[George Lawson]

Has anyone found a mentally stimulating toy that actually helps with separation anxiety in dogs? I’m looking for good puppy mental stimulation toys or enrichment ideas that can keep my pup engaged when I step out. Any stimulation toy recommendations that have worked for your dogs?

[Ramesh Kumar]

It’s good that you’re considering your Pom’s diet carefully. While Raised Right Puppy food has high protein content, many experts suggest that excess protein is typically eliminated through urine and shouldn’t harm your puppy. However, toy breeds can sometimes have more sensitive stomachs. If you prefer fresh food, you might start with Raised Right and monitor your pup’s digestion and overall health. Consulting with your vet for personalized advice is also recommended. Other owners of toy breeds may have positive experiences with Raised Right, but every dog is unique.

[Anya Sleezer]

Hello, I planned to feed our new Pom puppy a fresh food, Raised Right Puppy food. It’s has 60% protein., 28%fat, 8% carbs. However, while shopping at an organic natural pet food store, an employee said this wasn’t as good of a choice for toy breeds because the protein level is so high. Something about it being hard on their stomachs or harder to digest. He recommended a food with lower protein. When I look on the dog food for Poms page, Raused Right is not included. There is only 1 fresh food and I noticed all of them have closer to 30% protein. I cannot find anywhere online where it mentions this issue with toy breeds. In fact, on veterinary dietician site I found that if a dog gets too much protein they simply break it down and eliminate it through urine. So, now I’m not sure what to believe and if this is a good food for a toy breed or if I should instead go with one of the brands recommended here: https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/best-dog-foods/pomeranians/. I prefer fresh food, maybe raw to dry or wet. Any advice? Have others with you breeds fed them Raised Right?

[Walter P]

Use your knowledge of the flea existence cycle to cast off an infestation.
Treat the surroundings well with the aid of vacuum frequently for several weeks and carefully washing bedding and toys in warm soapy water to remove eggs, larvae, and pupae.

Bear in mind to seal and remove vacuum bags after a cleaning session.

You can even encourage quicker emergence of the remaining pupae with a humidifier and boom within the home temperature.

Once all the hibernating pupae have emerged, you may ensure they’re all destroyed.

The family may be cautiously treated with sprays and foggers. Deal with adults fleas living on your puppy with shampoos, sprays, dips, or spot-on medicinal drugs.

When you have any questions or worries, specifically in regard to your puppy’s health or age, your veterinarian will let you make the excellent choice of treating your pet.

Fleas can be hard to dispose of, but in case you are vigilant and use the proper chemical substances in a secure and powerful way, you will be victorious.

Just make certain to deal with all of the areas where your pet spends time, car and backyard inclusive.

Source: flea treatments for dogs

[GSDsForever]

Erica,

I can understand that feeling scary, especially in both a small/toy breed and a new puppy lasting a few days.

I absolutely agree with Joanne’s advice above re chicken & white rice, no fat or seasonings. (Great advice, Joanne!)

1% Cottage cheese & white rice (same proportion as above, more rice) will also work. My very first vet as an adult owner recommended the boiled chicken & white rice or lowfat cottage cheese & white rice as what vets use. For simple digestive upsets, I have recommended it frequently in rescue and as a fellow pet owner. I’ve also used it sporadically over the years. I’ve seen it work miracles!

It’s really very bland, soothing to the digestive tract/stomach, and highly, highly digestible. Use it for a few days or until the diarrhea stops. Don’t be surprised if your dog doesn’t have a stool for a while (1-2 days), as it is just from being highly digestible. It gives a dog’s system a chance to rest & heal.

Make sure your puppy is drinking enough water and doesn’t become dehydrated. You can use extra water cooking the rice, cooking longer than for humans, and give the rice water for added nutrients & soothing the system.

Check with your vet, if you’re worried. It’s okay! A phone call from an anxious new puppy owner is normal. Good luck!

[isabella M]

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[Jane W]

Hi everyone, I have a beloved puppy named Oscar, I need some help here, she is not happy these days, I bought her many toys but still didn’t work. I don’t know why that’s why I come to ask some help from your guys, thank you!

[Owen J]

Approximately three weeks after the birth of puppies can be accustomed to the finished feed. This should be done, including in the event that their mothers have lost their milk and need to transfer the babies to solid food.

From two to four months a puppy should be fed four to five times a day, gradually accustoming him to three meals a day after he has reached at least six months. Closer to the year the dog should eat twice a day. It is important to remember that the food familiar to humans is not suitable for animals – sometimes it can be harmful to the pet’s health due to imbalance.

https://herepup.com/the-best-toys-for-german-shepherds/

[Susan]

Hi Matt,
Good thing you’ve done taken on a rescue dog, just remember a dogs behaviour is human taught…. 🙁
He has run free & has been the boss for 8yrs, now there’s all these new rules, he’ll get use to it, the lady let him be the boss & do what he wanted, Patch was sorta the same when I rescued him but he had IBD & would eat everything, your dog needs to be re trained & you “can’ teach an older dog new tricks, but some breeds are very stubborn…
My Patch was 4 when I rescued him within 2 weeks he pretty much picked up on all the house rules I used food for training but I didn’t know he had IBD in the beginning so lots of diarrhea…
My vet asked the Animal Behaviourist vet to pop in & see us when we learnt he has IBD, we lived in communal unit/villas & Patch would go down stars to go toilet & on his way he sniff out the neighbour cats poo, on our morning walks he would eat everything, he was a walking vacuum cleaner, we lived in town near beach, after Friday & Saturday nights there would be pizza, chinese, vomit, everything on the streets from the night before, I had to wait till streets were cleaned & hosed down before going on our morning walks…
The Animal Behaviourist taught me “Leave It” she said put food/treat on floor in between your toes/feet show him but don’t let him get it & say “Leave it” then when he leaves the food under your foot alone reward him with a better treat from “your” hand… here’s link

Teach Your Dog to Leave It: It Could Save His Life

Always praise him when he does do something good…Tell him “YOUR A GOOOOOD BOY” & pat him reward all good behaviour..
The rescue vet told me to go to Puppy School even though he was 4 yrs old, Puppy School is good it teaches the human what to do & NOT do, or do research online there’s a few good f/b groups that are run by Animal behaviourist, if I find the group I’ll post it, cause your dog loves food he’ll be very easy to train, carry some kibble/treats in your pocket so when he goes to eat something on floor say “Leave It” “Leave It” sit then he gets reward for leaving food on floor, he can ONLY have food/treats kibble you give him…

When visitors come Patch is VERY friendly & gets over excited & when people talk in high pitch squeaky voice this makes Patch more excited & he starts to jump up to kiss their face & head butts their head & nose, he loved our gas lady one day she bend down the same time he was jumping up to kiss her & he head butted her nose, it started bleeding, cause he gets sooooo excited I put away his STRONG rubber toys in kitchen cupboard & as soon as someone comes to front door he cries & whinges at the front door then as soon ashe sees me he runs into kitchen & sits in front of the kitchen cupboard for 1 of his rubber toys, I think he has a rubber fetish he loves the strong smelling rubber toys, I just order another rubber toy you can put kibble in the rubber slots & wet food in middle so while visitors are over he’s busy in the back loungeroom chewing on his rubber toy & he’s leaving my visitors alone, no sloppy kisses & no more head butts..

While everyone is eating dinner you could also put his dinner dry kibble meal in one of those interactive game toys & he’s eating as well on his own mat in a corner away from the dinner table
Chewy has treat toys under $20….
https://www.chewy.com/b/treat-toys-dispensers-2336?rh=c%3A288%2Cc%3A315%2Cc%3A319
the dog works to get their food out & he’s slowly eating, don’t get a puzzle toy that looks too easy, Patch learnt if he pushes the whole game with his big nose the kibble falls out of the turning ball while the ball is in the maize but it still keeps him busy trying to get his food, he just works out how to get his kibble quicker….
https://www.chewy.com/b/treat-toys-dispensers-2336?rh=c%3A288%2Cc%3A315%2Cc%3A319
I think the new rubber egg shape toy I’ve just order is a good treat toy it looks like it will hold the kibble pieces. http://www.allforpawspet.com/Product?idvariant=1293
I can put his kibble in side rubber slots & add some boiled sweet potato in middle….

It’s good to give your dog healthy fresh foods, tin salmon, sardines, mussels, meaty bones, egg, Vegetables – sweet potato, broccoli, cooked carrot, frozen beans are good to help lose weight & keep a dog feeling full longer etc. Fruit- apple pieces NO seeds, blueberries, watermelon, & remember to reduce his kibble amount & feed partly boiled vegetables & feed 3 meals a day instead of 2 larger meals a day, he’ll feel fuller longer & might break his circle looking for food, or feed his 2 meals a day & make up a treat toy with veggies, fruit, some yogurt & freeze, then give around lunch time or for his breakfast or his dinner give healthy treat toy when its a boring time for him he can lick & lick the toy that’s full of healthy low calories ingredients… stick to feeding him the same times every day so he gets into a routine…
also find a few other brands he likes & eats so you can rotate between kibbles & freeze dried foods so he isn’t getting bored eating the same dry kibble 24/7 then he’s looking for something else to eat also rotating kibbles/freeze dried foods is good just in case the brand he’s eating is high in toxins, heavy metals, lead & contaminates….
Pet Shops all have money back guarantee for palatability..

Have you tried “Buckley Liberty” freeze dried, Buckley Liberty uses clean meats & has done very well when tested every 3months for high toxins, heavy metals & contaminates it has come 1st over 1 year now…
https://buckleypet.com/collections/all

Good-Luck

[Maggs D]

Hi first let me apologise for the long post post but I felt a bit of background info was needed.

I have a golden retriever who will be 7 in May and since he was two and half years old has been having seizures. He was investigated by Neurologists as they started to become more frequent and the medication he was initially placed on wasn’t having any effect. He was found to have diffuse lesions over his brain, they weren’t able to biopsy as they were small and diffuse, and they put this down as a cause for the seizures.
Over the years he has been on various drugs which were increased and for the last few years has been on pheno, bromide and keppra with rectal diazepam for clusters.
His longest GM seizure free period was 6 weeks, but he still had complex partial ones every night lasting a minute or two, but he became so sedated and his drug levels were high that they reduced the meds. The GM’s returned to weekly, so they increased his pheno again which had little effect in fact no effect. He has been fed on Royal Canin in various forms since almost the start of his disease. However in February 2019 we were away visiting relatives and I ran out of his food, so rather than having to transport a large bag back home I gave him human grade food, which consisted of fresh salmon, rice, and vegetables (carrots, kale, and celery).
I didn’t get the chance to order his food on arrival home as it was a long and difficult journey. I was also back to work the next day, so he remained on the home-made diet (meat or fish with fresh raw vegetables).
It came as a shock and surprise to find that he wasnt suffering his nightly partials. This carried on for several days, each night I was waiting for the partials which were worse than GM’s in that he entered into a fear/flight response but with blindness but they never came, neither did his GM’s !!!!!!
It has now been over three weeks and he hasnt had any sign of a seizure, which after almost 5 years it quite shocking !!!!
I researched the raw diet, but have been reluctant to try it as he hasn’t been vaccinated since he started with seizures (I have titre levels done, to monitor his antibody levels).
I have even reduced his pheno as his recent blood test came back with high levels, and have also by complete accident, missed his nightly keppra on a couple of occasions.
This has been a truly very strange, but happy period although I am still waiting in anticipation of his next seizure, as I have lived my life for so long dealing with this aweful disease.
I find it almost unbelievable to have a ‘seizure-free’ dog for almost a month !! He has even started playing with his toys again like a puppy which is a delight.

I can only say this is my experience and can’t say it was his Royal Canin diet that gave him the seizures but it is pretty convincing.
I hope my story helps as seizures are the worst thing to experience for both animal and owner. X

[Acroyali]

I dislike free feeding personally, unless you’re out of the home 8-10 hours a day.
If you have two babes, this can make it hard to see if one is not eating as well as they should.
If you’re away for hours, I’d say free feed but keep the puppies separate but close by one another so you can see whom is eating what, and how much, and if one goes off their food, you’ll catch it immediately vs. days later when it might be approaching the “too late” category.
I have no problems feeding small dogs, kittens, young cats, young dogs 3-4 meals a day.
Do not fast a puppy. Especially a toy breed.

Fasting is a GOOD thing for grown, healthy dogs in their physical prime, but only if they’re ADULTS and in good shape (physically).
NEVER fast puppies or seniors, and never fast cats longer than 12-14 hours.
We fast ours twice monthly, but only health adults and never babies or seniors. This equals extending every other Sunday’s breakfast from 6:00AM to 9-10AM, and serving dinner a bit early if we can manage.
Again, seniors and babies (large breeds. 9-12 months and toy breeds under 12 months) are exempt from this. Our large adult working dogs do seem to benefit from a fast, but the “fast” includes a lot of water, bone broth and goats milk and recreational bones.

There’s nothing scientific about our method but when it come to feeding schedules and fasting, we err cautiously.
For your adorable Yorkies…..forget fasting for now, feed your puppies like the growing machines they are and enjoy them! If you never fast them, odds are they’ll thrive and be happy. Yorkies are super long lived.
Do the best you can, and enjoy them.

[jacquie l]

Thanks so much for all of your responses. Our dog is a mixed breed rescue dog. He had a brain injury as a puppy when he was in the shelter and lost the vision in one eye. This makes him uncoordinated and anxious. He does not like to go for walks and will refuse to walk. Treats don’t help – this is the only time food does not prompt him to comply. He will walk and run around our yard for short periods as long as the weather is right. He hates rain and wind scares him. He does not like to retrieve balls or frisbees – we have tried to teach him but obviously there is no retriever in his mix. We do have mental stimulation toys for him and he loves them because they result in his finding treats. Thanks again for your help with my protein question.

[pitlove]

Ok I had a feeling she was from a shelter. The biggest thing you can do for her and I can’t stress this enough, is do NOT treat her like a delicate shelter pet that is too fragile to be a real dog. I see too many owners who sink so far into the “shes a rescue” excuse for why their dog is so poorly behaved. Just as you would do with a small puppy from a breeder, you need to begin to desensitize her and reward her for facing her fears. Petting her while shes scared only reinforces her being scared, it doesn’t calm dogs down like it does to children. Remember they aren’t human children. The best thing you can do is allow her to be a dog and respect her needs as a dog.

You haven’t been taking her outside because “she” is scared. However, often times owners project their own fears on to their pet. Take her everywhere with you. Allow her to see and experience things even if its just from a far. This will help socialize her. And no she doesn’t have to meet people right away, just see them. And if someone gets angry that they cant come pet her, tell them shes in training. Socialization isn’t always about meeting every dog and person you encounter. Sometimes its just about experiencing being around something unfamiliar. If you start building her confidence in that way, she will begin to act like a normal dog and be more interested in toys.

Get her into obedience classes. She will gain confidence from doing well in the classes. But not classes like at Petco. Go to a real trainer, preferably one that has dealt a lot with retrieving and hunting breeds. You may also want to consider getting her into some type of dog sport when shes older. Dock diving for example. Again, this builds confidence.

[Jesssica R]

Monday July 2, 2018 we lost our American Bulldog. We were completely at a loss as to why. I noticed that for the past few months he had lost interest in his toys, and he didn’t want to play as much. We thought it was because of the new puppy. Then the weekend that he passed, he became very weak, and he ate very little, and he developed a fever. We tried to keep him hydrated and tried to bring his fever down. For a little while it worked. That Sunday he looked as if he was getting stronger. Then monday, he refused to eat, he drank a little. Then that night he layed down and died. When he did he bled out of the mouth almost as if something had ruptured. The whole time he was sick he never threw up, there was no visible swelling anywhere. He didn’t seem to be in any pain. We didn’t really change anything up. Our puppy is still fine.

[NHU L]

I have two toy poodles 5 months old. The breeder fed them now fresh (Petcurean) puppy dry food mixed with 40% boiled chicken and sweet potatoes when they were 8 weeks old. At 3 months old I have decided to switch to Orijen puppy mixed with 40% boiled chicken and sweet potatoes. They are ok with it however it seems their stools are a bit smelly in addition they scratch a bit too. So a week ago I started gradually mixing Orijen and Fromm gold puppy dry food. So far I like what I see !!!!!! less smelly and firm stool…….cheaper too.
Any comment about Fromm family gold puppy anyone???

[Brianne H]

Hi everyone, I am new to the forum, but I wanted to see if anyone has experienced something similar with their dog;

(I have read the other Pancreatitis posts, but my Dog’s symptoms are a bit different.)

So my Dog, Koumpi, is a 6 year old Maltipoo. We got him when he was a puppy, and he had been eating Blue Buffalo food pretty much since we got him, with no issues (at least as far as we were aware). He was always active, but never a big eater; we would give him his food in the morning, and he would sort of pick at it through out the day, but by end of day he would usually have finished it. He’s always had very good physicals, with no red flags for anything, and he weighs 15lbs, which the vet said was perfect.

This march 2018, he went in for his annual physical. The physical portion was good, she said his weight was good (still the same) and everything looked and felt good. We did the blood panel, as we do every year, just to make sure everything is as it should be, but his amylase and lipase enzymes were very high. The vet said he had Pancreatitis, and asked about whether we’d noticed any vomiting, diarrhea, or him refusing to eat. I did tell her that over the last year (or maybe less) he would have intermittent vomiting, like maybe 1ce every few weeks, a very small amount of bile (like a tbsp.), usually at night when he was in his crate. He was still eating as he normally did, still acting the same…the infrequency of the vomiting, and being such a small amount never raised a red flag for me that something was wrong.

She suggested we start by putting him on the Hills low fat prescription I/d diet and re-test his enzyme level in 6 weeks. We did this, and his enzyme level did come down, but was still high at 1800. What we don’t know, was how high exactly it was in the first place, since their cut off level is 2000…it may have been just over 2000, or 4000…we just don’t know. The vet suggested we keep him on this diet, since it *is* doing something, and also give him SAMe (Denosyl 225mg) to act as an anti-inflammatory which will hopefully alleviate any of that if that is what is happening internally, as well as to increase his appetite.

He has been on Denosyl for about 11 days, and I have noticed it has not improved his appetite whatsoever. He does seem to get a burst of energy mid-day/evening, and wants to play a lot with his toys, but other than that, I am not seeing any difference in him.

I guess my issue is, I am not 100% convinced he has Pancreatitis at all…he has no swelling/distention in his abdomen, he is not exhibiting any clinical signs of pain, he’s active, and eating…just eating small amounts throughout the day vs eating it all in 1 sitting. his stools are normal, no diarrhea. He’s also not thrown up AT ALL on the Hill’s diet…

Does anyone know, that has dealt with elevated enzyme levels in their dogs, how long does it typically take for those levels to go back into normal range?

We don’t want to put him through any sort of a scan, as those have their own risks, and where there is no physical indications (swelling or pain in the abdomen), and all other blood work was normal – and we don’t want to medicate him if he truly doesn’t need it, though I would be willing to try Pepcid AC 5mg/day to see if there is any improvement in his eating.

Does anyone have any similar experiences? What worked best for your Dog? Was it Pancreatitis, or just Acid Reflux (GERD)??

[Cindy M]

I used to breed Pomeranians and I fed Iams or Eukanuba. We did not have a dog for probably 20 years. Maggie showed up at work and we’ve had her three months now. Mini Dachshund mix. I sent my son in PetSmart for dry dog food with one of those names. He came out with Iams Proactive Health Toy and Small Breed. I had to throw it at her feet a piece at a time. After a week or so, she started eating a normal amount out of her dog bowl. The vet said she was 6-8 months. I had guessed 9. So, I switched her to Iams Proactive Health Puppy. I did research a little research on here and tried a 5 star dog food Merrick’s Puppy food Lil’ Plates. She would not eat a bite unless I put human food on top! I have since discovered the Iams is four star. We went back to that and I gave my grand dog the Merrick’s. I did not realize there are three versions of Iams Puppy food and accidentally bought the Smart Puppy Toy and Small Breeds. Again, it was a struggle to get her to eat. Once that bag ran out, I bought the regular kibble and she’s back to normal. They also have a large breed version. I don’t think she likes change. How could it taste different?

[TranceSends]

When I type “toy breed” (no quotes) in the search engine on the main website (not the forum), no reviews for toy breed dog food are returned. However, there are actually reviews that reference toy breed dog food on dogfoodadvisor.com, such as “Nutro Ultra Toy Breed Adult”. The search function just doesn’t find it. Even worse, a search on the word “toy” returns zero results — no match at all!

Here’s what is actually returned when I type “Toy Breed”; note that “Nutro Ultra” is not included in any form:
_______________________
Search results for: toy breed

Royal Canin Breed Health Nutrition (Canned)
How to Choose the Best Large Breed Puppy Food and Lower Your Dog’s Risk of Hip Dysplasia
Dr. Gary’s Best Breed Grain Free (Dry)
Royal Canin Breed Health Nutrition Puppy (Dry)
Dr. Gary’s Best Breed Dog Food (Dry)
Royal Canin Breed Health Nutrition Adult (Dry)
Eukanuba Breed Specific Formulas (Dry)

The only way to find reviews for Toy Breed dry dog food on this website is to use Google, which is itself hit-and-miss, a needle in a haystack method.

[Susan]

Hi,
Yes CHANGE his food, poor dog 10 poos a day, are you taking him outside every 2-3 hours & teaching him the word toilet, wee wee, poo poo? but even if you are taking him outside doing 10 poos a day he can’t hold his poo’s & now his crate has become his toilet, do you have the puppy pads? put them outside his crate so he has enough time to quickly get out of his crate & poo outside the crate on the puppy pads, get a open carboard box & lay the puppy pads in the box but have the box on its side so he can just walk into the box like he does with his crate you need to re teach him his crate is for sleeping & time out, its not for pooing, its going to be hard to retrain him as you have to catch him in the act when he is pooing, does he wee outside or has he ever pooed outside when you take him out? Puppies need to be taken outside every 2-3 hours but with him pooing at night you’ll be up every 3 hours taking him outside, look at another food with less ingredients or different ingredients not a grain free kibble, like Crazy4cats said has he been wormed?? puppies should be wormed at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 weeks of age then every 3 months in Australia, if after changing his kibble to a grain kibble & he’s still pooing 10 poos a day I’d take some of his poo to the vets & have it tested, you need 2 separate poos, separate poos done at different times…or just re worm him & change his kibble to a rice kibble & see does he poo less, it’s cheaper then seeing the vet & having his poos tested for Giardia.. do that when nothing has worked so you can tell the vet I’ve done this & this & this & he’s still pooing 10 poos a day..

Try a kibble that has rice & beet pulp in it with limited ingredients, I know you probably don’t like Hills, Purina or Royal Canine but these brands use ingredients that make a dog do firm poo’s, try the “Hills Science Diet” small & toy breed puppy formula >1 or the Hills Sensitive Stomach/Skin formula, Hills have a few puppy formula’s & they are lower in fiber 1.5% or send Hills an email & tick where it say do you want a Hills vet nutrionist to contact you & a vet nutrionist either emails you or rings you back & they will recommend what to do & what Hills formula should work for your dog & the food is money back guaranteed, I know you’ll probably look at the ingredients & have a heart attack but you’ll see, does he do just 1 or 2 poos a day if not send email back to the Hills Vet & they will tell you what to do next, then if your dog is stable doing just 1-2 poos a day after just eating the Hills food you can add the matching wet tin food to his diet aswell, (this is when walks are good, they go for their little walk around the block or to the park around the same time everyday & weee & poo & their bowel gets into a routine, they also learn the words do wee, wee & poo poo) then after he’s been stable a good 4-6months then start introducing a grain free kibble introduce very slowly over 2 weeks & see how he goes… then when he’s a adult rotate between different brands with different ingredients this strenthens their immune system so they can eat all types of ingredinets…

[Susan]

Adriana,
dont be fooled if it’s cheap it’s not good, Purina Chow got those 5 star cause it didnt have all the toxins & contaminates some of these high end more expensive foods cut corners & fly under the radar they have a good name & people think their ingredients are good cause its ” blare blare” brand but they’re NOT, people think cause they’re paying more money the dog food has to be really good, if you seen a cheaper food on the Clean label toxin site & your dogs do well on it & its cheaper then feed it. Don’t be fooled cause its grain free its better cause its not its just more expensive…. if you can cook & make a batch of cooked meals then cook & freeze them, cooked meals are healthier for your dogs then dry processed kibble, if your dog does well on cooked chicken & rice then why not feed a lower fat chicken & rice kibble?? especially if she is vomiting the fat may be too high in the food she is eating & causing her acid reflux like my boy gets, alot of dogs as they age suffer in silence with bad acid reflux & their owners dont even know, Canidae has their All Life Stages Platinum for all ages & seniors formula, you could feed all your dogs the Platinum dry formula & rotate & feed another brand as well for their other meals thats what I do for Patch, breakfast Patch picks which kibble he wants to eat then for lunch he gets a scramble egg, then dinner he gets either the same kibble he had for breakfast or he gets another brand kibble it all depends if he has been well thru the day, a few dogs with Pancreatitis & stomach problems do really good on Canidae ALS Platinium formula, some Puppy formula’s are higher in fat & protein, maybe you girl cant handle the higher fat & higher Kcals ?? the higher the Kcals the harder the kibble is to digest cause its more dense…if your trying to keep weight on a dog (this is something my boy with IBD has had a a problem with his weight) I feed 5 smaller meals a day 7am, 9am, 12pm, 5pm & 8pm, you work out how many cups of dry food she should be eating a day & add another 1/4 to 1/2 a cup extra of the dry kibble then you divide up her meals over 4-5 meals a day….
Have a look at Hills Science Diet Youth Vitality 7+ small breed & toy breeds wet & dry formula, it has all the supplements she needs for an aging dog & its easy to digest & she should gain weight the fat is 15% & the Kcals are 363Kcals per cup feed her more then the recommended amount & make sure she is eating her food by herself & the other dogs can’t take any of her meal or look at Hills Science Diet adult 7+ small breed & toy breed formula its for small breeds with special needs, stick around 350-370Kcals per cup this will be easier for her to digest & is not as dense as a kibble thats over 380Kcals per cup, you never see a vet diet over 370 Kcals for cup when it for Intestinal digestive problems the vet diets are around 350-360kcals per cup she probably need to be put on the Hills I/d Low Fat Restore wet stew canned food & teh dry kibble look at the Hills Science Diet Sensitive Stomach its often on special its very easy to digest, how you know if its easy to digest get a glass of warm water & put about 2 kibbles in teh glass of warm water the kibble should float to the top & the kibble should go soft within 15-40mins, the Hills Sensitive Stomach goes soft & swells up within 20mins, I was minding a rescue dog a few months ago for a few days & the rescue group put him on the Hills SD Sensitive stomach Egg & Rice & he was doing really well & Patch kept wanting his Hills Kibble & the dog kept wanting Patches kibble, so I ended up buying Patch a small bag of the Sensitive Stomach Egg & Rice it was on special its always on special either online or at teh Pet shop & its money back guaranteed so you cant lose if after your girl doesnt get better orgain weight take it back & get a refund I email Hills & they end up giving me vochours + I got my refund at the pet shop this was for another hills vet diet formula, while Patch was eating the Hills Sensitive skin he gained weight & now after eating teh Nutro essential he finally weighs 18.6kg he was weight yesterday at the vets I’ve never had him at 18.6kgs in the whole 5yrs Ive had him 18kg is the highest in weight I have gotten too but he was active & went on daily walks etc also he has been sleeping alot lately & seems very unwell & is going into vet hospital Tuesday & have an Endoscope & biopsies on his throat & stomach, I’m praying he doesnt have esophageal or stomach cancer but something is defentley wrong with him, he’s not the happy go lucky Patchy everyone knows, instead he’s following me around all day whinging & crying today he has been a bit better, he just turned 9yrs old Novemeber & looks really good, his teeth are white, there’s no blue in his pupil of his eyes, not much grey fur, some dogs are grey all over but not him he runs & acts like a puppy people who first met him think he is a young teenager dog, I thought cause we have just moved he’s a bit depressed then I went into hospital & when I came out Patch was so unwell my daughter said there’s something wrong with Patch he’s not listening he just stands there with his head hung low he looks like he’s drug up…This is what happens when we have pets they break our heart & get sick & I wish they could talk & tell us where hurts & what is wrong. Patch normally shows me where’s sore or hurts but this time he’s not showing me soo its internally something inside is very sore…
Good luck with your dogs & finding a few foods that agrees with them. I’ll post the info about the lawsuit that has been filed against Wellpet who make Wellness foods, this lawsuit is cause of the finding in the CLP toxin test/study so if these toxic test/study were Baloney like anon says it would not make it court, Anon does NOT know anything when it comes to dogs foods & diet especially when they are ill with stomach/bowel problems.

[pitlove]

Hi Jessica-

Depending on the breed, a puppy will reach an adult at different ages. Small and medium sized dogs when fully grown can transition to adult food at 1 year, toy breeds can often switch earlier at 9 months, large dogs over 50lbs at mature weight is about 18 months and for giant breeds some say to keep them on a puppy formula until 24 months.

If he was already lean and fit before switching to raw and has now lost more weight, you may be under feeding him. I am all for a lean, conditioned dog, but you can go overboard. Any idea what Leo’s projected adult weight will be with that combo of breeds?

[Atlas T]

Thanks again to everyone for all the info! I hear both of you on the reasons to choose the Salmon food (continuation of the current protein) or the Turkey food (the fish one might have more toxins). I’ll have to weigh the good and the bad and make some decisiosn. A few quick responses:

-Susan, on the bones – I have some raw beef bones that I gave him about 1.5 months ago. It sort of coincided with his belly issues, so I have some hesitation whether raw bones could have contributed. What are your thoughts? Do you think it’s ok to give raw bones to a 7mo old puppy with some tummy issues? Or should I wait until we’re totally in the clear? And in regards to Rodney Habib, I’ll check him out. As to the healthy treats/toppers, shall I wait to give him those until his tummy is more sorted? I wonder if raw carrots or things like that may do more harm than good at this point.

-CockalierMom, thanks for the recommendation of calculating calories. I took some time to do that yesterday, and seems like I’ve been feeding him exactly the right amount, maybe even a bit on the high side. Given all that, he still seems super hungry. Should I give him more food? He does get quite a bit of exercise. We are on day 5 of the LID food, and he is getting 2.5 cups of that per day, as well as 1.5lbs potato, and .5lbs chicken (more info below). Great point about the LID not being All Life Stages, I hadn’t considered that.

——————————————–
General updates:

We are on day 5 of the LID food, and he is getting 2.5 cups of that per day, as well as 1.5lbs potato, and .5lbs chicken (more info below). Maybe this week, I’ll start incorporating some of the Nature’s Domain into it and seeing if his poop continues to be ok. One thing to me that seems strange about his poop is that in the morning and early afternoon, he has great solid poop. Towards the end of the day, the poop gets much softer (though never to the point that I’d call diarrhea). I’m not totally sure what to attribute this to. Maybe he processes food more quickly during the day and it doesn’t get fully processed by the time he poops it out? Also, (sorry if this is TMI) when his poop starts coming out, it’s quite solid, but towards the end of the poo, it is much more soft. Also, he is pooping very frequently still, about 5-6 times per day. It’s not like he urgently needs to go, but we take him on lots of walks, and he always takes advantage of being outside to poop.

On a different note, we’ve run into another problem. Before, his food used to be out all day, but now that it’s perishable because I’m cooking it, he gets specific feeding times and amounts. He’s become a bit possessive of his food, which he’s never been before :-/ He allows us to touch and move his bowl without a problem, but he starts growling if we pet him while he’s eating, especially if we touch his paws or tummy. I am trying to combat this by doing some handfeeding so he understands the food comes from us, as well as holding his bowl while he eats and stroking him, even if he growls. I have zero fears about him actually biting, but I welcome more feedback on whether I’m addressing this correctly, and what else I should be doing to combat this behavior. He doesn’t do this with anything else…not bones, not his favorite toys, etc.

[anonymous]

I would suggest just plain water and towel dry for paw wipes and a very gentle puppy shampoo such as Seargent’s Fur So Fresh for baths (no more than once a week unless advise differently by your vet).
Malaseb is an excellent shampoo especially when used in conjunction with other treatments, however, it may not be indicated for your pup.
It is usually prescribed by a vet for specific skin conditions, and is a little pricey.
Keep his diet simple and get him some safe chew toys, he will be teething soon :/

This is not veterinary advice; consult your veterinarian

[pugmomsandy]

She can eat small breed kibble on a regular basis. Numerous brands have small sized kibble or “small bites”. Some of the small/toy breed kibble will have more protein and fat but so will alot of puppy foods (which can be fed to adults) or “all life stage” foods. For instance, if the front of the bag says “puppy” and you turn and look at the back of the bag and it says “all life stages”.

[pitlove]

Hi Clare-

Most of what you are seeing is due to a few things. One is being a puppy, 2 is being an Aussie puppy which is a working breed designed to herd and 3 is lack of exercise.

None of these things require treats to work out, so you can eliminate them. Biting can be trained out of the dog by saying “Ow!!” when she bites you or is mouthy. No treats needed for that. Eating carpet can be fixed by replacing carpet (right when you see her going after it) with approperiate chew toys like Kongs and also by increasing exercise. A tired dog is a good dog. Barking may also be taken care of with more exercise. Also if you are not already, I would be kennel training her so that when you leave the house she can safely be in a kennel and there is no risk of her going after the carpet when you’re not around.

At 12 weeks they are just now beginning to understand what you expect from them. It may take a little longer to getting her potty habits under control, but once she is not getting so many treats that will help a lot. As far as growth goes, she can only grow so much for her breed, but she can become overweight which is the main problem. Google the Purina Body Condition Score and use that as a guide to keep track of her weight and make sure she is not getting heavy.

Treats should be given for really really important training like stay, recall, sit, down, leave it, not jumping. Things that you really want to reinforce, because they are important for good behavior and safety (recalling to you for example can save her life if shes running toward the road).

[Simon W]

I’ve been feeding Beneful to my 15 month old Dachshund since April. We had some issues when he was a puppy with certain foods causing hyperactivity or vomiting, and his coat tends to be dull. He doesn’t have either problem on Beneful, everything seems perfect, and I know it’s not “highly rated”, but I was in a financial bind recently and had to temporarily downgrade.

Even though Beneful worked for him, we’ve been looking to get him onto something better, but still budget friendly, and are slowly transitioning him to Canidae. Today was his first 100% Canidae day. He’s been “mushy” all day, not very active or alert. But about two hours ago, the neighbors shot off fireworks, which he both heard and saw from the kitchen window. Normally, he’s technically not afraid of fireworks, but they unnerve him a little bit. Soon enough, he’ll get over his fear and starts yapping at them like he’s so brave (lol!), then gets over it in a few minutes.

Tonight, though, he FREAKED OUT. Almost broke his neck trying to run away, could not settle down or be comforted, and had to be locked in a windowless part of the basement (where his toys are and he usually sleeps at night) just to get his behavior slightly under control. Two hours have passed, though, and he’s STILL barking every few minutes, pacing, and unsettled. I have never seen him behave like this before. We had some difficulties in finding a good puppy food for him, and after trying Iams, he went off the walls and became aggressive. I thought it was crazy to suspect the food in that instance, but the behavior did go away after it was removed. Now I’m wondering if this extreme reaction to the fireworks, which is completely uncharacteristic for this dog, could have something to do with his recent diet change? Any help or advice is appreciated!

[Amanda D]

@Anon101 Do I need to use puppy formula for the toothpaste or can I use the regular formula? I’ll start a questions list on my Evernote. We’ve always got large carrots in the house so I’ve got that covered, but Im glad you mentioned avoiding baby carrots because that was what I was originally planned on giving as a healthy treat.

Oh I know all about puppy proofing, I babysit for a family that has a 2 yr old German Short-haired Pointer, they always leave crap out and then I have to chase Cinnamon down to get stuff away from her. Going through Cinnamons
puppy stage has made we know everything I want to avoid and do right lol

I’ve got a play yard that will let me cordon off an area in our living room with the crate so the puppy has a safe place to have independent play time. I’ll keep that up for a while until I feel confident thathat puppy will be safe in the larger area that will still have a couple baby gates up to keep puppy from the kitchen and my room that leads into my bathroom where the litter box is.

What plastic toys are you talking about, Nylabones? So fare I’ve only bout Stuffies/Luvies, rope toys and the Nylabone Puppy kit that includes 3 bones for different puppy stages. Puppy will only get the Stuffies when I have eyes on him/her, my friends border collie thinks it’s great fun to pull the stuffing out of them, she doesn’t eat it, just leave stuffing guts all over! Lol

We have an Animal ER that opens just after my vet closes that is open until noon Ishave the next morning. So I have that covered.

I am planning on getting insurance, I’m just not sure which one to go with, I need to compare companies and plans still.

@Acroyali the only bones I was planning on giving it giving are poultry necks, backs, feet, and maybe legs, but no turkey legs. I would never leave puppy alone with raw bones or meat, I’mean planning on crating to help with easy supervision and it’ll be more sanitary and easier to wipe down the crate pan then maybe having puppy drag raw meat ND bone around my living room! Lol

For the clean up would Clorox wipes be safe as long as puppy is out of the crate until the Clorox evaporates?

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

[anonymous]

You’ve got me going now! I have to say it. Puppy proof your home, they get into everything, and I mean everything 🙁
Be careful with those plastic toys, don’t leave a puppy alone with them, they tear them apart and try to eat them!
Make sure you know where the nearest emergency 24/7 veterinary clinic is located and have the number on your fridg. I hope you never have to go there….but

Ps: Forgive me if you know this already, all dogs LOVE to eat cat feces, so you may have to take a look at where litter boxes are placed.
Have you considered pet health insurance for your pup? Might be worth looking into where this your first dog, add that to the questions for your vet.

[LEELINA M]

Dear Ashleigh,
I’m so sorry if you’ve been discouraged by negative postings. I’m also new to RAW and finding more hurdles than helpers. The problem is everyone thinks they know everything rather than just sharing what they’ve learned. I hope you are still looking into and exploring the world of raw. Here is what I’m learning and would like to share…. Obviously every dog(like every person) is different but what works for most should work for all, barring complications. I’m feeding raw with a spin. When Minnie first came home I started her on an organic GROUND WHOLE CHICKEN WITH ORGAN MEAT AND BONE. I’m lucky enough to live in an area of Southern California where that is available to me, made by NATURAL MONARCH. Knowing that she also needs other protein sources i went seeking online and now I follow Dr. Becker. She’s a traditional vet gone holistic and i like that. She has a youtube video with Rodney Habib that outlines a raw food recipe which i follow but i change up the protein. I like that this recipe doesn’t call for too many supplements. In addition i feed Raw Meaty Bones every other day. My puppy is super finicky so we’re only doing Lamb Chops, Pork Spare Ribs and Beef ribs with the occasional Chicken Wing. She refuses to eat chicken sometimes as well as chicken feet and turkey necks. She’s kind of a butthead 🙂 but we’ll keep trying. In all my research I have learned that EVERY MEAL DOES NOT NEED TO BE BALANCED! Just work on balancing over the week. Also, Human grade is best. Dog food or food intended to for pets does not have that same regulation. i don’t care what anyone else says. Let those guys eat dog grade food instead of human graded. Even sale meat is ok for animals, as you know animals have different enzymes in their mouths as well as guts to combat the bacteria and parasites that we as humans cannot without cooking it first. If in doubt just cook the protein in question and feed everything else raw. Minnie doesn’t like the taste of ground beef(youtube recipe) but i already made a giant batch so i cook it then add a tablespoon of pumpkin to kill the scent and smell and she loves it. I also add lots of parsley, kale and mint to ward off any leaky gut issues. Dogs that get sick and /or die from bacteria already have had compromised immune systems so please don’t be turned away by nay sayers. Here is a sample diet of what Minnie eats but keep in mind that she is a growing toy breed puppy and eats 3 times a day but only eats 6.5% of her body weight per day (18 weeks as of today between 6 & 7 ounces per day)
sidenote, I’ve started mixing in the rodney habib video recipe into her already ground chicken mix plus as said before pumpkin to the beef mix after lightly cooking it. The beef, i only heat the beef.

Monday… Lightly cooked Beef mix with pumpkin then a pork spare rib the Natural Monarch Raw Chicken with mix

tuesday… Ground Turkey with rodney habib mix then ground chicken mix

wed… ground beef mix then ground turkey mix then a beef rib

thurs… chicken mix then a lamb chop then chicken mix again

fri… beef mix then turkey mix

sat… beef steak with bone then chicken mix then turkey mix

sun… chicken mix then lamb chop then beef mix

Upon writing it out, i see that i obviously feed lots of ground meat but that’s because Minnie is a spoiled puppy. I feed her enough Raw Meaty Bone to have the benefit of the nice breath and clean teeth and gums plus the calcium from those and her chicken has ground bone as well and the egg shells provide sufficient calcium. I plan to introduce more WHOLE proteins after 6 months. It is safe to fast dogs for a day after that point. But right now she’s just too small and too dang picky.

Pulsing spinach, kale, parsley and other super green veggies into your mixes is also sufficient however, i also juice so i mix in the pulp into Minnie’s food.

I hope any of this was helpful.
Love, Leelina

[Acroyali]

http://purinaproclub.com/resource-library/pro-club-updates/hypoglycemia-requires-quick-intervention-in-toy-breeds/

Don’t let it scare you or make you super worried though, I’ve seen it but it’s usually a case of a puppy won’t eat or hasn’t eaten in a long period of time.

If he’s eating canned food, I wouldn’t worry about him drinking a whole lot of water. My dogs are fed raw which contains a lot of water (as does canned food, most of it is 78-81% moisture), and they rarely visit the water bowl. They get good hydration from their food.

Enjoy your puppy!

[Acroyali]

He sounds cute, I love Chihuahuas!

Whenever we have a toy breed puppy in the house, either our own or keeping one for a friend or neighbor, we keep Nutri-cal or Nutri-stat on hand. These little guys seem to have their blood sugar drop more often than a larger or older puppy would. I can’t swear by it or guarantee it’s worked, but it seems to have helped prevent such instances along with very small, very regular feedings like Anon101 suggested.

[Susan]

Hi, it normally will say on the kibble bag or wet tin food what to feed, go online to the kibble brand/name & have a look at “feeding guide lines”
I just looked in my “Taste of The Wild” kibble book Puppy Formulas & it says 3-5lb puppy at 6-12weeks feed 1 to 1 1/3 cups, a 3-4month puppy weighing 5-10lbs 1 1/4 to 2 cups …about 4-5 smaller meals thru the day, then when fully grown you feed 2 meals a day…. So about 1 cup of kibble a day, just divide the cup kibble into small meals, maybe go to Pet Shop & ask staff & get some grain free wet tins & the matching kibble, “Wellness” does a Toy Breed & Small Breed Puppy formulas…Someone might know more information….

[Blake P]

Hey everyone! We are hoping to bringing home a new member to our family soon. A Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy. I have been doing a ton of research as far as feeding raw foods once we get her home. I have a 4, almost 5 year old and a few months after the puppy is brought home will have a newborn in the house.

My concern is having raw food all over the place or the fact that the puppy may be licking us/household items and obviously her toys. Of course keeping everything clean in the kitchen and feeding the puppy outside are obvious ways to help but the saliva, etc. on things gives worries me.

Is this a misguided worry? What do you guys do to keep your minds at easy with the little ones in the house.

I have considered simply cooking the food but of course that eliminates the option of serving some raw bone and of course loss of nutrients once cooked.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[Allie]

I think he may have a sensitive stomach, which is why we switched to a simple food diet. When it comes to free feeding, I think that is where I am stuck because he does not have a “set schedule” of when he eats, he pretty much does when he is hungry..I wish I would have made him have a set schedule when he was a puppy but I always left food down for past dogs and it was never a problem. I do want to try the smaller meals 2-3 times a day but don’t know where to start (don’t know when to put food down). Any suggestions for that? I was thinking about going back to the prescription food but wanted to see how this dry food worked, I could always ask the vet and see what he thinks.

He only has one rope like toy..but he doesn’t play with it as much as the others.

[Acroyali]

Assuming she’s had a fecal done and wormed if necessary, I would consider adding a probiotic and/or enzymes to help her gut re-adjust and settle down a bit.

One of mine would go 4-5 times a day as a puppy, but as an adult he’s a once-a-day’er.

How much are you feeding and how many times a day? Sometimes the instructions on the bag are a bit on the high side (or, WAY on the high side) which will result in a lot of poop and a fat dog in a few months time. If she’s inhaling her food, it might be going right through her. A puzzle toy might help (buster cube, etc). Most dogs love these, and most puppies easily figure it out of you move the toy a bit, let them see that movement = food appears. Plus, it’s fun to watch them!

[Bag of Opals]

I’m calling her Opal, and will be bringing her home this weekend. She’s a toy breed mix and the cutest little thing. Opal is going to be fed raw during the day and some Ivory Coat (an Australian dry food) at night. I’ve read about rotation feeding and agree this is a good idea. However, there’s already going to be a lot of variety in the food, so should I leave everything as is or still try to find something new to swap in every now and then? This is what I am seeking suggestions on. I’ve lived with pups, but not actually raised one myself.

The raw food is possible thanks to my parents. They make it for their Sheltie and Irish Wolfhound (the latter managed to steal a chicken wing last night!) with some extra to give to me, so I’m not exactly in a position to dictate what ingredients go into the mix. It’s ground up and contains:

-Lamb mince, liver and heart
-Pork tongue
-Sardines
-Chicken wings
-Crushed eggshell
-Peas and carrots

Very nice, but is there still a risk of developing food sensitivities because these proteins are all being fed at once? I’ve considered purchasing something like the Ziwipeak beef and venison canned formulas, but they’re not cheap and I’d like to avoid that expense if it’s not necessary.

As for Ivory Coat, their puppy formula is chicken-based. I plan to rotate among the other formulas in the brand when Opal’s grown up. I know a lot of folks here advocate rotating between brands as well as flavours, but I want to support an Aussie company, plus this seems to be the only dry food here with a protein % in the 30s. That’s not to say we don’t have good imported choices, but they just don’t compare.

Reactions to chicken are probably as common as they are because so many puppy foods use it… The only non-chicken food specifically for puppies that I know of and is available over here is TOTW Pacific Stream. Diamond, gah. Opal should be fine with just Ivory Coat, but I’m a paranoid lady and want the best for her.

[Haley H]

I really like the ingredients of Farmina N&D. The lamb one is for all life stages as well…

Problem (which could also be a benefit) is that it’s made in Italy…meaning no supply store in CA. however, chewy.com has it. You’d think this brand would be more popular because of its high quality ingredients, I guess I’m wondering why it isnt…

Thoughts?

I’m planning on a fusion type diet, some raw (green tripe, mackerel, eggs, raw ground meat combos), some home cooked, some freeze-dried, all variants based alongside a high quality kibble. Also, like Dr. Ian Dunbar’s puppy training books suggest, I’ll be skipping the use of a food bowl…encouraging foraging “hunting” for food via puzzle/enrichment toys…like kongs (and the ethical pet tpr stuffables), both fresh and dried trachea tubes, raw hooves, bones, etc

I’m considering this brand for my malamute puppy, who will be coming home at 8 weeks this July.

Thanks in advance for the advice and input!

[Mary A]

Hi ,

I have a 18 week 4lbs puppy. He was diagnosed with giardia since I got him when he was 10 weeks. We have been through 2 rounds of Panacur and Flagyl and stool samples keep coming back positive for Giardia with no improvement. He does not have any symptoms (never had diarrea) and I have been cleaning the house and disinfecting his toys and bowls. He has pretty high energy levels as well.

The vet wants to send a third round of treatment which has not worked in the past so I decided to look for “holistic” remedies. I found Kochi Free online and I’m thinking about giving it a try. I’m kind of in a desperation mode.

Let me know if you have any advice.

Thanks,

Mary

[Cooper B]

I am here out of sheer desperation because my precious 1.5 labradoodle Cooper has not been well. When we got Cooper from the breeder, he was the rambunctious little fella who ate literally everything. Couple months after, we noticed that he would vomit from time to time. It would be his kibbles undigested with some bile. His first food was Wellness Puppy at the breeder and so we kept him on it until we started seeing problems. We brought him to the vet who said not to worry…indigestion at best. But then he kept having the same issue, sometimes it would just be yellow liquid, sometimes the food undigested. We bring him back to the vet and he does a bunch of xrays/tests and of course everything comes back normal. This goes on for couple more weeks and then we decide to shell out the money to do an ultrasound. Everything is normal. The vet diagnose him with IBD/IBS and recommends we change his food to Hill’s Z/D diet. He sees some improvement until he recently, he is peeing on his bed, vomiting on the bed, and even is too lethargic to move. Mind you, he is only 1.5 years old and when he is normal, he likes to play fetch, eat his toys, and is very energetic. But these last few days, he has lost couple pounds (the vet says he’s too thin as we can feel his ribs) and seems so uncomfortable. The vet says we have exhausted all possible treatments. We are switching Cooper to RC’s Ultamino and are crossing our fingers that it will work. The vet recommends that we now put Cooper under in order to get biopsies of his GI track, but I am so scared of that. We feel so helpless and are feeling so bad that we cannot alleviate our baby’s discomfort. We feel like we’ve spent thousands of dollars with no result. This is sort of our last ditch effort – pleading for someone out there to have the solution. Thank you….

[Pitlove]

When giving any type of chew toy be it a Puppy Kong or a regular adult sized Kong or anything else, you always want to monitor your puppy while they are chewing it. This allows you to catch it early if she does start ripping little pieces off and swallowing them. I also would not recommend leaving any type of toy in her kennel if you plan to crate train. You will learn fast what your puppy can and can not destroy and then you go from there.

[pugmomsandy]

Amicus, wellness Small/Toy Breed, Nutrisource small/med puppy, Fromm Four Star Nutritionals Beef Frittata Veg are tiny kibbles. Solid Gold also makes A Wee Bit formula.

[AuroraSky GSDmix]

I’m a new fur mom. I fell in love with and rescued a GSD with a little something extra (mix), after she had spent her first 8 months being abused and used as a “Chew toy” for a fighting dog. Aurora has been with us for 5 months now and its been a learning experience, so forgive me if what I ask sounds ignorant.
Aurora has had issues with her ears bothering her and significant shedding, then she Really started scratching A Lot and incessantly licking her front legs/paws.I placed her on Diamond whitefish and potato after speaking to a dog supply small business owner. I didn’t know her ear issue could also be caused from food allergies, until I started reading reviews while researching dog foods online. Anyway I don’t think she is any better with the fish/potato. Fromm Prairie Gold was suggested to me and I saw it comes in Large breed puppy, but I will be ordering it online and don’t know what to use in the interm (she has just finished her LG bag of food). EVO red meat, Taste of the Wild, Natural Balance LID……? Help. What about puppy vs adult.
Also, I have seen chicken meal, chicken fat, or chicken bone-something and eggs in almost everything. I learned the hard way that eggs make her really itch and I’m not sure if the rest of these chicken extras will be an issue.

[Jenn H]

Pitlove, thanks for the input.
GSDs (in my experience) are food motivated when it comes to training. On the other hand they can be equally happy being rewarded with a favorite toy (as is often the case in K-9s).
The Lab is soooo different. Stereotypes exist for a reason. I don’t think she has ever tasted anything she’s ever eaten. I soak & drown her food in the slowest feeder I can find. I’m very careful about her feeding. I see Labs with lumps and they are fat, etc. Lillie is a lean and muscular 60 lbs! No lumps & bumps or excess fat (except a couple lbs in winter or she gets cold)! She acts like a puppy! She’ll be 11 next month.
The dog food is literally locked up in the bathroom in an airtight bin because she’ll think nothing of opening doors and eating til she explodes. I can’t stand the behavior, but haven’t been able to fix it. The thing with the pup is I don’t know if he’s as hungry as he acts or if he’s mimicking her behavior. If he’s so hungry, then I want to find him something to satisfy him. If he’s just picking up bad habits, then I can & am dealing with that.

It’s good to see someone else not fanatical about grain free. Like you I’m not against them. I just think they should be given to dogs who truly need them. I prefer to expose my animals to everything and see what they can tolerate rather than completely avoid something because they might have an issue.
I’ve had a dog that needed to avoid pretty much all grains and some meats. And a dog that could tolerate small amts of grain here & there.
My only real issue with grain free is that they are so high in carbs. Which is ironic. I think that because I don’t feed the girls grain free may be partly why Lillie doesn’t have the lumps. She’s not over loaded w/ carbs.

I’ll probably just end up switching my little guy’s food completely. I do that every few months and it’s been a great thing for my dogs. It’s good for the good bacteria in the gut to have something new.

Thanks again for the help. I’ll check out the Lab lady’s posts. I might learn something.

[Marylou B]

I have a 4mo. old toy poodle which recently has become finicky. She came from breeder which had her on Purina Venison/turkey/grain. She turned her nose up to everything but the grain pellets. I switched her to Purina puppy chicken. Eats it but not with gusto. I have tried moisten it and adding fresh cooked chicken breast eats some better. My self and my groomer feel she is to thin. Can you suggest anything to feed that would entice her to eat better. She came to me with Giardia and has been completed two treatments. She seems fine. Very frisky but her weight has me bothered. last time she was weighed 2.9. Please and thank you.

[CircaRigel]

Has anyone else experienced hemorrhagic gastroenteritis in their giant breed dog? My 7-month-old Shiloh Shepherd puppy, Galen, just had a 24h stay in ICU after developing the condition. Fortunately, he was seen immediately, for as a service dog in training he is always with me, so there was no delay in observing the symptoms. Plus the vet we go to, Alameda East Veterinary hospital (you might recognize them from “Emergency Vets” has a 24h ER, fully staffed 24h ICU, and can do all diagnostics in-house using the latest tech… so his diagnosis was extremely rapid. He still ended up requiring a plasma transfusion, and a fair bit more than the high estimate for his care addressed, but his recovery is coming along nicely. After that 24h in the ICU, he was able to come home.

What I wanted to see if anyone had any dietary recommendations about this, for when he’s able to resume his normal diet in a couple of days. He currently gets Canidae Grain Free Pure Sea kibble and Tripett canned food (Green Beef Tripe, Tripe and Venison, and Duck, Salmon & Tripe varieties). I also have pre and probiotics I can give him- increasing the dosage at the moment as he’s still on antibiotics (oral starting tomorrow, as he had IV until this afternoon). His Canidae also contains probiotics, and Tripett contains digestive enzymes.

He has every reason to NOT have developed this, as he’s not hyperactive, not a small or toy breed, eats top notch foods that are formulated with everything recommended for healthy digestion, etc… yet he still got it (I suspect it may be from either the goose poop he attempted to eat at the park Saturday, or the swim in a lake he took last week, but the cause of hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis (HGE) remains largely unknown).

At the moment, I’m nervous about anything that could effect Galen’s health. It’s pretty terrifying to see blood squirting out of my furbaby’s rectum as a purple jet. His vet highly approves of the diet I have Galen on, but I still would like to know what other’s think, and if anyone else has experienced this in a giant breed puppy that’s NOT hyper or overly stressed.

[Ginger E]

Thank you all for the information. Lucy is also on 225mg of Denamarin once a day. I am at work so I don’t have her exact enzyme levels right now, but they might be on the paperwork at home so I will check tonight.

We have tried to cut back on the amount of food, but she just seems ravenous. I supplement her food with frozen green beans to try and fill her up, but lately she has also started eating my daughters plastic toys – Legos and My Little Ponies have been mutilated. This behavior is just not normal for Lucy at all. Even when she was a puppy, she never was much of a chewer.

When I was feeding the Hill Scrip food, she was getting just over a cup a day – half in the morning and half in the evening. On the Blue Buffalo, she has been getting more than that just because it doesn’t seem to fill her up as much. She just seems to be continually starving and when she does eat, she starts choking because she is eating so fast – again, this is NOT her normal behavior.

She did have an ultrasound to look for signs of Cushings, but everything was normal – other than a slightly enlarged liver. It was nothing to be too worried about, according to the vet.

[jcholl9]

Hi I have a schnauzer named Sammy and he’s 10 years old and she’s just one of the family.
She’s had a history of bladder stone issues since she was a puppy. All her life we’ve been in control of it for her. For the last few years she’s been on grain free dog food because we’ve discovered that the grain stuff was bad for her.

But long story short she went into the vet a few weeks ago for a check up and we had an x-ray done on Sammy. Finding a built up of bladder stones, it was bad. Bad enough put Sammy on the s/d dog food they gave us. First off the people at the Vet are nice and my family and I like them.

The dog food has helped Sammy get rid of some the bladder stones and only a few remain. But the main problem now is that she’s lost a lot of weight, slowly gaining it back we have her on, her old canned dog food.

She needs to get her strength and normal weight back. One of the draw backs is she can’t hold her potty sometimes and make’s a mess… Not fun for her and us…
Is there anything natural we can to build up her weight. I want Sammy to have fun again playing with her toys…

Any advice would be great ?

I’m glad I found this site 🙂

[jcholl9]

Hi I have a schnauzer named Sammy and he’s 10 years old and she’s just one of the family.

She’s had a history of bladder stone issues since she was a puppy. All her life we’ve been in control of it for her. For the last few years she’s been on grain free dog food because we’ve discovered that the grain stuff was bad for her.

But long story short she went into the vet a few weeks ago for a check up and we had an x-ray done on Sammy. Finding a built up of bladder stones, it was bad. Bad enough put Sammy on the s/d dog food they gave us. First off the people at the Vet are nice and my family and I like them.

The dog food has helped Sammy get rid of some the bladder stones and only a few remain. But the main problem now is that she’s lost a lot of weight, slowly gaining it back we have her on, her old canned dog food.

She needs to get her strength and normal weight back. One of the draw backs is she can’t hold her potty sometimes and make’s a mess… Not fun for her and us…

Is there anything natural we can to build up her weight. I want Sammy to have fun again playing with her toys…

Any advice would be great ?

I’m glad I found this site 🙂

[Naturella]

For my Bruno – a 14.5lb Rat Terrier-Jack Russell mix, we gave him antlers since we adopted him at 4-5 months of age. We also gave stuffed Kongs, bully sticks, fish skins, Nylabones, Himalayan dog chews, etc. He is a moderate chewer nowadays so he still gets the same things, plus stuffed and frozen hooves.

For a heavy chewer, stuffed and frozen Kongs would be your best bet, I believe. I never had a problem with hooves or antlers, even when Bruno used to be a heavy chewer in his puppyhood, but just make sure you always monitor your dog when chewing on toys to prevent any disasters. Bruno used to try to swallow 2-3 inches of fish skins whole, so we started putting vice grips on them, and now he chews them up all the way properly.

[jakes mom]

You’re probably right about the 4% for your kitten, I was using adult %. You’d feed a kitten more calories, just like you’d feed a puppy more. I may try to heat it up a tad, as Darwin’s suggests, maybe get their noses more involved, lol.
I’ve never heard of a teacup cat, heard of some toy breed dogs referred to as a teacup. That’s cute! I think her weight is fine, too. My Julie is only about 7. I made a tiny “meatball” of raw and cook chix mixed together this am and Julie had to eat some raw altho she tried really hard to avoid it, lol.