[Taek K]

My beagle became allergic to everything a little after the age of 1. I knew of the consequences of feeding him cheap kibbles and bits so I started him off with Orijen then blue buffalo, etc…basically, anything that’s grain free, high in protein, etc…but at the end, it didn’t matter. It couldn’t have been couple of months after the age of 1 when constant itching, scratching, ear infection, eye infection, skin infection, etc started to plague my poor baby. Like most, I took him to vets after vets. Went to an allergist/dermatologist and paid over $700 for testing and allergy shots. I even got him testing for food allergies!!! Thank God I got him pet insurance, otherwise, I probably would have had to fork over over 10k out of pocket within the first year.

I’m just going to assume your dogs problem is associated with food and nothing more. My dog not only suffers from environmental allergies but also yeast infection. But I’ll just give you the run down for food. Otherwise, this post would be too long.

The best thing you can do for your dog is feed him REAL food. I don’t care how great a bagged dog food is made. At the end of the day, it’s all processed. Think of it this way. When Purnia, Pedigree, Blue buffalo, etc type of food companies didn’t exist, what did we feed our dogs? Exactly. We fed them real food. Long story short, I’ve done years of feeding my dog this and that type of real food and I FINALLY narrowed it down to what WORKS FOR MY DOG. And now, no ear or eye infection. He does get skin infection during the super hot months but it’s more like an instance vs a prolong battle. I think last infection lasted like couple days and it went away on it’s own. When infections creeps in, I suggest giving him a bath with antifungal shampoo like 2-3 times a week. But I digress.

Cut out everything that is starchy and sweet. That in turn will starve the yeast. The problem with bag dog food is there will always be starchy fillers. This is so the food company can keep the cost down. Ziwipeak is a brand that doesn’t contain starchy veggies or fruits. But its very expensive. Whether it’s sweet potato, peas, fruits, etc..bottom line, its starchy and will feed the yeast. STARVE THE YEAST!!!

This is what I give my 45lb mixed beagle.

-Salmon/Tuna (This is his staple protein source. This never changes)
-boiled beef/organ meat (I switch this up. One week, I give him beef. The following week, I give him organ meat. All boiled.)
-non starchy vegetables (green beans, romaine lettuce, cabbage, etc)
-plain greek yogurt (read the label; less the ingredient the better)
-berries (only during colder months; I wouldn’t even give him any the first 2 years to wipe out the yeast)
-Dinovite (its a supplement, google it)
-if my dog wasn’t allergic to anything chicken, I would give him a crushed boiled egg with the shell.

Anything that’s not protein based are fillers. Protein should be the base of his food so provide enough of it. There’s going to be a lot trials to see what works best for your dog. But this will work. It just takes time. Integrate REAL food with his food slowly. Once you completely change over to real food, you’ll see huge improvements. FYI…when you start changing his food, he’ll have couple instances of infections. This is expected. Its like the yeast trying to fight back. Keep hold and I promise, it’ll get better.

The only treat your dog should eat are no filler jerky. Read the ingredients. Again, say no to starch/sweet/carb!!! I give my dog BIXBI beef liver jerky.

If anyone needs more info or have any questions, please ask. From one owner who suffered, I wish nothing but the best and will help anyway I can.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Joanne B-
Have you looked at the website: http://www.dogaware.com? It has a section on home cooked recipes and a section with recommended books with home cooked recipes.
The closest that I have gotten to home made is using the See Spot Live Longer Dinner Mix added to either ground beef or turkey. My dogs really love it. I try to give them one kibble free meal per week. The creator of this mix is Steve Brown and he also has a few books out with information on home made meals. In addition, he has a down load that explains how to supplement meals with fresh foods to enhance your dog’s meals. He is selling the down load on a new site lately. Hopefully someone can pop in with that info if you are interested.

I’m hoping for a couple of years too! Good luck.

[Cecile R]

Hi Doglovers and forum members,

I live in Sri Lanka and feel that it is very difficult here to get quality advise on dog nutrition (or on dogs in general). I have a 4 months old Ridgeback/Great Dane mix (Tequila) and have done some research on the internet about how I should feed her and feel like the info is very different to what the vet here has recommended me to feed my puppy, so I was hoping that somebody could give me some feeding advise? It is fairly difficult to get proper pet food here, basically the only thing that is available is Pedigree and Eukanuba dry food and this is also really expensive.
We have 4 more dogs who are all strays in different ages which I have picked up from the street and adopted and they are happy to eat almost anything and don’t like the dry food much also, so I would cook for them brown rice with pumpkin or carrott and in the mornings chicken liver and in the afternoon the same with fish filet, sprats, or meat off-cuts form the butcher.
For Tequila I’m a bit more concerned as in no case I want her to get any hip problems later (especially as I feel the vets are differently qualified to Western ones)
Our vet has given me 3 different vitamin supplements with high Calcium content, but from what I have learned can a diet with high Calcium be harmful for large breeds – alright, I just stopped giving her those.
Up to now I have been feeding her the Pedigree Puppy dry food (Calcium approx. 1.1%) but will change this now to the Eukanuba Puppy for large breeds (Calcium approx. 0.96%). So far I have been feeding her 2 smaller servings of this in the morning and always mixed this with milk powder as advised by the vet and chicken liver. In the afternoon she’s getting the same food as the adult dogs as described above. Any opinions if this makes sense?
Tequila was fairly small and skinny when we got her (32cm and 6kg at 8 weeks), but looks healthy now to my opinion. She’s approx. 55cm high now and weighs about 16kg (she’s a bit more on the Ridgeback side, so I think this is okay for her age?)
Since she’s my first large breed I’m very concerned of doing anything wrong as I just want her to grow up healthily and would appreciate any comments and advise of people who are more experienced!
Thanks a lot in advance

[theBCnut]

If they live down here permanently then you need to go to their house at the height of bug season and leave their door open several times, maybe they will get the hint.

Do you mean the Alnutrin or the whole carcass grinds? Alnutrin is a supplement, but it is all that needs to be added to cat food grinds, so in that way, it’s a premix. If you are feeding whole carcass, you don’t need anything added at all, and like I said, mine wouldn’t eat the Alnutrin.

[Anonymous]

Any medications and supplements tend to make the kidneys and liver work harder, therefore the lfts and bun/creatinine may become even more elevated and also increase the risk of nausea and vomiting. The antibiotics are just for pre-op preparation.

Once she’s stable and the infection is cleared up (dental surgery), she may benefit from diet changes and supplements as aids.

My dog with kidney damage (complication of Lyme) had higher values than that.

The potential for complications from the dental infection, sepsis are greater than the risk of going under anesthesia, imo. They do these procedures quickly now, the meds are less harsh.
I hope the vet can explain things in more detail and put your mind at ease. Good luck with your decision.
My last post on this subject as I am repeating myself.

[Anonymous]

What does the vet that has examined the dog recommend? That is who I would listen to.
Did he say he wouldn’t do the dental surgery? Did he advise you of the risks? Do you need another opinion? They have specialists for dental procedures and geriatric care.

There is no over the counter med that will reverse kidney disease

The anesthesia drugs they use nowadays are not as harsh as back when….but then again, there are no guarantees with anything in life.

BTW: You might make things worse by adding supplements, run it by the vet first.

• This reply was modified 11 years ago by Anonymous.
• This reply was modified 11 years ago by Anonymous.
• This reply was modified 11 years ago by Anonymous.

[Derek L]

Just an update. Sorry @ashley_a that you are going through this 🙁

I took my dog to a different vet and boy was I much more happy with their service, knowledge, and ease to work with. They did an overall exam and noted he looked healthy. I informed them and provided all of the paperwork of what the previous vet prescribed for antibiotics. The ran a urinalysis and a urine culture. The urinalysis returned with no signs of blood and only a slightly high pH. The vet called back a few days later with the culture results which were negative.

At this point the vet advised as long as my dog is not acting differently, there are no signs of blood, that he looks to be fine. They did mention very few or any traces at all of struvite but said we could look into an xray if we wanted to. He advised it is not absolutely necessary given his results.

The things I did differently. After the rounds of antibiotics, I supplemented with a cranberry + vit c supplement. I provided and suggested more and more water intake. Meals were prepared with half a cup of kibble mixed with wet food and added additional water. Water was the key thing I ensured to increase overall. I’m not positive what the perfect combination is, but regardless I am going to continue to monitor him and get a few pH strips just to see how he’s doing.

His demeanor never changed so pay more attention than you need to. The only way I found out about this was I noticed his urine had a little red tint. He acted normal this entire time, so just be conscious.

[Anonymous]

Also, I would refrain from using supplements without your vets approval while your dog is receiving treatment with antibiotics, prescription medication. Some supplements can interfere or have interactions with the current regimen.

[Mike Sagman]

Bioavailability is a term more commonly used in the science of pharmacology (drugs).

However, when used to discuss dietary supplements and nutrients, as long as the chemical structure and digestive environment of a particular nutrient is chemically identical to that of another, it would make no difference whether that nutrient is sourced from a plant or an animal.

The bioavailability of any mineral (like magnesium or selenium) would be expected to be nutritionally identical to any other pure form of the same mineral — whether or not it had been derived from a soybean or a chicken. It makes absolutely no difference from where it is sourced.

However, when that same mineral has been chelated — combined with an amino acid, for example — it would become more bio-available for the animal.

So, in our ratings, we do tend to slightly favor recipes that contain chelated minerals over their standard inorganic counterparts.

In the case of whole foods like eggs or corn — not individual nutrients — the biological value (or nutritional completeness) of a food can vary significantly for any particular species.

For clarification, it may help to read this article about biological value published elsewhere on our website.

Or the Wikipedia articles about biological value and bioavailability, too.

Hope this helps.

[Bobby dog]

Here’s a site with info on supplements for digestive upsets and other dog stuff:
http://www.dogaware.com/health/digestive.html#diarrhea

[Anonymous]

I have been using GNC dog multivitamins and a glucosamine supplement for my pets, so far so good.
I use some of their supplements (human) for myself.
Sometimes I buy drugstore stuff because it is cheaper, such as fish oil….but who knows? They are all considered food supplements and don’t have to be checked by the FDA.
I like Endurance products too and they have a dog multivitamin I have used and may go back to.

[Gordon R]

Hi Liz,

We have a Golden six month old puppy with ear yeast and bacteria infections. Allergy testing showed he was allergic to chicken, turkey, tuna, peanuts, corn, rice, and wheat. Chicken was mentioned to us as a common cause of ear problems among dogs with that allergy.

The recommendation was to try Nutri Source Large Breed Lamb Meal Grain Free Formula, which I supplement with lamb based grain free canned food of various brands. That formula is rated at 4.5 stars, but it is an adult formulation, so I am still not sure it is the most perfect solution for our pup. We’re only into this one week, still in the transition period, so I can’t give you any results yet.

[Chris S]

I have been using GNC vitamins & supplements for my 7 yr. old Cavalier. I wanted to find out if anyone knew if this was a reliable & consistent brand, or if there were any other brands that would be better, especially as far as vitamins are concerned.

I have, in the past, used 21st Century & something called VitaPet (I think that’s correct).

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

A lot of small breeds have a heart murmur, as long as it is asymptomatic I wouldn’t worry too much. There are a lot of high quality dog foods out there, try them out. Some of my favorites are Wysong, Nutrisca, Wellness…..and I recently discovered Evangers.
Fish oil is a good supplement for any dog, imo. I use a drugstore brand for humans, one capsule a day, check with your vet.

[Nate D]

Thought I’d give an update on my dogs.

I’ve had the one with crystals on Science Diet per the vet for 1 week now. ph is down from 8.0 to 6.5 and holding. I am testing daily. I won’t know if crystals still exist or not until I have her retested next week.
I do not have her just on the Science Diet though. I am mixing in a small amount of the dry with it along with water.
I have been giving the Solid Gold Berry Balance supplement that I bought to my other dog with his food and have been adding water to the dry food. His ph is dropping so it is working. I plan to have both dogs on it once my female is off of the Science Diet.
I’ve been mixing a 50/50 of distilled water and filtered water I get which already has a neutral ph of 6.0.

I contacted a nutritionist with Fromm who said their food’s ph is 5.6-5.8, which is lower then most high quality dry foods, but the actual output will vary. A lower protein, lower carb diet is good. As I had mine on their weight management food I was suggested to try their 4 star whitefish and potato food as it has lower protein and the carbs are within the same range as the weight management. The food also has a different protein source.
I mentioned trying the new gold coast weight management food as it is grain free and was told I could try it, but was suggested the whitefish food due to the lower protein. 23% vs. 25%.
I was told a cranberry supplement like I am now using is a good thing.
In reality the food should be grain free with no starch/potatoes, but just eliminating it doesn’t mean it will help. I will give the whitefish food a shot and see what results I get from it.

Water consumption is the main key and if using dry food add water.
I was told even using wet food once a day can help a lot.

Unfortunately what will work for 1 dog may not work for the other so it’s a matter of finding what will. If one thing doesn’t work, try something else, but the best thing one can do for any pet is water, water, water. If one uses tap water which may have tons of minerals in it, testing it is a good idea. Water is very good, but it can also cause issues if the ph levels aren’t where they should be.

Ph test strips and testing regularly is a must.

[Chris S]

Oh yes, the Cavalier is about top of the list of breeds that get this heart problem. My dog, Archie, has held off any problems for about 7 years. So I am thankful for that.

I have read that both fish oil & Coq10 were both good for this, but can’t seem to find out dosages. And what brands of supplements are reliable & consistent.

I am looking for what foods would be helpful as well.

One question I have had for a long time is…why don’t the manufacturers make their food taste good to the dog. I have tried numerous 5 star dog foods & none seem to make an impression on Archie. This is just a short rant. Sorry.

Thanks for your response. It verifies what I have been reading.

[Anonymous]

http://www.homeovet.net/dynamic/php/downloads/dog-c8470f2c75dbe4b683205c3919ee2310/dog_diet_complete.pdf

I use this as a guide, for supplements I add a dog multi vitamin, fish oil supplement, and other things depending on the dogs individual needs
I also use a quality dry food as a base, tried to get away from it, but they seem to like a little kibble here and there.

• This reply was modified 11 years ago by Anonymous.

[Melissaandcrew]

Any breed can have a heart murmur. What grade is the murmur, and did the vet say it was indicative of a specific disease? Fish oil is one of the best supplements you can use. Coq10 is said to be effective for certain types of heart disease as well.

[John P]

Hi, Dori.

I must have misinterpreted something to begin with, but I also must have worded something incorrectly. What I meant is that if I can only find three distinct proteins, a way to incorporate variety and possibly avoid sensitivity issues would be to find a food with the same protein but different supplementary ingredients. I never thought that you intended me to use one protein. In fact, I think you’re the one who convinced me to rotate in the first place!

I’ll take your freeze dried advice into consideration and do some research. I really don’t know anything about freeze dried foods and treats (pricing, availability, health benefits, etc). I was looking for a pork-based treat to feed along with the Acana Pork and Butternut Squash kibble, and I found the Orijen Wild Boar freeze dried treats. Do you think those would be suitable as a close relation and have the health benefits you mentioned? I liked them because they were produced by the same parent company as well as the fact that wild boar is in theory wild pork. Orijen also offers freeze dried lamb treats I believe. I don’t use a lot of treats, but they’re helpful when grooming. And grooming is a daily chore with wheatens!

You have been incredibly understanding as I’ve worked through this. As Tony the Tiger would say, You’re Greaaa-aaattt!

[Chris S]

A year ago the vet a heart murmur in my 7 year old Cavalier. In searching for help, I have found a few websites that recommend certain supplements & food for him that are suppose to help with this health issue. All of the info seems to make sense, but I am looking for other dog owners that also have dogs with this problem to see what they have found to help.

I know there a several other breeds that have the same problem…such as dachshund, terriers, chin, etc. So I am assuming there are many owners dealing with this problem.

I would like suggestions as to good food & supplements that have had some positive effect on dogs with this problem. Also what brands of supplements to use. Its difficult to find objective reviews & recommendations for natural supplements for humans…so finding the same thing for animals is even more difficult.

Thanks for any help!!

[Zach M]

C4C, I just use kefir for the wide variety of friendly bacteria it contains. There are also some studies that show kefir fights against salmonella, and I supplement with raw so I feel if this is true it will help. Even more benefits include helping protect against allergies, helping the digestive tract, and defending against bloating and heart burn. I feel like there are noticeable differences in her health. And i am glad you like this topic guys!
Nice choices too, Dori and Bobby Dog!

[Becky H]

Should I introduce each ingredient of my supergreen mixture separately to make sure there are no allergies? I’m thinking back to when I gave my kids new food, I didn’t give them all at once. The supergreen mixture I’m going to give has alfalfa, kelp, chlorella, wheat grass, and spirulina. My newfie is 14 weeks old and is getting Fromm’s Large Breed Puppy Food, but I want to supplement some greens.
Thanks for any advice!

[crazy4cats]

Hi dana-
I’m so jealous that you can get such a good price on the food! That’s awesome! Another thing that you can do to help with the transition is to include probiotics and/or digestive enzymes in their diets. A favorite supplement on this site is, Perfect Form made by The Honest Kitchen. Sometimes it is hard to find so I usually order it online from Amazon. It could help with the gas issue. I hope it works out!

[Laurel S]

Hello – Happy to have found this forum. We have a 5 year old Aussie Mix who is also seizure prone. No medication, and has had about 6 seizures over 5 years, but very serious grand mal variety. I have had good luck with removing Rosemary from his diet as well. As others have said, better safe than sorry. We have also added a supplement called Cholodine that was recommended by our vet. While he does still have seizures, I’m sure there are other triggers that we have not identified that are at work, but at least they are very infrequent since changing his diet.

As far as food, at the time (several years ago) one of the only dry foods I could find that didn’t include Rosemary was Natural Balance Ltd Ingredient Sweet Potato and Fish. Only available near us (Illinois) from Petco. We were sailing along until Del Monte purchased Natural Balance last summer. Since then I’ve been keeping an eye on them closely. Recently I’ve read about several issues with their foods, not necessarily the dry, but feel it’s only a matter of time.

I too, have been looking to make a change. Heard recently about American Natural Premium made in Mequon, WI. They make several grain free options (I don’t think potatoes are considered a grain). There’s also some question whether this food is actually a part of Fromm (also made in Mequon), but for legal reasons they won’t actually claim that, however ANP was a bit more vague about it so I’m curious for sure. Fromm is a very well respected company with no recalls and family owned and operated since i think 1949. American Natural Premium, I believe, is more of a private label, not advertised, etc., and therefore less expensive.

I’m curious if anyone has used either Fromm Grain Free dry or American Natural Premium Grain Free varieties for there seizure prone dogs. Appreciate any and all info. Reading this forum it’s helpful to know others are dealing with the same issues and just trying to look out for our doggies best interests 🙂

[Barbara M]

@Derek L the antibiotics was for the UTI not the crystals. The crystals require either a prescription for or wet food and increased water. I use solid gold berry supplement and someone recommended above Cranimals supplement. Nate I ise Blue Buffalo grain free turkey and potato I think the flavor is.

[Bobby dog]

Ryan K:
Have you tried adding a fiber supplement to a food?

[Derek L]

Thanks Nate i’ll take a look.

So background. I noticed my dog had red in his urine when marking so I immediately took him to the vet. It was a UTI. The vet found the struvite crystals and then gave him a few rounds of antibiotics. Each with a urinalysis afterwards to see how he was doing. He didn’t give me much feedback aside from either do a $200 test to check which antibiotics would work or continue giving him what he already was.

I wasn’t pleased with his answers and ability to really help me understand. I’ve then used the vitamin c and cranberry supplement, incorporated more wet food into his diet and tried to further encourage my dog to drink more water.

I’ve been monitoring and trying to find a better vet in the process. Any next steps that I may be missing?

[Derek L]

Does anyone else have tips to encourage drinking water?

I have added much more wet food for moisture, there is fresh water out but i’m not sure what else I can do to encourage my dog to drink water.

He’s had struvite for a few months now and the antiobiotics didn’t seem to do too much. I purchased the cranberry vitamin C supplement to assist but I notice his urine is a lighter yellow but still noticeable. The vet I visited did not provide me much quality input and I am looking for another vet.

Should I be looking into a urinalysis?

[crazy4cats]

Melissa-
I’m going to bet that your neighbor’s dog has dental issues. Quality canned dog food does not cause bad breath. How about making up a batch of the home made recipe that was posted and just use it as meal mixer in the kibble?

Also, there is Fresh Pet Select that comes either rolled or kibble form. I don’t think that it is as “yucky” as canned food. I would rather use it than canned for my dogs, but it is a bit too expensive to feed regularly to my crew.

BTW, Did you notice that the recipe called for a Centrum adult multivitamin as a supplement? Maybe you should start giving them one now until they start getting well balanced meals.

One of my dogs quit eating a while back which was really really strange for him. Took him to the vet concerned about his teeth, but it turned out he had a swollen salivary gland on his tongue. He had to be put under and have it drained. Thank goodness it has not reoccurred. If it’s not one thing, it’s another!

[Nate D]

Here’s a quick update after making some phone calls.
My dog will be going on the Science Diet for 2 weeks. I actually already started. Went and picked it up. After that if there are no crystals I was told I can go back on the dry food, I just need to add water to it……or I can mix wet and dry and add water. I’m told the solid gold supplement is also ok once off of the SD.
So I will still use dry food, but will mix it with wet. I just can’t afford all wet.
I’m also looking at switching the dry food to grain free. The big problem is with Doxies it’s not easy finding a food they won’t gain weight from no matter how little food you give them. Fromm Gold Weight Management has been the only food that keeps both of my dogs stable and where they should be. They do have a new weight management formula, but I don’t believe it’s grain free either. I have tried grain free in the past, but they just kept slowly putting on the weight. Even tried Wellness Core Reduced Fat. I kept lowering the amount I gave them, but anymore they wouldn’t have any. lol
I see Merrick has a grain free low cal dry food as well as canned. I’m also looking at Evo and Fromm for canned food. Natural Balance has a low cal food as well, but doesn’t look as good as the others, but it is more affordable. By Nature looks good as well.
The Evo dry looks good, but the protein is extremely high. I tried that route with Orijen and Acana before but that high just made their stools very soft and they farted all of the time. lol Not to mention my females anal glands were over active on very high protein.
What brands of foods are you all feeding your dogs that had crystals?

[Barbara M]

I read that people have rid Struvite with supplements alone, but I trust my vet and took his preferred course of action and then did my own research for after. That’s how I found Solid Gold. I started her on the solid gold right after the crystals dissolved. I believe the s/d food has a higher level off salt which is why they drink more and wet food has more water in it as well. Keep us posted Nate. You are a good pet parentnfor exploring what’s best and not what’s easy!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Nate-
If you do decide to go with the prescription food, I think I’ve read not to give any of the acidifying supplements. Definitely check with the vet on that. I believe it would be harmful to do both. So many opinions. Good luck!

[Laurie B]

I used all supplements to get rid of my girl’s struvites. So saying that supplements are preventative, and not curative, is incorrect. I’m not a vet, and what I did may not work for all dogs. I used a high protein food (and yes, it was kibble!) along with D Mannose (a highly concentrated cranberry) and 500 mg of vitamin C with every meal. Lots of distilled water available. I tested her pH once a week, and when we got it down to 6 and held for a couple of weeks, retested. Crystals were gone. First, what the vet recommends to feed makes them drink/urinate more, which flushes the crystals out. I’ve never heard that the C/D food actually dissolves them. Might be true, but in my research, I never heard it. It’s also made of crap ingredients, which I’d never feed my dogs. Acidifying actually does dissolve them. She’s been crystal free since then, and every couple of months, I supplement her for about a week again. Just my two cents.

[weezerweeks]

That sounds great my YORKIES went from 8 to 6.5 in a month. I also used the solid gold supplement. The canned foods that I use are wellness stews, go fit, simply nourish and all canned that are below average in carbs and below or near average in fat. They will do great with the diet change. Good luck

[Nate D]

Thanks everyone! I’ll report back soon.
I think what I will do is put her on canned prescription food to get rid of the crystals then switch back to other wet food and give the solid gold supplement on top of it.

[crazy4cats]

Nate-
I agree the kibble ingredients aren’t great. What little kibble I give him, I feed the Royal Canin dry urinary Rx food. I thought it was better than the Hill’s. I rotate between the hills c/d and the Purina c/d wet foods. Now I’m only feeding about half prescription and half regular canned with a small amount of Rx RC kibble. If his next urinalysis is good in about a month, I’ll even feed less of it.

I don’t agree that the vets are selling Hill’s just to make money. However, that is another subject! Lol! I have contacted two holistic vets and they both agreed that this is the one and only condition that they would recommend the hills c/d or s/d temporarily to dissolve the crystals. It may be different for a dog, though. And everything else I’ve read says to definitely keep any kibble to a minimum. The d-mannose supplement comes up quite a bit too. Im going to check that out when I get him off the Rx food. Good luck to you. Let us know what other info you come across. It could be helpful to all of us.

[Nate D]

crazy4cats thanks for the reply to my post. Although I do agree that the Science Diet works for most I can see why because of it’s ingredients which are just fillers. I just don’t believe this is the route to go nor the only solution like my vet said. I think of it more as a temp. solution since Dachshund’s are crystal prone. I haven’t decided if I want to use it for 2 weeks, but corn, wheat, soy, etc. that is in it is imo not healthy at all regardless of it if works or not and I feel I’ll be depriving my dog of other nutrients. I may try the supplements for 2 weeks then retest and go from there. I am however going to be switching to a holistic vet or at least one that doesn’t just push science diet as every solution is just for their profits. I have been to another non holistic vet in the past who didn’t believe in Science Diet at all and said they would never feed it to a pet, but they are a bit of a drive. I am looking into switching to wet food instead of dry, but of course wet food is much more expensive. I think highly of Fromm so I’ll have to look into their wet food selection.
I have been feeding them more frequently lately instead of just twice a day. As far as stress levels nothing different or changes….besides going to the vet. lol
I won’t totally rule out the S.D., but will look at other options before and the S.D. will be last.
We had the urinalysis done along with a blood profile because our male has been on and off of Rovera (Carprofin) for his back so for him it was to mainly to make sure he’s doing ok from having been on NSAID’s. My female didn’t do well on it for her back as she has back issues as well, but do give her aspirin rarely when needed.
Since I was having my male tested I thought I might as well have both tested. I’ve never had a blood profile done on her before anyways, just him so that was another reason to have it done. Over all though the vet said they are both very healthy and am amazed at how well their teeth are, etc…
Just the ph issue and crystals I have to work on which I will.

weezerweeks, also thanks for the reply. I will defiantly look into wet food.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Nate-
The good news is that Struvite crystals are dissolvable. The other types are not. The bad news is that Hill’s Science diet has been proven to dissolve them. The Hill’s s/d is to be fed only short term to dissolve them and the c/d can be fed long term to prevent them. My cat had Struvite crystals as well and I wish that I had fed the Hill’s when I suspected a problem. It may have saved him from a blockage.

While that is much less likely to happen to a dog, they still may be painful for him because they are sharp little suckers. You want to feed as much moisture as possible to flush them out, so getting the fountain was a great start. I would also try to feed as much canned or raw food as possible. Dry kibble is not the best option.
Another helpful bit advice that I’ve learned is that feeding smaller meals more often per day helps to keep the pH more steady. I now feed him 3 times per day. Also try to keep the dog’s stress level as low as possible. I think that was one of my cat’s biggest issues. We had a lot of changes in our household. Our son moved home, we stopped kenneling the dogs in the house, his litter boxes got moved and to top it off, I switched brands of litter! Does your dog have anxiety or had some changes lately? Did you have a urinalysis because you suspected something or was it routine?
After my episode, I would definitely follow the vet’s advice and use the Hill’s to dissolve the crystals and then go from there. After using it for a month, Casper’s crystals are gone, there is no blood or infection. It has been four months now and I am slowly weaning him off the prescription food. But I still feed mostly canned. His ordeal almost killed him so I’m being very careful!
So in conclusion, 1. Dissolve the crystals with the Rx food 2. Moisture, moisture, and more moisture, 3. Small frequent meals and 4. Reduce stress as much as possible. Then maybe you can start to use those supplements rather than the yucky food. And I do agree it seems yucky, but it did work for my cat who is lucky to be alive! Anyway, you will get other ideas as well. But that is my two cents. Good luck!

[Nate D]

I’m happy to have found this forum. Just found out both of my Dachshunds have high ph. One has 7.5 and the other 8.0. My female has crystals in her urine, not my male, but the vet didn’t say anything about an affection. All he said was to put her on Science Diet prescription for 2 weeks, but as everyone knows it just a bland acidic diet full of junk.
When asked if there’s anything I could do besides the food he just said no.
I asked about vitamin c which he put one of my dogs on before and he not only asked if they were ever on it before (he should know they were as his records/notes were in front of him, but said it wouldn’t help with anything but the ph.
I feed them Fromm Gold Weight Management and am now giving them vitamin c again. I’m also mixing distilled water with the filtered water I get for the house. I use a fountain for them which has a filter in it which does make them drink more. The filtered water I get for the house has a neutral ph of 6.0, but between that, the rich food they are on, and the filter in their water fountain, I wonder if that’s whats causing the high ph levels.
I work from home so letting them out to go to the bathroom isn’t an issue. They get let out a lot.
I see the Solid Gold supplement looks like a great product and something I’m willing to try. The cranimals sounds good as well, but I’m not sure which one would be better.
I’ll try anything besides using Science Diet. That would be my last solution.
I am going to look for a new vet as I’m not happy with him just saying the Science Diet is the only solution.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 1 month ago by Nate D.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 1 month ago by Nate D.

[joyce h]

Hi Everyone, I’m Joyce and I am also new to the forum…ready to learn and exchange ideas. I’m a positive dog trainer that used to feed her dogs raw years ago and stopped for some unremembered reason. I’m BACK!! A lot had changed in the arena.
At another trainers recommendation I’m trying a raw food called “Tucker’s’ (www.tuckersraw.com). I looked it up on DFA and it’s not listed…so, don’t really know what that means…has anyone heard of it? It’s complete and balanced.

I also bought a 3/4 horse power grinder (that can easily grind any and all chicken bones) in hopes of making some raw ‘patties’ to freeze of my own. Bought Dr Karen Becker’s book on Raw Food , but hadn’t yet actually tired any specific recipe yet. I’ve been watching her on YouTube speaking on raw food and it’s advantages.
I noted that she was against mixing raw and kibble together as it moves thru the short digestive track at different rates which is not good for proper absorption…just an informational thought 🙂
So…is anyone grinding their own raw dog food and freezing it? I understand that if you do this you will need to add supplements for sure for it to be complete and balanced.
Looks like a great forum…thanks for any comments or help you can give…Joyce

[dana i]

Hi! I’ve been reading this forum all day today, but am overwhelmed by all the choices. I’d really love to hear people’s actual experiences and thoughts– what is on paper does not always match what makes the dogs happy and healthy.

I have two lab mix dogs– both rescues.
Diesel is a 1 year old Lab/Shephard mix who has allergies. 65# dog
Dudley is a 1 1/2 year old lab/Greyhound mix who has gas issues when he eats ANYTHING other than the current food… (even treats) 83# dog

They were both given horrible diets before they came to me.
I have them on Science Diet Lamb and Rice Large Breed formula.

At the time, it’s the ONLY thing that I found that helped Diesel’s allergy symptoms (they are completely gone on this food but when I try anything else it comes back) and Dudley’s gas is now a very rare thing on this food.

However, reading it seems that people don’t like this one and that there may be better out there… And the fact that when I went to buy it today I found it went up in price AGAIN. uugh. Maybe now is a good time to switch…

I want what is best for them, with budget kinda on the mind at the same time.

Right now, it takes us 11 days to go through a 33 pound bag of Science Diet Lamb and Rice large breed formula dry food and used to cost us around $45 a bag but did just go up to about $50.

I’d really love to get them something better. Maybe something that also makes their poop a little smaller too? (I know–wishful thinking? LOL)

Any suggestions based on the gas/allergies?
I priced raw diet– which I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to do, but it’s way out of our price range from what I am reading.

I CAN and will supplement a little bit of our cooked food on top (If I can avoid the gas and allergy issues– that will take a little experimenting)….

I have a feed store 1 mile from my house that sells some food but he’s kinda expensive on some items. I also live near Petco, Petsmart and have Amazon prime… I live in Texas, suburb of Dallas if that helps.

Any thoughts or tips would be greatly appreciated!

[Brian K]

Hello everyone, I’m a new Editor’s Choice member and this is my first post here…

I’ve found a lot of conflicting information out there about when we should transition our dog from “Puppy” formula food to adult food, so I thought I’d ask for advice here. Our puppy, named Reggie, is a 20-week old rescue “farm mutt.” The only breed in his ancestry that genetic testing returned with any confidence was Cocker Spaniel (1/4), with a highly mixed cocktail including 3 different terrier breeds, greyhound, shar-pei, and havanese all potentially in the mix. At just under 25 lbs now @ 20 wk we’re expecting him to reach an adult weight of approximately 35 lbs.

We have been feeding him a mix of Orijen puppy, Wellness Core Puppy, and Wellness Complete Health puppy sometimes supplemented with Wellness Complete Health puppy wet food or plain cooked chicken. We want to work some more variety in, but he’s a pretty finicky eater (he will even separate individual kibbles of foods he likes from those he doesn’t, which he neatly deposits next to his bowl), so if I’m going to spend money trying some new things for him it might as well be age-appropriate. So I’m wondering when the right time to start feeding him adult food is, either entirely or as part of his mix? Thanks in advance for the advice.

[Ellen G]

My doxy has had seizures since he was 2 yrs. I researched this product and it really helps control and can stop the seizure while happening. The site is Allergic Pet and he is on VSF Nuroplex Herbal supplement and drops. You can read up on all those dealing with Pet Seizures and how it has helped lesson or elimate (as long as they remain on the program). I did not want to put my Ozzy on the drugs the vet recommended, too many side effects. I do have to be careful using different heart worm and flea and tick meds. Frontline plus caused an immediate seizure and had to bath my dog with Dawn blue dish soap so please stay away from it. Many owners even lost their pets so before giving your pet anything read side effects. If it lists seizures stay away!

[Dori]

Aimee. And I disagree with you. If you have an inflammatory illness, as I do, and inflammatory illness, as I do, having similar underlying attributes, as I do, the general advice is to avoid pro-inflammatory ingredients and supplements. Aimee you and I go back and forth on many issues but this one happens to be one that I am closely related to and completely informed on. I’m not only speaking of canines or animals but of all. Having an inflammatory illness since 1997 I know of what I speak. I don’t live somewhere in the boon docks and not knowing of what I speak. I have been to the best of the best around the world, not just the USA. All have told me the same thing in different languages as to their knowledge and experiences with inflammatory illnesses. Having a dog with allergies….again, I know of what I speak. I realize that you are well versed and researched on the areas of science which I will readily admit I know very little of in schooling and education. Not my interests. I know what I know from many years of experience and knowledge. Let’s leave this particular issue alone between the two of us. I’m coming from extreme personal experience, you’re coming from it from data. Very very different. I mean no disrespect Aimee as, if you know me at all from our posts back and forth, I have a great deal of respect for you and feel you are probably one of the smartest if not THE smartest person on this and other sites, but this is not an issue you want to go head to head with me. Let’s just drop it right here. I don’t want to stress myself which is not good for inflammatory illnesses and I have too much respect for Dr. Mike to put him in a position that he has to be put in the middle of this particular discussion.

[constant_lurker]

I created an account just to respond to this, because it took me a long time to learn about this same issue.
My dog has a bunch of allergies — still sorting through them — and she started having problems with supplements that had digestive enzymes in them. Long story short, a lot of what’s used in kibble and supplements comes from aspergillus, which is a mold species. If your dog has yeast or mold sensitivities, those enzymes can cause problems. I abandoned them, closest thing she gets now is goat’s milk with probiotics in it, which really seems to help with keeping her system settled.
I hope this is helpful, and please keep in mind I’m not an expert or vet so some of what I say may be wrong.

[Akari_32]

I was making up some meals for Bentley last night, and remembered I had a ton of beef tracheas in the spare bedroom (where I keep all my dog food, cat litter, treats, supplements, etc) so I pulled out the open bag with 5 pieces in it, and stuffed them with smelt, ground beef, and beef heart.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/BFA7C9FE-0F3A-4837-BE3B-00B8BA705AA0_zpspjjcylps.jpg

I’ll have to post pics of how they go over when he gets one. They’re randomly mixed in with his other meals in the freezer lol

[Bobby dog]

My mom orders human supplements from them all the time, no issues, good customer service. She’s happy with them.

[Becky]

Has anyone used any pet supplements or vitamins from Puritan’s Pride? Are they reputable?

[pugmomsandy]

I’m fortunate enough to have 3 dogs and no UTI’s the past 7 years. I feed a high moisture diet (raw and canned), never just plain dry kibble. I also give a bladder supplement with cranberry and d-mannose (and other herbs) and I give probiotics. I also used to monitor my dogs’ urine pH using home pH test strips. Hopefully someone who’s actually dealt with UTI’s will give some input.

http://products.mercola.com/healthypets/bladder-health-for-pets/

https://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/struvites-crystals-urinary-tract-infections-treatment-and-diet/

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2009/10/22/these-3-things-may-indicate-your-pet-has-a-bladder-problem.aspx

http://www.dogaware.com/articles/wdjanxiety.html

[Dori]

Aimee.
Sorry, I must learn to thoroughly read original posts. I sometimes skim read and I just focused on the part of the dog having stones. I thought he was asking for help with a diet for a dog that has or had stones.

Tom. I agree with you completely on the ingredients in the foods that vets prescribe. I understand that there may be some animals out there that will benefit from them but I’ve had many dogs in my life and have never come across one of them needing one of those diets. Not to say that I haven’t been asked by vets to feed one or another of them through the years. I just politely let them know that I appreciate their advice and I’ll think about it. This vet that I’ve had for 13 years knows that I feed commercial raw diets so none of the vets in the practice or the techs ask me anymore what I feed my dogs. Dr. Susan Wynn is a nutritionist that has seen my 15 1/2 year old Maltese when she was diagnosed with very high liver levels, then a tumor in her bladder and then a mass on the lobe of one of her lungs. All those were discovered early last Spring. At that point Dr. Wynn suggested that I put Hannah on Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Diet because it is HPP and if Hannah’s immune system was working hard with all that was going on with her she didn’t want her to be exposed to any unnecessary bacteria. I feed a rotational diet with all three of my dogs and Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Food was already in their diets. I continued to keep with my rotational feeding of commercial raw foods as I have for the last three years. Some are HPP and some are not. Actually most are not. Typically poultry is what is put under HPP and I don’t feed any poultry because one of my girls is highly intolerant of all fowl. I also don’t feed white potatoes or any night shade plants because they are pro inflammatory. April will be a year that she was diagnosed. To the delight of all, she remains asymptomatic to bladder or lung cancer. Her liver levels are back down in the normal range. (The elevated liver levels were discovered in last Spring’s blood work during her annual physical which is what started the initial visit to Georgia Veterinary Specialists where Dr. Wynn practices and was one of her doctors). I did add a few supplements to Hannah’s diet manufactured by Standard Process. She is regularly monitored and her blood work comes back normal. Her titers are all really good also. Her vet and I decided last year that due to the cancer only titers will be done for her for the rest of her life which I pray is for many many more years. Hannah is the picture in my avatar that was taken last year.