[Rielle P]

To find a balanced and intestine-friendly diet for your 3-year-old pointer with sensitive digestion, consult a veterinary nutritionist who can provide specialized guidance based on your dog’s specific condition and nutritional requirements. Limited-ingredient diets can be helpful for dogs with sensitive digestion, as they contain a single source of protein and carbohydrates. Fish oil https://strydevet.com/pages/dosage-calculator, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, can support skin, coat, and gastrointestinal health. However, discussing the appropriate dosage and brand with your veterinarian is important to ensure it aligns with your dog’s specific needs. Cooked homemade meals should be balanced and meet your dog’s nutritional requirements.

A veterinary nutritionist can help create a homemade diet plan that includes easily digestible proteins, carbohydrates, and essential nutrients. Transitioning to a new diet should be done gradually to avoid upset digestion. Monitor your dog’s response to dietary changes and consult your veterinarian if you observe any adverse reactions or concerns. Working closely with a veterinary nutritionist and your veterinarian can develop a diet plan that promotes your dog’s overall well-being and addresses his specific dietary needs.

[Patricia A]

Hi Aimee,
Wondering if this was a human error of adding too much premix vs. premix formulation itself? Will that ever be know?
Aimee , every few days I have the chance to read your posts between yourself and M&C. I enjoy reading anything regarding dog food nutrition even though you two make me feel like a kindergartener in a PH.d course. lol But I know a lot more now then I did before . So thank you for being active on this forum.
I believe you know from my previous posts that I continue to feed a base of the Stella and Chewy’s. I’m aware that the FDA made a statement that will no longer comment with updates on DCM until they research further in a definitive cause. Will this ever be solved? However, I did read that cases were still being reported. What scares me is that effects of the cases that are diet related could be a slow burn and damage being done is not immediately symptomatic until years later. Correct me if I’m not correct in my understanding after reading several reports. I have read a very limited number of cases in small breeds as well for DCM diet related.
So the questions’ STILL are whether the legumes are blocking taurine. So any amount of taurine added will not help. What if toppers and home cooked are added. Would the taurine also not be available because of the kibble with legumes? Is it the legumes replacing animal protein? With this fear I have been transitioning to grain inclusive. My dilemma is I’m on 1/4 bag of grain and grain inclusive. Still undecided if next bag should be grain inclusive and eliminate the grain free. I’m also concerned about premix vitamin packs now.
When you have time Aimee, can you possibly give me some info between the two regarding which you would feel better feeding. I know you don’t care for the brand, but my Tia will be 13 and she does so well with it. Loli has the sensitive stomach and this was the only brand when I switched that she did so well with. Also, your take on these new brands with NO vitamin packs added. They CLAIM all the nutrioon from natural sources so does not require added premixes. These are Carna4, ND, Natures Logic.
I will post the two recipes’ later today. I deeply would appreciate your expertise in deciphering the good, the bad and the ugly between the two .

[KelWolf]

Hi Renee
Hope you see this…
I feed Halshan as well.. only I stay away from Anything that is or turns into Sugar…Veggies & Fruits are high in Sugar causing Yeast overgrowth & they are not Designed to Process them anyways & it can cause numerous Health Issues..like Spinach is Oxidative Etc so have to be careful…leafy greens can help with Chlorophyll but only tiny amount…their Tripe they have has that added…Fruits & Veggies Good for Human Herbivores not Carnivores lol!!
I think Logically..if they don’t Hunt it I don’t Feed it😆& when they eat Prey the Prey has already Digested the plant matter & only alil may be absorbed like the Chlorophyll/Fiber cuz again Carnivores do not Process plant matter

You may want to do a Cleanse to free up possible Yeast Issues inside the Body you may not see right now…Coconut Oil & Probiotics Help…
Always Cleanse the Body before Transitioning cuz Yeast Overgrowth Barriers will not allow good Proteins & Nutrients to be Absorbed
The problem with Gently Cooked is that ANY Cooking Depletes vital Nutrients & Enzymes & Cooked meat basically becomes a Carbohydrate Filler (like All Kibble which is All Carbohydrate…Highly Heat Processed all Sugar No Nutritional Value) which turns into Sugar feeding Healthy Cells turning them into Cancerous Cells & again Yeast & Unhealthy Health Issues…that’s why Humans shouldn’t consume Meat..so I Always do Raw for my Pets….
I do the Ground Rabbit & Ground Chicken WITHOUT Veggies & add their Beef Organ Mix for extra Heart & Kidney Tripe & Chlorophyll Etc Benefits
& also use an Omega Salmon Oil..I Only use Lifeline Salmon Oil.. Trusted for 10 Years now!

Researching Kelp now even tho they wouldn’t hunt it lol but for alil for added nutrients

& ALWAYS feed Grass-fed Grass Finished NO Grains (especially for Tripe) Grains cause Bacterial Infection Irritation Inflammation Etc
I will also add Beef Meat with Fat (Boneless) to level out the Bone intake if too much Calcium & the Fat is good for them just not too much lol😆Halshan doesn’t have just that so I get it elsewhere as long as it is Grass-fed finished too…but everything else
That’s why I like Halshan

I believe “Furlys” a Pet Store in Orange County California sells Halshan & Ships Nationwide!!
Hopefully I spelled it correctly..just Google lol
Hope all this helps Here if ya need..Bless your Sweet FurBaby
🐾💛🐾

[Patricia A]

Hi M&C
Well relieved to tell you that the culprit of the digestive disturbance was NOT what I have been feeding nor the transitioning grain include Stella N Chewy’s. It was Sargentto cheddar cheese sticks. Hubby decided to treat them to a “little” bit each. His “little” bit was whole stick divided in three. I know cheddar is less lactose, however I also know that whenever I let Loli have even a tiny bit of vanilla ice-cream I’m eating (puppy dog look of “please can I have a little”) she will inevitably have stomach noises and not eat until I rub her stomach and gas is passed. So I put cooked string beans in tupperware and told hubby If they follow you into kitchen THAT is their snack so YOU feel better. lol
If you notice the reviews of food are starting again after new owners of site took over. Also glad I didn’t switch to PPP after the recall due to high Vitamin E levels in food. Guess a lot of pet owners who thought trusted brand will be very upset about this of course.
I myself am still on the fence of their base. Maybe I will alternate with the grain and grain free. Still always looking at options for topper of freeze dried since I do like to rotate those. I find in any brand they do well with the turkey and I believe that is a good protein source.
Hope to hear your pup is not experiencing any seizures at this time.I hope when you get a chance to go to reddit which seizure in dog questions, someone will relate and be of some help.

[Patricia A]

Hi M&C
Well relieved to tell you that the culprit of the digestive disturbance was NOT what I have been feeding nor the transitioning grain include Stella N Chewy’s. It was Sargentto cheddar cheese sticks. Hubby decided to treat them to a “little” bit each. His “little” bit was whole stick divided in three. I know cheddar is less lactose, however I also know that whenever I let Loli have even a tiny bit of vanilla ice-cream I’m eating (puppy dog look of “please can I have a little”) she will inevitably have stomach noises and not eat until I rub her stomach and gas is passed. So I put cooked string beans in tupperware and told hubby If they follow you into kitchen THAT is their snack so YOU feel better. lol
If you notice the reviews of food are starting again after new owners of site took over. Also glad I didn’t switch to PPP after the recall due to high Vitamin E levels in food. Guess a lot of pet owners who thought trusted brand will be very upset about this of course.
I myself am still on the fence of their base. Maybe I will alternate with the grain and grain free. Still always looking at options for topper of freeze dried since I do like to rotate those. I find in any brand they do well with the turkey and I believe that is a good protein source.
Hope to hear your pup is not experiencing any seizures at this time.I hope when you get a chance to go to reddit which seizure in dog questions, someone will relate and be of some help.

[Patricia A]

Hi M&C,
Begging my mom to help her into shower. Suddenly after her getting very upset she has no strength in legs. She hyperventilates when she doesn’t want to do something. Put her in bed and she’s calling me to help her in bathroom. Legs won’t hold and dead weight. Get portable wheel chair take her into hospital. Hours waiting for test results with her crying she’s fine and wants to go home. Left for awhile to eat, let dogs out. Called to pick her up that all tests came back fine. She’s walking fine. Couldn’t believe it. So happens to be the day of -15% wind chills. Uhh. Clean her whole room from the accidents from “not being able to walk” at 10 at night. So I imagine she talked herself into the weakness as to not shower.
Oh I’m so sorry about the seizures. I can’t give advice since mine are now taking turns of eating grass and not eating. As I said I have been for weeks transitioning to the grain inclusive. Equal amounts still of the old food. Same exact freeze dried toppers. Not new bags. Yesterday my 12 year old Tia did not want to eat her little boiled portion of egg for breakfast. Went into dinner. She was drinking water. NEVER did Tia not want to eat. So finally coaxed her with a little boiled white rice to start and little pieces of low fat cheddar.. Turned her nose at even her regular kibble. Now she’s eating again but Loli is eating grass and also didn’t want breakfast. Again nothing new at all in diet. My mom’s dog is fine. So now what??? Thought at least i can relax about at least the dogs’ with feeding and no problems. UHHH

[Patricia A]

Hi M & C,
I was able to have some time to read some of the posts between you and Aimee. I have to admit my brain is fried already . I couldn’t even chime in to discussion because I don’t even know what questions to ask anymore. I started simple with grain free vs grain inclusive.My three small Chis’ are not inherently at risk for DCM. But doing some research SOME say that even though taurine is added to the food, the legumes could stop the absorption . I also think, as I said in another post that because of the mold from grain that killed a lot of dogs years ago, the grain free craze was the solution. But then of course the ingredient splitting possibly causing some DCM cases. So playing it safe with that and still mixing the grain free with the grain inclusive to transition. Then looking at ingredient second is chicken meal. It is SAID that has more protein since after taking out the water content from first ingredient that being chicken it’s very little. But the chicken meal will stay on top of ingredient list since not a lot of water in that? I know a simplistic understanding for me but
with the grain free and all the different legumes individually it would be on top of list when added together by weight. So another reason I switched to grain inclusive. Then I researched which grain added would be the best. Stella and Chewy’s recipe uses pearled barley . I would have rather had unshelled or barley groats. Don’t know if correct but the latter is better for micronutrients and fiber. But hoping that is made up with the other ingredients such as oatmeal and quinoa? I did see this question on The Dog food and Canine nutrition forum “Which of these 3 would u choose? I’m looking for the best raw coated, grain free kibble.
I couldn’t edit it to add pics but
#1 Stella & chewy wild red raw coated grain & legume free red meat recipe
#2 merrick backcountry raw infused grain free great plains red recipe
#3 instinct original grain free rabbit recipe”
All the posters chose the first recipe she put up with ingredients which turned out to be the Stella and Chewy’s . Got to compare their Wholesome grains vs the Wild Red and see how ingredients differ. For what it’s worth the one I’m currently transitioning to is baked. But at LEAST many agree it’s a good brand.
My dilemma now is that recently couldn’t find their kibble at my local Pet Supply store. I ordered from online who did have it in stock. So I wrote on that forum and this was a posters reply. ” I work in the pet industry 😬 and unfortunately that’s just the first step for the entire line to go into big box. When a big company like that continues to grow that’s just the next step on the ladder to climb.
That’s why a large amount of their inventory went on sale for Black Friday to clean house for the move to petco. There was a supply chain issue because they focused on making ONLY the line going into petco because those are massive orders to fill and unfortunately that’s where the big money is and that’s where the focus goes.
My guess would be their quality and ingredients and company will start to not be as good as it used to be. Just the process of the crazy pet industry”
So just when I relaxed a little of course this is what happens. Uhhhh
I’m so sorry to hear about your pups health issues. What breed and age and what’s the problems’ M&C? Don’t think I can be of any help because I think you know far more then I do from nutritional aspect. But after having several dogs’ throughout my life maybe health issue is something I’ve experienced with one.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by Patricia A.

[Danielle V]

Hi everyone, I could really use some help on next steps for my 3-year-old Westie. She has been diagnosed with bilious vomiting syndrome, and the internal med vet figures she has acid reflux/GERD. She has, for over a year, off and on, vomited bile very late at night or really early morning. Then often, not the next, but the following day, she will not be able to eat breakfast, her tummy will growl horribly for a few of hours, and she is quite nauseous but does not get sick again. Sometime later in the day, she can start eating again.

This started with just an incident once or twice a month and then went to once a week and then every couple of days to the point that she is npw having some degree of nausea and issues daily. She never throws up food, and almost always, the bile incidents are in the AM – also, she never has diarrhea.

She has been through many diet changes and has a boarded nutritionist. We are pretty sure that a food change in December made things worse, as she began to burp a lot! The smacking, hard swallowing, a lot of yawning, and occasional odd sound when eating or trying to play started as well. She appears to be nauseous to some extent most of the time now. Also, several weeks ago we tried the probiotic visbiome and that made things much worse! She was so nauseous and could not stop burping! We obviously stopped giving her this.

On top of this, she has nasty environmental allergies that are horrible in spring and not great in the fall. Also, some food allergies and certainly food sensitivities. Chicken is definitely a no go!

Yeast, she battles with on her mouth and on her personal area. Sadly the creams and shampoos for this she is so sensitive to that the cure is causing her as much discomfort as the yeast. Has anyone found something that does not cause massive skin irritation?

We are working on transitioning her over to home-made venison, sweet potato, butternut squash, and plain old pasta diet — she seems to have trouble with digesting grain; even white rice does not go well – worried about heart issues, though without it.
The nutritionist is going low-fat with this for GERD, but does anyone have thoughts as to if this combo looks good for acidic belly/reflux issues?

Here is the big question though — she was on Pepcid for 12 days, and it stopped the morning vomiting, and she was able to eat all her meals each day. She was still nauseous off and on, but better than before. Then it stopped working which I read a study saying that by around day 12, the drug lost its potency for dogs, and this sure seemed to be the case her.

We tried Prilosec, and it made her so sick! The burping kicked back into high gear, the nausea was awful, and she threw up and not just bile. She just does not seem to be able to tolerate this. The vet has recommended Raglan, but it scares me. Have others tried this and did it work, and what were the side effects? Also, it is for short-term use, so I do not understand what to do for the long term. All these drugs you are not supposed to keep them on, so how do you manage this ongoing? Does anyone have recommendations? Is Raglan a good next step, or should we be trying something else less extreme? Are there other options? Any advice or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. We are feeding her 4 smaller meals throughout the day, and she has a raised dish. We tried feeding before bed, but that seemed to make it worse. She did have an abdominal ultrasound, and everything looked normal. I know we may need to do more aggressive testing, but we would like to try everything we can before going there – putting her through anesthesia and more stress is not something I take lightly in her current condition. Thank you very much!

[Patricia A]

My three small dogs’ have been on grain free kibble as a base with various freeze dried and home cooked as toppers. I’m really confused as to what camp to be in. Whether grain free was a marketing gimmick vs dogs’ are carnivores and don’t receive any benefits from grains. Even though the fed grain free has taurine added, I’m still not liking the ingredient splitting with the legumes. How much protein coming from animal protein vs the peas etc. Based on the first few ingredients would like to know opinions on one brand is possibly superior to the other. I won’t give name as to prejudice . If that makes sense. I’m concerned about the type of grain and digestibility. Aimee and Crazy for cats would love your opinions and reasoning also.. Just want to transition slowly and give the grain inclusive a try.
One brand has ALL source origins on their website. The other I emailed and they were transparent and sent me their sources INCLUDING their supplements/vitamins and supplement pack sources. None from China.
Cage-Free Chicken Chicken Meal Oatmeal Pearled Barley Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols) Pumpkin Quinoa Chicken Liver Natural Chicken Flavor Chicken Gizzard Flaxseed Salmon Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols) Coconut Flour Salt Pumpkin Seeds Organic Cranberries Organic Spinach Organic Beets Organic Carrots Organic Squash Organic Blueberries Inulin (from Chicory Root) Thyme Sage Rosemary Extract Mixed Tocopherols (preservative) Dried Kelp Potassium Chloride Dicalcium Phosphate Taurine Choline Chloride Zinc Proteinate Iron Proteinate Copper Proteinate Manganese Proteinate Sodium Selenite Vitamin E Supplement Calcium Iodate Thiamine Mononitrate Niacin Supplement D-calcium Pantothenate Riboflavin Supplement Vitamin A Supplement Vitamin D3 Supplement Vitamin B12 Supplement Pyridoxine Hydrochloride Folic Acid Dried Pediococcus Acidilactici fermentation product Dried Lactobacillus

SECOND BRAND

INGREDIENT

Salmon
United States, Alaska

Oats
United States, North Dakota / Canada, Saskatchewan

Whitefish Meal
United States, Alaska

Sorghum
United States, North Dakota

Quinoa
Canada, Saskatchewan

Coconut Oil
Indonesia / Philippines

Herring Meal
Canada, Newfoundland / Mexico
Wild Caught in the deep cold Atlantic Ocean, our Herring meal contains high amounts of high quality protein and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

Natural Flavor
United States, Missouri / Canada, Quebec

Millet
United States, Colorado

Pumpkin
United States, Michigan, Missouri

Salmon Oil
Canada, New Brunswick

Apples
United States, Michigan

Chia Seed
Paraguay

Potassium Chloride
Canada, Saskatchewan

Salt
United States, Kansas

Chicory Root
Belgium

Choline Chloride
United States, Missouri

Vitamin E Supplement
Switzerland / United States

Calcium Pantothenate
Scotland

Niacin Supplement
Switzerland

Vitamin A Supplement
Switzerland / France

Riboflavin Supplement (B2)
Germany

Vitamin D3 Supplement
United States / France

Vitamin B12 Supplement
France

Thiamine Mononitrate (B1)
Germany

Folic Acid
France
Folic acid is essential for brain and nervous system function and is needed for protein utilisation and red blood cell formation.

Zinc Proteinate
United States

Calcium Carbonate
United States
Calcium carbonate is a supplement that contributes to the total calcium levels that are needed to maintain healthy bones and teeth.

Iron Proteinate
United States

Copper Proteinate
United States

Manganese Proteinate
United States

Calcium Iodate
United States / Canada

Selenium Yeast
United States

Taurine
Japan

Mixed Tocopherols (Preservative)
United States, Iowa

Cinnamon
Vietnam / Indonesia

Turmeric
India
Formulated to help pets thrive
Formulated to help pets thrive
OceanWise® approved wild caught salmon
A wholesome blend of ancient grains like millet, quinoa, sorghum and chia seeds
No peas, legumes and potatoes
No corn, wheat or soy
No artificial flavors or preservatives

• This topic was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by Patricia A.

[Jack L]

Raw Food Diet For Dogs Cost

Raw food diet for dogs cost varies depending on the source and quality of ingredients. There are also many freeze-dried raw options available at different price points. Commercial raw food costs between $12 per day and $353 per month. This cost can vary depending on the supplier. If you feed your homemade dog meals, the price will vary depending on what veterinary advice they need for their diet plan! These can be more expensive than traditional home-prepared meals but require less preparation time and effort. The cost could also depend on the pet’s size. Smaller breeds may require smaller portions, while larger breeds may need more food to meet their nutritional needs. Additionally, some raw diets are nutritionally balanced and contain all of the necessary vitamins and minerals that a dog needs for optimal health. This can result in higher costs than homemade meals or other diets that may include only some of the necessary nutrients. Regardless, a raw food diet is an excellent choice for many pet owners looking to give their furry friends the healthiest and most natural nutrition possible.

Overall, a raw food diet for dogs cost is worth it if you are looking for optimal nutrition and health benefits for your pet. The cost may vary depending on the source, quality of ingredients, and size of your pet, but it is still a great choice for many dog owners. With careful research and understanding of your pet’s specific nutritional needs, you can find the best raw food diet that will benefit your pup at an affordable price.

The Top 5 Raw Food Diets For Dogs

1. Instinct Raw Boost Mixers Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Topper
Instinct Raw Boost Mixers Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Topper is great food for kibble and dry food lovers. It is made with real meat, fruits, and vegetables and contains real nutrition of raw. Raw is natural, made from real meat & whole food ingredients, protein-packed & minimally processed high protein, plus real freeze-dried raw meat pieces with natural ingredients to support healthy digestion and skin & coat. . A great way to make sure your pup gets all of their necessary vitamins, minerals, and proteins in the meal. Ultimately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of the cost of a raw food diet for dogs cost. However, with careful research and understanding of your pet’s nutritional needs, you can select a high-quality option that will provide them with optimal nutrition at an affordable price.

Pros:
Grain-free, potato-free, corn-free, wheat-free, and soy free
Made in the USA with the finest ingredients from around the world.
Rich in antioxidants
High protein content to support muscle growth and weight management
Cons
May require more preparation time than traditional dog food.
Some dogs may not take to the new diet as easily as others.
Raw diets may contain bacteria that could make your pet sick if not properly handled.
Raw food diets for dogs cost can be expensive to feed on a regular basis.
May require more research and understanding of pet nutrition than traditional dog food.
Overall, a raw food diet for dogs is an investment that can be worth it if you are looking for optimal nutrition and health benefits for your pet. With careful research, selecting a quality product, and understanding your pet’s specific needs, you can provide them with the most natural nutrition possible at an affordable cost.

2. Stella & Chewy’s Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Dinner Patties
Stella & Chewy’s Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Dinner Patties is best for raw food diet for dogs because it is made with 95% beef, organs, and bone, such as beef tripe. Our grass-fed Beef recipe will delight your pup. It also includes organic fruits and vegetables and added live probiotics to support your pup’s immune system. Stella & Chewy’s freeze-dried raw dinner patties provide complete & balanced nutrition for all life stages without any fillers. All Stella & Chewy’s products are made in the USA and sourced from responsible farmers, ranchers, and suppliers.

Pros:
Raw food diets are high in protein and essential vitamins and minerals for your dog’s health.
It may be easier to digest than kibble, making it a great choice for dogs with sensitive stomachs.
Since the ingredients are more natural, there is no need to add fillers, artificial preservatives, flavours or colours.
Dogs fed raw food diets tend to have a glossy coats, brighter eyes, and healthier skin and teeth.
Cons:
Raw food diets for dogs can be more expensive than traditional kibble or canned food diets.
Raw diets may not meet all of your pup’s nutritional needs, as they lack certain vitamins and minerals found in kibble or canned diets.
Overall, Raw food diet for dogs cost is an investment, and you can provide natural nutrition possible at an affordable cost.
3. Primal Freeze Dried Dog Food Nuggets Chicken Formula
Primal Freeze Dried Dog Food Nuggets Chicken Formula is the best food for dog owners looking for a complete and balanced raw food diet. It is packed with protein and healthy fats, and this grain-free recipe is made with humanely raised chicken. The formula also contains natural source vitamins and minerals for optimal nutrition. This formula is a convenient way to provide your pet with top-quality nutrition, and the pre-portioned nuggets make it simple to tailor their diet for optimal health and happiness.

With Primal Freeze Dried Dog Food Nuggets Chicken Formula, you can give your pup all the benefits of a raw diet in an easy and cost-effective way. This grain-free formula is made with real, high-quality ingredients for optimal nutrition and flavor, and it’s crafted in the USA for added peace of mind. Feed your pup this convenient and delicious freeze-dried raw food and provide them with the best nutrition possible.

Pros:
High-quality ingredients and humanely raised chicken with no added hormones or antibiotics
Organic produce and botanicals for additional health benefits
Grain-free formula for those who need to avoid grains
Preportioned nuggets make it easy to tailor the diet to your pet’s needs
Made in the USA for added peace of mind
Cons:
May be more expensive than other types of pet food
4. Wellness CORE RawRev Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
Wellness CORE RawRev Grain-Free Dry Dog Food is the best dog food. It includes natural ingredients and also freeze-dried raw meat. A grain-free diet provides protein and healthy fats to keep your pup’s energy levels up. This formula contains probiotics and prebiotics to promote digestive health. In addition, it has added omega fatty acids, flaxseed, and salmon oil to support healthy skin and coat. It does not contain by-products, corn, wheat, soy, or artificial preservatives. Whether you have a puppy or an adult dog, this recipe will give your furry friend optimal nutrition.

Pros:
Grain-free
High-quality ingredients
Contains freeze-dried raw meat for added flavour and nutrition
Probiotics and prebiotics to promote digestive health
Made in the USA without by-products, corn, wheat, soy or artificial preservatives
Cons:
May be more expensive than other types of dog food
Can be difficult to find in stores or online, so you may need to order it directly from the manufacturer.
Overall, this raw food diet for dogs cost is affordable, and this product is also best for your dog.
5. Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Freeze-Dried Raw Adult Grain-Free Dog Food
Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Freeze-Dried Raw Adult Grain-Free Dog Food is a delicious food. It includes Freeze-dried raw grain-free food with added protein and carbohydrates and is an excellent source of Omega-3 & Omega-6 fatty acids. The cost of raw food diets for dogs depends on the size and type of protein you choose. This is an affordable option for those looking for aliments your dog needs. This food is made with natural ingredients and contains no artificial preservatives, colors or flavors. Additionally, it is excellent for dogs with sensitive stomachs since it helps to reduce allergens in the diet.

Pros:
A fresh, natural, and nutritious diet for your dog.
Raw diets are generally high in protein and promote healthy digestion.
Can help reduce allergies and sensitivities to certain ingredients.
Cons:
Risk of infection from bacteria or parasites if

What Is a Raw Dog Diet?
A raw dog diet is a type of nutrition plan that includes feeding your pup fresh, uncooked ingredients such as muscle meat, organ meat, bone broth, and whole eggs. Raw diets typically eliminate grains and processed foods from the equation in favour of natural vitamins and minerals found in real food sources. The belief behind this form of nutrition centres around the idea that dogs are biologically designed to eat raw meat and other natural ingredients rather than commercially-processed foods. Raw diets have become increasingly popular over the last few years due to their ability to promote overall health, improve digestion, and reduce allergic reactions in some pets.

Raw diets also allow pet owners to control what goes into their pup’s food. By preparing meals at home, pet owners can make sure that their pup is getting all of the nutrition they need and avoid any ingredients that may be harmful to them. Additionally, raw diets are often more cost-effective than commercially available options since they require fewer additional supplements or ingredients.

Should You Feed Your Dog Raw Food?
Ultimately, the decision to feed your pup a raw food diet should be made after careful consideration and research. While raw diets can be beneficial for many pets, it’s important to ensure that you are providing them with the nutrients they need for optimal health. Additionally, some dogs may not adjust well to this kind of nutrition plan and could experience digestive issues or other adverse effects. It’s important to consult with a veterinarian before making any drastic changes to your pup’s diet.

10 Benefits of Raw food diet for dogs

1. Increased Digestibility:
The high moisture content and the lack of added fillers and preservatives in raw diets often make them easier to digest.

2. Improved Dental Health:
The chewing action required for a raw diet helps keep your pup’s teeth clean and free from plaque buildup.

3. Enhanced Nutrient Absorption:
Raw food diets are usually unprocessed and contain fewer additives and preservatives, allowing your pup to benefit from increased nutrient absorption.

4. Increased Energy:
The higher protein content in a raw diet helps keep your pup energized throughout the day.

5. Fewer Allergies:
By eliminating processed foods and fillers, you can help reduce the possibility of your pup having an allergic reaction to their food.

6. Natural Balance:
The natural balance of nutrients found in raw diets helps keep your pup healthy without the need for added supplements.

7. Better Weight Management:
Because raw diets are typically lower in carbohydrates, they can help keep your pup’s weight under control.

8. Healthier Skin And Coat:
The fatty acids found in a raw diet can help promote a healthy coat and skin for your pup.

9. Reduced Vet Costs:
By providing your pup with optimal nutrition, you can help reduce the likelihood of them having to visit the vet due to health issues.

10. More Variety:
With a raw diet, you can mix up the types of proteins your pup is eating and make mealtime more interesting for them.

10 disadvantages of Raw food diet for dogs

1. Potentially Dangerous Bacteria:
Raw diets can contain dangerous bacteria such as salmonella and e.coli, which can make your pup ill.

2. Lower Nutritional Value:
Due to the lack of processing and preservatives in raw dog food, some nutrients may not be able to be absorbed by the body due to improper cooking techniques.

Raw food diets can contain bacteria that can be harmful to your pup. It’s important to take extra precautions and practice safe food handling when preparing meals for your dog.

3. Risk Of Nutrient Deficiencies:
With raw diets, it’s important to ensure that you are providing your pup with the proper nutrients in the right amounts. If not, they may be at risk of nutrient deficiencies.

4. Time-Consuming:
Raw diets can take more time to prepare and require careful research to ensure that all nutritional needs are met.

5. Higher Cost:
Raw food diets can often be more expensive than commercially prepared dog foods.

6. Difficulty In Sourcing:
Finding the right ingredients for a raw diet can be difficult, depending on where you live.

7. Messy:
Raw diets can get quite messy and require more cleanup than other diets.

8. Intolerance To Specific Proteins:
Some pups may not be able to tolerate specific proteins in a raw diet, so it’s important to monitor your pup for any adverse reactions.

9. Difficulty Transitioning:
It can take time for pups to get used to a raw diet, and there may be issues with digestion or intolerance during the transition period.

10. Poor Palatability:
Some pups may not find raw diets as appetizing as other types of food, which can be an issue if they’re picky eaters,

Overall, a raw diet can be an excellent nutritional choice for your pup – but it comes with some risks and potential disadvantages. It’s important to research the benefits and risks associated with this type of diet before making the switch. Once you are sure that it is right for your pup, you’ll be able to enjoy the numerous benefits that a raw diet can offer.

Conclusion
A raw food diet for dogs can be an excellent nutritional choice, but it does come with some risks. It’s important to do your research and make sure you understand the potential benefits and disadvantages before making the switch. With careful planning and preparation, a raw diet can provide numerous health benefits for your pup and help them live a longer and healthier life.

[ShiroTheCavapoo]

Hi folks,

I have a one year old Cavapoo (weight 10.5kg / 23 lbs) who is on freeze dried raw patties. He is given the following together with his food: Adored Beast Potent-Sea Omega 3 Oil, golden paste, probiotics, chia and flax seeds.

Normally, the discharge / gunk from his eyes in the mornings are clear or white in color and his ears do not have much ear wax when I clean them weekly.

For the past 3 weeks, I have been slowly transitioning him to Orijen Six Fish. No issues in the first 2 weeks of his transition to the kibbles.

In the third week of transition, he is being fed 1 cup of Orijen Six Fish kibbles (which forms 2/3 of his meal) with his freeze dried patties (1/3 of his meal).

This is when the discharge from his eyes became rust colored and he has ALOT of ear wax. I have been cleaning his ears daily but every morning there seems to be more. However, the ear wax is not foul smelling and my dog doesn’t seem to be bothered by it (no scratching or head shaking etc).

I suspect I am overfeeding him and there is excessive intake of protein and fats (since Orijen is very high in protein). Will cut back on the kibbles and see what happens.

Anyone has any experience on this or any advice?

Thanks in advance.

[Beth F]

We are slowly transitioning to all homemade, currently feeding Purina 1 with Chicken and Rice (the healthy one) and then adding homemade in gradual amounts. Right now I feed them 2 cups twice a day of this. My female is 2 years old, about 75 lbs, maybe a bit less, and my male is 10 years, very big boned, long coat, weighs 129 lbs! Both are GS, though my female is short coat and smaller build. I am following the Holistic Vet recipes but the amount she suggests to feed them daily seems HUGE! Like 7-10 cups a day????

My vet said 2 cups, I am assuming at each meal? For a total of 4 cups each a day. I think that sounds okay for my female, but should I be giving my male more? He is not high energy at all, spends most of his time lounging to be honest. He doesn’t feel “fat” to me, but he is very solid. My female is very high energy (she’s still in puppy mode, LOL!)

Any suggestions from other shepherd owners would be greatly appreciated. I love the idea of cooking for them because they hate their kibble and canned is too expensive. Thanks for anything you can send my way!

Beth
Mom to Lucas and Lacy

[Karen G]

Hi Everyone, Karen here! (the good kinda Karen). It’s been almost 4 years since our sweet Abby suffer the loss of 70% of her small bowel. I’m happy to report that Abby is doing great and is transitioning into a middle aged dog. I never did get to writing an article about how we got her to this point but I have been doing some helpful things. I was interviewed about home made prescription diet dog food on a radio show called “The Urban Zoo” . If you are interested in listening to the interview the podcast link is below. I have also made some instructional videos on home made dog food. They aren’t terribly professional but each one is pretty short and I have lots of time saving tips on preparing and freezing the food. That link is here:

For episode 33 of The Urban Zoo go to:

I hope everyone is healthy and strong, I hope everyone’s beautiful dogs are also healthy and strong. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the videos etc…Cheers

[Corey W]

Our now 10 month old puppy has struggled with his gut since he came home. He had both cocidia and giardia when we got him. That was treated and he cleared up for a few days, but he’s a poop eater (any poop) and re-inffected himself. After another round of deworming he once again firmed up, but nearly anything could cause a round of bad poops. Under our vets supervision we finally settled on the “biome” food from hills science diet. He has been on that for several months and it has worked great. It also helped us figure out that it was his heartworm medicine that was causing a problem. Now that he has switched to a different pill that doesn’t cause him problems, we would like to transition him off of the biome to another high quality but less expensive fo.od. Anyone have any advice

[Patricia A]

Clair have you looked into Freeze dried food. Many brands with single proteins. Also no need to look for grain in food if enough meat protein and nutritional ingredients are in the food naturally. Freeze dried is rehydrated to a soft consistently with warm water. Just look on top of DFA “BEST DOG FOOD” and select raw. I always stick to 5* reviews. Primal, Stella Chewy, Small batch, Bixbi Rawbbles, Open Farm are to name a few. Just go SLOWLY when transitioning. VERY Slowly. Good luck hope this helps. Also forgot to say most use HPP process as a kill process to kill bacteria in food. Still keeps the nutrients in food unlike kibble or canned..

• This reply was modified 4 years, 9 months ago by Patricia A.

[Tracey Q]

My concern was that it was open for 12 hours rather than being opened, taking the food out, and then closing it. So air was getting in it for 12 hours before I noticed and closed it, taped it, and also put the entire bad in a container. I’m transitioning my dog to this food right now, so hopefully it’s fine.

[Amanda V]

Hi,

We have a 55 pound mixed breed pup who’s 2 years old. He has a very sensitive stomach and so far the only food he’s done well on is just food for dogs turkey and whole wheat pasta. We have been cooking fresh food for him for over a year but we travel a lot with him which makes it hard. We want to try a dry food but don’t know where to start. Before the fresh food we tried Purina, hills, blue Buffalo, etc. he was even on the vet’s chicken prescription food. Does anyone have any suggestions for dogs with similar stomachs? We are open to regular dry or dehydrated raw. With precious dry food he always had bathroom issues as well as would throw up fairly frequently, have itchy paws and need his anal glands expressed often. The fresh food fixed everything but the itchy paws and anal glands. Thanks in advance!

[Rachelle B]

My pup Walden just turned 4 recently. For the majority of the first two years of his life, he was on a Nutro chicken food, then a Blue Buffalo duck food. Then he started having issues with acid reflux, throwing up bile almost every single day. The vet recommended Hills I/D, I switched to that, and for almost two years Walden’s issues we’re almost non-existent (bile thrown up once a week at max). Back in November, he had what I believe I’ve researched and understood as an HGE. He suddenly had started to not be able to control his pooping, and was vomiting and pooping everywhere constantly. The vet found inflammation in his intestines in the x-rays and put him on Fortiflora and Metronidazole for I believe 10 days. I’d never had him on the Metronidazole, so I started the Fortiflora and was trying to start the Metro a couple days later over the weekend so I would be home and could see how he reacted to it. Well the next day the presence of blood appeared in the vomit and poop and he was very weak, so I rushed him to the vet immediately and they gave him a shot of penicillin and fluids I believe. He immediately started getting better and I finished up the antibiotics and Fortiflora.

After finally somewhat getting over the fear it was going to happen again, this February I started trying to transition him to a Hill’s Science Diet with chicken and after just a couple days of transitioning, I came home after Walden had been acting normal for days and he’d pooped all over the house again, this time however the blood was immediately there. I knew it had to be the same issue (even though the vet never found out the original issue) so I rushed him back there. They, like me, assumed it was the same issue (although they said the food change triggered it which I say is BS because that didn’t explain November), so rather than hundreds of dollars in the same tests as last time that showed nothing, gave him the same treatment, along with a diet of purely chicken and rice until his poop started firming up. I noticed after a few days his poop was still extremely runny, so instead of waiting, I started moving him back to his normal food. Poops started getting a ton better after less than a day off the rice.

Once he recovered from that, in March I went into overdrive. I’ve got to figure out what’s wrong with my sweet boy. He’d been regurgitating his food every so often and just plain throwing it up a few other times, but otherwise seemed okay. I brought him into my vet (Thursday) before things got to the emergency point this time. I’d done my research beforehand and I was down to a few ideas, with IBD, a food allergy, or an ulcer being the top ideas. The vet agreed and figured the way he’d been acting, especially with his increased issues of throwing up bile (he couldn’t go more than 5 hours without food), that it seemed like an ulcer. She prescribed Sulcralfate and Prilosec, along with weekly vitamin B12 shots for 6 weeks then we could re-evaluate if those should continue or not. Walden got worse quicker than he got better within that next week. To a point that he wasn’t keeping his food down at all and throwing up way too much. I went to my vet clinic Saturday, my normal vet not being there. They said his anal glands looked infected but otherwise he looked fine. I asked if there was anything I could do to help. She suggested the I/D low fat and told me to “go ahead and just put him straight on it, it’s the same thing just lower fat”. Okay I’m no vet but I’m not an idiot, my dog is already extremely sick, I’m not adding an immediate transition to a completely different food (which by the way, did have completely different ingredients) that I don’t even think is going to work. Well they did nothing that day so I figured I’d keep him on his meds and pray he got better. Sunday rolled around and he was looking worse. He didn’t want to jump around like normal, refused to eat, was constantly throwing up, and I couldn’t stand it. I took him to the emergency vet and they did some blood tests and everything looked fairly normal, so I had the choice to have him stay overnight and see a specialist and get an ultrasound in the morning (almost $2k), or they could give him a shot of anti nausea medicine to get him through the night for me to get him into my normal vet the next day. I had already spent $1,500 since November at this point and my savings was almost gone, so I had to go with just the anti-nausea shot. After he had that, he did much better throughout the night, and acted fairly normal the next day. He slowly started to get back to normal but just couldn’t last very long without eating still (feeding routine was 8am, 1pm, 6pm, 11pm).

When he’s gotten the blood tests at the emergency vet, they had noticed some levels that pointed towards the possibility of Addison’s Disease. This in my mind would be awful, but also I knew it was manageable in most dogs and it would finally explain all his problems, especially after he’d acted so much peppier with a shot of cortisone the day before his test. Well, one expensive test later with my vet and unfortunately it came back negative.

My vet then referred me to a digestive specialist because that was really next steps, we’d exhausted a lot of things. The specialist was wonderful, but the options were a vitamin blood test and ultrasound, which was going to be almost $1k. At this point I’d spent my entire savings. And trust me, I’d go into debt if I knew I’d be finding a the answer, but I was so scared another test would go by and still nothing, with what I knew would have to be an endoscopy next, that there’s no way I could afford. The specialist was great and completely understood, and said really the top 2 things she thought it could be (which I agree still to this day) were a food allergy or IBD. We decided to treat it like a food allergy and she gave me Hills Z/D.

Well, great news, I started transitioning Walden to Z/D over the course of 2 weeks (after the HGE incident I wasn’t taking any chances of switching him over too quickly). He started acting better as soon as he started getting that Z/D in his food (even though it was still mixed with his old). I then started checking out the ingredients more in I/D and I presumed that the #1 ingredient of rice and the main protein of chicken were what was the issue more than likely, because I just had a feeling he was very allergic to rice and I’ve always thought he has a slight sensitivity to chicken. A couple days ago he was fully transitioned to Z/D and ever since then he’s been acting much better. No more getting sick throughout the nights, he’s able to lay on his back and not choke on acid reflux coming up, and not to mention he WANTS to eat his food for the first time in at least 2.5 years.

The only problem now is, I started noticing yesterday morning that his poop had a darkish mucus in it. I was worried it may be blood but chaulked it up to my overreacting. Well his second poop that day definitely had a presence of some sort of red mucus in it that looked like blood. It wasn’t much, normal pet parents probably wouldn’t of seen it, but I inspect Walden’s poops very carefully because of his past issues (I’m sure my neighbors are disgusted watching me carefully dig through 2-3 times a day). When I moved it around though, it definitely had more of just a mucus look than redness, just like a normal stomach irritation. He had only a little bit in his last night poop, but the same thing again in his morning poop today.

I plan on talking to my vet again tomorrow about next steps, but I wanted some advice as well. Could this be his anal glands still being infected and causing small bits of blood (and I mean they’re very small, almost unoticeable… And his poops aren’t overly soft to where I would think this was another HGE yet)? Or could this be just because of the transition to his new food and it will more than likely go away? He’s acting completely normal and eating/drinking great or I’d be rushing him off to the emergency vet obviously (I even called them yesterday and they agreed to just keep an eye out for any worsening symptoms for now).

[Jennifer N]

My Pumpkin is a 45 lb Shepherd/Shibu Mix, super active. He was abandoned at 1 month, and had GI/Giaradia/Recurring Pancreatis from about 2 to 10 months. Finally, I transitioned him off Puppy food and switched him over to a diet of 1/2 cooked ground chicken and 1/2 Honest Kitchen Whole Grain Dried Chicken. Which he tolerates VERY well (except for the big poops due to all the veggies, but they are perfectly consistent and perfectly formed…so I’m okay with this).

My question is, as long as I freeze the chicken, is there much risk to moving him to uncooked chicken? I know I’d have to do the transition gradually, but I figured since his stomach is already accustomed to the diet overall, moving from cooked chicken to raw would be a minor change. Would be great if I didn’t have to cook 60 lbs of chicken every month!

Thanks

• This topic was modified 5 years, 8 months ago by Jennifer N.

[Birdie30]

My dog also had bad diarrhea and runs (she was transitioning to a new diet), and the stuff I used did help over the course of a week. I tried Olewo carrots, Honest Kitchen’s Herbal Digestive supplement and the dog version of Kaopectate…basically, it’s kaolin and pectate and there are alot of manufacturers that make a dog version of this liquid. All of these, sometimes a combination of them (in like 1/2 to 1 tbps portions) mixed together with food, helped alot.

[C.S]

Hi everyone,
I have a 2yo Weimaraner cross Staffordshire bull terrier who I switched over to raw food 3 weeks ago. I was using a guideline found on BARF UK FB group but I’ve been unable to get some advice on the issue I’m facing now so hoping someone on here can help!

We were on week3 of transitioning from kibble so she was being fed 1/4 chicken and 3/4 beef mince. 600g per day split between two meals. She was on that from last Tuesday until this Monday when she did a bloody poop.

This has happened before six months ago when she was being fed kibble. Vet prescribed antibiotics I think and bland diet for a week. Since it was only the one poop this time around and she wasn’t off as she had been before I’ve just had her on boiled chicken/cod and rice or sweet potato from Monday night.

However her poops have not quite firmed up yet and I’m confused as to what do going forward. The guide I was following said in week four she should be fed duck and beef both of which are high fat and low fat seems to be the way to go after some research.

I’m very new to this and would like to keep her on raw as I’ve noticed many improvements over the past couple weeks including breath/teeth/coat and the fact that she’s eating it and scavenging less which was the main reason for switching her as she would go off kibble constantly.

Hoping someone with experience of this can help me through.

[Brad H]

Good product / deceiving business practices.
The prices for their products, ON YOUR FIRST order, are reasonable. I bought 6 bags for $160. Fed my dogs with this stuff and they liked it. I even saw improvement in their energy and hair shine. Problem is that when you go to re-order the prices are very different. Now, for repeat customers the price for the same 6 bags is $360. I emailed to inquire why and was told that the first order is “special introductory offer” only. Don’t bother with this shell game company because you’ll just have to go through transitioning your dogs onto some other food from reputable providers.

[D]

To me, it sounds like the raw food diet was a total disaster for your dogs and I don’t blame you for not wanting to going back. However, my results have been the complete opposite. Anal glands did not need to be expressed, no more need for allergy medication for the itching and no more topical sprays for his hot spots after transitioning to raw food.

Some breeds may have a better time handling the diet than others.

Anyway, I think we can both agree we won’t be changing either of our minds. Our journey’s just happened to take us on a different path.

[joanne l]

Thanks Anon I will stay with slow transition for awhile to see if he adjusts. I guess I get worried too much. He likes the food at least. The last food he ate was fine but then bags were getting inconsistent in color and size, and he started having loose stools,so I called the vet and he said change the die. He said first give him beef and rice until he gets a firms stool so I did and he did get a firm stool, than I started transitioning this pro plan food now I guess I will wait like you said to see if he adjusts. Hopefully he will.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 5 months ago by joanne l.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 5 months ago by joanne l.

[joanne l]

Guys I really need help. Vonn cannot have chicken, so the holistic select was not working for him anymore, so I bought Purina lamb and rice and I am slowly transition with my homemade diet. He has been having good stools with beef and rice that I am making. Now with the little bit of Purina we are now having soft poop. Does this mean he has to adjust to it or is it not working? He is only been transitioning to this for 3 days what should I do?? I made a call to the vet and waiting for him to call back.

[Christie B]

My 2 dogs: 4 year old 45 pound Catahoula Leopard Dog Mix (no food issues), 10 year old 120 pound American Bulldog mix (sensitivities to chicken, possibly lamb)

After feeding both dogs for years on various grain free food and dealing with gastrointestinal issues with one of the dogs, I took my vets advice and tried Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach. I’m actually surprised that my dogs stools are smaller and firmer and my one dog hasn’t had any stomach related incidents (there was one like the 2nd day of transitioning when both dogs literally picked out and only ate the PPP and left their old Merrick food in the bowl, but I chalked it up to a transitioning headache).

I’m the first person who would cringe at just the thought of buying anything Purina related. But I told my vet I would at least try 2 bags of the food to see if my dog’s stomach issues resolved. So far so good, but I’m only halfway through first bag so we’ll see…

My question though is related to what senior dogs require as far as nutrient profiles and supplements. He’s always had a bowed front leg and it doesn’t bother him when he stands or walks. But I know it can become arthritic, especially since he’s a large breed. So he’s been on Dasuquin for a while (both dogs are).

Since the PPP is for Adults and there isn’t a PPP sensitive stomach formula for seniors, is there anything that I should be adding to his diet to meet his senior needs?

[Christie B]

Joanne – right now they eat Merrick Classic Beef Recipe Kibble with Merrick Big Texas Steak Tips Canned as a topper (I split the can between the two of them).

I usually buy the biggest bag and then if there haven’t been any issues, then I buy another and then rotate afterwards.

The previous rotation was Canidae Multi-Protein All Life Stages Kibble. Both dogs hated it…I had to sprinkle a bit of cheese on it just to get them to eat. It was a total waste.

Before that it was Instinct by Nature’s Variety Be Natural Chicken & Brown Rice

The rotation before that was Blue Buffalo Adult Lamb & Brown Rice Formula.

The rotation before that was ProPlan Large Breed Senior Bright Mind (I had my 4 year old dog finishing the bag of Blue Buffalo Lamb). Surprisingly, my big guy wasn’t a fan of the Purina ProPlan formula, so I only used the 1 bag before switching.

I started to keep a record of when his drooling episodes occurred, to see if there was a pattern.
3/2- Purina (chicken) , 3/9 Purina (chicken) , 4/11 (turkey), 5/15 Canidae (multi protein)/Be Natural (Chicken) during transitioning

I may have missed one or two in between, but they only seem to occur 1-2 times per month.

I’m pretty sure he had an episode while on the current Merrick Beef and Green Peas w/ Ancient Grains

I avoid chicken now (which is hard because it seems like so many formulas list chicken as a secondary protein ingredient).

I try to stick to beef or fish since they don’t generally add chicken. I also try to limit potatoes because my vet told me that they can be hard to digest and lead to stomach upset. I’m not quite sold on Merrick using Peas as their 3rd ingredient. I’d prefer it to be lower on the list.

I have a storage container with a lid to help keep the food fresh. I used to dump the food in directly, but I learned that it’s better to keep it in the original bag and put the bag inside the container in case any issues with recalls come up so you can check the bag for the manufacturing info. The only time I noticed ‘bad’ food was a bag of Purina Pro Plan from like 9 years ago when my dog was a pup. I didn’t notice until the container was almost empty, but it was infested with Pantry Moths and larvae/worms. Unsightly but harmless.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 6 months ago by Christie B.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 6 months ago by Christie B.

[Stefanie F]

I feed a grain free Orijen dry dog food for the past 8 years and give table food bites here and there. (My bichon will go nuts for a cherry tomato, cucumber, brussels sprouts, egg, or cooked spinach. )

For breakfast he has 1/4 of a chobani fruit yogurt with a canine pro biotic powder mixed in. (He will not eat the plain)

Everything was fine until last Thanksgiving when he got into the trash and ate his fill of Turkey skin. He develops pancreatitis and for weeks was on meds and boiled hamburger and white rice. Along with IV’s daily to keep him hydrated.
(No more Turkey on holidays at my house.)

After I got him well and back on his regular food (and that took well over a month transitioning back) he started to have 1 good normal poop in the morning and then a second gelatinous poop in the late afternoon. (he was always a 2 poop a day boy)

Told the vet she suggested adding some cheerios to his breakfast. I did and the problem was fixed.

Now my dilemma I just saw all the news and articles about the oat drying process and how they use RoundUp for it so most oat cereals and breakfast products have high amounts GLYPHOSATE in them and we know that causing cancer. The biggest offender on the list with very high amounts of GLYPHOSATE in it is cheerios.

Needless to say my baby will not be getting them any more with his yogurt.

Dose anyone have a suggestion what I can give him as a cheerio alternative that will be safe, and I do not mind cooking it myself as long as I can make it in bulk and freeze.

I take care of 3 elderly parents with a lot of health problems so I have to be able to through in a dish and run a lot of times.

Thank you for reading and any help any one can suggest.

• This topic was modified 6 years, 7 months ago by Stefanie F.

[Ruby H]

Hi everyone, this is my first post here so hope I’m doing this right. I just found out about BEG/grain free foods being linked to dogs developing Dilated Cardiomyopathy. As far as I see the issue is thought to come from legume heavy diets, preventing pets from absorbing taurine? Please correct me if I’m wrong, I’ve taken in so much information within the past few days.

Is raw food still ok for dogs to eat since most do not contain legumes? I had previously fed Stella and Chewy’s raw food, then started to incorporate Weruva dry food to cut down on costs, but I now realized that chickpeas are the third ingredient so I’ve been mixing in more raw and transitioning out the Weruva. Also one of my dogs just passed away from what the vet said was pneumonia caused by bronchitis, but they also saw that his heart was enlarged when they did x-rays. I don’t know if this food contributed to that or not but I feel awful that something I fed him could’ve hurt him.

Any suggestions or advice?

[Shannon K]

We are in the process of transitioning our dog from Royal Canin to Acana dog food. At first all seemed to be going well. One day last week my dog threw up almost every hour from 330am – 2pm. I brought him to the vet because we were worried he had an obstructions. Turns out he didn’t. He got a shot for anti nausea and some antibiotics. The next day I only fed him boiled chicken and white rice. With 12 hours you could tell he was feeling much better. By that afternoon we put him back on his dog food. He was fine for a day but then this morning was sick 3 times after his breakfast. I’m worried now it’s his food. Has anyone else experienced this? I was told Acana is high protein high quality food. Should I be making another transition to another food? All suggestions are welcomed. Thank you.

[DanniB]

I don’t want to make a sudden diet change. I want to do a normal transition. We live in a small town, and we don’t have the store that sells the food they were feeding him. We bought a small bag when we picked him up, but I don’t think it will last until May 3rd, so we need to start transitioning him to something, or we are going to end up having to change him suddenly when his food runs out!

He eats really well, I’m curious what the benefit is to softening his food?

[Anonymous]

I have a four year old, 8 lb Shih Tzu. We just started yesterday feeding fully cooked chicken. I decided we’d cook the meat first and slowly cook it less until it’s raw. I thought it’d be easier for her since we already know she likes cooked meat and she’s had it many times before with little to no problems. Anyways, she had diarrhea this morning that seemed to have a little blood in it. I wasn’t really concerned, but she just had diarrhea again with more blood for the second time today. It’s not much, only a streak or two. A little while ago, maybe a week and a half, I gave her bone broth from Answers and she had the same kind of diarrhea. Same color (orangeish) with a small amount of blood. The next day her stool was normal again and had no blood. She’s acting fine, just like her usual self. Should I be worried? Should I keep feeding the chicken?? I really want to go through with it and get to feeding completely raw, so this is a little disappointing 🙁 Just want the best for my girl!

[joanne l]

This is frustrating, I just put my dog on health extensions dog food, I did a slow transition, for 3 weeks and he is on all new food for 2 weeks, now diarrhea. He didn’t have it when I was transitioning, could it be the food anyway? How long will you know if a food is going to be a fit for a dog. I thought I would be able to tell in a week if his system couldn’t handle it. Could it take longer for symptoms to show up? Like diarrhea? With my other dog if I transitioned him and if the food didn’t agree with him I would know it right away.

[Amir H]

Thanks for the reply.

I do know about the DCM issue and grain-free. That’s why i chose Fromm large breed puppy (it has 4 stars on dogfood advisor). I am worried about switching to a grain-free diet a bit as well but most high quality kibbles are grain free these days (Fromm is really an exception). Here are some other thoughts I had:

1- Orijen is great in terms of ingredients but their last lawsuit is keeping me away from Orijen and Acana. I totally know that the lawsuit could be baseless but I want to be safe.

2- I’m adding Primal nuggets and stella & chewy freeze dried to Fromm kibble as topper every day. So that’s a route I can continue. My dog eats 3 cups of Fromm food and the toppers I put are about 0.4 cups. So, at least I know I’m getting some freeze dried food and some other nutritions to her.

3- I’ve also considered going completely freeze dried (buy Stella & Chewy). It’d be expensive but it still fits my budget. I just don’t want to make the transition while she’s still a puppy. I’ll do that when I’m transitioning her to adult food.

It’s kind of sad that all good quality foods are grain-free these days.

[joanne l]

Tom, I did hear some negative reviews on Earthborn, I don’t mean to discourage you but that is what I heard. Honest Kitchen seems to be good. Do you need grain free? Only b/c the FDA warning was on grain free diets and DCM in dogs. Is your dog doing good on what he is on? I forget to mention I am transitioning my dog to Health Extensions it seems like a good food. Also they do have grain free and it doesn’t have a lot of legumes in it also I don’t think is has peas or potatoes, which is good. Take a look on chewy’s website and read the reviews and the ingredients.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by joanne l.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by joanne l.

[Peggy M]

I have been feeding my pure bred Cavalier King Charles “Natural Balance” Duck and Potato formula for several years at the recommendation of her Vet due to previous food allergies. Ever since, we have been completely successful; no allergies, no antibiotics. I have beed feeding her Natural Balance exclusively for at least the past 6 years. My Cav is now 11 years old and when I recently went in to routinely buy her bag of food, the store owner steered me away from it saying that Natural Balance had been purchased by the Smucker’s Company and “most likely the formula would change because Smuckers is a big company”. So, she talked me into buying “Tuscan Natural-Simply Pure Lamb” Dry Food. Saying it was a simple-ingredient food. I eased and transitioned my dog into the new food. Everything was fine in the beginning. But once my Cav was solely on the the new food…OMG!!! My poor dog couldn’t stop pooping. She would wake up whining and whimpering during the night because she had to poop so bad! I’d take her out in the middle of the night and she would poop super soft poo, the same color as the food! She would poop 2-3 times during the day, as well! This went on for 3-4 days and nights until I decided to go back to her original food; “Natural Balance”. Not sure if this has happened to anyone else, but I would be very careful transitioning over to “Tuscan Natural”. IT DID NOT AGREE WITH MY DOG, AT ALL!!! As soon as I began feeding the her the original food, she immediately was fine. Stools were normal, she slept through the night, and has never had anymore soft stool issues! Just thought I’d let you all know.

[Christie B]

I’ve been on a crazy food journey with my dog. When I first adopted him 9 years ago, the kill shelter that I got him from tole me that he was full grown (40 pounds). That was far from the truth as he’s currently 120 pounds. My vet suggested Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy for two years, followed by Pro Plan Large Breed Adult. My dog always had issues though with loose stools and itchy skin/biting paws/ear infections. I transitioned him to Blue Buffalo Large Breed Fish kibble and he did really well. Then I read about grain free and how it was so much better, so I came to this site to find the best foods. I read all these comments regarding Blue Buffalo and quickly started to look at their ” 5 star rated grain free” foods.

I’ve tried them all.

I’ve given each of them at least 6 months with proper transitioning. I always had issues. I’d go to the vet, he’d tell me to go off of the grain free and go back to Purina. But I can read the bag myself and it doesn’t look healthy at all. Blood results were normal. I’ve tried different proteins (chicken seemed to cause more issues). TOTW, Nutro, Instinct, Merrick, Solid Gold, Fromms, the list goes long.

I can’t even say that it has anything to do with grain free. Only, he’s been off it for a few months now and he’s eating right, has firm stools, and no skin issues. I’m at a loss. I explicitly chose foods from the 5 star list and now his food is rated 3.5 stars and he’s doing well, but I feel guilty giving him something perceived as ‘not good’.

@Patti_S – I do like the 96% single protein canned foods. I rotate using them as a topper with some canned salmon.

[Christie B]

Chewing paws could point to an allergy or sensitivity to something in her food. After years of trial and error with sampling foods, I realized that my dog Chance would do well on any food…for a while. But after a while (usually on my 2nd or 3rd bag of the same food), he would start chewing on his feet, shaking his head, licking his legs, drooling excessively. My vet said allergies and told me to give him Benedryl.

I found out that if I switched his food to a different animal protein after 2 bags, or whenever I saw him start to chew his paws, (always transitioning properly) the chewing would stop.

[Jennifer K]

Hoping to keep this thread alive and would like to do a quick check in on limited ingredient alternative recommendations to Acana singles.

Since my last post mid December- Bentley my Coton de Tulear, has been on bland homemade food to combat weekly bouts of vomiting and diarrhea (with blood on several occasions). He has been doing a lot better tolerating this food and am ready to add in a new dry dog food, but still at a loss for which one. I heard Zignature was a quality brand (from their threads here) but it appears to be available at Walmart which tells me otherwise (maybe not a good basis, but still concerns me).

Has anyone has succes on transitioning from Acana to something else?

I

[Lynne P]

thank you soo much for the advice. since we have had her have known her to be allergic to grains through process of elimination in her diet (ear discharge, paw chewing, itching). we knew chicken allergies but as she has become older, is now any meat with a feathered source. we were transitioning her from a cooked fish / potatoe diet for gut and allergies but had weight loss. went to beef (lean ) and rice and got her weight up but trying to find a long term food solution. tried nutro lamb wet, got gas and the vet yesterday. tried avoderm but had the Turkey here and set off her allergies. vet recommended beef or venison. so beef and rice with regulon until we can sort this. you all have given good suggestions so will do some reading, thank you again.

[mah4angel]

I spent a lot of time on these forums when I first got my dog Louie. Everyone was so immensely helpful in transitioning him from the Predigree puppy food his former family was feeding him (at the age of three, no less), and then on to a raw diet and then into a homemade raw diet. Louie and my cat Bocce were both killed when my house burned down in July. He was 8 and she was 1 year old. I hadn’t been to the forums in a while but I went to look up dog foods that I thought to transition him to on the regular site often. Louie was still in spectacular health when he passed away, thanks to everyone here and good genes, probably. It’s been very difficult but I’ve just adopted a new pup named Bolo (he was already named that, but I kept it when I realized it was made up of the first two letters of Bocce and Louie’s names). Rest In Peace and happiness, Louie and Bocce. Miss your furry little faces more and more each passing day <3

[Bobby dog]

Hi joanne l:
I disagree that a company adding taurine to their OTC diets is a good thing. Two that come to mind are Fromm and Zignature. Why do they need to add taurine to their diets? Neither employ full time credentialed small animal nutritionists for the vast amount of recipes they produce. What research have they conducted on their diets? How are they determining how much taurine is needed? Are they adding too much, too little? Are they currently testing their diets to determine if adding taurine is beneficial? Last time I contacted these companies the answer was no.

I used to feed Fromm because they checked most of the WSAVA guidelines. As more DCM cases were reported I decided it’s not worth the risk. They have been in business a long time, but apparently when their nutritionist retired years ago they opted not to replace him.

One dog diagnosed with dietary DCM is too many IMO. Until this is figured out I am feeding only pet foods that employ full time Vets & PhD’s credentialed in small animal nutrition (not human or large animal), own their manufacturing facilities, have safety protocols in place, and contribute to research among other things.

I feed mostly Purina and have had them in my rotation for about five years so it wasn’t a matter of transitioning to a new food for me, just eliminating suspect companies. I will be trying a few RC & Eukanuba recipes in the future. Good luck on your search! 😉

[Spy Car]

Nah, SkeptVet is a polemicist who engages in argumentation by misleading his reader through the use of half-truths, trying to use a lack-of-evidence as it is itself “evidence,” and he belittles anyone who has an opposing viewpoint as unscientific thinkers and food-faddists in contravention of the truth.

The article on Coconut Oil is classic “SkeptVet.”

He begins from sentence one saying “Healthcare and nutrition fads are an unfortunate fact of life,” as his way of denigrating everyone interested in providing better nutrition for their domestic animals that the stuff that comes in bags from the commercial producers (who products are always backed by SkeptVet). Not a good start for someone who has pretenses of “objectivity.”

And it only gets worse from there in the first paragraph as he standers everyone who seeks better animal nutrition as being prone to media manipulation and adherence to “quick-well-quick schemes and medical bogeymen.” This is an offensive attitude that borders on slander. By inference, he suggests that commercially processed dog foods have “yielded true revolutionary improvements in health,” without substantiation and against the evidence of obesity, dental disease, and food-induced lethargy in kibble fed dogs that is impossible to escape.

He then tries to link human “fads” to an irrational extension to pets. More insulting polemics, devoid of facts or evidence thus far. Just inflammatory language and insults.

Then he states a proposition that I agree with in the main (but one that he later goes on to contradict himself), which is :

“Often, even when there is some real scientific evidence for the benefits or risks of some healthcare practice in people, there is little or no evidence to support claims about these practices applied to our pets. Extrapolation from people to pets is inevitable, but it is also very risky.”

Dogs are not people. They have different nutritional needs.

Then Skept Vet goes directly to attacking the use of coconut oil in humans as a fad. Why? He just told his readers that extrapolation from people to pets is very risky, so why is he doing it? Clearly as yet another way to throw shade at others. It is wrong, condescending, and unscientific. Zero evidence presented thus far.

He then goes onto talk about coconut oil, putting the non-hydrogenated oil in scare-quotes as “virgin” oil. WTF?

He then goes on to recognize that (in humans) that not all forms of saturated fats are unhealthful (as misinformed nutritionists and the medical-science community believed until recently). And that medium-chain triglycerides (as found in coconut oil) may be protective against cardiovascular disease in humans (after warning of the risks of extrapolation earlier). Has he made a point yet, other than making insults? No.

He warns that “only about 15-20% of the fats in coconut oil are true MCT,” without suggesting what levels are ideal from a nutritional science perspective (and remembering that he is discussing human needs at this point, not dogs).

He then goes on to attempt to pejoratively link exuberant health claims for humans with dramatic claims for benefits it pets. More polemics and virtually no science at this juncture (and we are pretty deep in). Just the ongoing tactic of painting those considering coconut oil as a supplement as being in league with food-faddists and medical bogeymen.

Pretty weak.

When he asks: Does it work?, he starts off–yet again–with humans (despite his warning not to extrapolate at the top of the article). What gives?

He seems pained beyond reason to admit that “studies looking at MCTs in the diet show some potential benefits [in humans].” Since that doesn’t fit his agenda, he then quotes a research summary that starts: “Coconut oil is not a cure-all. Well, no kidding! Skept Vet’s tactic here, which is his standard MO, is to attempt to link dietary items that may be beneficial with extremism. That’s not science, but dishonest debate tactics.

Buried in the quoted summary is that “It is possible to include coconut oil in a healthful [human] diet.”

To remind ourselves, SkeptVet has to date spoken mostly about human nutrition, despite his anti-extrapolation warnings, and he begrudgingly has to admit possible benefits.

He then admits there are very few dog food studies and he is not faithful in how he represents the ones that have been done. For example, he makes a claim that dogs fed “coconut oil lost less weight and had more body fat than dogs on diets with other sources of fat.” What he leaves out of the summary is that the dogs in the study found the food with more coconut in the mix (relative to vegetable oils) much more palatable than the dogs with foods high in vegetable oil, and these dogs were allowed to eat their fill. Not honest science here. No mention by Skept Vet that the study lacked portion control. Big suprise that dogs given unlimited access to food ate more of the delicious food. Good grief.

He mentions, and casts skepticism and insults, on research that shows coconut oil shampoo might be beneficial in treating mange. A topic that is not germane to a discussion of animal nutrition on any level, but seemingly another opportunity for Skept Vet to insult a “research group with a strong bias in favor of such “natural” treatments. This guy clearly has an ax to grind.

Not much science at this point. But a great deal of shade.

Then he gets to his classic line: “There is no clinical research of any kind showing a significant benefit from dietary or topical coconut oil in the prevention or treatment of any significant health problem.” By saying this he means to give readers the impression that there has been voluminous research which has demonstrated a lack of benefit. But that isn’t the case.

All that can be said truthfully is that there have been very few studies of coconut oils and there risks and benefits in dogs. Instead of making the lack of evidence ((one way or another) Skept Vet tires to make the reader believe a lack-of-evidence is itself evidence. This isn’t true and it is the way dishonest people with agenda present information to readers. Skept Vet uses these same tactics constantly.

He asks “is it safe?” Then talks about human studies (what about that extrapolation warning doc?) that show “no significant short-term risks [for humans].” Long-term safety and effect on obesity, CVD undetermined.

Then he turns to anecdotal reports of gastrointestinal symptoms in dogs fed too much coconut oil. One needs to remember that Skept Vet howls when those he brands food-faddists bring up anecdotal reports, but it doesn’t stop him.

The fact that adding additional fats to dogs rations (which is generally a very great positive when fat levels are low) needs to be done slowly, as there are many physiological changes that occur as dogs transition into fat-metabolism (the process they were shaped by evolution to thrive on, and one that is undermined by cereal-based kibble diets). Sudden changes are not good, even if one is improving the rations.

Again, Skept Vet delivers another of his classic lines: “There is no controlled research evidence investigating the safety of coconut oil in dogs and cats.”

Thus far Skept Vet has established nothing.

He concludes that “coconut oil might have health benefits in humans, but there is no conclusive research to support this” (which is semi-irrelevant given dogs are not humans). He then suggests that any benefits to dogs are anecdotal (due to a lack of studies) when the only evidence he gave of potential harms was purely anecdotal (which he fails to recognize).

So after a long and insult-filled article, what do we get? Not much.

Almost zero science to support either harm or benefits to dogs. The only anecdotal risks are easily avoided by transitioning to fat supplement slowly and keeping amounts in moderation.

Typical Skept Vet.

Bill

[JENNIFER O]

I am currently transitioning all of my dogs to grain inclusive foods. I plan to rotate purina pro plans and royal canin. Fromm had too many suspect ingredients.

[crazy4cats]

The FDA cannot recommend a diet switch at this time for a couple of reasons: 1.) They have not examined or know your dog. 2.) Also, there has not been a specific causation yet only a very strong correlation. They are not sure yet if it is due to ingredient interactions or some sort of contamination in the ingredients.

It is too bad the word seems to be getting out slowly. This new grain free fad is sacrificing nutritional value for better “looking” ingredients. Many of us are falling for it, including myself. I’m sticking to the bigger established companies that do research and feeding trials from now on. I do not want my dogs in a sense to be the ones doing the feeding trials.

Here is a current interview with Dr. Martine Hartogensis, the Deputy Director at the US Food & Drug Associations Center for Veterinary Medicine’s Office of Surveillance & Compliance. She says there have now been about 200 dogs diagnosed with DCM do to the food they are eating. I can imagine there will only be more as the word gets out.

FDA on Grain Free Diet Alert

I’m certainly not taking the risk. If they find in the end there is no causation after all, there is no harm done. Just a diet switch. But, if they turn out to be right, your dog could have a “broken” heart.

If concerned about transitioning to a new food, a very helpful vet has recommended feeding a prescription diet to aid in the transition to a new diet. The type of fiber between a food with legumes and potatoes is different than one without and sometimes can be rough. Hope this is helpful!

[anonymous]

Quote: “I’m confused about which food to give him- everyone says something different (vet, breeder, websites, friends). Any help out there for my cute lil pup? All advice welcome!!”

I would go exactly by what the veterinarian that has examined your pup advises.
At least till he is stable, then you can think about transitioning him to something else, very slowly.
That goes for treatment/meds too.
Give your vet a call if you have questions, leave a message for him to call you back when he has a minute. They don’t charge for that, I hope :-/

[CockalierMom]

The full name for FOS is fructooligosaccharides which is what AJ identifies it by. Other common ingredients that are prebiotics are inulin (chicory root) and beet pulp. Some dogs with gut issues seem to do better with FOS than inulin or beet pulp and that is why I asked about the other foods you tried.
When you see an ingredient that ends in “fermentation product” it is a probiotic. Whatever proceeds that is the particular strain of bacteria. Some foods might have 1 strain whereas others may have 5 or 6 or more. The different strains of bacteria have separate functions in the gut. Right now Atlas only has the strains of bacteria in his gut to handle what he is eating and when you add the new food that is why his poo gets soft.
I think it would help to supplement with a probiotic that contains prebiotics when you start adding new food, but not while Atlas is just eating the NB. I don’t remember if I mentioned this before or not, but when I was feeding my girls NB, one was getting probiotics everyday along with her food, but when NB discontinued the formula I was feeding, I could not add 4 kibbles of a new food without it giving her diarrhea. I ended up putting her on kefir and some fresh food in addition to the probiotic. My other girl I had to add a prebioitic/probiotic combination in addition to the new kibble with probiotics. Neither one of the girls had trouble transitioning to new foods prior to feeding the NB for several months. This is why I said that I don’t think it has the right components to build a healthy gut.

I’ll go through some ingredient lists and get back with you on the brands. I don’t know that any of the limited ingredients foods are going to be any cheaper, but I do think you need to add another food to help build his gut bacteria.

[anonymous]

Wellness Core appears to have a lot of potato….
Just saying. Potatoes are mentioned just as prominently in the FDA alert as legumes are.

We are transitioning to Fromm Classic Adult from Zignature. One week now, all is well.

We have had no problems with Zignature, just going by what veterinarians are recommending (grain inclusive dog food) till the results of the FDA investigation are in.

[Lisa G]

YES! I started transitioning my dogs & sons dog & a family members dog(his dog was living with us for about 8mos) from RR chicken kibble & they all had issues. I did it slowly as we should but didnt matter. I believe its whatevers in it or what they took out, who knows. My family members dog Ranger got HORRIBLY sick off of it & did a google search myself- its not uncommon for dogs to have this reaction to RR gain free kibble & many dogs just dont tolerate grain free. My opinion based on experiences is unless your pet has an allergy to grains, a grain free diet isnt good for them.My dogs, sons dog, Ranger & even my cat have had reactionary issues with grain free foods.As soon as I realized they were alll getting diarrhea, nausea , some vomitingl, ethargic I took them off it and put them on striclty RR chicken kibble, as they were. Within a 1/2 day to a day they were all getting better.They recovered fairly quickly. It took Ranger a few days to recover(he had it the worse because hes a bigger dog so maybe because he had the most??? I dont recall the ingredients but I will never feed any of my pets grain free, especially RRs. I did write to the company & after a long drawn out exchange of emails they sent me a coupon to replace the bag as we didnt use very much. It wasnt cool how they treated me but in the end they did give me a coupon to replace the bag & my dogs enjoy RR so Ive stuck it out lol

[Evelyn H]

I have 4 dogs: 7 mo old, 6lb Morkie, 3 yr old 5 lb Maltese, 5 year old 10 lb Biewer terrier & 5 yr old 18 lb Havanese/Belgian Mallinois mix. Variety of sizes & ages and all but the Biewer had terrible itching, scratching and eating their feet (literally), plus lots of pink. We spent the last two months transitioning all from Science Diet Adult Fitness Small Bites (or puppy, in one case) to Halo food. Havanese/Belgian Mallinois had worst allergies, so he is now on Halo Vegan & definitely improving. The other 3 have been on Halo Turkey & Duck for 2 months and we are seeing improvement in them, too. The maltie has lost all her pink tinges already. Although expensive, we are overall pleased with the change of food and the dogs certainly love the taste of it! However, their stools have changed dramatically in both size and amount. For instance, the maltie used to have pinky finger sized poo 2-3 times per day. She now has poo as big around as a quarter and 5 inches long, 4-5 times per day. The others have changed accordingly to their size, as well. I’ve never seen so much poop in one day! Is anyone else out there experiencing this? Is this normal? Is it unhealthy? Who has an opinion? My vet has no concerns, as all babies are healthy, but I just wonder what other users think.