[InkedMarie]

I can’t answer about what is similar but we adopted a dog that needed to lose almost half her weight. We used Wellness Core’s reduced fat, feeding her the amount for what she *should* weigh.
I am not sure but I thought I heard people say that sometimes the glucosamine that is in dog food is baked away, so to speak; maybe someone can answer this but you may want to give her a separate supplement.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Cate –

I agree, some supplements are harmful in excess. However, glucosamine, chondroitin and hyaluronic acid are very safe supplements. They can be consumed at many times the daily dose with no ill effects. The amounts in food are very low with most having only around 400 mg. glucosamine per kilogram of food – this equates to a mere 30 or so mg. per cup (just to give you an idea – a 50 lb. dog would have to eat over 30 cups of dog food a day just to get a maintenance dose of glucosamine). Dogs that are eating a natural diet rich in bones, cartilage and sinew would naturally be consuming these nutrients in very high levels (higher than anything in dry dog food). I’ve never heard of a dog “overdosing” on GAG’s.

[Anonymous]

Please be careful with supplements as some food and treats have glucosamine, chondroitin, hydraulic acid. Sometimes more is not better and overdoing could have a negative effect.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi DieselJunki –

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are important constituents of cartilage and help to maintain joint function. GAG’s and GAG precursors would include glucosamine, chondroitin and hyaluronic acid. MSM, which is an organic form of the essential mineral sulfur, can be beneficial for joints as well due to the fact that connective tissues require sulfur for maintenance. Cetyl Myristoleate is a supplement that’s recently gained popularity as a joint supplement and has been shown to lubricate joints and maintain function. Whole food supplements that are rich in GAGs are sea cucumber, green lipped mussel, shark cartilage and eggshell membrane. Raw meaty bones are rich in GAGs as well – with trachea, poultry feet and gullet probably being the richest sources. I feel that large/giant breed dogs that are not fed a diet including raw meaty bones on a daily basis should be started on a joint maintenance supplement at a year old (until the dog is a senior or starts to exhibit joint issues the supplement can be given at half the recommended dose). When it comes to joint supplements if you buy supplements made for humans they will be MUCH cheaper per dose. The ingredients used in human supplements are the same as those used in dog supplements so there’s no reason human supplements can’t be used (they’re probably higher quality as well). For a young dog with no joint issues there’s no reason to supplement with every beneficial ingredient under the sun – a capsule of green lipped mussel, shark cartilage, sea cucumber or eggshell membrane or a basic glucosamine/chondroitin supplement will give enough maintenance support to a young dog free of joint issues. For older dogs or dogs that are exhibiting symptoms of arthritis natural anti-inflammatories such as white willow, yucca, boswellia, turmeric/curcumin, tart cherry and supplemental omega 3’s can be beneficial to give in addition to a joint maintenance supplement.

[Shihtzumom20]

Thank you Hound Dog Mom! I got all his supplements today and I get his food tomorrow, and then we are ready to go. I really appreciate you taking the time to look at the website and help me make sure it is balanced. And for your supplement blend, is that 1/2 a tsp each of everything or 1/2 a tsp of everything that has been all mixed together?

[Hound Dog Mom]

I love Swanson’s. I recently discovered them a few months ago when I was looking for some supplements for myself, I liked the stuff I got so much I just ordered over $200 of supplements for the dogs the day before yesterday. I don’t give the dogs supplemental probiotics or enzymes but when I ordered their stuff I got “Swanson Ultra Soil Based Organisms” supplement for myself – 5 digestive enzymes, 15 soil-based probiotics, barley/oat/wheat grass juice and a 15 vegetable concentrate. Sounds healthy, would be great for a dog too that needed enzymes and probiotics – only 11 cents per capsule!

[Mom2Cavs]

I agree with HDM….but, even though I sometimes use human supplements most of the time I use those made for dogs. Like HDM I also mix into their food for both meals. Lucy is taking a urinary supplement atm, though, that is a soft chew so I don’t have to mix that in. And definitely check all ingredients for dog safety. Another note, when I buy dog supplements I usually do so at a pet specialty store (generally big box stores don’t have the brands I want) or I order them online. http://www.onlynaturalpet.com is a good site for supplements. Most of the dog supplements I buy have the NASC seal on them but not all. Hope this helps some more. 🙂

[Hound Dog Mom]

My vitamin mineral supplement would be fine. I order all the ingredients from Swanson Vitamins. For a small dog I’d say 1/2 tsp per day would be adequate. I use Carlson Brand cod liver oil, it has a lower vitamin a content than other brands (most brands have excessive vitamin a) and I also feel it’s higher quality than most other brands – you could give about 1/4 tsp. a couple times a week (there would be no need to add krill oil on these days as the cod liver oil has omega 3’s) for his vitamon d.

[DieselJunki]

I know Moose is only 4 months right now BUT I’ve been doing some research about hips and large breed dogs. Doing some Googling I’ve read quite a few people recommend giving a joint supplement even if there are no joint problems in their dog, even starting as young as puppies. Now I have been on a Mercola supplement kick because they seem so well put together and are very well talked about here. They pretty much have me sold on the Hip Supplement but I just wanted to check in here and hear about other people’s experiences with hip and joint supplements.

Now correct me if I’m wrong but when looking for a joint supplement that maintains the hips you would be looking for things with: msm, glucosamine, chondroitin, hydraulic acid.

So far the one’s I have looked into are:
Welly Tails
Vet’s Best
K9 Joint Strong
Mercola

These all seemed to have those 4 things I mentioned up there. Some seemed more for arthritic dogs or dogs that already had painful joints and others seemed better at just being hip and joint maintenance.

[DieselJunki]

I know of quite a few people that have spoken well about the Mercola Pro-Biotics and Digestive Enzymes. I would use both on my dog but they are currently out of stock on the Enzymes. I know I also feed my dog Trippet (green beef tripe), Answer’s Goats Milk, and Kefir. All of these have some form of Enzymes and such in them. Kefir is really good if you can find it. Hound Dog Mom suggests it a lot and can be beneficial to any dogs diet. I of course switch up between the Kefir and Goats Milk but always add the Enzymes and Pro-Biotics to my dogs food. I split the daily dosages for the supplements up for his feedings.

Now as for whether this would fix the case of your dogs intestinal sensitivities and bad gas I am not sure as I have never had a dog that has had those issues. But it never hurts to add Enzymes and Pro-Biotics to any dogs diet.

[Shihtzumom20]

Thanks Hound Dog Mom,
I feel so much better feeding this to Dawson now that you have checked it out! I was very surprised at the price as well!
Would you recommend I give Dawson your vitamin/mineral supplement? I know I saw a couple variations on the raw food menu thread. If you recommend that how much would I give him? One of my good friends has organic cage free eggs, so I could get him some eggs for vitamin D, he would get just under 2 pounds of food a week. (2 pounds in eight days) I already have his Krill oil picked out, so I need vitamin e and then a vitamin d source, is that correct? I saw in one of your menus, you gave vitamin A reduced cod liver oil, would that be suitable?
And thank you for explaining how to convert to % dry matter, it makes a lot more sense now!
Thank you for your time and all your help Hound Dog Mom!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Supplements can come in capsules, tablets, softgels, liquids or powders. I personally prefer powders or powder filled capsules I can open up, I like to mix everything into the food. For most supplements it’s best to divide the recommended amount between breakfast and dinner. Some supplements have to be acquired through a veterinarian, others can be purchased from pet food stores. I personally get all of my dogs’ supplements from human supplement suppliers (Swanson, Puritan’s Pride, Drugstore.com, etc.). I feel that supplements sold for humans are higher quality and (oddly enough) they generally cost less per dose than supplements for pets. The dosage obviously needs to be scaled down (if you have a 25 lb. dog you’d give approx. 1/4 the recommended human dose, 1/2 for a 50 lb. dog, etc.) and for some supplements you’ll need to check all the ingredients to make sure they’re all safe for dogs.

[bluetry35722]

You have been so awesome with all of your help. I have a question though. I get confused when I hear the word ‘supplement.’ What form are the supplements in (i.e. pills, liquids, etc?) And are they administered once daily or with each meal, etc. Do you get your babies’ supplements from their vet or from stores like PetSmart?

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Shihtzumom20 –

I just checked out Big Country Raw’s website – I’m jealous that you can get this food, the price is great! $2.50/lb. for pre-mixed food is very reasonable. I’m not too far from some of the retailers (I’m on the Canadian border) unfortunately I think a law was passed recently making it illegal to transport pet food across the border.

I can’t find a statement of nutritional adequacy on the website and it does appear there are a few things missing that you will need to supplement to make the food balanced. First of all, yes you will want to add omega 3’s as there aren’t any added to the food. Follow the dosage chart I posted previously. Second, after reading the ingredients for each of their foods I can tell you that there are inadequate levels of vitamin e and vitamin d. Vitamin e is difficult to supply in adequate quantities through food alone and therefore should be supplemented. It will be especially critical that you supplement with vitamin e once you start adding omega 3’s as consumption of omega 3’s increases the the fat soluble antioxidant requirement. As a general rule supplement about 50 I.U. vitamin e per 20 lbs. If you get capsules with a high dosage (most come in 200 IU or 400 IU) you can just give one whole capsule 2-3 times per week. For the vitamin d, there is some vitamin d in beef liver (about 50 IU per 4 oz.), but not all of the formulas contain beef liver and even for the formulas that do, I doubt that there is enough to fulfill vitamin d requirements. Vitamin d can be added in supplement form or (more preferably) in whole food form. Some foods that are rich in vitamin d: cod liver oil (~400 IU per tsp.), cage free eggs (~30-50 IU per egg), Kefir (~100 IU per cup), oily fish (amount of vitamin d present varies on the type of fish but sardines, mackerel and salmon are generally considered good sources), some varieties of plain yogurt and cottage cheese are supplemented with vitamin d (check the label). Your dog should be getting about 200 IU vitamin D per pound of food consumed. Also, rotate between all their protein sources – don’t rely on one – this will provide him with the greatest balance. You may also want to consider adding another whole food supplement, I see kelp is is added to a few of the varieties. Kelp is great and supplies a lot of trace nutrients but the more variety the better, especially when a dog is deriving all of their nutrition from whole foods and not relying on synthetically added vitamins and minerals. My dogs get kelp and they also get things like spirulina, alfalfa, wheat grass, bee pollen, chlorella, etc. I switch up their supplements frequently. It says they offer a vitamin/mineral supplement but it doesn’t list the ingredients, you could check that out.

Yes, RMB’s are a wonderful source of glucosamine and chondroitin. Because he’s young and he’s a small breed not prone to joint issues, RMB’s should provide all the joint support he needs for now. I wouldn’t worry about a joint supplement until he’s a senior.

[Mom2Cavs]

I have Cavaliers, who by nature of the breed, can have heart problems. One of mine has a murmur, last time assessed at a grade 2. As far as I know, atm, the other one is currently fine. My oldest was heart clear until about 10 years old and then I was told she had a grade 5 murmur and probably heart disease. She actually never really had any problems of note, though, with her heart. She just recently passed to the bridge at 12 years old, but it wasn’t her heart….she had a neurological disease (SM) that Cavs also are prone to and that caused her death. Actually, having a Cavalier reach double digits in age is great! Anyway, on to your question……while I don’t feed a “heart diet” I do try to feed as top of the line food as I can (which my holistic vet is fine with). I know that prey raw or homemade is probably the best, but either is not my choice. I have fed a variety of different kinds of food over the years. I’ve fed premade raw, freeze dried raw, dehydrated raw, canned and kibble. I’m currently feeding Acana Singles (Duck & Pear or Lamb & Apple) topped with either Primal or Stella & Chewy’s freeze dried raw or The Honest Kitchen Embark. Sometimes I top with canned foods like Instinct, Wellness Stews, Weruva, etc. I was using Merrick grain free kibble until I had an issue with a bag of the Pork grain free (strange looking and colored kibble pieces caused diarrhea). I’ve also used Merrick canned but have decided to go away from them, too, as they contain carageenan, and ingredient I’m not too comfortable with. I do know about BPA in cans, as well, and that’s why I like the freeze dried or THK. With each kind of food I have often supplemented with a heart targeted supplement (again at the advice of my holistic vet, who btw carries Nature’s Variety in his clinic). Some of my favorites are: Bio Cardio, Cardio Strength, Nature’s Farmacy heartwise and Standard Process Cardio Support. I’ve also given pre/probiotics and enzymes which I think can’t hurt. The heart supplements often contain things like COQ10, hawthorn, taurine, L-Carnitine and omega 3’s. You could also supplement these things individually. Please note that I’m not a vet, but a furmom with babies that more often than not have heart issues. I hope this helps some and gives you something to think about. 🙂

[Shihtzumom20]

Hi Hound Dog Mom,
So here is the chicken dinner ingredients:
Big Country Chicken Dinner
Ingredients
Ground chicken with bone, beef liver, fruit and vegetable puree. Garlic and kelp.
A complete and balanced meal choice. Protein-max 16%. Fat-min 12%. Moisture-62%. Fibre-2.6%
The chicken dinner has the highest fat, the rest are not over 10%. Of course I don’t really know how to convert it to dry matter basis, I did see how on here but I think my calculation was way off, lol!
Other than the fish I don’t see any fish oil added, would you say to add in the krill oil? I think they want you to feed the fish dinner every now and again, but they use cod, haddock or sole.
I guess I will hold off the joint supplement, do rmb’s help supply glucosamine and chrondroitin? He is getting his first chicken wing for his evening meal! I am so excited, I showed it to him and he wanted to take it so I think he will like the true raw diet! But he is still young with no issues so far, so since he is getting it naturally I think he will be good for now!
Thanks for all your help HDM! He is at me right now for his chicken wing!
And I like your schedule for vaccinating, I think I personally would feel better if he got his one year shots, and then I might titer him at 2 and go from there.

[Anonymous]

I am by no means a canine nutritionist, merely someone who has put a bit of thought into what I feed mine. My knowledge is not specific to the medical condition and sensitivity of your dog. The guidelines that I found with a superficial online search for cardiac diet were:
– Provide your pet a high-quality natural meat-based diet with at least 25-30% protein (DM basis)
– Make sure your pet LIKES the food so that (s)he consumes enough calories to maintain BMI
– Mild to moderate sodium restriction (severe restriction in advanced cases)
– Supplements: omega 3 fatty acids, taurine, carnitine, B vitamins and Magnesium.
http://www.1800petmeds.com/education/diet-tips-pet-heart-disease-32.htm

I am going to assume that you are looking for a dry kibble based on your previous food choice. I feel that the top of the line dry kibble RIGHT NOW is Orijen. However, it does retail for $80/35lb. As I feed about 400 lb of dog, the budgetary compromise at my house is Merrick Grain Free at roughly $50/35lb.

Prior to Merrick Grain Free, I was feeding Taste of the Wild, but have decided that I prefer Merrick for not entirely nutrition-based reasons. While the protein content is slightly higher and the starch from sweet potato (rather than white), they are reasonably equivalent foods (in nutrition and price). However, Merrick uses all US-sourced ingredients (nothing from China). This is a political issue and safety concern of mine. The larger scale pet recall in 2007 due to melamine contamination was traced to Chinese product, and the more recent Petco recall of stainless steel bowls manufactured with radioactive Cobalt-60 scrap was most likely (while never publicly disclosed) of Chinese origin. Merrick also happens to be manufactured in Texas, where I live. Those variables may not factor into your decision at all, but are important to me.

I could not find a cardiac specific diet offered by Hill’s in their Science Diet or Prescription Diet lines and based my quick comparison on the Adult Advanced Fitness formula. The Advanced Mobility contained more Omega 3’s and Magnesium, but was lower in protein and higher in sodium. Orijen appears to be the best choice, but may not be an option for you dependent on your personal budget. Merrick Grain Free is my compromise, but is based on a few tertiary considerations that may not matter to you. I will be interested to hear what other posters have to contribute. (The following information was retrieved from those companies’ official website product pages and is as vague or detailed as they provided.) The summary comparison is this:

Hill’s Merrick Orijen
Protein 24.2 38 38
Fat 16.4 17 17
Carbohydrate 51.5 ? 25
Sodium 0.32 ? 0.4
Omega-3 Fatty Acids 0.67 0.4 1.1
Omega-6 Fatty Acids 3.33 4.8 3.0
Taurine (yes) ? 0.35
Carnitine ? ? ?
B Vitamins
B1 – Thiamine (yes) (yes) 0.9 mg/kg or 50 mg/kg?
B2 – Riboflavin ? (yes) 45 mg/kg
B3 – Niacin (yes) (yes) 450 mg/kg
B5 – Pantothenic Acid ? (yes) 50 mg/kg
B6 – Pyridoxine ? (yes) 38 mg/kg
B7 – Biotin ? (yes) 1 mg/kg
B9 – Folic Acid (yes) (yes) 5.2 mg/kg
B12 – Cobalamins (yes) (yes) 50 mg/kg
Magnesium 0.099 ? 0.1

Since the foods that I mentioned are simply those that I am familiar with and not anything that I originally researched with cardiac issues in mind, I would recommend that you use this as a springboard for your own research. Maybe there is a better option in Innova EVO, Artemis, etc. Finish out a chart similar to that above on each of the brands that this website lists as top-tier choices. Feel free to call companies like Merrick or Hill’s to ask about specific quantities of items on their ingredients list, but not in their analysis (like B vitamins).

You might also want to consult with a veterinarian that specializes in cardiac issues regarding dietary recommendations and possible supplements. Maybe it is more cost-effective or bioavailable to top-dress your pets dinner with certain vitamins (L-carnitine perhaps). As wonderful as your veterinarian my be, my experience is that the time constraints of their day-to-day rigamarole does not allow time for general practitioners to be current and thorough on more specific issues. Reading journal articles falls to the wayside. Specialist consultation and personal research are important any time you have a specific veterinary/medical diagnosis of concern. Your vet has to have a working knowledge of EVERYTHING. You can concentrate on the single issue that is of prominent importance for your pet.

Good Luck

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Shihtzumim20 –

Krill oil is great because it’s low in contaminants and contains a very potent naturally occuring antioxidant called astaxanthin. If the food already has added omega 3’s (fish oil) use the krill oil sparingly because, yes, you can give your dog too much of a good thing. Here’s a dosage chart for fish/krill oil:

-250 mg. daily for toy breeds and cats (1 – 14 lbs.)
-500 mg. daily for small dogs (15 – 29 lbs.)
-1,000 mg. daily for medium dogs (30 – 49 lbs.)
-1,500 mg. daily for large dogs (50 – 79 lbs.)
-2,000 mg. daily for dogs 80+ lbs.

When your dog is on a raw diet that includes bones and cartilage there won’t be as much of a need for a joint supplement because bones/cartilage are full of naturally occurring glucosamine and chondroitin. If you have a senior dog or a dog with an orthopedic problem, however, a supplement may still be necessary. After heavy activity my senior gets a few capsules of Wysong’s Arthegic (my favorite joint supplement). It’s marketed as a human supplement but great for dogs too. Wysong even includes a dosage chart for dogs on their website. It contains boswellia, sea cucumber, turmeric, ginger, devil’s claw, yucca, red pepper and cetyl myristoleate.

I personally vaccinate my dogs as puppies (parvo/distemper at 8 weeks, 11 weeks, 14 weeks and a rabies at 16 weeks) and then I vaccinate 1 year after their last puppy booster. I don’t vaccinate again other than rabies every 3 years to comply with law. This is something you need to research yourself and decide what you are comfortable doing with your dog. Some people vaccinate every year, some every 3 years, some like I do, some only do puppy shots and others don’t vaccinate at all. Check out healthypets.mercola.com- Dr. Becker has some great information and videos on vaccinating.

[Shihtzumom20]

Hi Hound Dog Mom,
Thanks so much for your reply! After doing some more research I decided to still go with a premade raw, it is a small company and all the ingredients are human grade, and from southern Ontario. It is called Big Country Raw. I have been looking at supplements and have been thinking of adding Krill oil to his raw. Would this be recommended? They do have a fish dinner, but it has salmon and tuna in it, so I think I would like to avoid that. Should I start supplementing him with Krill Oil? I like the benefits, then I read on another forum here that too many Omega 3’s can be bad too. So I was wondering what you guys think of that? And also do you guys use a joint supplement for your dogs? I have been trying to research on the internet but having been having much luck in whether to supplement or not. He is only a year and a bit, so I don’t know if I should wait to start a joint supplement or if it is beneficial to start him on it young. Also if someone could direct me to the vaccinating thread that would be greatly appreciated(if there is one)! He is coming up to his 1 year shots and I am not sure whether to get them or not, any advice on supplementing and vaccinating are greatly appreciated, thanks so much guys!

[kmarron]

Thank you, HDMom, for the information. My dog is a sun worshiper! She lays in the sun for at least several hours a day.The caveat about whole food vs supplementation and toxicity is well received too.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi KC-Cajun –

If your dog is battling a yeast overgrowth the best thing to do is to eliminate (or limit as much as possible) grains (corn, rice, oats, etc.) and starches (white potato, tapioca, peas, etc.). Your best option – foodwise – would be to feed a home-prepared diet with no starchy ingredients, a canned food free of grains and starches, a freeze-dried food free of grains and starches or a dehydrated food free of grains and starches. Kibble is a bakery product so by nature it must contain starch in some form as a binder, kibble would therefore be your worst option. If you must feed kibble go with something high in protein (>35%) and white potato/grain-free – such as Orijen or Nature’s Variety Instinct. You may also want to go with a novel protein and avoid chicken (all Blue Wilderness formulas are primarily chicken-based), I’ve heard of this contributing to yeast in dogs that are sensitive to common proteins. I would also recommend supplementing your dog’s diet with a high quality multi-strain probiotic, yeast is a “bad” bacteria so feeding probiotics which are “good” bacteria can help get the yeast overgrowth under control. Some good options are: Swanson Ultra Soil Based Organisms (15 strains, plus enzymes and whole food nutrients), Garden of Life Primal Defense (12 strains plus whole food nutrients) or Mercola’s Probiotics (14 strains). Disinfect the ears with with witch hazel and cotton balls. Make sure all the debris is removed from the ears daily. Results won’t happen overnight, so once you get on a better food, start supplementing the diet and disinfecting the ears give it some time. It could take a month or two to get the yeast under control.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi kmarron –

Vitamin D exists in two forms – cholecalciferol (D3, occurs in animals) and ergocalciferol (D2, found predominantly in plants). Most animals are capable of fulfilling a portion of their vitamin D requirements by producing cholecalciferol in their skin when exposed to sunlight – dogs can do this but they aren’t quite as efficient at it as people so this is why it’s important that they receive supplemental vitamin D in the diet. D2 and D3 are generally considered equally potent for most species, however I believe D3 is the more natural choice. My dogs get their vitamin D in whole food form only – I believe that whole foods are better assimilated by the body and less likely to result in toxicity so I avoid all vitamin supplements. My dogs get their daily dose of vitamin D3 from cod liver oil which has 400 IU naturally occurring vitamin D3 per teaspoon, cage free eggs with have about 50 IU vitamin D3 per egg, Kefir which has 100 IU per cup and beef liver which has about 50 IU vitamin D per 4 oz. Oily fish such as sardines, salmon and mackerel are rich in vitamin D as well. If you prepare a properly balanced raw diet there should be no need to add synthetic supplements.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi sp464 –

I would check out Earthborn – it’s similar in price and rating to TOTW and Canidae but it’s not made by Diamond.

suztzu had a great suggestion with the canned food. Tripett is one food in particular that dogs love – I’ve never heard of a dog that turned their nose up to green tripe. Tripett is just plain canned green tripe so it’s to be used as a topper only, not a complete food. You can take some and mash it up with warm water to make a gravy and completely coat the kibble.

There’s also the option of feeding only canned or a fresh cooked food (such as Freshpet or use a Premix – such as THK’s Preference or Sojo’s) and adding your own fresh meat – dogs seem to prefer these types of foods to dry food, however it could get costly with a larger dog like a great dane.

Are you giving her anything for her joint stiffness? Wysong makes a great supplement called “Arthegic” that has boswellia, sea cucumber, turmeric, ginger, devil’s claw, yucca, red pepper and cetyl myristoleate – all powerful natural anti-inflammatories. I use it occasionally for my senior after he’s had some heavy exercise. You may also want to give her some fish oil daily, the omega 3’s act as a natural inflammatory and seniors can benefit from additional DHA in the diet.

[soho]

Hi lovelibby,

Hyperlipidemia can be caused by badly controlled Diabetes. It can also be caused by other things.
The first thing I would do if I were you is try to tightly control my dog’s diabetes.

I would fast him or her for 24 hours while I figured out what dose of long acting insulin such as Lantus, Ultralente or Levemir controlled his basal levels of glucose. The basal level of glucose is what the liver constantly produces throughout the day and has nothing to do with meals. You might have to do the fast more than once (with plenty of days in between) until you calculate the correct dosage of long acting insulin. Then you can calculate the mealtime dose of rapid acting insulin such as Novolog, Humalog or Apidra. You would start with a very low dose and slowly increase the dosage until you find the dose of rapid acting insulin that adequately controls the glucose from your dog’s meals.

The beauty of a two insulin regimen is your dogs meals are not tied to any particular time of day and can vary in size. You can give the dose of rapid acting insulin immediately after a meal this way you give the correct dose of insulin for the amount of food your dog actually eats with no worries if he doesn’t finish his whole meal.

You must test your dog’s blood glucose levels a lot in the beginning while you figure everything out!!! I would test upon arising, right before meals, 2 hours after each meal and at bedtime.

The regimen I outlined is not a simple one but it can be done with the help of the right healthcare professional and I believe it pays off in the long run with a happier and healthier dog.

I would never feed my dog Hills W/D. Here are the ingredients:

Whole Grain Corn, Powdered Cellulose, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken Liver Flavor, Chicken By-Product Meal, Soybean Mill Run, Chicken, Dried Beet Pulp, Soybean Oil, Lactic Acid, Caramel (color), Calcium Sulfate, Potassium Chloride, Flaxseed, L-Lysine, Choline Chloride, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C) , Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Calcium Carbonate, Taurine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), L-Tryptophan, L-Carnitine, Iodized Salt, Mixed Tocopherols added to retain freshness, Citric Acid added to retain freshness, L-Threonine, Beta-Carotene, Phosphoric Acid, Rosemary Extract.

Dog’s with diabetes are still dogs. They still need a lot of protein. Fat should vary with the individual dog’s health, issues, diseases, etc. The hills W/D diet in my opinion is not fit for any dog to eat. While hills tries to focus on the dog’s diabetes , they completely fail to meet the nutritional needs of ANY canine. Hills addresses the dogs diabetes with high fiber (29.5%), high carbohydrates (51%) , low fat (8.7%) and low protein (18.7%).

As far as diet goes I discuss this in earlier posts in this topic.

[kmarron]

I am following Dr. Becker’s Real Food recipe for my dog’s raw diet. She says to add dry vitamin D 400 IU as a supplement. Which type of vitamin D is best? Thanks for your input!

[Cavalierluvr]

Hi,

A friend of mine has a 10 year old Golden Retriever. Recently it had a seizure and was taken to the Vet. It was determined that he has High Liver Function and the vet recommended supplements and a prescription dog food…Hills Science Diet Prescription LD Hipatic Health. First few ingredients are Brewers Rice, Pork Fat, Dried Egg, Soy Bean Meal. She has to pay $60 for a 17lb bag. The vet said he realizes it is expensive and said if she could not afford it, he highly recommended feeding the food over the supplements. Now we all know this is a horrible food. From her own research (not the vet) she said with High Liver Function problems, low protein is advised. Does anyone have an idea about what food she could try. Her dog was previously on Nutro Max, but seemed to be having allergy problems so she switched him about 6 months ago to Nutrisca to avoid potato. She said he seemed to be doing really well on it until this happened.

[suztzu]

I really want to go grain free with my 9yr old shih tzu Leo but I am having a problem finding a “middle” of the road type food I did try Wellness core reg he immedietly gained a pound even though he was only eating a 1/4 cup twice a day so I switched to the low fat. It was too low in fat even with supplemental canned food his skin got itchy and started thinning out the kibble was just too large he was throwing it up. He would throw up California Natural too, anything that has a larger kibble size it a no go. I switched to Natures Variety Prarie Chicken and brown rice and his weight has been stable for a long time now and he looks great. So it seems like anything over 16% fat is bad and anything aroung or under 10% is bad NV Instinct is 22% which is too high. I do worry about long term health risks of using a grain based kibble, I do have him on coconut oil supplement for his skin and coat, cant do fish oil it soaks into his beard and you cant get near him he stinks like dead fish LOL Maybe I should just switch him over to canned but its so expensive. Any ideas on a good kibble low carb good protein middle of the road fat would be helpful. Ive been looking at all the reviews but my mind is reeling, too many choices and what about Dehydrated UGH I dont know.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi thesamster –

I wouldn’t look for a large breed specific food – large, medium and small breeds don’t have different nutritional requirements, size/breed specific formulas are just marketing. I also would focus on finding a high quality (high protein) low fat food and not worry about the fiber content of the food, the fiber can be added as a supplement (either psyllium or plain pumpkin). High quality low fat foods are few and far between which is why I recommend just worrying about the fat and protein level and supplementing the fiber, if you also look for high fiber you’ll likely end up having to settle for a lower quality food. In order to reduce the fat content most companies remove most of the meat and replace it with filler (grains, starch), there are only a few foods available that keep the fat levels low while keeping the protein levels (meat) levels high. Some low fat 5 star foods: Wysong Epigen Original, Venison and Fish formulas (all 11% fat), Wysong Epigen 90 (12% fat), California Natural Grain-Free Chicken (12% fat), Wellness Core Reduced Fat (10% fat), Blue Buffalo Wildnerness Healthy Weight (10% fat), The Honest Kitchen Zeal (9% fat), Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance Chicken (9% fat), Annamaet Lean (8% fat) and Acana Light and Fit Fit (10% fat).

[Jackie B]

Looking at the Royal Canin SO, it says the purpose is to increase urine flow.

My dog had UTI’s, no crystals, and here is what I did: switched to all wet/moist food (4 or 5 star rated only, no white potato, I used to do all grain-free but he was gaining weight too easily) and bought him an electric circulating pet fountain (Cat Mate brand). He hasn’t had a UTI in almost 2 years, and none since I started that regimen. So try that if you want.

Also, Solid Gold makes a supplement called Berry Balance that is supposed to help with that, you add it to the food. When I called the company, they said not to use it in conjunction with prescription food. I assume that if you add it to food, it would create the same effect as prescription food but you’d be able to avoid the junky ingredients that are typical in vet food.

[Shawna]

Betsy wrote
“Can you tell me the difference between brewer’s yeast and yeast culture; and how they differ from the type of yeast that that makes up a yeast overgrowth?”

Brewers yeast and nutritional yeast are made from the same strain of yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but are grown on different mediums. Brewers yeast is a by-product from the brewing industry and is said to have a bitter or “yeasty” taste. Nutritional yeast is often grown on molasses and is described to have a nutty or cheesy taste. Depending on what they are grown on will vary the nutritional content of the final product to a degree. The yeast in these products are deactivate (killed) so they can not colonize the system.

It is my understanding that it is the deactivation process that frees the amino acids and creates the MSG like issues in these supplements. Fermentation, which is what the yeast does to the sugar mediums they are grown on, also creates some freed glutamic and aspartic acids. I think the amounts are relatively small but because freed glutamic and aspartic acids bioaccumulate, when added to other sources it definitely could be enough to cause illness. For those that are sensitive to MSG or aspartame, I would avoid nutritional and brewers yeasts.

There are also a few types of yeast that are considered probiotics Saccromyces boulardi is one and can be found in some probiotic products. Saccromyces is a “non-colonizing” yeast.

Candida yeast is the type that are normal to the colon and can grow out of proportion when the good bacteria are not in correct proportion.

There is another type of yeast, Malassezia, that grows on a dogs skin when the immune system is not up to par. I beleive Malassezia can infect the ears as well.

[Mom2Cavs]

Yes, thank goodness. Let us know if they are normal now. All 3 of mine had normal stool today, Yay! Knock on wood, lol, it stays that way. I’m feeding mainly the Duck & Pear (5 lb. bag) with a couple of sample bags of the Lamb mixed in with it. The dogs love the taste. I’ve been topping with a pattie of S&C’s, Fresh Digest, and adding water. Today, tho’, Lucy (Mixed Breed who has been known to be picky) wouldn’t eat! I was hoping it wasn’t the Acana….I dumped out the food and put some Wellness Stew canned in her bowl with some Acana and the Fresh Digest instead of using the S&C’s patty and water. She ate just fine. I think maybe she didn’t want to patty for some reason…? You never know with her hahaha. She is turning 12 this year and has a mass of some kind on her bladder. We know this and she does get supplements for urinary. We aren’t doing anything else, atm, because she isn’t acting sick at all (praise God!). But, when she gets picky like that…I will try to cater to her a little bit :).

[Hound Dog Mom]

Here are the links:

See Spot Live Longer Dinner Mix
http://www.seespotlivelonger.com/home/sll/page_40

U-Stew
http://www.knowbetterpetfood.com/home

Wysong’s Call of the Wild
http://www.wysong.net/products/cotw-dog-cat-supplement.php

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Roobee –

If she’s that picky and won’t eat the food once you add anything to the meat I’d recommend See Spot Liver Longer Dinner Mixes, U-Stew or or Wysong’s Call of the Wild. All three are powder supplements designed to balance an all meat diet. There are instructions on the package for how much supplement to add to the meat. With these supplements you can feed just meat and your dog will be getting all the nutrients she needs. You can certainly try different extras – yogurt, veggies, fruits, eggs, etc. but if she won’t eat the other stuff you won’t have to be concerned that her nutritional needs aren’t being met.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi KGM801 –

I’ve hear A LOT of people complaining about Blue Buffalo giving their dogs diarrhea. If you read through the Blue Buffalo thread on the review section there are tons of complaints, many have complained to Consumer Affairs as well and you can read those complains on the Consumer Affairs website. Last summer my friend got a new puppy and switched her from the food the breeder had her on (Science Diet) to Blue Buffalo and the dog got horrible diarrhea, she then tried another comparable food and the diarrhea cleared up overnight. So you’re not alone! I think the company has some serious quality control issues, I know I lost my trust in the company after I got a bag of cat food covered with mold and dog biscuits with bugs in the bag…

First off – have you had the pup checked for worms, coccidia and giarrdia? If you haven’t do that.

Second – “this is a big decision because whichever I decide on will most likely be what I feed her for her whole life!” PLEASE do not feed the same food for your dog’s entire life! Feeding the same food for extended periods of time is so unhealthy. Pick at least two or three brands and rotate, dogs need variety. No single food can provide a living thing with all the nutrients they need.

Any 4/5 star food would be worth a try. I know Blue Buffalo runs about $50-$55 for the largest bag. Some 4/5 star foods in that price range that I’d suggest checking out are: Earthborn, Merrick Grain-Free, Solid Gold Barking at the Moon, Nature’s Variety Instinct, Horizon Legacy, NutriSource Grain-Free and Horizon Pulsar.

If your pup is a large breed, however, there are other nutritional considerations and I would recommend picking a food off this list:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFQXNYZW01VzRVV00/edit?usp=sharing

Adding some plain canned pumpkin and a probiotic supplement will help with the diarrhea. Good luck! 🙂

[Hound Dog Mom]

Wysong sells krill oil capsules on their human supplements page. I use their supplements for both myself and my dogs frequently, they’re very high quality. NOW Foods and Health from the Sun sell krill oil capsules that can be found online and at health food stores – I have used products from both these brands for myself and my dogs as well.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi abby13 –

The type of walnut oil that you buy from the health food store isn’t toxic to dogs. However, if you’re going to supplement your dog’s diet with an oil I would go with an animal-based fat. Walnut oil contains omega 3’s and omega 9’s – omega 9’s are not an essential fat for dogs and aren’t of much use and the omega 3’s found in plant-based oils are in the form of alpha-linoleic acid (ALA). Dogs lack the enzyme necessary to convert ALA into a form that their bodies can utilize – eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Fish oils, krill oil and squid oil are all high in omega 3’s in the form a EPA and DHA so they are in a form that can be utilized by the dog. If you want to add a plant-based oil in addition to an animal-based oil, coconut oil would be a good choice – it’s high in medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) comprised of lauric acid, capric acid, caprylic acid, myristic acid and palmitic. The lauric acid component has antibacterial, antiviral and anti-fungal properties. MCTs are also metabolized quicker than other fats to provide your dog with quick energy. Coconut oil is also great for the skin and coat.

[abby13]

I am looking into supplementing my dogs with some oil. I’ve heard Walnut oil is the one to try but at the same time when I do some research it says that black walnuts can poison dogs. Anyone have any suggestions or insight on this? Thanks!

[sheila23]

Astroweeks-

I had a shepherd mix with SBS syndrome as well, and tried all sorts of things. We had him on metronidazole off and on, did pumpkin consistently and fortiflora as well as probiotics from Petco (their specific brand worked the best for some reason) and b12 shots. I tried this stuff from Amazon, just on a whim

in combo with the prescription Hills I/D, along with his normal routine mentioned above and he started putting on weight and feeling better! Not sure if it was one thing in particular or a combination of everything! I never had much success with yogurt, but that’s not to say it won’t help you out. We eventually stopped the high calorie supplement and switched him to Wellness core once he put on weight. My vet had mentioned feeding puppy food as well, as its higher calorie usually. Anyways, hopefully you got something from that!

[Hound Dog Mom]

DoggieDoc22 –

You obviously don’t know my feeding philosophy – I don’t let any company influence my decision on what to feed. I’m not fooled by Blue Buffalo and Wellness commercials or the Blue Buffalo or Orijen rep at my local pet food company. I’m not fooled by dry weight versus wet ingredients or ingredient splitting, nor do I think white potato is superior to grains. In fact I wouldn’t feed any of the foods you mentioned to my dogs (Blue, Wellness, Natural Balance, etc.). My dogs eat real food. Raw meat, bones, organs and whole food supplements the way nature intended – no marketing spin there, no ingredient splitting, no reps selling me food and no need to worry about which ingredients are going in dry and which are going in wet. You’re bashing people for buying into the marketing of certain pet food companies when you are just as blinded by the marketing tactics of the big name pet food companies as anyone else is by the small “holistic companies.”

[Hound Dog Mom]

I use a lot of Wysong’s human supplements for both myself and my dogs – they have a dosing chart on their website for using human supplements for animals and the general guidelines are: dogs >60 lbs. get the human dose, dogs 36-60 lbs. get 3/4 the human dose, dogs 10-36 lbs. get 1/2 the human dose and dogs under 10 lbs. get 1/4 the human dose. With something like a probiotic which isn’t toxic in large doses, you don’t have to stress about getting the dose exactly right either. For dogs the size of yours you could give each 1/2 capsule per day or 1 whole capsule every other day.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Cavalierluvr –

There are a few things that can cause anal gland issues. First of all small breed dogs and toy breed dogs are more susceptible to anal gland trouble in the first place – it’s very uncommon for large breed dogs to experience anal gland troubles, although it’s definitely possible. If you have a vet or groomer that frequently expresses your dog’s anal glands when there is no problem, it can lead to problems. The dog becomes dependent on the vet or groomer expressing their anal glands and loses muscle tone and the glands become unable to express themselves on their own. Another reason your dog may develop anal gland issues is if your dog has had diarrhea or loose stools for an extended period of time. Whenever you switch foods you should monitor your dog’s stools. Some mild loose stools during the initial switch are normal, but it shouldn’t persist for more than a few days. It’s common for dogs that have eaten the same food for a long period of time to get loose stools when switching to a new food – especially if the change is drastic, such as switching from a grain-inclusive food to a grain-free food. When you’re transitioning to a new food it’s a good idea to add a spoonful of pumpkin (plain) or a sprinkling of psyllium to each meal – both are high in fiber and will help to control loose stools by soaking up excess water in the colon. I would also recommend using a high quality multi-strain probiotic supplement and a digestive enzyme supplement during the transition – the probiotics will help to normalize the balance of bacteria in the gut and the enzymes will aid in digestion. It will take at least two weeks to know whether or not a new food is working for your dog but in some cases a food just doesn’t work and it may be necessary to try another food. Just because one grain-free food doesn’t work out, however, doesn’t mean that no grain-free foods will.

[Hound Dog Mom]

On the topic of probiotics. Was just looking through some supplements and came across this: http://www.swansonvitamins.com/swanson-probiotics-dr-stephen-langers-ultimate-15-strain-probiotic-fos-60-veg-caps . It’s a 15-strain probiotic with pre-biotics marketed for humans. I know Mercola’s probiotic is considered by many to be the gold standard – this has one more strain and is a whole lot cheaper. $0.12 per dose for a large dog versus $0.90 per dose for a large dog of the Mercola. I personally haven’t tried it out (yet, I might) but it would be worth a try for those that are more budget conscious.

[weimlove]

Ok thanks so much guys. Right now shadow is eating chicken necks and backs, leg quarters and some ground chicken plus veggies and supplements. I’m getting ready to try a new protein source which will probably be beef. For fish week I plan on using sardines, and maybe some canned salmon and mackerel. What bone in beef and turkey is safe for his teeth?

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi crazy4cats –

The glucosamine and chondroitin advertised in the Blue Buffalo foods is just marketing (a lot of brands do this), there’s not enough in there to provide your dogs with any benefits. There are 8 cups of food per kilogram and the bag states 400 mg. glucosamine per kg.. This equates to 50 mg. glucosamine per cup. The serving size for an 80 lb. dog is about 3 cups – this equals 150 mg. glucosamine. An 80 lb. dog would need about 1,000 mg. glucosamine for any therapeutic effect (this means the dog would need to eat 20 cups of food a day to get any benefits). Glucosamine is something that should always be supplemented separately if it’s something the dog needs.

[crazy4cats]

Hi HDM-
That is the answer I was hoping for. Thank you. I really wish I would have thought of that before. I would just have kept them on puppy food. I’ve learned so much. I had never even read a nutrition label up until about a year ago. I feel bad I didn’t know as much with our previous pets. The Whole Earth Farms puppy looks just about as good as the Blue Buffalo Life Protection I’m feeding them currently at about half the price. I notice it doesn’t have the glucosamine in it. But, I can always supplement I suppose. Don’t really think they need it yet, do they?

With six pets, a son in college and another son starting in the fall, I really need to cut some costs.
Thank you for your suggestions.

[Mom2Cavs]

I agree with Marie. Pedigree may donate food, and while that is a good thing, it doesn’t make it a good food. There are lots of budget friendly foods that have better ingredients. I feel that if you can afford the supplement you can afford a better food. mlp576, your post wasn’t clear about why you were using Pedigree and you made it sound like you were very knowledgable about dog nutrition, so I was just wondering why someone who is knowledgable would feed Pedigree and then use a supplement like the one you mentioned. I did look it up and it sounds interesting. I’m glad you’re learning. We all started somewhere.

[mlp576]

No I am not a spammer, there were issues members mentioned just like ppl suggest dog food I was only suggesting a supplement. My mom and grandma use it on there dogs too and they are on a fixed income so it has been a blessing for them and there dogs. I won’t post anymore about it however I dealt with many of the issues over the years that ppl are having problems with and hate to see an owner worry let alone an animal suffer.

[crazy4cats]

Hi-
I have been searching for a more economical kibble to feed my boys. I have seen whole earth by merrick recommended several times on this web site. I checked out their site and noticed that their puppy food has a little higher protein than the adult food. Would my dogs who are 18 month old lab/retriever mix be ok on the puppy food to get the higher protein? Or would they be missing out on something important? I also supplement with canned dog food and occasionally some raw nature’s variety medallions. Thank you for your help.

[InkedMarie]

I use K9 Liquid Health glucosamine.

[Mom2Cavs]

mlp576….it’s interesting to me that you would use this “highly touted” probiotic/whole food supplement but use Pedigree as your food…hmm. I have used lots of different brands of pre/probiotics/enzymes. Some that I like (and I feel worked for my dogs) are:
1. Mercola Probiotics. Their enzymes not so well as they are animal enzymes, which seem to make my dogs have loose stool.
2. Total Biotics and Total Zymes.
3. Naturvet Probiotics and Enzymes with Prebiotics.
4. Holistic Select Solutions.
5. Ark Naturals Gentle Digest – pre/probiotics only. No enzymes.
6. Fresh Digest/Optagest. My favorite product. These have worked the best for my dogs. They contain prebiotics/plant enzymes.
7. Vetri-Science vetri-mega probiotics
8. Geneflora
9. Animal Essentials