[anonymously]

PS: Has your dog had an x-ray to rule out calcium oxalate stones?
I use a potassium citrate/cranberry supplement I get from Chewy.com. It depends on the type of stones.
It is best to get approval from the veterinarian that is treating the dog before adding anything, and I would go along with the prescription diet for now. PH levels fluctuate and it takes a while (sometimes weeks) to see changes, at least that is what my vet told me.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Georgia-
One of the most important things you can do for your dog is to add as much moisture to her diet as possible. Are you feeding the Hill’s canned or dry Urinary food? If dry, see if your vet oks adding some of the Rx wet food to the dry. Also add water to her meals and make sure she gets plenty of bathroom breaks. Water will keep her urine diluted and flush the crystals away. Often there is an infection involved when a dog is producing urinary crystals. Did you get an antibiotic for the infection?

Also, please be careful feeding supplements to a pet who is on prescription food. They can over acidify your pup’s pH and cause a different type of crystal in the urinary tract that cannot be dissolved like the struvites can. Check with your vet first.

[Georgia L]

Thank you all for the above posts. My dog has the exact same problem and the vet just put her on Hill’s Urinary Care but I agree this food is not very nutritious and I really do not want to put her on it. One of you suggested Vit C. Can you please be more specific? Tell me how much to use for a 19 lb dog (powder or pill form) and where to purchase. The other suggestion was a cranberry supplement (which my vet also mentioned). Thank you for that info. I will check it out. My last vet said it was urinary crystals; my new vet says its a UTI and her ph level is 8.5. Your help is very much appreciated. I have another dog and would prefer they each eat the same thing, if possible.

[Teresa B]

Btw, dried beet pulp is a supplement we used to feed horses for weight gain that would not make them “hot” (more energetic). (Noticed it in Dr. Tims food)

[theBCnut]

I have 3 dogs, one JRT and two Border Collies. I buy small bags of the highest protein kibbles that meet my standards and rotate after every bag. My dogs get half kibble and half other. One day a week, it’s raw sardines or herrings for omega 3s. One day a week, it’s green tripe for probiotics. One day a week, they get a whole carcass grind from Hare Today. It may be rabbit, quail, guinea pig, or whatever they have. This gives them the micronutrients found in brain and eye, as well as many other things never found in any other form of dog food. The other days, they may be getting a quality canned food, leftovers from my dinner, or another raw like pork, beef, turkey, lamb, goat. The beef, lamb, and goat are from my own farm. I make dehydrated treats and buy freeze dried to use as treats. I also prepare a veggie blend and a fruit blend and freeze into ice cubes so I just drop one or the other in their food bowl each day. I occasionally use another probiotic or give kefir. I give a green superfood supplement. And if my husband drops his fish oil pill I give it to the dogs. I add water and apple cider vinegar(raw with the mother) to every meal and I give coconut oil on the days that I feed a low fat protein.

[anonymously]

Has your dog had a chest x-ray? Mets to the lungs? Golden Retrievers are #1 for developing cancer.
Check The SkeptVet blogs , nutrition, herbs, supplements…..I was unable to post the link.

[anonymously]

Have you tried soaking the kibble in water overnight in the fridg?

You may find some helpful information here: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/nutrition/
And here: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/herbs-and-supplements/

Did the vet do a chest x-ray? When my dog had symptoms similar to what you describe, it turns out she had tumors (mets to the lungs).
Golden Retrievers are #1 on the list for developing cancer..

[Garry D]

Our golden boy Connor went to the vet this week for coughing/gagging and hard swallowing symptoms. They did an abdominal ultrasound and found nothing scary. They also performed a fluoroscopy (esophagram) and found that he had some esophageal dysmotility with dry kibble. They feel that the acid reflux is what caused the dysmotility. So he’s on Prilosec for the reflux, canned food so that his esophagus has time to heal and FortiFlora probiotic to help with diarrhea and stomach issues. We were given cans of Science Diet i/d to help with digestion. Science Diet i/d is quite expensive and I’m wondering if anyone here can recommend a good canned food that isn’t so expensive? Also, are there other home remedies or supplements that we can try to help with the acid reflux? The Prilosec seems to work but I think it’s also the reason he has diarrhea. Thanks in advance.

[Dog Pack Mom]

Hi theBCnut

It sounds like you feed pretty much the way I would like to feed. Could you go into more detail of how often you feed each food form? What supplements you add? Are the supplements also rotated or only given when feeding certain meals, etc? I currently rotate a couple of different lower carb kibbles from each Orijen, Nature’s Variety, Merrick, EVO, and Dogswell. I tried raw full time and it became too much for me timewise. I can’t afford premade raw full time so I’m looking at how to incorporate more fresh foods or other food forms into my kibble rotation and trying to find a method that keeps it on the simple side.

[Marjorie M]

You are narrowing your search too far. Just research “dog diet for liver disease” or better yet, “low copper diet for dogs”. There are dog foods for dogs with liver issues.

Are you also supplementing periodically with a high quality vitamin B complex as well as E, K and C? Although it is risky to give zinc all of the time, it is a good binder for copper.

You can also provide turkey and chicken but NOT duck. We use hard boiled eggs which are put into a food processor (or blender) and ground up, shell and all because calcium is a good phosphorus binder and eggs are an excellent protein source. I also supplement magnesium for my kidney disease dog to balance the calcium.

[Dog Pack Mom]

I’m not sure what type of joint supplements I will try yet. The glycoflex 3 seems to be causing GI issues with my little pom, Rooster. I think I may try the Joint Power Rx recommended by Hound Dog Mom. I do know I won’t be trying FidoActive ever.

[Coonhound Mama]

Good for you for making the switch to a better food! I would definitely try some probiotics. The Honest Kitchen makes a great goat’s milk powder that’s easy to mix into food and contains multiple strains of probiotics. Mercola Healthy Pets makes a Spirugreen supplement that greatly helped my dog in achieving normal poos, too. Lamb is a pretty rich meat so it may just be your dog is reacting to that. Any food with rice in it came out in very large, almost double-the-sized lumps back when I was feeding kibble. I’m not sure if rice expands as it digests when it is a kibble ingredient, but that may be part of the cause, too.

[Primed P]

All dogs are different, and some need a little more help than others when it comes to making sure they have enough vitamins in their diet. Dog dietary supplements are prescribed by veterinarians to compliment the diet and maintain optimal health.

[Sabrina L]

theBCnut, have you really only heard bad things about blue ridge? I’ve actually only heard good things, but I’d love to have your source for the denaturants because at the store I work at we usually highly recommend the blue ridge so I’d like to show that to my boss. If not blue ridge, what raw company do you prefer? I chose blue ridge because of the recommendation from my boss and because of the fact that they aren’t too pricey. About the balanced diet, when I first started the raw diet I was concerned about that too and I looked it about and apparently it’s arguable about whether the dogs need anything else other than the meat, so I wasn’t sure about whether I needed to supplement her with anything. Also, my dog is going about once a day when I’m with her, I only see her a little more than half a week but she doesn’t seem to have any noticeable tells that she’s constipated.

InkedMarie, no, to my knowledge she’s not getting any bone unless it’s in the food I’m giving to her now and I’m unaware, which is possible.

[Sabrina L]

Anonymous- We haven’t been to the vet yet, but I am definitely considering taking her to one. I would have already but we haven’t been able to find a vet we’re happy with yet. I just need to look more into vets in my area. Thanks

theBCnut- I’ve been feeding her beef, and I’m pretty sure it doesn’t have any bone in it. I’ve been going back and forth from the blue ridge beef kitten grind and the blue ridge beef breeder’s choice. So I don’t think too much bone should be an issue. I’m unsure about the fiber, I just looked up the analysis for both of the types I’m feeding her and they seem relatively low. The kitten grind has 2% fiber and the breeder’s choice has 1% fiber. Do you think I should be putting her on something with more fiber in it? As for her stools, obviously she’s going less but I think they’re relatively normal for a dog on the raw food diet? They’re definitely harder and smaller but from what I’ve been told and what I’ve read that’s typical since their systems use almost all of the raw food in comparison to the kibble. I’ve also just started supplementing her diet with coconut oil, because I read that it is good for dogs digestive systems.

[Andreina G]

Hi!
I don’t know if you found your answer but this happened to my dog and all the problem was a food sensitivity or allergy caused by CORN, corn is everywhere including enzymatic supplements – most of them – and in most of the calcium supplements as well. Is an ingredient in a lot of pills – medicines, and has many derivatives – http://www.cornallergens.com/list/corn-allergen-list.php. If you want to know about this – and other – food sensitivity the only cientifically proved test for that is Hemopet – Nutriscan Test. It is expensive but well worth it! Good luck!

[Marjorie M]

There are 2 foods that we purchase. The moist food is ordered directly from the Robert Abady company which makes a low phosphorus/lower (but good) protein foods for both dogs and cats. For my 7 year (recently adopted) Lab with kidney disease we use Beef-based formula for maintenance & stress for adult dogs.
The kibble we use is a Blue Basic Limited Ingredient Senior which is also low phosphorus/low protein. That is not the only food he gets but the rest is a meal regimen which is all fresh food.
Yes, aside from baby carrots and lettuce, he is given 2 different dog treats which are seem to be within the acceptable range.
He is also given supplements daily as well as probiotics and occasionally digestive enzymes along with certain protein in an attempt to keep the BUN levels withing normal range. BTW, his last CBC showed everything in the normal range!

[Naturella]

Marie, since you had some for Boone, I will assume it is safe to give to dogs! 🙂

Do you (or anyone else) think it is too early to start adding it for Bruno, just for maintenance? Also, I was thinking of adding a tiny bit once/week, but I can add it daily to his water if needed, or just a few times/week? Any ideas and recommendations are welcome!

I am excited about trying the supplement myself, my boss said it really boosted her hair, skin, and nails, and I can definitely use that! 🙂

[Sky B]

I will just say that feeding your dog raw is SO awesome! I’ve done this for 2 years and has healed my dog of many ailments. I will say that in the end after lots of turmoil I have switched over to a commercial raw diet, that is balanced in its nutrients. I constantly felt like I wasn’t doing it right before. My dog’s bowels would be rock hard like yours or liquid…and usually that stems from having too much calcium of not enough and finding a balance is hard. If you ever have any trouble with this Honest Kitchen makes a wonderful supplement called perfect form. It’s essentially a probiotic and at our house we call it the Perfect Poop Medicine 🙂 Best of luck!

[Susan]

Hi Kevin, I’d start with home cooking first while your boy stomach & bowel heal, when their immune system is low & they have stomach/bowel problems, its not a good idea to start raw feeding also I wouldn’t mix kibble, feed kibble for 1 meal & the cooked meal for the other meal also if you feed raw don’t add the kibble, just feed the raw & the kibble for the next meal… go to Dr Judy Morgan F/B page
https://www.facebook.com/JudyMorganDVM/
you can watch her or her partner make easy simple meals, Judy also sells supplements …… Judy cooking- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB3bd84gwmA
“Balance It” has recipes & supplements http://secure.balanceit.com/ there’s F/B group called “Cooking For Dogs” also…

[JeffreyT]

Hi Jenn, theoretically I think you are correct. However, soil depletion, food and environmental toxins and issues with absorption can all cause nutrient deficiencies.

https://www.bulletproofexec.com/why-you-need-supplements/

[JeffreyT]

C4D, it depends on what kind of supplements. Pharmaceutical companies generally use isolated, synthetic vitamins in their studies, as opposed to whole food supplements. This is very misleading but not surprising.

The author of the article you posted, Dr. Paul Offit, is on the board of trustees of the American Council on Science and Health – they describe themselves as a consumer education group – but they are a front group for corporate interests. Their funding is from pharmaceutical, oil and chemical companies, and they’ve defended DDT, asbestos, agent orange and various other pesticides, saying they do no harm.

Here is an excellent article on the difference between synthetic and whole food supplements.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2005/01/19/whole-food-supplements.aspx

[kevin k]

I acknowledge it was wrong for jumping into this process without enough research and the vet said my dog wasn’t getting the right amount nutrients (I thought I was doing it right the whole time). He told me about the website balance it and I plan to order the supplements they sell. As far as diet goes he just told me about using balanceit because that site is detailed.

Another favor, since I am pretty bad at this stuff can anyone recommend me a meal to give to my dog for tonight that is balanced in nutrition. I must get to class soon and I can run to the market afterward if someone gives me a good recipe! My dog is 10 pounds.. Thanks. And if not, is it wise to mix alittle bit of kibble with cooked chicken or beef?

• This reply was modified 10 years ago by kevin k.
• This reply was modified 10 years ago by kevin k.

[C4D]

I don’t think supplementing with vitamins, especially if you are feeding a food that’s complete and balanced, is a good idea. If you must supplement for a specific condition, that would be different. An example is, in a dog with arthritis, fish oils may be beneficial to reduce inflammation. Here’s a link which shows that several studies have found that humans taking multivitamins has actually caused a shortened lifespan and some medical issues in others:

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/07/the-vitamin-myth-why-we-think-we-need-supplements/277947/

[Jenn H]

Jamie H I agree with your thoughts as well. Because the humans buy the food, companies market to them. They will try to make foods that follow their fads. If you notice dogs don’t fall for fads. It’s not them putting stupid dresses on themselves or trying the latest diet (not per their request anyway) or watching TV and asking for what they see in commercials.
Unless your animal has a medical reason for needing supplements, all of their nutritional needs should be met with the food they eat. Just like people.

[Jenn H]

Iaconrad I hate to break it to ya, but veganism DOES harm other animals.
In fact, (this is going to seem backasswards) it’s more harmful to other creatures than a diet that’s meat inclusive.
Let me try to explain quickly. Pesticide by definition is the killing of pests. While vegans say they only eat organic plants, fruits, vegs, nuts, etc organic farming still uses pesticides. (Often the same pesticides just a natural version.) Even if the pesticide isn’t toxic to humans it is toxic to pests. If no pesticides were used the organic farmers would produce even less than they do now. Thus making their crops unprofitable.
ALL pesticides kill aphids, insects, butterflies, mice, rabbits, birds and/or any other living thing that tries to eat that plant. That’s the point.
You wouldn’t use pesticides in a pasture where cows graze because the milk/meat would be potentially harmful to the animal that gets nourishment from it. Pigs are the best at turning “waste” into a useable meat. So they don’t need pesticides either.
That’s an example of 2 food sources that would be unacceptable to vegans that could yield a ton more food and cause less harm to other living things. The only thing that dies is the cow and pig.
And you won’t have to supplement B12, calcium, Vitamin A. Unless you have a medical condition you shouldn’t have to take vitamins & minerals. A truly healthy diet will provide what you need.
I’m thrilled your animals are healthy and live long lives. But your examples are nothing more than anecdotal.
As an aside multiplying dog ages ×7 is an inaccurate way of figuring their true age.

[Cannoli]

I agree with anonymously. I don’t trust supplement companies that state their supplements are miracle wonder pills that can prevent a plethora of ailments.

These are the questions I ask myself when I rarely use supplements, hence I would ask the same questions to companies who make supplements for my dog.

1) Has the product triggered any health warnings or sanctions
Searching for a product or its maker on the FDA’s website will unearth any safety advisories or sanctions issued against them. The agency also maintains a list of all recent recalls and market withdrawals. I know this is tough but if this company makes human supplements it might be good to know if they ever had any human supplements recalled.

2) Has the product been tested by independent labs?

A reputable supplement company must have DNA testing to prove that all of there ingredients actually are what they state it has.

3)Is the product too good to be true?

For example they write “Nuvet contains those ingredients and can help strengthen the immune system to help prevent the development of allergies.” There is no supplement that can help this.

or this “Nuvet plus contains those ingredients and can help strengthen the immune system to help keep the body in balance, and less likely to develop the medical conditions that can lead to seizures.” more none sense.

4) Do I really need supplements? If so, am I taking the right amount?

a supplement may have considerably higher quantities of a vitamin or mineral than it says on the bottle. Because certain vitamins degrade over time, manufacturers often provide more than the labeled quantities, to ensure there is still the labeled amount at the expiration date

You should really be careful with giving your dog supplements. There are too many snake oil salesmen in this unregulated industry

[crazy4cats]

Hi Jeffrey J-

My dogs have this disgusting habit too. While I agree picking it up as soon as possible is the best way to stop it, it isn’t always possible. A supplement that really helped with digestion and gas for my pups was Vetri Probiotic BD made by Vetri Science. You can buy it from Amazon, Healthy Pets and/or Chewy. It contains probiotics, digestive enzymes and ingredients to help soothe the intestinal tract.

I also think that switching foods is probably a good idea. I believe it’s best to rotate a little anyway. My dogs do very well on Whole Earth Farms Pork, Beef and Lamb recipe. Try to feed something that is a different protein and carb from what you have been feeding. For example, if you are feeding chicken and rice, try beef and potato.

Here is the link to check out the Vetri Pro BD: http://www.vetriscience.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=900877120

Best of luck!

• This reply was modified 10 years ago by crazy4cats.

[anonymously]

NuVet Supplement=Same Old Snake Oil

Read the comments, sometimes we learn something.
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=nuvet

[Don P]

My breeder required us to have our Labrodor on NuVet Plus Wafers for her 1st year in order for her health guarantee to be valid. We fed our lab puppy Fromm Large Breed Gold puppy food and gave her a wafer per the directions. She is beautifuL, great coat, big brown eyes and no skin problems at all. I have been happy with our food and NuVet Plus Supplements.

[anonymously]

Just curious, was he diagnosed with Lyme? I had a dog that wasn’t diagnosed in time so even with the maximum antibiotic treatment she was left with kidney damage.

PS: I would consider consulting an Internal Medicine Specialist regarding an aggressive approach to treatment. Supplements are not medication.

Example: “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.”

[JeffreyT]

Rick, I checked out your website and it does look like an excellent product. I’m always on the look out for supplements that are gmo-free, no fillers, sourced in US and not synthetic. The added enzymes, probiotics and minerals from Utah’s earth beds are a huge plus. It seems like a very pure ‘all in one’ type of supplement, and I’d consider adding to their rotation.

Thanks for posting.

[Coonhound Mama]

Hi Andrew-

She’s taking a multivitamin capsule, a spirulina capsule (with added Vitamin E) and a whole food vitamin/mineral supplement by Dr. Harvey’s once per day along with flax seed, chia seed, and alternating vegetables/herbs. She gets a scoop of yogurt or full fat cottage cheese once per day and oysters once a week. I try to stick to balancing with whole foods but the multivitamin capsule is in there just to cover any bases I may be missing. We don’t do any other added fish oils as she eats sardines several times per week. Thanks again for the advice and followup!

🙂

[Andrew B]

You’re most welcome coonhound mama, really glad to hear that she is well now. Also, I want to know that is she taking another supplement like salmon oil capsules?

[Cannoli]

Rick D,

Do you provide DNA testing for your formulas that conclusively proves what is exactly in your supplements along with the exact amounts?

[Rick Dunn]

No disrespect intended here but unfortunately Jakes_Mom “A healthy dog eating appropriate food does not need vitamin supplements.” could not be more wrong.

Even the best researched, sourced and prepared foods either commercially available or homemade (which includes raw diets) fall short in all of the essential vitamins, minerals, metals and nutrients that a dog is intended to have in it’s body by nature. Subsequently their bodies become out of balance which in turn compromises their immune systems. This is a proven fact and just can not be disputed, justified or excused away by anyone.

Proper supplementation brings the body back into balance and allows the immune system go back to its normal level. You can deny this all you wish… my statements are factual, backed by scientific research and proven in dogs for more than 30 years.

What is a Supplement?

Pet supplements are defined as either dietary or therapeutic supplements. Dietary supplements (also called dietary nutrients) are substances added to pet foods to make them nutritionally complete and balanced. Therapeutic supplements (also called nutraceuticals) are foods or food nutrients that are taken orally to provide a health benefit, either for prevention or treatment of disease. To have this therapeutic effect, a nutraceutical is usually taken in a larger dose than the daily requirement of that same food when used as a nutrient.

What is Dr Kruger Pet Supplements?

It is the only complete supplement on the market, covering all aspects of a dog’s health. Dr Kruger Pet Supplements naturally correct commercial, home made and natural pet food’s deficiencies in three crucial ways by adding essential vitamins and minerals, important digestive enzymes for complete food absorption, and beneficial intestinal bacteria to supercharge the immune system. Each formulation has additional ingredients to focus on those particular areas of the pets health that it is deficient in.

Our formulas meet the specific needs of your pet through each stage of life. Whether your dog is a puppy, adult or senior; one that is active, in show or spends most of his time indoors, there is a Dr Kruger Pet Supplements formula that is just right for his needs.

Why use Dr Kruger Pet Supplements?

Since 1986 our supplements have been alleviating gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea, loose stools, vomiting and gas as well as itchy skin, hot spots, shedding and allergies. Our Supplements will help with both occasional and chronic digestive problems such as bloating, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome (IBS), toxic gut syndrome (TGS), torsion, sensitive stomach, inflamed bowel, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Other conditions helped by our supplements include allergies, arthritis, inflamed joints, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) and a host of others.

Dr Kruger Pet Supplements, when used daily provide the necessary vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, digestive enzymes, microbes and other probiotics for the health of your pet. Made from all natural ingredients, Dr. Kruger’s Supplements provide a holistic approach to your pets health helping your dog or cat absorb more nutrients from their diet. When used in combination with a healthy, organic food, Dr. Kruger’s Supplements ensure better health through better digestion… naturally!

Dr. Kruger’s approach was to address the “Whole Dog” not just a symptom, this is why our supplements work so well. Everyday Health Formula is in ALL of our Formulas as the foundation; we then add specific elements to address and make up the additional Formulas we offer. The final reason our Formulas have worked for so many years is Dr. Kruger knew that a dogs health requirements will change over it’s lifetime. He developed his Formulas to address those changes from the beginning of life through the twilight years.

Puppy & Pregnancy Formula
Everyday Health Formula
Healthy Skin & Coat Formula
High Performance Formula
Healthy Skin & Coat Formula
Healthy Joint Formula
Senior Health Formula

All of our ingredients are:

Human Grade
Non-GMO
All Natural
Sourced in the USA Only
Manufacture in the USA
There are NO Fillers in our Formulas; our Formulas are dosed by the dogs food intake as that is the only true way to know how much supplementation should be administered.

The importance of healthy digestion is critical to overall health of your pet. That is why we recommend that at least the Everyday Health Formula to be a consistent supplement to your pets food every day!

We prove this EVERY SINGLE DAY!

[Rick Dunn]

You should check out Dr Kruger Pet Supplements – Healthy Joint Formula to address hip dysplasia and arthritis. While nothing will cure your senior dog of these issues Dr Kruger Pet Supplements – Healthy Joint Formula has a 30 year track record of doing a great job of helping to relieve mobility issues. Along with the same vitamins, minerals, digestive enzymes and live cultures as the Everyday Formula, the Healthy Joint Formula also contains anti-inflammatory ingredients such as Glucosamine Sulphate, Yucca Root, Dandelion Root, Devil’s Claw, Kelp, Chondroitin Sulphate and extra Vitamin E to relieve chronic joint and muscle conditions, including arthritis (hereditary or traumatic), hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, (degenerative joint disease (DJD), spinal arthritis (spondyosis), sprains, or other conditions due to illness and injury. It also improves overall ligament and cartilage health..

It costs nothing to check it out!
http://www.drkruger.com/collections/healthy-joint-formula

[anonymously]

Check out Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea at Chewy.com
My dog has a history of struvite and calcium oxalate stones and does well on it, no reoccurrence in bladder stones in almost 5 years now. I add water and offer frequent bathroom breaks/opportunities to urinate. Keep the bladder flushed.
I have also used prescription food recommended by the vet with good results.

Ingredients
Salmon, Menhaden Fish Meal, Peas, Chickpeas, Salmon Meal, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Sunflower Oil, Pea Fiber, Flaxseed, Calcium Carbonate, Salmon Oil (a source of DHA), Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Dried Eggs, Natural Flavor, Tomato Pomace, Carrots, Cranberries, Apricots, Choline Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Iron Proteinate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Folic Acid, Calcium Iodate, Cobalt Proteinate, Biotin, Selenium Yeast, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Rosemary Extract

[Jenn H]

To finally finish answering your question from yesterday…
When my pup had continued soft stool/diarrhea the probios, pumpkin helped a lot. I was also giving him about 4 oz of goat milk/day. Raw or Meyenburg. Whatever I had.
Sometimes he got soft stool from excitement. If he had a particularly busy or fun day. Sometimes he got too many treats. If he ate someone else’s food he would really get it.
Once he checked out clean I began transitioning his food. No problems since!

I would first try either a digestive enzyme or grain free food.

If neither works consider a food with a little less protein or fat. Puppies need these nutrients so try not to take them down too much. Continue with the enzyme/probio until transitioned. Then see what happens when you cut back on those supplements.

Cooked WHITE rice that can also be helpful. Save the water it was cooked in and add to food or water as well.

Some people like bone broth. I haven’t tried that. I think The Honest Kitchen also has that.

[anonymously]

Food and supplements are not medication. I would ask your veterinarian for a referral to a specialist if you are considering aggressive treatment and if you can afford it.
A lipoma could be anything from a benign fatty lump to an aggressive cancerous growth.
Best to get it properly diagnosed first and then go from there….
Best of luck.

[zcRiley]

They need lean protein and lots of it. And a whole lot more exercise. My boys walk, frisbee, fetch and swim daily. ZiwiPeak lamb formula is a complete raw diet that my AmStaffs thrived on. No mixing or freezing or adding supplements.

[Pitlove]

A complete meal will have a vitamin pack. If you are ever wondering if it’s complete or not while shopping, flip the can over and look for the AAFCO statement. If it says anything about “intended for intermidiate or supplemental feeding only” it is not a complete meal.

[Duane P]

You might want to consider using natural food for dogs. Also, consider the following:
What does your dog need in a food or supplement?
Does your dog need to have his reproductive needs met?
Is he on a specific life stage or activity group?
Any health issue that needs to be addressed?

[Duane P]

I have to agree with the suggestion posted earlier about using fish oil supplement. I believe the Omega 3 and Omega 6 benefits of fish oil are good not just for joints and coats but also for the heart. I’d like to share this article which has helped my babies a lot:

http://bncpet.com/blogs/news/34302657-everything-you-need-to-know-about-fish-oil-for-dogs

• This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by Duane P. Reason: removed html tags

[Marjorie M]

Although it is a small company, I’d like to suggest The Robert Abady Company which makes a canned food which we’ve found very helpful for our recently (within the last 7 months) adopted dog with kidney disease.
As I recall, I found this food because of the contribution of someone on this site.
Although our most recent CBC results were not entirely based upon the Abady Complete Beef-based formula for Maintenance & Stress, life has been less stressful for me knowing that this food has only a maximum of 0.51% phosphorus and uses “good” protein sources.
Having both his creatinine and BUN levels fall to within normal range has made it easier to stick to a 3 meal a day schedule which includes supplements, egg, sweet potatoes, beans and probiotics.
BTW although he is only about 7, because of the kidney disease he was started on Blue Basics Limited Ingredient Senior before we adopted him. That is the kibble he is still devouring.

[Jenn H]

Olga M that is a great story. However it proves nothing. 1 dog lived that long supposedly on a vegan diet. There is no consideration to the dog’s genetics or whether the dog did get meat proteins. How do we know that dog didn’t hunt and eat whatever it caught while running free (assuming it was allowed)? Maybe this was just luck. Maybe the human is full of it and only says she fed a strict vegan diet.

My point is that there is no scientific backing of this being good for dogs long term. It’s anecdotal. That’s not enough to convince me.

There are very necessary nutrients dogs must have to survive that can only be found in meat protein. If not fed meat they must get them from synthetic supplements. If you are fine with feeding them synthetic nutrients, then have at it.

I am vegetarian. But that is my choice. My dogs (while brilliant they are GSDs) don’t have the ability to give a crap about what or where their meat comes from. They just know they need it to survive. An animal’s one & only goal in life is to just survive the day.
I do have a choice to feed them the best food possible. Whether or not I would eat a human version of it doesn’t matter. I am feeding them what is best for them within my budget.
If an animal’s dietery needs go against your ethics then that is not the pet for you.

[Cannoli]

Or better yet have your vet do blood tests. I get blood tests done once a year and my doctor tells me what vitamins I am lacking in. So I then research the whole foods that have those vitamins and immediately add them to my diet.

We should do the same with our pets before we just start throwing supplements at them.

[anonymously]

A lot of small breed dogs develop a heart murmur as they age, often the condition is benign.
Unless your vet recommends medication or a specific supplement, I wouldn’t add anything.
Maybe a fish oil supplement once a day.
Remember supplements are not medication, and sometimes they can cause harm.
Google SkeptVet and check out his blog on supplements.

[Cannoli]

Human supplements are not regulated by the FDA and over 60% of human supplements ingredients are grossly mislabeled on purpose.

Imagine how much worse dog supplements are..stay far away from them…Unless the company can provide you with DNA testing to verify what indeed is in their supplements.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by Cannoli.

[Christine N]

Hello!
I was looking for advice on a supplement for my Chihuahua with a hear murmur. He will be 12 this August. The vet said on one side he is a grade, and 4 on the other. She said it has progressed since the end of last summer. I was looking for advice on a supplement that may help him with his condition.

Thanks so much!