[Dori]

How long are they suggesting that Lily stay on Medicam or is it for life? Even on Medicam I still think you should look into a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement for her. Medicam is good for pain and as an anti-inflammatory but it’s not without it’s potential side effects but I guess what isn’t.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Jessica –

If you’re an Editor’s Choice member check out theEditor’s Choice Puppy Foods – there’s a list of foods appropriate for large breed puppies.

If you’re not an Editor’s Choice member, there’s a large breed puppy thread in the general forum area that can be found here.

There a few different routes you could take to try and get to the bottom of the loose stool issue. First and foremost (if you haven’t done this already) be sure to get a stool sample to the vet. Coccidia is very common in puppies and will cause loose stool. If you can rule out parasites, you can then look into switching foods and/or supplementation. You can try simply switching to a different brand, if this doesn’t work you may need to consider a food intolerance and start trying foods without ingredients that are common culprits (e.g. chicken, grains, etc.). You may also wish to try supplementing with a good quality probiotic and/or adding some additional fiber (a spoonful or two of plain canned pumpkin usually works well).

Good luck!

[Dori]

Some Mercola products are available on Amazon but typically they’re the same price or close enough that I’d rather buy straight from Mercola then trust whatever seller is selling on Mercola. I worry about whether it’s actually the Mercola supplement (not just using a Mercola bottle) and how old is the product. Some products purchased on Amazon can be difficult to deal with if there’s an issue. They’ll refer you to the seller to get satisfaction. Don’t get me wrong, Amazon Prime is my home away from home. I love them. Just saying that I’m more careful with anything like food and supplements that my dogs are going to ingest. Same goes for me and hubby.

[Dori]

Marie. Even them Gemma keeps her jaw shut tight is it possible to slip the syringe in by pulling her upper lip open toward the side and gently squeeze it in. Any liquid meds and supplements that I’ve ever given I did that way then just held their mouth shut for the second it took for them to swallow. Worked every time with every dog that I had to do this with. Marie how many cc’s or how much liquid supplement do you give Gemma?

[crazy4cats]

Hi Walt-

I second Victor as a budget friendly brand if it is in your area. I feed it frequently. I’m giving Eagle Pack a try right now made by Well Pet, the same company that makes Wellness. So far so good! I prefer to use inexpensive dry and supplement with fresh, canned or frozen protein rich toppers.

I’ve never fed it, but Fromm Family Classics is another budget friendly food made by a reputable company.

Good luck to you and your buddy!

[crazy4cats]

Recently I read a great interview by Dr. Becker with Dr. Lisa Pierson, feline guru. The topic was feline nutrition. She stresses three important factors for a healthy diet:
1.) moisture
2.) protein from animal sources
3.) no or very low carbs
While I thought I was following these guidelines pretty well, one of my male cats ended up with a urinary tract blockage due to Struvite crystals that caused bladder spasms. Very scarey! After a 2 1/2 day stay at an emergency clinic and a huge bill. He’s doing really well.
I’ve been feeding him prescription food and his crystals and blood in the urine are gone so far. He was also on a muscle relaxer for the bladder spasms and an anti anxiety med. He’s off the muscle relaxer, but might keep him on anti-anxiety long term.

When reading the interview, I learned that Dr. Pierson recommends using DL-Methionine as a separate supplement rather than prescription food. She states that it is better to acidify the pH with this pill and feed a higher quality diet that is healthier for the cat.

Does anyone have any experience or opinions on this medicine? I think I’d like to ask my vet about it, but fear I’ll be met with resistance. Any thoughts, anyone?

Btw, I’d like to note that this condition is much, much more common in male cats than females or dogs of either sex due to their internal plumbing. Don’t want to scare anyone!

[Nancy M]

Checker

Thanks for your input. Well, I think I’m in line with all you’ve pointed out…….feeding at certain times of the day, feeding within the guidelines of the food, and vitamin supplementation (I give both my dogs the proper amount of Nu-Vet Plus vitamins, daily). Like I mentioned, this little guy might do better with self-feeding, as he use to be able to do, but it’s not really possible with another dog around here.

I’ll give it another day and see how it goes……things could always be worse. Last puppy I had, 4 years ago, was very sick and suffering with almost constant diarrhea for about 3 months. Thought I was going to lose him from dehydration. FINALLY…..by the time the vets (3) decided what it was, the breeder had already sent me the meds to clear it up. Started out with Coccidia and then came the Giardia. The vets were all too afraid to give the meds he needed (Albon and Metronitizole) because of his size, but the breeder knew what was needed and so within 2 – 3 days of following her instructions, he was almost normal again! So what I have going on right now, is nothing in comparison.

I truly believe there’s nothing “wrong” with him, except the “wrong” food. We’ll see though! I hope its that simple!

Thanks again!
Nancy

[Dog_Obsessed]

@Dori Thanks! Are you saying we should double the supplement or give half twice a day? I took Lily to the vet today, and we talked about things that have relevance on about three different threads. I will post about it either on the Clicker thread or start a new one.

[pacer1978]

Hello All,

I haven’t been on in a while, but I recently switched one of my dogs to a 100% raw diet (over time of course). However, I’m just not sure how much I should be feeding. I started it 3 weeks ago, supplementing with Dinovite, because of severe paw licking (to the point she has bad sores). We are guessing she is over 10-13 years old since we took her in about 4 years ago. She is a little “porky” to begin with, but I’m wondering if she just has a wide chest. I’m not really sure if she is overweight or just “girthy” for her size. I’ve noticed her waist tapering a little, but I want to ensure that I’m also not underfeeding her. She was last weighted in about 40 lbs. when I took her to the vet and I’ve been told by vets she was a little overweight. She is considered a medium size dog. The best guess I can give is either part Corgi and terrier. I don’t see any place to submit a photo otherwise I would do so. I’m not really sure how much she should weigh, but I’m thinking if I’ve been told she was overweight, then she can afford to lose 5-10 lbs. If that is the case, how much raw should I be feeding for a 30-40 lb medium dog per day (preferably in oz)? Anyway, I feed my dogs twice a day so they are eating smaller meals (my other two are Weimaraners and they suggest this for bloat). Thank you!

[theBCnut]

The company that makes Corta-Flex makes a dog supplement as well, so maybe that’s what you found.

[Bellalab]

Hi all. I am curious to know if anyone has ever come across a dog that cannot tolerate ANY digestive enzyme. I have a Lab/Bulldog mix. She is almost 2 years old and she has been quite a challenge since I adopted her. She came to me on Pedigree kibble. I wanted to get her off that ASAP and slowly introduced TOTW. She did okay for 5 months or so and then had a horrible bout of colitis. During this time, (after a vet visit and meds) I fed boiled chicken/rice and things improved until I starting adding the kibble back into the diet. With each increase of kibble, the stools became worse. I experimented with several brands of kibble – slowly introducing which ever one I was trying but after about the 1/2 cup mark, runny stools. I finally gave up and started cooking for her. I rotate chicken, beef, turkey. Vegetables include peas, carrots, green beans. I use a limited amount of carbs – pasta, barley, sweet potatoes and not much of this is given. So far I have tried Dr. Mercola’s products, Enzyme Miracle (and probiotic miracle), Animal Essential enzymes, and Digestive Enzyme/Probiotic by Pet Health and Nutrition Center. While on the any of these there have been stool issues especially the Enzyme Miracle. That led to another vet visit with bloody stools. She has been on the last item I listed for about a month and problems are starting again. If I keep her off the digestive enzymes she is fine. Right now as far as other supplements all she is getting is fish oil and calcium. And the last few weeks all she has done is itch and chew. Since stopping the enzymes she is finally getting better with that too. Why aren’t enzymes helping her? I just don’t get it. She also had nasty diarrhea when taking heartworm meds so I stopped those. She cannot tolerate flea medication – makes her extremely loopy. I love her to pieces – she is the sweetest dog and so smart. I just feel so bad that she is so sensitive to things. But digestive enzymes???????

[Rob S]

Hi,

My 5 year old Australian Shepherd mix has been told that she has high pH urine, currently around 8.5, and has struvite crystals. The vet said that she would probably need to go on the prescription diet food from Hill’s Science or Royal Canine but when looking at those ingredients they look terrible, first ingredient in the dry food is corn and in the wet it is mainly meat by-products. She is currently on Nature’s Recipe Grain Free kibble and since I switched her to grain-free a few months ago her mood dramatically increased and she has so much more energy so I want to keep grain free.

I have tried supplementing with cranberry tablets but she is picky and often eats all her food but leaves the tablets.

Can anyone recommend a good quality grain-free food to help with urinary issues that would do a similar job as the prescription food but much much better quality of ingredients?

Thanks

[Sadie’s Mom]

I will! Thanks so much for all the helpful advice 🙂 I am so glad to have found this site and all the helpful people that are one it! I am planning on getting the GNC joint supplement today and starting it tonight.

[Dori]

Being in less pain will definitely make her more active and help her to lose weight. I think between giving her the supplements and feeding her separately so that she’s not eating the other dogs food will be of great help. Keep us posted as to her progress.

[Sadie’s Mom]

The majority of the time the dogs finish their food right away. I wouldn’t call it free feeding. The food put down is the exact amount the dogs need. They could feed Sadie separately but they may forget she is there and leave her in my room all day without water, which has happened before. For the next month I can feed her separately and make sure she doesn’t eat everyone else’s food. I can’t control what happens when I’m gone though. I can ask my parents to do something, and hope that it happens. She probably will be fed separately from now on since she will be getting a supplement and some wet food. I am hoping the supplement will help with both her back and her weight. Maybe not being in pain will give her more energy and she will be more active.

[Dori]

Hi Labs. How long have you been giving this supplement and how long before you saw results? Have you tried other supplements with less success, if so, which ones? I’m thinking of adding the one you mentioned above in rotation for Hannah. I rotate everything including supplements. I’d just never heard of this one. Does it say on the bottle that it should be given with food or without? Sorry for so many questions, I just like hearing about things I’ve never heard of before. 🙂

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

[Sadie’s Mom]

@ Dori – She is slightly overweight at 15 pounds. She needs to lose 2-3 pounds according to the vet, and she slowly is. She’s more of a “tweenie” dachshund, larger than a mini but much smaller than a standard. The problem is she will scare everyone else away from their food and then eat it all lol. My parents have to leave for work at 7 so the dogs don’t always finish their breakfast right away. I am home for the next month on winter break, so I’ll be mixing up her food with the supplement and a little wet food and then feed her separately so she doesn’t eat everyone elses food. It isn’t too cold yet so I’m hoping that starting the supplements now will prevent problems in a few weeks.

[Walt R]

Hi. We got a rescue dog about 3 years back. It took us nearly a year before we found food that he liked and we liked. His issue was that he was always stinky even though an indoor dog. He also had room clearing gas. It was truly awful. We tried many different varieties/blends of dog food and he was, at one point, being bathed weekly it was that bad. But, we finally found the Purina Pro Plan Select Sensitive with the Salmon. It took only a matter of days and the gas was gone. In addition, he no longer smelled bad all the time and his baths were now 8 – 10 weeks apart. The dog is a pointer mix and is now pushing 5 years old. He has always been a dog that likes to lick. You walk past him or he you and out comes that tongue. He’ll get ya. LOL. He also licks the sheets, and carpet and his feet, etc. It’s never been a problem for us.

Anyhow, over the past 6 months something has changed. His feet start to smell like Frito’s. But, so do the bed linens and other things, because of his licking. His breath is not bad. If he licks your hand, it’s not bad. But over time, it adds up and we’re having a hard time with it. In addition, because of this, what becomes, an over powering smell of Fritos… he’s back to being bathed every 2 weeks.

His overall coat smells fine. His head and neck are fine. His feet on the other hand… UGH. Same with the bed linens and where he likes to sleep throughout the day.

I can’t help but think it’s his food.

Again, his breath is fine. His coat (other than feet) are fine. Still no gas and he still likes the food.

I don’t know if there is a vitamin supplement we should give him, if there are breath drops that i see online that we can give him or if we should change food.

Unfortunately, i have 100lbs of his food in the basement as it recently went on sale at $10 off per bag. It was hard to pass up. Now… I may be regretting that decision.

So, i found this site. I read up on the Pro Plan Select and it didn’t get very good reviews. Out of the nearly 200 brands/formula’s posted as 4 stars and above, Purina wasn’t even on the list.

A friend has recommended Zsignature Trout/Salmon, but OMGoodness, that is seriously expensive food.

So i thought i would reach out here in this forum and ask if anyone else has experienced this kind of thing.

I do not think the dog has any yeast infections. He doesn’t have dry, red or cracked feet and there aren’t sores on his body. He had a vet check in October and everything is good. Even his teeth are good.

I did read though, that the Pro Plan Sensitive Salmon does contain yeast. So, could that be it? The yeast is in his saliva, he’s licking thinking things and then the Yeast is fermenting for lack of a better expression?

And if that is maybe the source of the issue, why now? Why after being on this food for over 2 years, would this happen now?

And again i ask, if it’s possible it’s the yeast from the food, which clearly isn’t harming him… would breath drops work, or a vitamin of some kind and if not… are there recommendations for FISH based foods that we can try? Fish based food so far is the only one, that resolves his coat and gas issues.

Sorry for being long winded and thank you for any help you can provide.

Walt

[Dori]

I’m sure BC will get back to you to on dosing if you choose to purchase the supplement she uses. She’s a great person for you to take advice from.

The reason for my hopping onto your thread is to ask you how much your dog weighs. You didn’t mention that in your initial post. It’s very important to keep a dog with any time of musculoskeletal issues on the thin side. You probably know that already but I thought I’d mention it. By the way, there is no food on the market that will help with the issue you are dealing with. Supplements will help.

[Dori]

Dog Obsessed. I’ve been giving Hannah glucosamine/chondroitin for a number of years twice a day two hours after both her meals. I give her her Denamarin (both for her liver and as an anti-inflammatory) one to one and a half hours BEFORE her p.m. meal. A number of months back I started adding a glucosamine/chondroitin at bedtime since I knew she hadn’t had anything to eat in a number of hours. I don’t give any treats of any sort after 9:00 pm (I feel their guts need a little resting time instead of constantly having to digest food). She’s been doing very well with three times a day. If you’re only giving once a day then you can start on the twice a day and see how your dog does. If you’re going to add the bed time one then I would wait on that one for a while to make sure your dog isn’t getting loose stools or diarrhea. I introduce supplements very slowly and once I realize they’re doing well, then I up the supplements. And so on and so on.

[theBCnut]

As far as a joint supplement goes, it is definitely trial and error to see what works with what dog. Try that one and see if you can tell a difference. One hint on cost savings, horse joint supplements are cheaper. I really like one called Joint Armor and I get it from Jefferspet.com.

[Sadie’s Mom]

@ BC do you use the liquid or powdered Cortaflex? I am also looking for a budget friendly glucosamine supplement for my dachshund.

[Sadie’s Mom]

@ Dog Obsessed Have you used a glucosamine supplement before? I’m looking into GNC Ultra Mega Superfood Complex Plus Joint Health Dog Formula. I like it because it’s a powder formula and relatively inexpensive. After being on steroids for so long my dog refuses to take any pills and is picky about chewables because she doesn’t do crunchy treats. I was think a powder would be easy to mix into her food, especially if I add a tablespoon of wet in with it.

[Sadie’s Mom]

@ Nut – I guess I could do that. She always ends up on steroids in the winters because her back flares up. My parents probably couldn’t afford them year round. My dad got a new job a took a significant pay cut, so nice things are somewhat unattainable. Would the regular glucosamine chondritin supplements work? And if so what strength?

@ Dog Obsessed – All four were actually on Victor Grain Free Yukon River formula, but it ended up being too expensive. My parents went back to Beneful, but I’ve just about talked them into buying Evolve from the local HEB. It’s a 4 star food with no corn, wheat, or soy, which seem to trigger one of the dogs allergies. The dogs won’t eat Merrick for some reason. I haven’t looked at the Pure Balance though. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Dog_Obsessed]

Thanks Dori! It is usually about 2 hours after her dinner, but sometimes I do it earlier. I won’t from now on. What about the stuff in the supplement, is it dangerous to overdose it? I posted the active ingredients above.

[Dori]

Hi Dog Obsessed. As I stated earlier to Akari, Glucosamine/chontroitin can be given one hour before meals or two hours after a meal. Not one hour after a meal. Also, I give Hannah her Glucosamin/Chondroitin twice a day. Denamarin only once a day sometime mid day (at least a couple of hours after breakfast) but you can give it in the evenings at least a couple of hours after dinner. Doesn’t make any difference. Try not to miss any doses, it does make a difference.

Akari. There are really very good glucosamine/chondroitin supplements that are chewable and also Denamarin chewables. There’s no way that I could get Hannah to eat a supplement without food that wasn’t a chewable. If you need any suggestions I can give you a list of the glucosamine/chondroitins that I give Hannah. As the the Denamarin, I buy the chewable type. I look on line for the list expensive site and that’s where I buy it. Denamarin is the brand name and that’s the one I use. Let me know if you need suggestions on the Glucosamine/Chondroitin.

Akari. As far as weight is concerned, Hannah’s ideal weight would be 8 lbs. for her size and height and age. I keep her at 7.3 lbs. as best I can. If she weighs more than that then she starts having a bit more of trembling in her back legs and a bit of a limp. At the 7.3 lbs. her legs do not tremble and she doesn’t limp. Weight is a big issue for the arthritic be they animals or humans.

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

[theBCnut]

I can’t help with brands, but just a piece of info. She is more likely to have issues in the winter with the colder weather, so leave her food the same next summer and save the money for joint supplements for winter. Could your parents afford a joint supplement, which is usually cheaper than changing to better foods anyways?

[Dog_Obsessed]

Just on the topic of glucosamine, I used to give Lily her supplement right after dinner, but after reading something Dori posted a while back I moved it to 1-2 hours afterward. Is that enough? Also, is it possible to overdose in anything they put in the supplement? I sometimes miss a day, and I’m wondering if I should give double the next day.

Edit: Just checked and the serving size for a 1-10 pound dog, which is what Lily gets, contains 350mg Glucosamine HCL, 125mg MSM, 50mg “Tart cherry and dark berry proprietary blend,” 6,000mg Linolenic acid omega 3(flaxseed), and 1,300 Linolenic acid omega 6(flaxseed).

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

[Dori]

Hi Akari. Sorry, I don’t know how I missed this entire thread other than to say life gets crazy around the holidays.

You mentioned that Ginger weighs 11.2 lbs. Has you vet told you what her optimum weight should be? It is very very important to keep dogs that have musculoskeletal problems on the thin and trim side. Every added ounce overweight adds to their pain and discomfort.

But this is really what I wanted to tell you. You say that you are dumping the glucosamine/chondroitin in her food. Glucosamine/Chondroitin should never be given with food. It most definitely needs to be given either one hour before food or two hours after. Otherwise it WILL NOT WORK! That is one of the main reasons why foods that are marketed as being good for dogs with arthritis and contain glucosamine/chondroitin don’t work. They also don’t put enough in to be beneficial but even if they did, the supplement must be given one hour before meals or two hours after twice a day or more often if indicated. That could very well be the reason you are not seeing any improvement with Ginger even though you are giving her the supplement.

Just trying to help.

If you do decide to go with the Purina JM you still need to give the supplement one hour before her meals or two hours after. I don’t have an opinion on the food. Obviously you know it’s not a great food by anyone’s definition but you have financial constraints and are doing the best your pocket book will allow. She’s a senior dog that you don’t have a lot of history about. If you can find one single food that she does well on, give her the supplement the way it is suppose to be given, then I would do that for the remainder of her life. The object is to find some quality to her life. It’s not about how many years you can add to her life, the concern is how well she gets to live the time she has left in her life. She obviously has musculoskeletal issues, she’s had them since you got her and since there’s no way to really know what happened to her before you got her to know what exactly is wrong with her or to do expensive CT scans, X-rays, MRI’s, surgeries, if they are indeed called for, you do the best you can through a food that doesn’t upset her digestive system and give her supplements. My advice to you would be, for right now, to keep her on the Wellness that you are feeding her before you switch her food since her tummy seems to be doing better and start the supplement as it’s suppose to be given and see it it makes a difference. I think it will. Another supplement that you can give her, if money allows you to, is Sam-e. Though it’s marketed as a liver support supplement it is a great anti-inflammatory. You would still need to give her the glucosamin/chondroitin. Sorry my post is so long I was just upset with myself for not noticing your thread on this issue and just happened to catch the sentence where you mention putting the supplement in her food bow.

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

[theBCnut]

Um, I hate to say this, but you must be way overfeeding her for her to gain 4 lbs in 1 week, and that alone can cause diarrhea. With all dogs, but especially large and giant breed dogs, it is very important for them to have slow even growth. Fast growth means that their joints are forming too fast and not necessarily well, which means hip and elbow dysplasia. Feed her to keep her athletically lean, no extra weight. Keep her on probiotics until she has had normal stools for at least 2 weeks.

You may want to look into a supplement by the Honest Kitchen called Perfect Form. A lot of rescue dogs have had really bad cases of worms that have damaged the gut lining and it may take months for the damage to heal. Perfect Form has some really nice ingredients to soothe irritated intestines and firm up sloppy stools.

Have you looked at the Large and Giant Breed Puppy Nutrition thread?

[USA]

HI Nancy M,

I think it’s a great idea to make your own dog food!! That’s what I do. A very good book on the subject is “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet: Healthier Dog Food the ABC Way” by Steve Brown

Any dog food recipe that does NOT contain ground bone can be cooked. You will also need a supplement to balance the meals unless you follow the recipes to a T. Steve Brown also made a supplement but it won’t be available for a while. The supplement I use for a mostly meat diet is “Balance IT Original Blends® – Carnivore Blend® for Dogs & Cats”

https://secure.balanceit.com/marketplace2.2/details.php?i=23&cc=

I also add sardines in water to their food once or twice a week. And probiotics and digestive enzymes 2 or 3 times a week.

Good Luck!!!

[crazy4cats]

If you google Victor dog food, they have a dealer locater link. I’m on my iPad right now and don’t know how to copy and paste the link. How embarrassing! I only have one store in my area that carries a limited supply. I have to call a week in advance so they can order it for me if they don’t have it in stock. Otherwise, yes, Amazon, Sport Dog and RocketPetz carries it. The supplements, I have ordered both from Amazon. I have fed Blue Wilderness a few years back with pretty good results, but was a bit too expensive for our family. Besides, after reading ingredients, they all are mostly chicken anyway. I have fed my kitties Wellness, but not the dogs. It’s pretty expensive for two 80 pounders.

You didn’t mention if you have had a fecal test done. Worms and/or parasites can cause loose stools as well. Make sure you rule those out as well.

The Firm Up is dehydrated pumpkin and pectin and the Perfect Form contains some enzymes and slippery elm which are very helpful for unhappy intestines. Also probiotics can be helpful as well. Such as Vetri-Pro BD by Vetri Science is recommended.

Oh boy, good luck. I remember how overwhelming this advise can be. Just try one new thing at a time to see if it is helpful. I often change a couple of things at a time and I never know what caused the improvement or the decline.

[Laura M]

I find that a canned food can put weight on fast and there are many grain free, good products to choose from. I mix canned and my dry which is Orijen adult and have a skinny boy that is hard to keep weight on and that does the trick. I also supplement with chicken or hamburger, etc. and that gets him interested in his bowl of food! Not sure if you have an issue with your dogs not wanting to eat or just hard to keep weight on. Be careful when transitioning, you can upset everything if you go too fast. Good luck!

[MARK k]

Thanks crazy4cats for the info. Where can you get Victor and those supplements . . . I see Victor is at Amazon, but didn’t know if it’s available at any stores. Have you had any luck with Wellness or Blue?

[crazy4cats]

I have two lab mix dogs and have had the same issue. I have had the best luck with Victor grain free food so far. I also use various supplements that are very helpful. Such as Firm Up and The Perfect Form. Also, when I add either a couple frozen Nature’s variety Instinct raw nuggets or The Honest Kitchen dehydrated as a topper, it also helps. I think it is because of the added fiber that helps firm up the stools.

Please check out http://www.dogaware.com for some very helpful information on loose stools. It has been an extremely valuable resource for me!

Please feel free to write back with any questions or comments.

[theBCnut]

Um, what is considered a therapeutic dose of glucosamine for your dog? Does this food come close? I’ve read that the reason joint support foods are a waste of money is because they do NOT even have a therapeutic dose, so in the end, you do have to still add a joint supplement. That’s OK if you get the food at a good price and you like how your dog does on the food, but not OK at all if you have to pay more for it and then add a supplement, especially if your dog isn’t doing remarkable on it.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Thanks for the responses everyone!

@Dori I always try to click right before or during the treat, but this time I clicked a tiny bit after by accident. The trainer at the class said you should always give the treat with the click, but I have had a lot of success with the “random rewards” method of training once the dog has learned the command.

@aquaraingt No, this was not at Zoom Room.

@BCnut That’s a really good idea, if she is still scared of the muffled clicker I will try it.

The other weird thing is that last night, when I was giving Lily her joint supplement, I asked her to sit as I always do. This time though, she seemed to be kind of scared and ran off again. She didn’t shake or seem scared afterward, but she didn’t want to come back so I didn’t push her and just gave her the joint supplement. I just think something about this whole experience doesn’t quite add up. It’s really unusual for Lily to have that scared a reaction to anything, much less still be scared several hours later. I’m wondering if she’s had some passed bad experience, not with a clicker necessarily but with some loud noise. I know I might be overgeneralizing her fear, but it still seems like a possibility.

[Alexandria A]

I’m aware that some allergies could be driven tour the environment but being my dogs never had this Issue before I know it is from either the east starvation recipe or the supplements. As far as the box saying that there is customer service that our nutritional veterinarian assistance or whatever they call it it doesn’t really seem that these people have much knowledge on the product or on any type of recipes as I have called I have been getting really limited information. I honestly and going with my instincts here and I feel as though the customer service really doesn’t care about the customers or the dogs health it is a little suspicious that they have customer service from 9 AM to 5 PM that tells me that they must have a lot of people calling with issues from the supplements.

Since both my dogs never had this type of issue before I will never use this product again.

[dakcmumm]

I don’t like Dinovite. Egg shells mixed with rice and bake. That sounds weird. I did place an order with Dinovite but decided to cancel it. Their rep was not very friendly to me. After trying Better In The Raw I decided to give my babies Primal. It is the Psyllium that turns me off. Most or not all of the supplement for raw feeding has psyllium. I myself was bloated with psyllium. It makes me so sick. So, even dogs might be different, I just decided that I do not like psyllium. I rather add sweet potato or pumpkin to facilitate my babies’ pooping business than use psyllium.

Anyway, Sophie and Louis love primal. I am sooooo happy. I do add more raw veggies to their food. Trust your instinct. Only you know what is best for Your Dog. There are many good products out there but each case is different. Trust your instinct.

[Alexandria A]

I did the yeast starvation diet. Got the dinovite supplements. BAD MISTAKE. I feel terrible about this choixe. My Maltese and frenxh bulldog went from pooping 3x a day to once. The maltese has kept me up two nights vomiting. I followed instructions on proper feeding measurements as well as suppleness. Day four was vomiting all over house. Day 5 was canned pumpkins to help stomach issues. And today is 3am doggie vomiting all over our bedroom.

[aimee]

Hi Akari,

I found this study http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22805303 in which significant improvement was demonstrated through the use of a veterinary joint support diet. This study was double blinded and placebo controlled and used force plate analysis to measure the amount of weight the dog was willing to bear on the limb, so I do think joint diets have a place in managing arthritis. I can’t tell from the abstract which company’s product was used, but I don’t think it was Hills as their Omega 3 looks to be more ALA based.

I wouldn’t rotate the diet unless to one of similar EPA/DHA content and Omega 6/3 ratio otherwise I’d think the benefits would be lost. It takes time ( 6 weeks???) to incorporate the fatty acids into the cells and if you change off you may switch before any benefit would be seen.

With a Omega 6:3 ratio of 1.7:1 it may be difficult achieve that with supplementation of a standard diet. If your vet thinks it is appropriate I’d most definitely give this diet a trial of at least 3 months. It has a nice nutrient profile and nice ingredient line up!

[InkedMarie]

I wouldn’t feed that at all. Brewers rice and the first ingredient? Corn gluten meal? Animal digest? These are the makings of a crap food. There are many supplements & drugs to use for joint issues. Grains are inflammatory, making this a poor choice.

[Bobby dog]

Yes, the end of a semester is both a blessing and a curse! 😉

If my dog was ill I would think outside of the box and certainly try different approaches to ease pain and discomfort. An Rx food would not be out of the question and I have fed them in the past! I really can’t comment on this food other than the reviews I read about it. BTW, the comments I read weren’t from the Purina website. lol I was looking into some supplements for my friend’s dog that has been a little stiff.

Deals are wonderful, but you need to consider Ginger’s health and comfort. Senior pet care can be pricey. My senior horse’s supplements are almost triple the price of my younger horse’s. That’s a decent price for Rx food IMO.

[Marta W]

hi
my dog is fighting cancer(adenocarcinoma). While i am waiting for a appointment with holistic vet in a month who is going to create personalized diet for him, i am trying to feed him honest kitchen dehydrated food. I settled on Thrive but i would like to find out if i have to ad anything alse on top of that or is that enough for him?
I am giving him liver supplement and immune supplement wholly immune, plus coconut oil with turmeric.
I know usually there is organ meat in the diet i dont think this one has it.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Akari:
I can’t get onto the sight to check it out.

At 14 rotating her food would be the last thing I would be concerned with. Finding a diet that agrees with her and sticking with it would be my priority. I hope you get her to a Vet soon for a check-up; sounds like she is uncomfortable and might need prescribed medication.

I don’t know of anyone who has used this for their dogs. However, I have read reviews from owners who have tried various over the counter supplements and foods without any improvements who fed this food with good results.

[zhiba]

@theBCnut, I know this thread is a bit old, but your comment about histamine intolerance was interesting. I looked it up, and in some cases supplementation can help. I was curious if you can tried something like this –

“Diamine oxidase (DAO) is an essential enzyme in the body that breaks down histamine.”

From Swanson’s
http://www.swansonvitamins.com/health-library/products/daosin-histamine-intolerance-supplement.html

[crazy4cats]

Hi linda h-
Congratulations on your new puppy! I’m sorry you are having some issues though. Have you had a fecal test done? My lab puppies ended up with Giardia and then Coccidia when they were puppies. That can cause intermittent loose stools and they were constantly hungry. Make sure that you have a test done that is sent out to a lab as these parasites are sometimes hard to detect. I am concerned that I/D is an adult maintenance food and would not supply the nutrients needed for a puppy.
Have you tried adding any plain canned pumpkin or any type of supplements to help with the diarrhea?
Check out http://www.dogaware.com. It has a lot of information and remedies for digestive disorders. It sounds as if you will have to feed him Hill’s brand food so I’m not really familar with all their foods and wouldn’t be able to recommend any. I sure hope you get this figured out. Good luck!

[K G]

Our 7 year-old Springer was weighing in at over 60 pounds. After researching on this site, chose Wellness Core Reduced Fat dry food + Wellness 95% canned supplement once a day (a couple of tablespoons per serving) for total of about 2-1/2 c/day. Her elimination very regular. However, she either loves the food or it’s not enough as she keeps begging for more. Occasional biscuits (5/6 per day) don’t seem to be a fill in. Any suggestions? Worried that she is not getting enough nutrients or is just loving the food.

[Barbara M]

I was giving the prescription wet food AND adding water to it to insure increase water intake. I also now make her bone broth I add to every meal (dry kibble and boiled chicken. She also get her cranberry supplement twice a day in her meals.

[Dog_Obsessed]

If you are talking about the DreamBone chew treats, I would definitely not recommend them. Here is the ingredients list for the chicken treats:

Corn, Chicken, Sorbitol, Glycerin, Fructose, Pork Gelatin, Barley Malt Syrup, Maltodextrin, Sweet Potatoes, Peas, Carrots, Dicalcium Phosphate, Salt, Ferrous Sulfate, Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Sulfate, Artificial Flavor, Niacinamide, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate (preservative), Sodium Pyrophosphate, Sodium Propionate (preservative), Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Vitamin E, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Manganese Sulfate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, FD&C Red 40.

You don’t want to feed treats with Corn, or Fructose, or artificial sweeteners, or coloring. The Pure Balance treats (the freeze-dried ones anyway) are great though. Head over to the “most recommended dog treats” thread (stickied at the top of the page) to get some more treat ideas.