologist) specifically on tcbc. They say it is very treatable!! GOOD Dr. D also specifically mentions it responds to apoptosis. GOOD The video is here http://www.dogcancer.tv/transitional-cell-carcinoma-what-you-need-to-know-about-your-dogs-cancer/

As a quick reminder — apoptosis is when the cells of the body get old, damaged or unhealthy (like cancer) and commit “suicide”. It is normal and supposed to happen but sometimes it doesn’t happen (due to certain drugs or bacteria/virus or other reasons). Angiogenosis is when new blood vessels are formed (this happens with healing but tumors also cause these blood vessels to grow to them which supplies them with the nutrition they need to grow). ANTIangiogenic products (medications and foods/supplements) cause those blood vessels to die which blocks nutrients from getting to the tumor and the tumor starves to death.

Dr. Dressler and Ettinger recommend a home cooked “cancer” diet. BUT, Dr. Martin Goldstein is well known for great success with dogs that other vets have given up on due to cancer. Dr. Goldstein recommends a species appropriate raw diet. That said, they both also utilize other treatments and supplements. If the finances allow, I think his office (Dr. Goldstein) would be a great one to get a consult with (by phone if nothing else – they are in New York (or is it New Jersey?)). I personally would stick with raw but you have to do what you think is best for Hannah.. Both raw and cooked are appropriate for different reasons in my opinion.

Okay, so we know that tcbc responds to apoptotic and antiangiogenic products. With that in mind I would DEFINITELY start turmeric or even curcumin (which is the anti-cancer active ingredient in turmeric). Turmeric also has additional benefits so maybe both versus one or the other?? If buying turmeric it MUST be organic as otherwise it could be irradiated. I would also start the enzyme bromelain away from meals as it induces both apoptosis and antiangiogenosis. As does fresh garlic (pending there is no blood loss, surgery, anemia). Garlic could also kill bacteria and viri if an happen to be blocking apoptosis. Also help with bladder infections if that is a concern? Dr. Ettiger, in the above video, says that can be a concern.

Other antiangiogenic foods are blueberries, mushrooms, strawberries etc. More antiagiogenic foods here http://blog.ted.com/2010/02/10/dr_william_lis/ Dr. Li states that antiangiogenic foods work synergistically so the more you can add to the diet the better off. Not all in one meal or one day of course.

Some other supplements known, in the holistic world at least, to help with cancer are apricot seeds (due to their high amounts of vitamin b17), essiac tea (which includes a bunch of anti-cancer herbs), flor essence (a specific brand of essiac like tea), coconut oil (not sure it actually helps the cancer? but it will help keep the calories up in a pancreas friendly way and has so many other benefits), probiotics (help the immune system and have been shown to help “bladder cancer” I believe through the fatty acids (like butyric and lactic acids) they produce), enzymes given with the food will help for the most complete digestion and nutrient absorption plus allow (many think) the metabolic enzymes to be spared from having to help with digestion (especially in older dogs). I know there’s more I’m not thinking of. I’ll post again if/when I think of them.

Call or email me ANY TIME if you want.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by Shawna.

[losul]

Dori, while I think that Mercola’s product is likely a great supplement product for overall health, and Dr. Becker does bring up some good points about whole vs isolates, If it were me, in Hannah’s case targeting cancer, I would be much more inclined to try the targeted and concentrated isolate extracts in K-9 immunity. Both companies use lab grown shrooms under controlled conditions- no China grown shrooms, most of these mushrooms are native to the Far East. You might want to consider Mercola’s supplemental product for your other dogs.

Also I think I would use just the straight K-9 immunity and add transfer factor, instead of K-9 immunity plus, which might contain some added questionable ingredients.

Also, I don’t know much about these, but apocaps could be something to look into…..

http://www.dogcancer.net/apocaps-info.php

Turbos doing well. I’ll write more on that later. I don’t know what, if anything, should be changed in Hannah’s diet. Does your vet(s) know what you have been feeding?

• This reply was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by losul.

[Dori]

Cyndi: Thank you for sending all good thoughts our way. I truly appreciate it as I appreciate your kindness. No, I have not heard from Shawna yet but I am hoping to.

Losul: Thank you for your kind words and for reaching out to me. I have just ordered the K-9 supplements and am about to go to the Mercola site and check out the mushroom supplement that Betsy directed me. (How is your dog doing with HW treatment?)

Betsy: Hi Betsy, thanks so much for directing me to the mushroom supplement at Mercola (Dr. Becker). I’m going to check that out right now.

Denise A. Thank you for the information on K-9 supplements. I’ve ordered them a few moments ago. Hannah was weighing 7.5 lbs. Yesterdays weight at vet shows her at 6.8 lbs. They tried two different scales to confirm the loss of weight. How much turmeric curcurmin were you giving or that you think I should be giving. In her food??? Shark Cartilage? Where would I find that and how much to give? Anything else? Did you change diet yes or no? What were you feeding her if you changed her diet? Sorry for all the questions but I’m in panic mode at the moment. Been on the computer all last evening and night so I’m a little wired.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by Dori.

[Denise A]

The best price I found for K 9 immunity and transfer factor (they really go together – My Dad had cancer treatments with transfer factor too) was here: http://search.911healthshop.com/?p=Q&ts=custom&query=k9+immunity&view=list

How many pounds is your dog?

I also used tumeric cucurmin and shark cartilage.

Duchess was 14 when she was diagnosed and lived several months after that. The supplements really helped her.

[DogFoodie]

Mercola has a while food, organic mushroom supplement: http://products.mercola.com/healthypets/mushroom-complex-for-pets/

[losul]

Dori, It pains me to hear this, yet I can’t imagine the immense pain you are going through, so so sorry. You have a lot of people in your corner wishing you and yours the best, I can be counted amongst those. As others have said, Hannah could not be in better hands, Dori.

I’m usually kind of reserved/cautious about the claims of some supplements, but the power of medicinal mushrooms is one I have previously researched and have some faith in. A few of them of them, I sometimes use in cooking. I decided that if my circumstances ever warranted, I would definitely consider giving them a shot therapeutically for my dog. K-9 immunity and transfer factors that Denise A mentioned, is one that I had looked into, and liked.

Dog Cancer Home

[Bobby dog]

Hi again Leslie R:
It was late last night when I posted my reply, “Some of these canned foods may not be supplemented with vitamins, and they are only for supplemental feeding.” I meant to write some of these canned foods may not be supplemented with vitamins and are labeled for intermittent feeding.

I have fed prescription diets to several pets in the past. I have no problem with some prescription diets; those diets were life savers and improved their health. My Vet worked with me and our goal was to rehab them so they could resume eating what they normally eat. I believe it is important to think outside of the box when feeding ill pets. If he is doing well on a prescription diet, you may want to consider continuing to feed him one.

Here’s are some links to companies that can help formulate homemade or prescription diets for your pet. I have not personally used their services or know anyone who has, but maybe you can find some other options that can help your pup:

You’ve Got Options

http://petdiets.com/?

https://secure.balanceit.com/

http://justfoodfordogs.com/

http://susanwynn.com/Home_Page.php

http://www.raynenutrition.com/default.asp

http://www.doctorsfinest.com/

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/why-your-dog-doesnt-need-that-expensive-prescription-diet/?inf_contact_key=6679a6279cfecd30f1b6a7ddebba86b877e6fb7d4d6a17482cbaf5be1b62f1e6

[Dori]

Denise, thank you for your help. Any info as to supplements, dosages and where to buy would be a Godsend. Also any other supplements you were feeding her. Did you switch her food? If so to what foods and how did Duchess fare on all? Thank you so much.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Leslie R:
Canned food is high in moisture, maybe stews have a little more moisture than pate’? IDK Check out these brands: Wellness Core, Blue Buffalo Wilderness, By Nature 95%, Hound & Gatos, and EVO & EVO 95%. Some of these canned foods may not be supplemented with vitamins, they are only for supplemental feeding. I am not sure if they are what you are looking for, but they could be a place to start. Some canned foods that are low in carbs may be high in fat. You didn’t write what kind of health he is in, other than his diagnosis, so these may or may not be good for him depending on his current health condition.

Also, I read the other suggestions you received about making homemade food for him. You could always look into feeding both homemade and canned as well.

Here’s a DFA link about calculating carbs in dog food that may be helpful:
/choosing-dog-food/dog-food-carbohydrate-content/
I love JRT’s, good luck finding what he needs!

[Denise A]

I’m so sorry for your news. When my dog, Duchess, was diagnosed with cancer of the spleen I immediately put her on more supplements. I found out that shark cartilage and tumeric cucumin helps with tumors. I also got her K-9 Immunity Capsules and Transfer Factor wafers from Aloha Medicinals. I bought directly from them for several months and then found a cheaper place. If you want to know where, please let me know.

[pugmomsandy]

That site has a “yeast starvation diet” recipe too. And the recipes call for only 2 supplements!

[Akari_32]

I don’t know if I could do canned or not. “Good” canned food isn’t a popular thing around here. It’s pretty much Wellness or Natures Variety, or Mr. Pretend Good Blue Buffalo, as far as that goes. Everything else is like Pro Plan and Science Diet. Though Walmart does have Pure Balance…. And I can look online, and see of I can find anything.

And about the premixes, I think doing no carbs (or as little as possible) is best. This dog smells like a rag used to clean up milk that was left in the sun for a week @.@ So if I did canned, it’s have to be like the 95% ones.

I’ve been looking around at home made and raw sites. Kind of hard on my phone, but I’m getting ideas 🙂 I’ll look into that site, as well.

Does anyone have any links to good prices supplements?

[Dori]

Hi Bobby Dog. Yep! Hannah, my 15 year old Maltese (she’ll be 15 on 9/9/2014) has been diagnosed this week with Transitional Cell Carinoma in her Bladder. It was found incidentally because her liver levels were high and multiple blood tests and ultra sounds. Two ultra sounds back it was discovered and last ultra sound it’s still there, not any smaller but not any bigger. Next Wednesday she will have what they call a “Traumatic Catheterization of the bladder” do get a firm diagnosis. So far all vets that have seen ultra sound results are pretty certain that it’s cancer. Prognosis is 10 months at the out most. I’m beyond consolable. If possible, my husband is worse. I’m going to try to figure out about supplements and whether I should be cooking her meals or keep her on raw or what I need to be doing. Thank you Bobby Dog for asking.

[pugmomsandy]

Like kibble, canned foods can be served as a meal. Canned food is less processed than kibble and the fact that it has alot of moisture is better than kibble. If you want to feed canned food the majority of the time, be sure to check that it is NOT “for supplemental or intermittent feeding only”. As far as feeding one can at a time or not, it depends on how many calories your dog needs per meal.

If the canned food says it’s for supplemental feeding only, then use it as a mixer with another “complete and balanced” food like most kibbles as it doesn’t have all the vitamins and minerals to make a complete diet.

[Akari_32]

He gets very little in the way of actual dog treats. He usually gets a bit of people food for treats. I yell at mom for giving him jelly beans quite often… Other than those, he gets veggies and meat scraps. Right now, his treats are Wellness Toy Breed cranberry something-or-anothers. They were on clearance lol Oh, and he steals the cats food if he leaves it and it’s not up high. Alec gets mostly Wellness Grain Free.

The only commercial raw diets locally available are Bill Jac (not sure how good that is) and Natures Variety, which is not cost effective at all (I’ve already looked into that.). There may be other brands that I’ve over looked, though.

What if we were to feed like, half raw, half Natures Variety Instinct kibble? That has freeze dried raw coating, and all sorts of good stuff in it. Would supplements be needed then? (Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to avoid supplements, I just know they can be costly, so if I can find a way to balance his diet as cheaply as possible, I’d like to take that route).

[Cyndi]

Akari, with the dog being so small, doing commercial raw wouldn’t cost all that much just for him. Then you wouldn’t really need to add any supplements, except maybe some fish oil, tinned sardines are great and coconut oil. Even raw eggs as a topper would be good. It would probably be pretty cheap to feed a small dog like that a raw diet. Good luck!

[Kay G]

I am currently feeding Fromm GF dry & rotate the proteins. I also had in raw toppers once or twice a day. I have 3 Springers and 1 Cavalier. My oldest Springer (7) has numerous health issues which I have been told are immune related, one being bad allergies/yeast. He has had double ACL surgery, sees a chiropractor regularly and on supplements for his joints, immune system etc. but he just doesn’t seem “right”. After doing research, Nature’s Logic was suggested to me because it does not have the starchy carbs that feeds the yeast (potatoes, peas etc.) that is in the Fromm food. My only concern is the millet in the Nature’s Logic. I bought a bag of Chicken to try, so we will see how he handles it. I am also leaning toward switching the other three dogs over to Nature’s Logic mainly because it is easier for me to feed all four dogs the same thing….. does anyone have feed back on this they could share with me?

[Akari_32]

You guys may recall, my moms dog, Bentley, is always itchy. Right now, his back half is almost completely bald, and his skin is bright red. No matter what we do, what foods he’s on, what protein and carb sources the food has or doesn’t have, fleas or no fleas (obviously we strive for no fleas, but we have some sort of freakish super fleas around here, and he’s so small he’s like a flea magnet in the grass). It just doesn’t matter. We yell at him for scratch so much that he actually goes and hides so he can scratch. Crafty little terrier… Lol

He also smells. Doesn’t matter of he just had a bath or not. He’s stinky. I think it’s a yeast thing?

I’m 99% sure most of it has to do with seasonal allergies, as he gets much better in the winter, and almost all his hair grows back by the time is warms up again for spring.

I always hear of these stories of these dogs that are doing terrible on any kibble, no matter what kind it is, and then they are put on raw and all their problems go away, or are greatly reduced to the point where they can actually be dogs again.

Does anyone have tips on how I can do an extremely cheap raw diet? And is it cheaper to go with a RMB base and not supplement calcium, or to do mostly muscle meat and supplement the calcium, etc associated with bones? Money is defiantly an issue, but we can’t have this freakish Chinese crested/poodle/terrier Frankenstein love child looking thing. There is a Save-A-Lot near the house, which I know would help with the cost, but I’m not sure the quality of their meats. We usually shop at Publix or SAMs Club for meat, depending on what we need. We also have Winn Dixie. I know they do great deals on meat, as well.

He’s about 8 pounds, very active (so fat isn’t too much of a problem), and loves him a good raw bone (I’ve given him chicken necks, pig knuckles, a few others before).

And back on the supplement thing again, is it possible to feed raw with no supplements? What supplements are some cost effective ones?

I’d love to hear of some of your recipes and weekly meal plans and such, as well 🙂

[Bobby dog]

Hi Kritterlady:
The only suggestion I have for enticing your dog to eat coco oil is trying to melt it and see if he will lick it out of his bowl.

Only one of my cats will eat coco oil in his food, but it can’t be mixed completely in (or melted) because he won’t touch it. I have to hide a small solid amount in his food. The other cats will not touch their food if something is hiding or mixed into it. Sometimes they eat it alone in solid form or melted, when all else fails I just rub it onto their fur. My dog absolutely loves it no matter what and if I don’t watch him he will lick it off the cats fur! lol

Sometimes added supplements don’t agree with our pets and he may also be telling you this by not eating it.

As for the honey I have never had a pet with seasonal allergies, but definately would try either local raw honey or local bee pollen if they did. Since honey doesn’t interest him, I would look into bee pollen. I would imagine it is easier to administer. Here’s a few links with more info on bee pollen and honey. Good luck!

/forums/topic/bee-pollen/

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/10_9/features/Bee-Honey-Products-Help-Canines_15967-1.html

http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.ca/2014/01/honey-good-for-dogs-cats-honey-is.html

[Case]

Have any of you guys used this supplement? If so, I’d like to hear your opinions.

[ab1028]

He never was on a bad food. He has always been on at least a 4 star food. We have tried to find the offending ingredients and found out that bison, beef, and many grains he reacts to. Jasper also likes the rotation because he tends to get tired of food after 2 small bags. We change the food every bag and he does well without any digestive issues. It could just be that it is an itchy dog that needs extra supplements to help reduce it.

[ab1028]

I do rotate foods. Right now he is eating Orijen adult, and he has also eaten Acana Pacific, Wild Prairie, Grasslands, and Now! Fresh. I am wondering if it is seasonal allergies as well. There is also a strong possibility that he is getting bitten from mosquitoes. During the winter, we were supplementing his food with fish oil and he was definitely not as itchy. Not perfect, but not bad either.

Thank you so much for the links!

[Bobby dog]

Hi Akari:
Glad he’s showing some improvement. Since he is not well I would check with my Vet before administering or supplementing him with anything.

If you do decide to supplement with fish oil you need to find out the EPA & DHA %’s. If it isn’t on the label, check out their website or call them. The PDF link in my post from yesterday has the %’s for cats. I am not sure how often you would want to give it to him. Google it or you could also check out different sites that sell fish oil specifically for cats and read the directions they have posted.

Fingers crossed you find something in the litter box tonight! 🙂

[Case]

Another Recipe for Satin Balls:

Mix a pound of raw ground beef, an 8oz package of cream cheese, a jar of all-natural peanut butter, a dozen egg yolks, a 10oz package of wheat germ and a cup of flaked oats that have been soaked in heavy cream.

Form the mixture into balls and place in the freezer.

Feed the Satin Balls as treats or food supplements as desired.

[Raffaele C]

I have been feeding both my dogs raw food for a while now and they have been doing great on it. But lately my groomer has been telling me that she had to express their anal glands because they were filling up. Their stools are not always hard but it’s never diarreha either; it’s in between. I’m guessing though that their stools should be firmer to help express the glands naturally. I was reading some other posts on the forum and some suggested Glandex so I was thinking about that. But my main concern was that I don’t want to buy a bunch of supplements when I thought that a raw diet should be providing the proper nutrients for my dogs to thrive. So before I go buy a supplement for this issue or start feeding pumpkin regularly, I just wanted to ask you all about your experiences with raw diets. Does a raw diet typically cause softer stool? Is chicken a factor?

[crazy4cats]

Akari-
Sorry, I don’t have any recommendations either. I’ve not really ever had a problem with hairballs. Three out of four of my cats are short haired and one medium. I don’t see any of them licking or grooming much. Thank goodness. I don’t think that the oil sounds like a great idea, but I really don’t know. I remember seeing some sort of remedy at Mud Bay when I was looking at dog supplements. I don’t remember what it was called. But, I think it had some petroleum jelly in it? How is Kitty today?

[Bobby dog]

Hey Akari:
I don’t know about olive or vegetable oils, maybe someone else will have some info for you.

I use coco oil for hairballs and because it has other benefits too. My older cat (not the hyperthyroid kitty) had a terrible hairball issue. It was my fault though because I did not brush him enough. He coughed one up that was the size of a mouse one day. From that day forward I give him daily brushings and coco oil 2x/wk. Most of the time the brushing is only a couple of minutes, but brushing has made the most difference.

I also supplement all my cats with fish oil; it can help with hairballs too. Since they still get some fish in their diet, I don’t supplement anymore than once a week. I use CVS 1000 mg capsules. It’s purified to remove mercury and made without dairy or soy products. The EPA & DHA percentages are the same as other pet products for example Dr.’s Foster and Smith Premium Plus® Omega-3 Gel Caps. I poke a hole in the capsule and squeeze the oil over their food.

I used this PDF from Tuft’s Vet school for dosage amount/lbs, ingredient %, and brand information. The information in it pertains to heart disease so I do not follow the daily dosage instructions. I researched how often and how much to dose the cats from other sources.

http://www.google.com/url?url=http://vet.tufts.edu/heartsmart/resources/omega-3_supplementation.pdf&rct=j&frm=1&q=&esrc=s&sa=U&ei=apyOU7TcBNSxsQSvsIA4&ved=0CBcQFjAA&sig2=0_LYv32HiEiInKcfDfNOvQ&usg=AFQjCNHTgzeaTJ04dtmqZQ9Uenp1rqGVCQ

Here’s some information on hairballs:
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/01/16/chronic-hairball.aspx

[RescueDaneMom]

I definitely agree with Marie and C4C. Your GSD’s will need more than what is available in a food to help their joints. There are some threads in the Supplements forum on joint supplements. I am currently using some from Springtime Inc.

[crazy4cats]

I feed my dogs Victor’s Joint Health grain free food. It has extra glucosamine added to it. But, like the others have stated, it is probably best to add a supplement to ensure that they are getting the full benefit of it.

[patvl246]

My vet said, if your going to add a supplement, go with “Cosequin DS”

[InkedMarie]

I may be wrong but I’ve read that by the time dogs eat foods that have joint stuff added to it, it’s been cooked out. You’re better to add a joint supplement yourself.

[Alex V]

I do not typically write reviews, but in this case it is necessary. I have had my 8 year old black lab on Dinovite for 6 months and have seen absolutely no results. Yesterday I took him to an allergist to have him checked out. He has a bacterial skin infection and a yeast infection. It’s really sad that we have had him on what is considered one of the best nutritional supplements that is supposed to alleviate and cure these types of problems in dogs…. and also very sad that our allergist vet said it was a waste of money. I would not recommend this product to anyone, don’t waste your money. And to top it off, the 90 day money back guarantee is a joke. They do not want you to return product before 90 days because they say that ” you haven’t given it enough time to do the job” but then after you exceed the 90 days and it still isn’t working, they say they can’t offer refunds because the refund period has expired. So ridiculous! Not to mention their customer service is some of the worst I have ever experienced! Do yourself a favor and stay away from this product and their bullshit scam company!!!

[Kate B]

Hey guys! This is my first time posting. I have a 15 pound schnoodle that I adopted almost three years ago. I’m not entirely sure how old Wilson is as his surrender paperwork had a few different ages on it but I think (as does his vet) he is between 6 and 8 and in good health.

He’s always, always, always been a picky eater. He’s my first dog and I honestly didn’t know anything about feeding a dog beyond kibble and canned at first. I fed him Vet’s Choice Health Extension for a while and then Acana but they took inordinate amounts of coaxing or soaking in water or additional treats (i.e. cottage cheese or some eggs, etc.) to get him to eat. Meal time would become sometimes a 15-30 minute exercise in who was going to be more stubborn. He would also occasionally throw the kibble back up (anywhere from 30 minutes to hours after he ate). Clearly, this didn’t seem like the best possible diet for him anymore.

I had considered transitioning him to raw, using a commercial raw diet like Stella and Chewy’s or Primal. Well, we tried for about a month and he really struggled with it. A) he hated the Primal with a passion and B) had trouble keeping both of the diets down. I instead decided to try home-cooked and use Grandma Lucy’s as a pre-mix. We’ve been doing this for about three weeks and it has been super successful so far which is a huge relief to me. I want him to have the healthiest life possible! I’ve been rotating him through several kinds of protein (chicken, ground turkey, ground beef, eggs, salmon, tuna) and it all seems easy enough to combine with the pre-mix. I give him 4 oz of the pre-mix and 6 oz of protein (I’m using Primal’s recommendation to give protein between 2-3% of a dog’s weight) split across two daily meals. I haven’t been following Grandma Lucy’s pre-mix recommendation (they recommend 1-1.5 cups per day for dogs between 10-20 lbs) because that seems really, really high to me in contrast to the protein. Any thoughts there?

Here’s my question: do I need to add any additional supplements? Like I said, this isn’t raw meat and it’s making me nervous that I might be screwing something up with the calcium and/or phosphorus. I’m assuming I should also add some sort of fish/krill/flax oil as well and would love some advice! So far, I had looked at Wysong’s Call of the Wild as a possibility but wasn’t sure if that was overkill (Grandma Lucy’s pre-mix has 1% calcium). Any advice would be much appreciated!

[spaniel39]

I feed my baby (sophie the Komondor) 130pound
14 months old
Nutrisource large breed lamb
about 1.63 pound
as you get a 30 pound bag
I went through so many and this is perfect
Gets 5 stars dog advisor also
Lamb meal, peas, pea starch, pea flour, salmon meal, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), potatoes, tomato pomace, natural turkey and chicken flavor, sunflower oil, potassium chloride, dried brewers yeast, salmon oil, minerals (zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, cobalt proteinate, selenium yeast), salt, choline chloride, taurine, vitamins (vitamin A acetate, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, niacin, d-calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement), glucosamine hydrochloride, tryptophan, ascorbic acid (source of vitamin C), chondroitin sulfate, yucca schidigera extract, calcium iodate, rosemary extract, yeast culture (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Aspergillus niger fermentation product, dried Bacillus subtillis fermentation product.

[camano43]

Hi: this is my first post to this website although I have been on the email alert list for food
recalls for quite awhile. I have 3 dogs and 2 middle age cats. I try to feed them all quality foods and this site is super to analyze the dog food companies. I have wished for a site such as this devoted to our feline pets, but have not had much luck locating one. Any suggestions? I live in an area that has several feedstores/pet stores but not lots of pet specialty stores for supplements, samples and new product info.

[Case]

Currently my rotation is: Canidae Grain Free Pure, Earthborn Holistic Primitive Naturals, and Orijen Puppy. I use Diamond Naturals Extreme Athlete to transition between foods (and to reduce overall price).

All five star rated foods, no complaints so far.

I give a daily vitamin supplement as well, mainly bc my dog loves it.

[LexiDog]

I can’t say anything about the seizures either.

My personal favorite kibbles are Acana Regionals and Orijen. These are expensive but I feel we’ll worth it. I have an active 38 # dog and she was getting 1 1/4 cups of food a day on these kibbles. These can be found at Pet Supplies Plus stores and local specialty boutiques. I was actually surprised to see how many specialty shops were around when I started looking for them.

Other favorites include Wellness Core (found at Petsmart and Petco) and Fromm Four Star (Pet Supplies Plus and boutiques). A lot of people like Dr. Tim’s and Victor grain free but I can not find these in the local stores, so I haven’t tried them. I would have to order them online. I have had great experiences ordering food and other stuff from Chewy.com.

If I had to pick a kibble on a budget, I would probably try Whole Earth Farms Grain Free. This can be found at Petco and Pet Supplies Plus. I’m not sure if Petsmart carries it or not because I haven’t been there in a while.

Just remember that not all foods are made for all dogs. Just because my dog does great on certain foods doesn’t mean that yours will. You have to find one that works for you and your dog.

You may want to look at feeding a 4 star kibble before jumping right to a 5. Moose will be going from a plant based diet to a meat based diet and that can cause some upsets. Just remember to transition him very slowly. You can also add some pumpkin while switching. If you buy it from the grocery store just make sure that it is pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. Fruitables makes a digestive supplement with pumpkin to help with switching.

As for species appropriate food. Kibble is not one of them because kibble does not contain the amount of moisture needed for a species appropriate diet. The ideal moisture would be a food that containes around 70% moisture. For example canned is better than kibble and frozen raw is better than canned. Google Dr. Karen Becker best to worst foods. There is a video and a list that is super helpful.

Right now I am feeding my girl Primal frozen raw and The Honest Kitchen dehydrated. There are a ton of great foods out there, just need to know where to look. You should keep an open mind about ordering online. I’ve never had a bad experience with Chewy.com.

This is probably way more info than you want but this is only a little bit. Trust me. There is so much info out there it will make your head spin for a while. You can also get into feeding a homemade diet too. Others will have to help with that.