[Oceans11]

I have posted under this topic before but haven’t found anything that works. My one year old Malagasy Coton De Tulear is a picky eater. I have tried Basic Instinct Raw, Fresh Pet, various 5 star canned foods including Tripett, Orijen dry puppy kibble., Fromm Gold kibble, Blue Wilderness. What he will eat on a consistent basis is rotisserie chicken which probably isn’t healthy. We have tried giving him raw ground round and raw steak. All he wants to do is bury it. I have supplements that I try to give him hidden in his food but one whiff and he walks away (supplements: Angel Eyes, Grizzly Salmon Oil, probiotic, and Vitamin supplement). I am concerned that he is not getting any of these supplements or more importantly a nutritious diet. Because he doesn’t eat much on a routine basis, we have all too often shared what we are eating. I don’t believe he is underweight. I would appreciate any suggestions and/or advice anyone could share. Thanks much!

[Dawn R]

Hi Terri,
I’ve got two pugs (brindle and fawn) that are 5 and 6 years old and have suffered from both food allergies/sensitivities and seasonal items for years. I’m had them on raw diets for the past 3 to 4 years and fed kibble prior to that. I’ve tried just about every medicated shampoo, supplements, probiotics/enzymes and testing that is out there including taking them to a vet dermatologist. In the early years the boys had been on antibiotics and steroids until I decided to pursue a more holistic program with them. The most informative testing that I did that helped get me started down the right path was with a company called Glacier Peak Hollistics. They have a Healthy Dog Sensitivity Assessment that costs $80.00 which is a hair and saliva test. You submit hair back to them as well as swabs and it gives you a really extensive report back. You get results back fairly quick and then can make decisions on food proteins you should eliminate from their diet, or allergies to ingredients. I’ve done the more traditional IgE and IGg testing on them and paid close to $250.00 for testing and the results didn’t come close to the holistic testing.

[DogFoodie]

Hi BRT,

My dog with food intolerance issues sometimes will have a reaction to a food that slowly creeps us on us. It’s confusing and frustrating.

I still think I’d try another limited ingredient food, my two favorite bands of which are Wellness Simple and Nature’s Variety Instinct LID.

FWIW, one of mine reacts to fish; including fish meal and oil but he also doesn’t tolerate chickpeas, lentils or flax. NVI LID doesn’t contain any of those things out tomato pinnacle, another common problem ingredient. I would definitely consider that your pup’s problem ingredients could be another ingredient, like flax or something else.

If the Natural Balance worked previously, have you compared the ingredients of that to those foods you’ve tried? I just wonder if it could be a combination of problem ingredients beyond primary protein iin foods.

Coconut oil and diluted ACV might both help, but I think right now, I would eliminate supplements (non-prescription) and treats and just focus on finding one food that yours do well on.

One other thing, using kibble doesn’t make you a bad dog mom! I felt the same way, but when it came down to it, I just wanted to know my dog felt good.

[BRT]

I finally thought I had found the perfect food for my maltese/poodle boy. This has been a cycle for him that just seems to be getting worse the older he gets. He’ll do really well at the start of a food, but after a couple of months he starts obsessively eating grass. I leash walk him, so of course I try to keep him from doing it, but it’s at a point where we will walk by a patch of grass and he will crane his neck to get a bite. It’s getting very frustrating for me because I cannot figure out what’s going on.

I switched him to Zignature Trout and Salmon exactly one month ago. He was doing great on it. No grass eating at all. Even now when I feed him he just gobbles up the food and gets excited when he sees me get it out of the cabinet. Poop is formed and firm. He does poop quite a bit, about four times a day. Besides this grass eating he’s active and happy.

I’m not sure what to do here. I know if I take him to the vet she’s going to want to put him on a prescription food. I’ve been trying so hard to avoid that. But, I feel like I’ve tried everything I can.

Do you think it’s a matter of adding a probiotic to his diet? The only supplements he gets are his hypoallergenic glucosamine chew and an Omega 3 pill.

• This topic was modified 11 years, 7 months ago by BRT.

[Lance B]

Hello,

I’ll be picking up my Great Dane puppy in a few weeks and was wondering if there are any supplements I should begin giving him?

When he got to 10 weeks, I was going to begin giving him Glucosamine/Chondroiton, along with fish oil, for life. However, is there anything else you all might recommend, particularly for a Great Dane?

[pugmomsandy]

The reasons for adding a quality canned food: add moisture to the diet, quality canned foods have a good amount of protein since they don’t need carbohydrate binders like kibble, it’s easier to digest since it’s not hard and dry like kibble, they don’t have preservatives in them, and it’s easy to mix in powdered supplements. Canned foods are more species-appropriate than dry pellets.

Drawbacks: softer stool sometimes and the canned foods usually don’t include probiotics. They might have prebiotics like inulin/chicory root.

You don’t have to stick with the same brand of wet as you are using dry. Use various brands and feed a rotaional diet.

[Tulip]

Just had to chime in here. I LOVE this product and this company. Do a bit of digging folks. Read the label. Just about everything in this product is available at your health food store in whole food supplements. In fact, many of these things are part of my personal regime. You won’t’ get the same results with just a diet change.

Think about it. Take good ingredients and HEAT extrude them. Make them into a slurry and put them through extreme heat and pressure. What comes out the other end is highly process,heat extruded food. Of course, AAFCO labels it complete based on what? Is Beneful complete? Yes, according to AAFCO.

Think for yourself. Do your own research.

I feed the homemade dog food recipe on Dinovite’s site. It includes a couple of dinovite products. And I use their wonderful shampoo. My poor Tulip was so miserable for YEARS. Allergists, dermatologists, medications. The people at dinvoite helped me to detox her which took about 5months. Then we continued and to this day, you would not recognize this dog! She’s perky, beautiful, and completely healthy. Yes, healthy.

You eat highly processed food for 7 years…in a dry kibble….and see how you look and feel.

And for those who have not even used this product, you have no basis for opinion, in my opinion.

[Akari_32]

BTW, this is the fish oil I use:

http://www.naturemade.com/supplements/cod-liver-oil

[crazy4cats]

Hi Cheryl-
I have dogs with digestive disorders. However, mine did test positive for parasites and such for quite some time. After ridding of these pesky invaders, my dogs ended up with leaky gut, colitis, or IBS. I have them pretty much under control now. My favorite kibble is grain free Victor. It contains montmorillonite clay which I believe may be partly responsible for the improvement. I also have some favorite supplements which are helpful. I learned about most of them on http://www.dogaware.com. They have a lot of information on diarrhea. I’d like to discuss these further when I have time if you are interested. Right now, I have to get to church. Check out the site and check back.
I think you and Timber are very lucky to have each other. I am very sorry about losing your brother. Take care.

[Bobby dog]

It’s raining again, Bobby’s sad. 🙁

Akari:
aquariangt recommended Sojos pre-mix earlier in this thread; maybe catch up with agt and ask about it. Are you planning on feeding a pre-mix for each meal? Or will you be rotating canned with a pre-mix daily or weekly? Feeding a pre-mix a few meals a week rather than for an extended time would help keep the cost down and provide variety.

I posted links about eggs & fish oil on page 4 of this thread on 6/25/14 @ 2:14 a.m., to Anita that you should check out. Looking at info I have about feeding eggs I would feed a dog that size ½ egg/week; or as C4c suggests 1 egg every other week. Maybe someone else will have a recommendation for you. /forums/topic/maybe-its-time-for-a-diet-change/page/4/

Here’s a few links to fish oil supplementation, brands, and dosage. The link from Tufts contains information on how much to dose pets with heart disease; I only used the information from them to find a brand of fish oil with certain %’s of EPA & DHA and to help determine dosages for my cats’ and Bobby’s weights:
http://dogaware.com/diet/supplements.html#fishoil

http://vet.tufts.edu/heartsmart/resources/omega-3_supplementation.pdf

[USA]

Hi Omayra

A 5 month old puppy chewing carpets can be anything from normal puppy behavior (most common reason) to something nutrient related to a behavioral issue and so on. I would not rush into a nutrient deficiency diagnosis so quickly!

Before anyone can suggest any supplements for your puppy can you please tell us his current diet including treats please be as specific as you can.

What is his day like? Yard, Walks, Toys, People always around? How much time does he spend alone? Does he sleep and spend any other time in a crate?

Can you please also tell us what brand/type of shampoo and conditioner that you use and how often you bathe him.

And can you please tell us any medicine he is currently taking, including flea control. How much and how often and his vaccine history.

And last but not least has he had any blood, urine or fecal tests run and were there any abnormal or out of range results.

Is there anything you would like to add that will help us to know him better?

I don’t mean to pry but you must take into consideration the WHOLE dog to start figuring things out. Looking at a symptom or a behavior without knowing more about a dog usually results in treating a symptom instead of curing the cause of the symptom by returning the dog to complete and overall optimum health. This may not always be possible but starting with the whole dog is the way to go!!!

Keep Up The Good Work!!!

[Omayra R]

Yeah, I think I’ll hold off on the supplements until I see this new vet. I will def ask her.

I love this dog so very much and will do anything for us to be happy. I can’t find a positive reinforcement behaviorist around my area as of now. I’ll see what this vet says. If anything, she can probably recommend one to me too.

[Omayra R]

Aimee, thx.

I’m in NJ. I was also recommended nuvet supplements for his carpet chewing behavior. I was told it’s a vitamin deficiency he has.

I will look into those links now. Thank you so much.

[Omayra R]

Anyone here give these yo their pets? It was recommended for our 5 month old puppy, bc he’s a carpet chewer.

We were told Carpet chewing = vitamin deficiency.

Thoughts?

[pugmomsandy]

Again, without seeing the actual product your looking at…

If you’re going to use a bone-in red meat grind with organs and liver, then it looking at the book, I would do this:

bone-in red meat grind
vit/min supplement
fatty acid supplement
veggie mash
enzymes, glandulars, probiotics…

So yes, you can use the grind in the boneless beef recipe and leave out the bone meal supplementation.

For a bone-in chicken grind, it replaces the necks and thighs (and hopefully the grind will have organs as well so it would be replacing the whole recipe to where you wouldn’t be adding any heart/gizzard/liver yourself).

Can you post the product links?

[Lilmonster]

Unfortunately, I don’t have the space or budget for a grinder right now, so I have to stick with buying pre-ground. Trying to figure out how to use bone-in grinds with Dr. Becker’s recipes because it’s so much more affordable than boneless grinds. I guess a more simplified version of my question would be, if I use MPC’s bone-in grinds for the meat staple, add Dr. Becker’s veggie mix and her vitamins & minerals supplements, would that be balanced?

[pugmomsandy]

I’m not familiar with MPC grinds, but if you get the ones with bone and organs included, I wouldn’t add anything to it besides the vitamin supplements if you like. The heart and gizzard and tripe count as “muscle meat” in a recipe just like chicken breast. You can feed tripe daily if you like. You might consider getting a meat grinder that has at least 1 hp if you plan on feeding raw grinds long term. 1hp (and even .75 hp) is sufficient to grind chicken bones. You can cut costs by buying bulk chicken legs and necks and organs by the case. Grind up 50 lbs of food at a time and save on time!

• This reply was modified 11 years, 7 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[Susan]

Hi USA Dog Treats Thank-You, now more confussed which product to use but I mite try the Dermoscent Essential Spot on’s first & see how he goes…. Patch isnt scratching at the moment, he just has a few hive like lumps on the white part of his head & his paws, inbetween his toes are always red by night time, I put Cortisone 1% cream at night before bed, when Patch wakes up inbetween his toes are all good again, no redness.. its been raining again for a few days & his paws are real red & sore after the rain… Patch hates his baths so he hasnt had his Malaseb bath for 2 weeks & he’s a bit stinky, yeasty smell…the Malaseb medicated shampoo clears everything up, his toes all clear up but then after a couple of days walking his toes are red again…In the summer I make shallow bath & wash his feet in the Malaseb Shampoo but its cold at the moment & if he hears that bath running he’s off.. He runs around the furniture, I cant catch him, then I think if he hates baths that much, I dont bother …Summer is coming & I want to start him on something by the end of August so he’ll be right for hot summer..
A lady just rung me from Blackmores she asked what did the vet recommend & I said the vet reconmended the “Dermoscent Essential Spot on”, she said try that first & see how Patch goes cause its applied on the skin there’s less chance of an upset tummy/bowel.. Blackmores also makes PAW Dermega Omega-3 & 6 oral supplement or PAW Coat Skin & Nails multivitamin chews..but again he has to take these tablets or treats..

[Leah12345]

Thanks so much! I stopped the benadryl and no additional itching so I am cautiously optimistic. I agree Sue66b about buying this stuff and getting stuck with the products when they don’t work. I have gotten better at returning when possible. USA_Dog_Treats thanks so much for your help and for explaining the ingredients. I am going to stick with this while it works and then change to oil supplements later. My experience says she will need a change in a while. Thanks again and for anyone who comes later, I will try to remember to give an update in a month or so with a better informed rating of this product.

[Naturella]

Lihan, there are many good foods out there. The best thing to do is rotate between brands and also protein types – some well-regarded foods are Annamaet, Dr. Tim’s, Victor, Wellness, GO!, Now! Fresh, Earthborn Holistic to name a few. I don’t think all of them are GMO-free, but they are quality foods nonetheless. You can also supplement with canned sardines, fish oil, coconut oil (those three do wonders for skin and coat), probiotics/digestive enzymes/yoghurt/kefir/canned plain pumpkin, cottage cheese, and if particularly “adventurous” – a raw egg here and there and maybe some raw too or Raw Meaty Bones (RMBs – like chicken wings, legs, necks, backs, pork neck bones, beef ribs, etc.) Or, even some good-quality canned or dehydrated will do the trick! 🙂

Shopping online is usually easy and convenient and websites such as http://www.petflow.com , http://www.chewy.com , http://www.wag.com , http://www.petfooddirect.com , etc. usually have good deals that you will know of if you sign up for their emails.

Good luck, happy feeding and rotating, and don’t hesitate to post any and all questons you have – the crowd on this site is amazingly knowledgeable and supportive.

[Bobby dog]

Hey guys
It’s a very, very, very rainy day here, Bobby is not happy.

Akari:
Glad you’re back!! I will post cartridge info later when I can get to my saved info for it. 🙂

Love the bowls and the pics too!!! Alec looks happy to have someone to bother.

C4c:
So jealous of your TJ’s. I have to drive so far to get to one, 🙁 but I will be going by one in the fall as you know so we can compare notes about shopping there! TJ’s is on Dr. Pierson’s list (and my Vet’s list too). I looked at reviews on YouTube and various other sites. I couldn’t find ingredient or analysis info anywhere on TJ’s website. I remember it has rice and fish in some or all recipes. It reminded me of a CSFCLS or BB quality. I am definitely going to try some out. Most reviews I read commented that it was decent quality and budget friendly to add to a rotation.

FYI for all you cat lovers, you know how I love a good PDF download. On Little Big Cat Dr. Hofve’s updated book “What Cats Should Eat” is on sale for $4.97, regularly $8.99 until 8/15. Her approved list of cat food is included which was just updated last month. The list even includes some dry, although as you know she discourages feeding dry food. Also on the approved list are commercial raw (dehydrated, freeze dried, frozen etc), foods that need supplements, treats, toppers, meal supplements, foods considered but not approved, foods that were approved and why they are no longer approved.

I haven’t had a chance to read it, just downloaded it yesterday, but the list I was happy with. I can comment that some of the foods she lists are not an option for me because of the manufacturers, but nevertheless I am glad I purchased the book because there are plently of foods listed. Some chapter topics are dry diets, wet diets, nutrition related diseases, alternative diets, and making your cat’s food at home; it’s 62 pages. Here’s the link to the bookstore on her website if you’re interested: http://www.littlebigcat.com/bookstore/

[USA]

Hi Leah

These are the ingredients from the MSDS sheet for the Allerderm EFA-Z Plus:
Sunflower Oil 85 – 95%
Fish Oil 1 – 10%
Borage Seed Oil 1 – 10%
Zinc Sulfate Monohydrate <1%

The fact that your dog’s “itching decreased by 90% or more” is remarkable and you are very lucky!!!!

If I were to evaluate this product based on the ingredients alone I would say that the Fish Oil (Omega 3’s EPA & DHA) and the Borage Oil (Omega 6, GLA) are two very good oils for reducing inflammation in a dog’s skin. The Sunflower Oil makes up most of this product and I think the Fish and the Borage oil are far superior for itch relief. Zinc Sulfate Monohydrate is actually a skin and eye irritant and I am not sure why it is in this product. It is sometimes used as a zinc supplement.

I would have recommended a Human Grade fish oil product first and a Borage oil supplement second as these are proven to relieve skin irritations.

Bus since you are achieving such amazing results with the Allerderm EFA-Z Plus I say count your blessings and if the time time comes when the Allerderm is no longer doing a terrific job I would try the Fish oil and the Borage oil.

As for changing her diet you might not get as good results or any results at all because we don’t know if the itching is food related but upgrading her to what you consider a better food is always a good idea!

Good Luck and give your little girl a scratch and a belly rub for me!!!

[Leah12345]

Not sure if this is diet and health or another forum so let me know. My year old Lhasa mix had some food allergy issues that led to paw chewing that was solved with better food. Unfortunately after a few months of no itching she started itching this week all over. Biting her behind and scratching terribly. Poor girl. The vet suggested Benadryl and Allerderm EFA-Z Plus. The Benedryl did nothing, but when I added the Allerdem EFA-Z Plus, her itching decreased by 90% or more. Does anyone have any experience with this product? Is it okay? It is added to her kibble and is a fatty acid/zinc/vitamin supplement. Could I get the same result from changing her diet? Any thoughts are appreciated. Leah

[pugmomsandy]

I started out using “Real Foods for Healthy Dogs and Cats”. It has boneless recipes along with a veggie mash recipe and a vitamin recipe to balance everything out. There are also guidelines for omega-3 and other supplements. It’s actually easy once you do it for the first time. You initially have to buy some vitamins and grind these up and either use bone meal or dried egg shells if you like.

[crazy4cats]

Hi James P.-
Welcome to Dog Food Advisor! I was curious if you supplement the kibble with any toppers? Any fresh or canned food added? Also wondering if when you tried to switch food if did it very slowly? What I have learned coming to this site for the past year or so is that no kibble is really that great. I don’t switch kibble that often but I like to supplement every meal with something more healthy and species appropriate. Every morning, I add some canned. For the afternoon meal, I add fresh ingredients such as eggs, sardines, or raw nuggets.
I feed mostly grain free Victor kibble. I can get it in a 50lb bag for my two lab mix dogs. I have fed Royal Canin before on the advise of a vet. It’s unbelievably expensive for as much Brewers Rice and by-products that it contains.
I’d encourage to at least start supplementing if you are not already.
Good luck to you. I hope you get some helpful advise from this site. I know I have.

[crazy4cats]

Barbara, it sounds like you take great care of your cats. But, I caution anyone reading this thread to be VERY careful about feeding your cats a significant amount of fish. Especially human tuna fish. It can cause a number of health issues, such as malnutrition by Vit E deficiency, mercury poisoning, steatis, hyperthyroidism and it has a high allergy potential. It is deficient in taurine which can lead to retinal degeneration and cause your cats to go blind. My senior cat has hyperthyroidism most likely from feeding her canned seafood variety cat food for years that is high in PBDES. It’s best to stick to poultry and rabbit flavors. Seafood now and then is Ok, but not daily and especially not human fish that is not supplemented with extra taurine. Unfortunately, most cats love it and it is very addictive. I know we all grew up thinking that you should feed your cats canned tuna and milk. I know that’s what I did! But, it really isn’t a good idea.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Omega 3’s are great for inflammation. I definitely don’t think it would be too much to use a joint supplement, fish oil, probiotics and enzymes. All of those supplements are generally well tolerated and have minimal side effects.

[Alina S]

Thanks, HDM. 🙂 I’ll ask about that on our next trip to the vet.

Also, I’ve been doing a lot of research and it seems that Omega 3’s are really good for dogs with arthritis. Would it be too much to have him on the joint supplement and salmon oil or krill oil or whatever? And, in addition to that, would it be too much to add a pro biotic and digestive enzyme to his food?

I’ve heard great benefits for all of those things, but I don’t want to pile all that in his food and overload his system.

[Barbara O]

Don, I have no idea why this stuff is so potent or why it works…but it does. My husband and I have been taking it for several years…I slack off in the summer but as fall approaches, I make sure it’s in our drink each morning…I have a problem with plain brewer’s yeast but not this stuff…I actually give it away to people who work for me who have problems with low immunity…I have an asst manager who got sick all the time…I started him on this, a good multi and Vit C and now he’s never sick…shows how much our food lacks…Dr Williams, a physician who lives in Texas, got me started on it…I take his newsletter and he talks about giving it to every animal on his place (he raises cattle and lives in the country) as well as all the humans…I’m very leery about what I take but I can tell you that since being on this, and a good vitamin/supplement regimen, my husband and i don’t get sick…giving up wheat, and all grains in my diet has made a wonderful difference in the way I feel…so there’s something to it…I took graduate courses in Food Chemistry, Food toxicology, Food Microbiology…and several others, and learned so much about the crud they put in our foods…no polyunsaturates in our house…they actually cause free radicals in the body, which in turn cause strokes…I’m as old as dirt and am on no medications…still running 3 businesses and taking care of 4 pieces of property…so I feel like I’m doing something right…Hey…take a chance…give it to your pets and the humans in your household…share it with friends…As I said, there’s yeast and there’s yeast…do go into the site recommended and learn more about it…sorry I didn’t have that info to pass along…again…this is a site for learning…we can learn something new every day here.

[Mike M]

BTW, I’m having a bit of a conundrum with the calcium/phosphorous ratio. I’ve read the detailed analysis by the dog food experts of what that ratio should be but for me, I can’t tell how much calcium and phosphorous are in the meats (almost all phosphorous in the ground turkey, some calcium and phosphorus in the canned salmon, some calcium and phosphorous in the supplements.). So, I am guesstimating and adding “just a little” seaweed calcium supplement to the ground turkey.

Any comments, based on the diet listed above are welcome!

[Mike M]

Wally stopped liking the taste of the Urban Wolf mix, even though he was doing well on it so, I’ve substituted:

Nutri-Pet Research Nupro Dog Supplement and
Solid Gold SeaMeal Mineral and Vitamin supplement for Dogs and Cats
(these 2 supplements seem to be providing him with the necessary fiber – his poop looks “good.”)

Have also added ground turkey to the main protein items. Have also added TriCOX soft chews.

So, we now have:

Main proteins:

– Canned Crown Prince Natural Pink Salmon, no salt added
– Ground Turkey

Secondary proteins (in smaller amounts):

– hard boiled egg
– water packed sardine
– dollops of organic, plain yogurt here and there

Supplements:

– NuPro Dog Supplement, recommended servings for 15 pound dog
– Solid Gold SeaMeal Mineral and Vitamin supplement for Dogs and Cats
– Animal Essentials Seaweed calcium
– Salmon fish oil
– TriCOX soft chews
– Nutri-Vet probiotics

• This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by Mike M.

[crazy4cats]

Well said, Losul. What is funny is the more I learn about dog food, the more I lean towards more simple dry kibble without many ingredients. That way I have more control over toppers and supplements that are added. When I first started, I was looking for kibble that had everything for the cheapest price. It’s too bad that a lot of limited ingredient foods have 1/2 the stuff, but twice the price! Lol! I too, have been feeding garlic for the last couple of months without incident so far. It’s funny you brought up vampires. I always say I feed my dogs garlic to keep away parasites, mosquitoes and vampires. No one has found any humor in it so far. Just funny looks!

[Alina S]

Hey, all! I’m sorry to keep making so many posts, I hope I’m not clogging up the boards! 🙁

Anywho, I just talked to the vet today. My dog has been limping on his leg after a bad trip to the groomers. First, we thought it was soft tissue damage, then we thought it was a bone cyst and that he would require surgery. Luckily, no surgery, yay!

The vet and two other radiologists all agree that his foot was probably broken a long time ago, never treated, and then healed improperly. And because of that, he’s been using his leg weird, and then developed arthritis in his knee. (This is his hind right leg.) They say the trip to the groomers probably aggravated this problem.

I have Rimadyl to give him whenever he’s in pain.

I just bought a joint supplement for him today. I bought Pet Naturals Hip + Joint.

These are the only recommendations the vet made. Does anyone else have any suggestions to help him? Food wise, supplement wise, even cold/hot wrap wise? Anything?

He’s only a year old, and it sucks that he already developed arthritis! I would like to prevent it from getting worse as he gets older.

Thanks!

[pugmomsandy]

Ask your vet about giving an omega 3 supplement from algae. It’s non-fish and non-meat. Dogaware dot com has a section on homemade food.

[Barbara O]

Nature’s Variety is wonderful food. Their dry is great…You might feed it and then add a little of the raw…My friend’s dog is medium size and she feeds one of the large packages of raw duck a month. She crumbles up just one of the patties and mixes it in with the kibble, adding water to make it a little soupy…If the dog has no egg problems, crack a raw egg and mix it into the feed…after all, it’s the perfect protein….How many cups a day does your dog eat? The only reason I like to feed the kibble is because my dog is so big that I want to make certain he gets the vitamins….and oils she needs…If you start building the immune system, many of the allergies will subside…Also..there’s yeast and there’s yeast…

I can see the problem with lamb, chicken, and bison, as they are what is called “hot” foods..and chicken is a food I even have to curtail for myself as it can cause inflammation in the body. I am surprised with beef…Duck is not a hot food…it is more neutral…maybe you could purchase a 5 lb bag of Nature’s Variety Instinct…their dry kibble…grain free…and feed it to him…buy a very small package of the frozen and add only one small patty, this is for a little boost in protein and for flavor….I sometimes give Roger several of the genet’s Primal, thawed and mixed into his kibble….It’s not expensive this way…oh…he still gets an egg each feeding…I think Primal and Nature’s V are about the same in cost…Nature’s Variety has had sample frozen packages…you might try them as they’re cheap….Toby’s 3 lb pkg of Primal is $16.00…and it lasts about a month. He gets 2 of the little rectangles a day, along with his precious shaved, preservative free turkey meat…people lunch meat…He will eat the beef but he loves the turkey…I like the Primal because it has veggies in it along with the supplements they need…And…if you found two foods he really likes, you could mix them together….What does he eat, 2 cups per meal?

[GSDMom]

Hi all, just saw on the HK website that they are introducing a mix that is fruit, grain and potato free…just add meat. Any opinions on this? I’d like to try it for my GSD instead of feeding dry food.

Also… would LOVE opinions on this after you’re done shaking your heads (haha!) Growing up we had a GSD boy that refused “dog” food since he was a puppy. So, my Mom cooked for him…for 12 years! We didn’t know anything about proper nutrition back then and certainly didn’t know about supplements. So, our King ate a bowl of cooked steak, or chicken or chicken/gizzards until he was 12. He had colitis and all he took was some kind of capsuled medication, 1 a day. That’s all. How would that go over today? 🙂

• This topic was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by GSDMom.

[Barbara O]

I got several posts on the subject of Primal..I feed the Primal frozen…It is raw meat and veggies…with supplements added. It is manufactured in a facility that passes inspection for human food manufacture…The product is wonderful. I have a small spotted genet that eats it daily. I have mixed it in cat kibble and dog kibble…My friend has a dog that is very picky and it is a big dog…she mixes the duck with the kibble and the dog eats it like candy… I travel with it frozen. If you order it frozen…order as much as you can afford…that way the shipping will be cheaper. Check your local feed stores…those that carry dog and cat food…Also…check with any of your pet shops. I’ve found it in odd places when we travel. When they ship it, it is packed in dry ice…I order organic, grass fed beef for my husband and me and it is shipped from the midwest to hot Arizona in July…always comes completely frozen…ready for my freezer. By adding the Primal to the diet, you are assured of getting everything your animal needs…and you can add your own fruits and veggies to the food…I am assured the kibble, even if it is plant based, meets my Dane’s and genet’s needs…and they both are shiny and healthy. Have been raising and caring for animals longer than many of you have been alive…have a heavy background in animal nutrition in my undergraduate degree plus a few vet courses under my belt as well as human food chemistry courses…have tried to stay up with the research…Don’t believe everything your vet tells you…any vet that tells me how good Science Diet is, I run away from….Am fortunate I have a vet that has taken care of all my exotics and will call over the US getting answers to questions we might both have…have raised raccoon, ring tails, Fennec foxes…had some of the oldest in captivity…due to diligence in diet….both were spoiled pets….a animal fed a well balanced diet with added good oils and digestive enzymes, etc., is one who’s immune system is going to keep them healthy….Remember…corn, wheat and soy are not good for dogs…and raw bones to gnaw on are a blessing…cleans teeth and gives them B vitamins they need….They don’t have people stomachs…they have a straight tube so don’t give them too much variety at a time….They are a carnivore….not a cow…they have teeth for tearing…not for grinding…And….when the diet is high in protein and low in carbohydrate, the back yard is much easier to clean…

[GSDMom]

So glad I found this post. I’d like to start my GSD boy on a joint supplement. The Swanson brand sounds very good. So for an 85 lb. dog what dose would be right? Thanks!

[Holly C]

I guess I phrased that odd. By “fish flavoured” I meant one that tastes more like fish, like Salmon, Krill, Cod oil, etc. I also take the fish oil I give my dog, and I have to say, it doesn’t taste very pleasant, and he doesn’t like it much either. I used to give Salmon Oil but with some budgeting I just buy 1000mg capsules of fish oil. I’ll have to try sardines sometime- my dog would love that!

I also give 600 iu of vitamin e, and a joint supplement. My dog has joint and hip issues, and he has a completely torn ACL. He’s due for surgery soon >:

[Mike Sagman]

Hi Holly,

We’ve been asked to review Blue Ridge Beef products by others, too. However, when we visited the company’s website, we found retrieving complete label information unusually challenging.

For example, important product information was published as images that could not be readily copied and pasted into our spreadsheets. And entering data using manual methods is time consuming and prone to human error.

In addition, we also were unable to easily locate any AAFCO nutritional adequacy statements. So, we have no way of knowing if the recipes are “complete and balanced” or recommended “for supplemental feeding only”.

So, unfortunately, we cannot review Blue Ridge Beef products at this time. Thanks for your suggestion.

[Dori]

I use Perfect Form from THK. I just mix it in with their food anytime I notice that Hannah has loose stools and it pretty much works immediately. Having cancer I think her digestion isn’t what it used to be with all the canine cancer supplements I’ve been giving her. I’d like to back off and see if that’s what’s causing the loose stools but afraid to stop the cancer supplements. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Anyway, I got off thread there for a second. Perfect Form works really really well. I just mix the appropriate dose in with their food. My girls are eaters so I guess the smell just doesn’t bother them. I’m not crazy about the smell, but, hey…if you’ve ever fed tripe, this is nothing compared to that.

[Heather D]

Hi, sorry me again. I have been onto the shop’s website and come across this food and wonder if this would be better than the Eukanuba. I have done the translation,

BREEDERS high end food for Large Breed Puppies.

Our breeders think is the only one with 100% ingredients fit for human consumption. It is a complete food for dogs 0-12 months old.

Most products are manufactured feed waste, what remains once have separated parts fit for human consumption. These ingredients have a lower quality.

Some feed ingredients, incorporate suitable for people, but Breeders is the only manufactured in Spain than it does on 100% of its composition. 100% premium ingredients . No features or use GM products.

“Breeders” is a brand sold exclusively at TiendAnimal, which offers a high-end feed at a very affordable price (up to half that of conventional brands). See for yourself our quality and you will be convinced.

Puppy food super premium quality at a super low price. This is because the direct sales allows us to avoid marketing costs, marketing and advertising that make up a large percentage of the feed costs of early brand names.

BREEDERS Cubs is a complete dry feed, in the form of extruded, balanced and very tasty dry kibble, made ​​from selected raw materials of high quality. Breeders is a food like no other approaches to what the animal would eat in your state natural.

It satisfies the needs of large breed puppies thanks to the extra size of your kibble as well as pregnant females or nursing. They think that a dog is puppy until it meets its first year of life , although in large breeds this time can be extended up to 6 months, even up to 2 years in giant breeds.

Key Benefits

Selected natural ingredients, origin certificate
High digestibility and energy efficient
Adequate protein and fat
Optimum calcium-phosphorus
High in DHA
Health skin and hair, thanks to the perfect balance of Omega 6 and Omega 3.
Promotes optimal growth, thanks to Natural chondroprotective

High digestibility. During the growth phase, the puppy’s digestive system is less developed than the adult dog. It is therefore important that the feed is especially easy to digest.

High in protein and fat. cub experiences a very rapid growth, stabilizing circa life. At that time multiplied 40 to 50 times their birth weight. To achieve this feat, you need a very rich in protein and easy energy to metabolize food.

DHA
DHA: docosahexaenoic acid
Optimal calcium-phosphorus ratio. Indispensable to form a healthy skeleton able to sustain the growing weight of the puppy.

High content of DHA. docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is important in the formation of the nervous system, particularly the brain. The brain content of DHA is related to learning ability and intelligence level of newborns and infants. It has been suggested the need to supplement with DHA the mother during the gestational period, and even before this, to ensure the supply to the normal development of the fetal brain. Evidence related to the greater learning ability of offspring from mothers previously supplemented with DHA.

High in Omega 3. Adequate ratio of Omega 3 and 6 helps maintain a healthy coat, reduces skin irritation and enhances the development of immune function.

Breeders not stored in silos , but goes directly by packaging as production. Thus contamination by mites (causing many food allergies) and quality loss are avoided.

BREEDERS is an exclusive brand of Tiendanimal.

I Breeders Cubs 2

Features

Ingredients : Dehydrated chicken meat (35%), rice, chicken fat, corn, concentradp vegetable protein, hydrolyzed and dehydrated meat chicken, apple pulp, salmon oil, dried yeast, yucca extract, potassium chloride, chloride sodium.

Additives

Vitamin A 16,000 IU / KG
Vitamin D3 1600 IU / KG
Vitamin E (alpha tocopherol) 200mg/kg
Cu (copper sulfate pentahydrate) 23 mg / kg
Trace elements:

Fe (iron sulfate heptahydrate): 200 mg / Kg, I (potassium iodide): 1.5 mg / kg, Co (cobalt sulfate pentahydrate): 1 mg / kg, Mn (manganese sulfate monohydrate) 70 mg / kg, Zn (oxide Zinc): 225 mg / kg, Se (sodium selenite): 0.4 mg / kg

Preserved with EC additives (potassium sorbate). With natural antioxidants (citric acid, rosemary extract and natural tocopherols (source of vitamin E).

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude protein 30%
Crude fat 14%
Crude fiber 2.5%
Crude ash 9%
Calcium 1.2%
Phosphorus 0.8%
Moisture 10%
Glucosamine 600 mg / kg
Approx kibble: 1.5 cm x 1.5 cm x 0.8 cm.

Use

Serve dry food guided by the table of recommended daily allowance. It is better to split the corresponding ration in two servings a day. These amounts are only for guidance, so they must then meet the energy needs of the animal, guided by the maintenance of optimal body weight. Always leave fresh clean water available to the animal.

Recommended daily

45 kg (adult weight) 60 kg (adult weight) 70 kg (adult weight) 90 kg (adult weight) 100 kg (adult weight)
2 months (old puppy) 320 gr 410 gr 450 gr 510 gr 540 gr
3 months (old puppy) 420 gr 520 gr 590 gr 670 gr 720 gr
4 months (old puppy) 460 gr 570 gr 660 gr 740 gr 790 gr
5 months (old puppy) 550 gr 660 gr 780 gr 880 gr 960 gr
6 months (old puppy) 620 gr 750 gr 880 gr 995 gr 1080 gr
7 months (old puppy) 620 gr 750 gr 890 gr 1020 gr 1100 gr
8 months (old puppy) 610 gr 750 gr 890 gr 1020 gr 1100 gr
9 months (old puppy) 590 gr 740 gr 870 gr 1010 gr 1080 gr
10-11 months (old puppy) 580 gr 720 gr 860 gr 995 gr 1070 gr
12-13 months (old puppy) 580 gr 710 gr 840 gr 980 gr 1060 gr
14-17 months (old puppy) 580 gr 700 gr 820 gr 960 gr 1040 gr
18-23 Months (old puppy) 560 gr 690 gr 820 gr 950 gr 1030 gr
24 months (old puppy) 560 gr 690 gr 820 gr 940 gr 1030 gr

[Sharon Buchanan]

Desiree,

The values for BUN are different in raw fed dogs. While your dog’s BUN does seem high, his Creatinine is low normal. Most conventional vets aren’t aware of the different values – I had to share the correct values with two of the vets at the clinic I go to. Here is a great article that explains three values that will be different:
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/normal-blood-values-and-raw-fed-dogs/ At their site, they also have a series of free raw feeding videos that should help you keep him on track and you can search their articles for natural ways to address his BUN value.

Since he doesn’t have teeth, you can help supplement his calcium with whole raw eggs. Just crush the shell with the back of a spoon so that the shell is essentially little flat pieces, not totally pulverized. I would also try chicken backs and ribs. I would begin with cutting away the spine and just give him the soft smaller bones. Once his gums have toughened up a bit he might be able to gnaw the spine and neck in order to get his 10% bone.

A proper raw diet consists of 80% protein (heart is considered a protein, not an organ), 10% bone, 5% liver and 5% other organs – pancreas, spleen, testicles, kidneys… Except that you might be trying to feed a raw diet based on AAFCO guidelines for commercial food, I don’t know why you’re adding greens and veggies at this point. Are there other issues besides the elevated BUN? Have you been feeding greens and veggies for the entire six months? I would definitely add a digestive enzyme supplement to his diet, probiotics won’t hurt as well. Mercola makes supplements that I and many others have had good success with.

Dogs Naturally Magazine will be hosting their second weekend-long internet conference in the Fall. They have a Facebook page that, if you “Like”, will keep you up-to-date and let you know when you can sign up. I attended the first one at the end of January and will be signing up for this one as well. Additionally, you’ll then have access to a private group of like-minded owners, nutritionists and homeopaths who all respond to concerns just like yours with personal experience as well as professional opinion.

[DogFoodie]

Thank you so much, Jan! Bella will be three on August 9th.

I really appreciate your insight.

It’s interesting that you mention Laverne’s reverse sneezing, because we’ve had a couple of episodes of that within the last few weeks as well. Bella only has done that one other time before. Bella doesn’t cough either and it sounds like her allergy symptoms are a lot like Laverne’s. I’m wondering if I’m confusing congestion with heavy breathing, her snoring has definitely been worse lately.

Interestingly to me, I stopped giving them the Springtime Fresh Factors and Spirulina wafers several weeks ago. Sam was getting so picky and I was just trying to feed him something he would eat – somehow he could always manage to leave the spirulina in the bottom of his bowl. I didn’t really think the Springtime stuff was doing anything and maybe now, I realize that it must’ve been helping Bella. I’ll start that back up right away. She’s much noisier than usual and her eyes are weepy also.

They checked her heart very thoroughly before putting her under general anesthesia, but I agree and understand that a murmur can also seem to come “out of nowhere.” Fortunately, my vet is aware of my concern about cardiac issues and I would definitely start with her if I became worried. Luckily, I have lots of vet specialists in my area so if I were to need to see a cardiologist, I know I would have access to some.

So far, I’ve just tried to feed good food with good ingredients and I’ve always looked for added taurine for Bella. Fortunately, with two young healthy dogs, I haven’t needed to add many supplements to “treat” a health condition so the normal nutritional extras have just been the regular things; ie: coconut oil; ACV, etc. A long time ago, I talked to my TCVM vet about cardiac supplements for Bella (he carries Thorne and Standard Process), but he said he wouldn’t use the big gun cardiac stuff unless it was necessary. I did ask about CoQ10 and I seemed to recall he liked that. I looked at the Mercola Ubiquinol and wanted to start that back then, but I had problems with the pump bottle that the krill oil came in that was just like it, so I shied away from ordering it. I have to hold off on ordering it until I get a big Discover bill from this month paid off first. : )~ Plus, I want to see if the Fresh Factors will help without changing anything else first.

Sorry, Laverne’s having problems! I don’t usually have issues with allergies in the summer myself, but this year I have. I’ve cleared my throat constantly for over a month now. Last week I felt so worn out, I ended up scheduling a day off this past Friday. I wonder if maybe Laverne’s allergies are taking the fight out of her immune system right now and it’s resulting in some of the other things she has going on? I wouldn’t think the Firm Up was “hurting” would you? I wonder if the apple pectin could be too high in sugars or something.

Bella has always done very well on Wellness foods. The difference that I can literally see in her eyes (there’s less tearing and the whites of her eyes become clearer) is amazing. I think I will go ahead and get some more of that for her. (There’s always an excuse to buy more food, isn’t there. ; ) I wrote to Wellness and told them last time she ate their food about her eyes, but they didn’t want to take too much credit for it. This time, I’m going to take a before and after picture for them!

Thanks for the update on your crew! They’re very lucky pups to be in your hands. : )

[Erin T]

I currently feed my four dogs (20 lbs – 60 lbs) Earthborn Holistic’s Primitive Natural formula, which I’ve been very happy with and receives Dog Food Advisor’s five star rating. I’m having some concern about tartar build up, and have always been interested in feeding raw. I’m concerned about the correct balance of nutrients, so I’m thinking I would like to start with 50/50 kibble/raw.

My question is, speaking purely of meat, what is an average price per pound, and what cuts/protein sources are you feeding? Cost is a big issue for me! I get my kibble at cost, so I spend about $80/month on it. Based on the needs of my crew, raw meat would have to be $.50/pound to match the price of kibble (of course, I could spend a bit more). I’m going to go down to the butcher shop in a day or two and inquire about different prices and cuts, but right now just trying to figure out if it’s feasible to do this.

I’m a raw NOVICE, by the way, so any advice is appreciated!

[Mom2Cavs]

Hi, Betsy. It very well may be seasonal….Laverne has started with some itching and anal glands again, even though her stool is normal!? She was just at the vets this past Thurs. because I noticed a bump on one of her front legs. The vet expressed her glands and said they were bad, ugh. Vet said it’s probably staph and could even be caused by shampoo being left on and not drying properly or fully (this was said because of where the infection is located). She gave me some muricin salve to rub on the bump. But I may call and get an oral antibiotic for her, as well. Don’t usually like them but want to be sure this doesn’t turn into something even more difficult. Laverne is mine that has allergies, of course, and who snores a lot. She also does reverse sneezing at times. She has a murmur, about 3-4/6, (came on about 2 years ago) but doesn’t cough . Her nose runs sometimes (again allergies). She is eating Wellness Small Breed Simple for kibble and Wellness Stews or Weruva or Simply Nourish for canned topper. I have been giving the Firm Up, but was wondering if she has become intolerant of it? It could be lots of things. I do also give them coq10 3 times a week (30 mg). Right now I decided to not change anything in her diet except removing the Firm Up for awhile, and switching probiotics up. Hazel was checked as well and the vet could barely hear her murmur and rated it a 1/2…..she’s had a murmur since birth with no meds. She has no symptoms of anything and doesn’t snore at all. Rupert, who is on enalapril twice a day and has heart disease (MVD) and a grade 5/6 murmur is doing great. He snores occasionally but not that bad and does not cough at all. He has no other symptoms. I would say this is probably seasonal, but if I were you, I would have your vet or Cardiologist (if you have one) check things out thoroughly. I don’t want to scare you, but I think these things can come on suddenly. According to Rupert’s breeder his came on suddenly, but not really sure…maybe just wasn’t caught before now. I also decided to not really try to reduce the sodium (just making sure it’s not on the too high range). Like I said before, the only heart supplement I have been using regularly is coq10. You could also try adding other things, like fish oil, hawthorne, l-carnitine, coq10 and of course taurine, if you’re not doing so already. There are some all inclusive supplements like Bio-Cardio by Thorne, Vetri-Science Cardio Strength. Also Standard Process Cardio is one my vet likes (but they always prescribe Standard Process). I’ve used the all inclusive ones in the past, but recently have been trying to keep things as simple as I can. I’ve probably not answered your question but hope I’ve helped some.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by Mom2Cavs.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Alana:
I use the recipe for bone broth (or some variation) from the link that Cyndi provided on a regular basis for my dog, check it out!

As Betsy wrote many on DFA use garlic, I am one of them. In the past I have used Springtime’s Bug Off garlic for pets with no health issues. I now feed my dog fresh garlic 3x/week. As usual I run out of it before I get to the grocery store so I have garlic pills on hand to use when I don’t have fresh garlic. Since using fresh garlic or pills, Sentinel, which contains an ingredient to inhibit flea eggs from maturing, and a daily dose of apple cider vinegar this season my dog has been flea free. I have not had to use a spot on treatment this season; first time since I have had Bobby that I haven’t had to. Here’s some links to information and studies about garlic and dogs:
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/garlic-for-dogs-poison-or-medicine/
http://www.springtimeinc.com/product/bug-off-garlic-dogs/All-Natural-Dog-Supplements

[DogFoodie]

Hi Alina,

The amount you’re talking about feeding to your pup should be no problem. There are plenty of people here who offer their dogs fresh garlic regularly or supplement with garlic capsules to keep fleas away. The amount that would cause toxicity is alarger quantity than the small amount you’re talking about. Cooking destroys the allicin in garlic and I would therefore assume the same for the onions.

[Heather D]

Hello members. Thank heavens I have found this site though have done nothing this morning with regard housework as just been reading.
We have a Spanish Mastiff crossed with a German Shepherd, rescued from a filthy pen some 4 weeks ago when he was just 6 weeks old. Riddled with parasites internal and external. Has been to the vet’s three times now but doing very well.
previously we had a couple of English Pointers so I was aware of the growth/calcium issue and they were reared to be 14 years. Dusty the bitch, spayed, died with skin cancer. We live in Spain and she was mostly white and was a momkey for lying in the sun with her legs splayed and stomach bared to the sun, she contracted skin cancer and sadly had to be put to sleep aged 14.
Bracken her pal, though not from the same litter, died just 6 weeks after Dusty with a heart attack.
They were reared for their first 18 months on Hills prescription for large breeds and did really well with it.
Now to our new little, well quite big puppy.
He couldn’t tolerate Hills so the vet advised Eukanuba food for large breed puppies and I give him two small additional feeds of cooked turkey each day to add to his protein as the dry food is 26% and wanted to increase it. He is tolerating it well, but I want him to have the best I can afford, and buy. We are pensioners and though not destitute we have to budget.
Spain is not known for it’s care of dogs, and sadly, living in the heart of Andalucia away from the Costas most dogs are raised on dry bread, yes dry bread and anything else they can find. These are the conditions our puppy Max was born into. Locked in a large fenced and gated pen, the owner coming only once per week to bring a sack of dry bread rolls and fill their water bowls. So we have adopted the family and go each night to feed and water through the fence.
The parents and the 2 other pups are doing well, and the owner as a thankyou gave us Max.
There are just 2 pet stores within a couple of hours drive that do sell some varied brands.
We want the very best for Max and from your lists I just don’t know if I am going to find any of the foods you mention.
My question is, sorry after this ramble, if I cannot find any you mention will Max be ok continuing on his Eukanuba for large breed puppies along with his cooked turkey, and are there any other things I can give him to supplement if he has to stay on this diet?

[emma s]

Hi,

I am looking to switch my 3 year old border terrier to a raw diet
However I am concerned that I will not be able to ensure that he gets all the nutrients and minerals needed. He has been tested for food allergies and has had positive reactions for:

Chicken
Beef
Salmon
Venison
Soy
Cows Milk

With the lack of variety – will I be able to ensure that he has a healthy diet? Should I supplement his diet with other minerals that he will not get from certain meat proteins for example?

Thanks very much for your time