[crazy4cats]

Is she interested in any other type of food or treats? If not, a trip to the vet may be in order. I like to switch up foods every now and then. It couldn’t hurt to give it a shot. Just make sure it is appropriate for a large breed puppy. It is usually recommended to keep large breed pups on puppy food until they are about 1-1/2 years old.

[Dewper]

Anon101,

I certainly wasn’t implying he doesn’t get annual checkups. I spend more time at the vet’s with 2 dogs than at the pediatrician’s, so a wild guess, with medications, is I spend about $3-4K on my dogs a year at the vet, not even counting bones, treats, food, etc. Thanks for the assumption though.

Anyway, he is 5 and has been like this for 5 years, so what I meant was (and it was actually about 8 months ago, not a year he had the tests), the tests aren’t going to suddenly pick up something “new” from an old trait he has had for 5 years.

[Roger S]

Puppies take several months to learn their name, and it helps to give them a little extra motivation to pay attention. I used positive reinforcement training techniques like
Mix rewards such as treats, toys and personal affection.
Use a consistent verbal praise command and stick to it.
Find delicious treats and toys that motivate your pup.
which is suggested by professional and the important thing is that you should avoid punishment entirely.

[Joy V]

I nominate Wet-Noses, Inc. (www.wet-noses.com). Treats and dehydrated foods.
Organic, SOURCED in the U.S.A. only, 100% human grade ingredients, wheat free, corn free, soy free, non-GMO, no fillers. Certified by the Washington State Dept. of Agriculture.
Thank you!

[zcRiley]

I wouldn’t worry too much about counting calories. Right now, your dog’s telling you he’s not satisfied after a meal. High quality kibble or whatever your own formula is must have high fiber, vitamins & minerals. The wrong mix will make him beg for more fatty treats. The first five ingredients listed are very imported, good meats. Meals and treats should be at the same time everyday, no extras from other people. Google “beagle weight chart”, follow the images to see where he’s at visually in weight then adjust the amount of food per day vs amount of exercise and satisfaction. You will eventually find the correct amount visually, not by calories. Exercise is a must and playtime with a toy or bully bone keeps his mind off of scrounging.

[Anonymous]

I have a 60-pound Beagle! Yup, 60 pounds. I have him on my own version of a diet, but am confused when thinking calorie-wise. For example, my best friend has a Boxer who she feeds 1500 calories a day. Is that enough? Sounds low to me, but then I’m thinking in human terms. I figured out that I’m feeding my boy 1034 calories per day. He is ALWAYS hungry, begging, searching counters. He gets the following per meal: 4 TBSP canned food (67 cals) added to 1 cup of kibble (325 cals), and he has TWO meals per day. I estimated ten biscuits (@ 25 cals each) because I have many visitors who give him a treat when they see him each day, plus I admit to being sucked in by his begging and those EYES! I’m happy with my dog food choices, but not happy about the cookies. How many calories is okay per day for diet purposes? How many calories per day is okay cookie-wise? Should I change from cookies to, say, liver treats (i.e., “Rollover”) cut up? Any advice will be very welcome, and thank you.

[Susan]

Hi Deb,
I too live Australia & was having no problems with TOTW Lamb formula it actually seem to be the best kibble for Patches IBD when I started feeding Patch about 2 yrs ago until this last bag of TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb 6kg bag I ordered my pet food thru Pet Circle (Pet Circle is excellent & quick for delivery they dont use Australia Post they use Couriers Please) I opened the TOTW Lamb bag 1 month ago & the smell seems different now also the kibbles were really small 1/2 their normal size, I thought OK the smaller kibble will be easier to digest when he doesn’t chew his kibbles & swollows them, Patch eats 4-5 meals day cause of his IBD after he ate his cooked meal or another brand kibble he wasnt eating grass or looking ill & whinging but after eating the TOTW kibble Patch kept eating grass & seem very unwell cause I had just moved I thought he’s a bit depressed & his IBD is playing up from all the stress of moving then one morning he just refused to eat the TOTW, in the whole 5 yrs I’ve owned Patch he has only refused to eat 2 times the first year I rescued him when he became real ill with Colitis & Pancreatitis, he always eats even when unwell, I contacted Pet Circle & they are really good they refunded my $70 & said to give the remaining 5 & 1/2 kg of the TOTW to rescue/pound or a friend then at the end of our conversation the lady said maybe throw the whole bag of TOTW in the bin & she wrote everything down & was sending it off to TOTW Australia.

You are better off feeding Australian made & owned brands like “Meals For Mutts” “Ivory Coat” Ivory Coat is Australian made but has just been sold to a big Chinese company that’s still making the Ivory Coat here in Australia & taking Ivory Coat to America & all over the world, probably cause its Australian made & the Kangaroo & Lamb formula will reall sell dogs love Kangaroo its a very strong rich meat, the Ivory Coat has proper Kangaroo Meal in it the American made Kangaroo formula’s write “Wild Kangaroo” we dont eat our wild Kangaroos they are full of disease & parasites & they add Lentils to up the Protein % & add less kangaroo, the Ivory Coat will be heaps better Kangaroo pet food when does come to America, but I’d say it will be expensive unless the Chinese start cutting corners & change the ingredients & start adding Chickpeas & Lentils to up the protein% & take away some of the Kangaroo Meal & Lamb Meal, we’ll have to see what happens with Ivory Coat …
MfM is a really good kibble also sold oversea to asian countries, “Canidae” is really good, Candiae is American made & they grow their own veggies & source from local farmers like some of our Australian made pets foods do, look at their “Canidae Pure” formula’s & “Canidae All Life Stages” formula are really good & sell out by the end of the month, you can get a 20 kg bag for $99.95 of the Canidae All Life Stages formula from Pet Circle it’s on Special at the moment, here’s the link
https://www.petcircle.com.au/product/canidae-all-life-stages
also look for “Canidae Pure Meadow” Senior formula for your 9yr old dog, it has all the supplements needed for aging dog, the Pure Meadow is excellent, I’ve put a few eldery dogs on it where I use to live & they went from a itchy, dull coat, sick looking, stiff old dogs to dogs that think they’re puppies again, there was very big improvements with these dogs, they were eating cheap Aldi & Supermarket cheap kibbles, My Pet Warehouse sell the “Canidae Pure Meadow” Senior it’s new it came out last year there’s Pure Wild Boar & Pure Resolve weight management formula’s came out aswell….
Look at “Nutro” new grain free formula’s & their Frontier formula’s they are made in Australia they look pretty good theyre on the Pet Circle link above, I quickly had to order a another food when Patch wouldn’t eat the TOTW & the Nutro Essential was 1/2 price $18 so I got a bag it came the next day & Patch loves it & no eating grass & there’s been no following me & whinging. Im buying a bag of “Meals For Mutts” new CN Vital Health Hypoallergenic Holistic Remedy Diet Turkey & Veggies today too try, Patch was feed TOTW & I’d rotate with other brands, TOTW was his go to food if poos went sloppy etc now I need a new go to food if Patch becomes unwell with his IBD.

Canidae & TOTW & a heap of other best selling Amerian pets foods & treats were tested for Contaminates & 130 Toxins last year, Canidae did really well & so did their other brand called “Under The Sun” But TOTW did poorly with a few of their formula’s, their Pacific Stream Smoked Salmon formula & their High Prairie formula were very high in contaminates & toxins, I’m not allow to post their link or mention the company name on this site but if you google “Toxins in pet Foods” you’ll see the site click on it & look at the American pet foods we get over here in Australia, Holistic Select, TOTW, Wellness, Earthborn Holistic they all were very high in toxins they were on the worst top ten dry dog foods back in March 2017 testings & some of these brands formula’s were in the August testings last pages with 1 star for being very high in toxins again….

Go onto the Australian “Pet Food Review” site he reveiws all our dog foods that are sold here in Australia & he post the name of the company that tests Pet Foods & Baby foods in American, I think it’s really good its about time we know what pet foods & which treats are high in Toxins & Contaminates, he also tells us when there’s a problem with certain pet foods & writes in RED warning us when a pet food is BAD like “Baxters” kibble & treats from Woolworths is killing dogs & Woolworths wont remove it from their shelves they have only removed a few formula’s but they left the Senior & Adult Baxter formula, healthy puppies & adult dogs died within 24-48 hours of being feed a new bag of the Baxter dry dog food, he also posts information on his “Dog Food Review” Facebook page…

[haleycookie]

I have met many people that use whole earth farms weight loss food. It is pretty effective. You really don’t need an expensive rx food for weight loss. It’s all about watching calories. One of my coworkers buys the Royal Canin weight loss prescription diet. Guess what, he literally counts the pieces of kibble his dog gets in a day and the dog hasn’t lost a pound in 2 years while on it. For some reason he still feed it. I guess his vet has him convinced it’s doing some good even though it isn’t and he’s paying out the behind for a small bag of it every couple weeks.
Natures variety can be very fatty though. So watch for that. It’s a good commercial raw to go with but I’ve seen it put weight on some dogs. How much does you vet want your dog to weigh? Do you feed any kind of treats? What type of exercise does she get? You may just have to cut back. According to nv website if you’re feeding the patties a 20 lbs dog should only be getting one patty a day. If you’re feeding two and some kibble you’re probably over feeding. If you’re feeding the medallions it would be around 8 medallions a day if you were feeding nothing but that so I’m not sure where you could be going wrong if you feed the madallions b

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

[Chai]

Thank you, I did check all the treats and none have any artificial colors.

[Tyrionthebiscuit]

I like freeze dried treats. They’re very limited in ingredients usually and you can rip them into smaller pieces. I also love the Plato brand of jerky’s but without knowing the trigger it’s hard to pinpoint the problem ingredient. I don’t remember the brand but my store sells stuff called Chicken Bark and Beef Bark (even a Roo and Shark Bark!) that’s one or two ingredients and made in Texas. They’re crunchy

[Chai]

I just bought Zignature lamb formula. Changing from Natures Recipe. He’s a 7 mo. old Bichon and the staining is getting really bad. I’m hoping the Zignature will help. So what about treats. What treats are good? Any????
Julie & Sammy

[pitlove]

Hi Misti-

If you are truly concerned that your dog might have a food allergy, the first place to start is with an elimination trial. This will be the best way to spend your money.

You will need to discuss this with your vet, but what you would do is get a prescription from her/him for a hydrolyzed protein theraputic diet. She can eat that food and only that food for usually about 3 months. No treats, no flavored meds, no table scraps, nothing.

These foods are extremely different from over the counter limited ingredient foods on several levels. One, the companies sterilize the machines that are processing the food before they run the hydrolyzed protein diet each and every time. This makes certain that the food is not being contaminated with other proteins. Secondly the hydrolyzation of the proteins makes it so that the immune system can not react to the food at all. This is not the same for OTC limited ingredient foods.

This is going to be the best route to take instead of purchasing LID foods from a pet store.

[anonymous]

For the little bit I need (for myself, not the dogs), I try to use this company, I use their krill oil, and another item or two. https://www.endur.com/

I believe they have some dog supplements also. Example https://www.endur.com/collections/all/products/nutri-treats-for-dogs

[Fanette R]

Yes I totally agree, loose stools/diarrhea indicate that the current diet does not agree my dog. Since I rescued Furby (almost 8 years now) he has been on dry food, and from time to time, more as treats, wet food. Because we had some struggles those past few months because of his IBD, my vet told me to keep him in that wet food for now as he seemed to do well will it. But it worked when I mixed it with dry food, not by itself. So yeah I need to go back to dry food.
Yes IBD is a lot about tests and errors, everyone needs to be aware of that.
But you’re right, I should feed him a bland diet for a few days and let my them know of course.

To go back into this prescription/no prescription diet, I’ve spent hours and hours, days and days, researching informations about IBD (and I mean researches official informations and vet studies). And in all the studies I wrote about IBD, the vets were saying that there were two options with IBD : “hydrolyzed food” (that you can find in some prescription diet) and “novel protein diet, with usually potato or even better sweet potato”, and they mention that you can find very good novel protein diet through commercial brands. None of them have said that a dog needs to go on a prescription diet. I read this very interesting studied about IBD in dogs by a very good vet from the University of California, who study IBD, that said the exact same thing.

Furby has had a sensitive stomach since I got him. I never put him on a prescription diet because most hypoallergenic formula had rice on them, or chicken and furby doesn’t do well with those two. So he was better with a very good hypoallergenic commercial brand.

All I’m saying that for me there is no “prescription diet is better” or “commercial brands are better”. It depends on the dog, that is all.

• This reply was modified 8 years ago by Fanette R.

[Atlas T]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to jump back in to update folks. Great news from my end – Atlas’ tummy has been doing well over the last 1-2 months. He is still on the Natural Balance LID Fish and Sweet Potato. The pooping frequency has gone down from 7-8 times/day to just 3-4, and they are much smaller in size, which makes me think he’s absorbing more of his food. They are also typically uniform and a good consistency. I haven’t intentionally given him other treats, but since I work downtown, he is constantly picking up leftover food on the streets and/or folks (like UPS delivery men) are giving him treats before I can stop them. And believe it or not, even with new and different foods, his stool has stayed great. If things continue like this, I may try incorporating other types of treats and/or food in a few months. Thanks to everyone for your help!

[Samantha W]

Hello,
I use Solid Gold Berry Balance. It is available in a powder or soft chew. I also recommend Canine Caviar which is Alkaline balanced. They have kibble and canned food and treats. Both Solid Gold and Canine Caviar are available on Chewy.com or from independent pet retailers. I see a holistic vet and she recommended the berry supplement.

• This reply was modified 8 years ago by Samantha W.
• This reply was modified 8 years ago by Samantha W.

[Susan]

Hi Deborah M,
I really understand how you’re feeling & I know what you’re going thru, I took on this dog & I was just his foster carer, I had to take him to vet get him desexed vaccinated meds for all his sores that were around his neck & legs from being tied up then he has his photo put on the Rescue site & adopted out, his name was Patch & he just turned 4yr old in very bad condition, I’ve never seen a rescue dog this bad before I think he wasnt Put To Sleep cause he became the pound favorite, there’s always a few pound favorites, the people who work or volunteer at the pound do everything to get them a home or into rescue before their kill day so they called me (cause they know I love Staffys) to fix him all up & adopt him out but as the days went by he was weeing blood, so off to see the rescue vet, she said looks like he was being used for breeding, so he gets put on vet diet for 6 weeks to dissolve his crystals then he is diagnosed with IBD & Helicobacter-Pylori, Skin Allergies & Food Sensitivities, In the end I adopted him myself, I felt all the people that came out to meet & greet him weren’t listening to me when I said “but he’s sick, he has a few health problems” they’d all say, “Oh he seems fine he’s really happy, he doesnt look sick”, I couldnt handle not knowing whoever adopts him would they continue with his meds etc or would they just give up on him like his old owners did & surrender him back to a pound & he’ll continue to suffer, he just turned 9yrs old last week & it’s been a very hard 5 yrs & the money I’ve spent trying to fix Patch, I even stopped doing rescue for a few years when he was real bad & sick, I couldn’t leave him at home while I was out helping other dogs all day & worrying about him, he does not do well on ANY vet diets they give him bad acid reflux, make his skin itch & smell yeasty cause he has food sensitivities to some grains, gluten corm/maize & beet pulp, he can NOT have any Beet Pulp he gets bad acid reflux, all these things that are suppose to fix & help his stomach & bowel make Patch worse, then finally I started looking for other diets beside these vet diets & FINALLY after trying a few kibbles, I found “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb dry kibble, people in the IBD & EPI face book groups were saying how well their dogs were doing on TOTW Sierra Mountain or TOTW Pacific Stream both are lower in fiber & TOTW uses Purified water, the Sierra Mountain formula just has 1 single meat protein Lamb, has Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes, that firm his poo’s up & his acid reflux stopped & his skin all cleared up, cause he wasn’t eating a diet that had ingredients he was sensitive too but he still get his seasonal environment allergies in Spring/Summer so I have to bathed him weekly in Spring/Summer in “Malaseb” medicated shampoo to wash off any allergens on his paws & skin, the Malaseb shampoo realives & stops his itchy skin…. I’ve never found a kibble that helped most of his health problems all at once, a few years ago I started rotating his kibbles between a few different brands kibbles he does well on, I was feeding the Lamb TOTW thru the winter months then a Salmon fish kibble thru the Spring/Summer months but then I seen 2 studies a company thet test dog foods for 130 metals toxins & contaminates alot of these fish kibbles were very high in toxins, so now I prefer to add a tin salmon to his diet instead, for breakfast he gets his TOTW, lunch time he either gets a small cooked meal with 1 spoon salmon or 1/3 cup of “Canidae Pure Meadow”or an Australian salmon kibble, then dinner time he gets his TOTW Lamb again then he gets another small meal 1/3 a cup 8pm so he doesnt wake up early hours of the morning with acid reflux, whenever I try something new if it says add 1 teaspoon then I only add 1/8th a teaspoon & slowley introduce to his diet, I’ve learnt I ned to slowly add any new supplements or kibbles to his diet or I’m up 12am, 3am 5am & poor Patch has diarrhea….

I found Homeopathy, natural healthy foods works the best for Patch & other sick rescue dogs I’ve helped over the years, you’ll be surprised how feeding a simple bland lean cooked meal like turkey, tin Salmon or chicken breast, lean beef, I feed lean pork mince or lean beef mince I make rissoles with boiled Sweet Potato or boiled potato can make a big difference & is heaps better then these dry kibbles, then I slowly start adding 1 teaspoon of tin Salmon in spring water to the cooked meal, just feed 1 small cooked meal & still feed his normal limited ingredient dry kibble for his other meals or if he’s eating a cooked meal already start buying tin Salmon in spring water then drain water put in air tight container & add teaspoon of salmon to the cooked meals, I also buy “K-9 Natural green lipped mussels freeze dried & Patch started with just 1 mussel as a treat around 11am daily now he gets 2 mussels as a treat daily, Mussels are very healthy & help balance their diet,
here’s a link on Mussels https://drsarahbrewer.com/supplements/green-lipped-mussels-health-benefits
are you following “Rodney Habib”on his face book page, he has really good info also follow “Judy Morgan DVM” https://www.facebook.com/JudyMorganDVM/ click on her Video link look for her “Pancreatitis Diet” & her “IBD IBS Diet” video’s, you can leave out the ingredients you dont want to feed & what I did was just start with 1 lean meat protein mince grounded meat & 1 carb then after I saw Patch was OK I started to add 1 new ingredient egg, then another new ingredient broccoli etc, I make 1/2 cup size rissole balls & bake in oven & boil sweet potatos & freeze in sections & take out the day before, Judy has a 16 yr old dog called Scout, he has a few health problems, she cooks for him & her other sick elderly dogs, Judy shows you how to balance the diet with healthy ingredients, I don’t bother balancing every single meal, I just make sure he’s getting his Omega 3 fatty acids for his skin & stomach, the Dinovite would be very high in Omega’s for the dogs skin my Patch can’t take fish oil or fish oil in kibbles he gets bad acid reflux, so I supplement his omega fatty acids thru foods instead, I add salmon, freeze dried mussels, roasted Almonds a treats I bite & eat 1/2 a almond & Patch gets the other 1/2 of the almond just start off slowly just give 1/2 a almond for 1 week see how he goes, they need 3 almonds a day, read the link I posted above, the health benefits from freeze dried mussels for skin, stomach, joints, brain etc

Have you tried “4Health” Special Care, Sensitive Skin, it has Hydrolyzed Salmon or
“4Health” Special Care, Sensitive Stomach it has just Potato & Egg as only ingredients 4health is sold at Tractor Supply shops only, it’s worth trying a small bag & ask is it money back guaranted if my dog wont eat it?? I always just say Patch wont eat a kibble when he gets his diarrhea & I need to take back the kibble its easier….
You know your dog best so do what you feel will works best for your boy… Good Luck

[GSDsForever]

Oops! I sooooo did not catch in my skim read through the thread that “anon101” explicitly recommended “Fat Dogs.” My apologies. Therefore, let me SECOND the recommendation — with good multi-vet support and client results to back it.

Honestly, with people using it for their dogs, I’ve/they’ve not encountered any side effects from this food in those pets like diarrhea/bowel problems. Just excellent, speedy weight loss and full, satisfied dogs.

I’d give it a shot if what you’ve tried thus far hasn’t netted results.

(Hate that title, btw, but I guess it quickly gets the point across! lol. But imagine the uproar if a food for human children was marketed by that name!!!)

p.s. Susan also mentioned green beans. I was surprised to find, after vet recommendation, that my dog just loves them, raw (crispy, crunchy) even, esp. when I buy the bags of thin fresh ones from farmer’s market/produce grocery.

Another idea for you, re the foraging (which, like you, I would let her do): sprinkle some green beans around your grounds maybe?

Subtract an estimated calorie count from treats/foraging outside from her total calories allowed per day when determining cups of food. That will help a lot.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 1 month ago by GSDsForever.

[Christine W]

I wondered if anyone had tried the new Wellness freeze dried treats? they are lower in calories ,not one other ingredient,just turkey,Thank you!

[GSDsForever]

I feed Zignature and agree w/both anon & haley, see the same recommended range amount for a 30 lb dog on my bag.

I would also encourage you to feed for ideal body condition scoring (and, if still a puppy, slow, controlled growth) in your individual dog, considering all the calories you provide (treats, supplements included). If you are not practiced in evaluating this (9 pt or 5 pt scale), ask your vet to assess/score your dog.

Don’t just go by food manufacturer general recommendations on a bag.

[GSDsForever]

“Vet says he’s too young for allergy.”

I have had multiple dogs with allergies, food and otherwise, been advised by specialists and excellent experienced general practice vets, as well as done my own judicious research and I have NEVER heard that from any source. I would question that.

While my current dog has had the most challenging to figure out and overcome allergies I have personally encountered, she is now doing exceptionally well. We (my vet & I) have used a multi-pronged approach for this dog that has both food and environmental allergies.

I agree w/anon — see a different vet, get a second opinion and get an accurate diagnosis based on good, solid veterinary knowledge and experience, a specialist as needed. Ask for a referral to the specialist if necessary. A good generalist vet should be happy to refer.

Pitlove also makes a good point. Fleas aren’t a big challenge where I live, but I do know that flea bite allergies (even from a single flea when you don’t see fleas, flea dirt) are a major cause of allergies/itching for many dogs.

This is the protocol for my dog, some or all of which may be helpful to your dog if you haven’t tried something (or the combined approach):

1)DIET
Novel Protein (10-12 weeks to see results) Limited Ingredient Diet — homemade or from a company with very strict allergen/cross-contamination AND NOT ONE DEMONSTRATED IN VET JOURNALS TO BE CROSS-CONTAMINATED ALREADY (Royal Canin, Natural Balance, Nature’s Variety/Instinct, et. al.)

— and ABSOLUTELY NO treats, supplements, “real”/”people” food, medicines (i.e. heartworm preventatives), or even chew/dental toys (i.e. Nylabone) that contain the established top food ingredient allergens for dogs (beef, chicken, fish, eggs, dairy, wheat, soy, corn). I treat w/her actual food or low allergen potential real food (i.e. blueberries, green beans, watermelon)

***Because I feed kangaroo — having needed a more unusual, rare protein source — I feed Zignature Kangaroo LID (GF) dry & canned food.

I also supplement, per vet prescription, Omega 3 EPA & DHA at a high, therapeutic/condition treating dose daily for anti-inflammatory effects, plus skin, coat, brain benefits — and I use Grizzly’s Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil in pump bottle.

2)ENVIRONMENT:

a)Frequent thorough bathing w/very hypoallergenic and gentle shampoo & skin soothing, skin repairing/barrier protective, etc. ingredients

b)frequent washing of dog’s bedding, etc. in hypoallergenic laundry detergent

c)frequent vaccuuming (pollen, dust/particulates, etc.)

d)hypoallergenic wet wipes wipe down of whole dog, especially paws (or dunking/rinsing paws off), after all walks & trips outside (pollen, dust/particulates, etc.)

Finally — consider & don’t overlook your own personal care/cleaning products that may cause allergic responses in your dog.

3)Cytopoint (aka CADI) injections, every 4-8 weeks as needed, seasonally or otherwise

I researched, considered, and rejected two other rx allergy/itch meds, Apoquel and Atopica.

I also researched and considered trials of 4 (recommended #) OTC antihistamines (e.g. benadryl, zyrtec/cetirizine).

I tried the above all in that order, before adding the next step.

We also tried once, but didn’t receive good relief and diagnostic results from a steroid injection — to see if she had seasonal environmental only allergies vs. food/combination.

[Lanette R]

Started our 10 year old, 80 pound collie on Galliprant about a month ago. He needs the 100mg but it is backordered so he is taking 1 1/2 60 mg daily. I have seen improvement since we started it. He had been struggling getting up on his back legs and definitely had stiffness and issues with his hips. He also stopped jumping up on the bed to sleep and was slower jumping into and out of the car. The last session at the groomer had him really struggling to walk as standing on the grooming table for a long time really took its toll on his hips. X-rays not really showing heavy arthritis but the vet felt it was arthritis and old age stiffness causing the problem. He has been on Triple Max joint treats for years (glucosamine and chondrotin). Before trying Galliprant we had him on Rimadyl but it caused issues with his kidney levels. I tried other things before trying the Galliprant, including Duralactin, chews with Tumeric, and Green Lipped mussel, but none seemed to help. After a few days on Galliprant I saw significant improvement and he is more fiesty on walks and seems to feel better. Going in tomorrow for the one month check of his kidney levels to ensure no change but I am cautiously optomistic this will work for now.

[organic n]

Hi all, I’ve been researching a lot about what to do with my dog with kidney problems. He had acute kidney failure 2 years ago, and has since been doing well but often has episodes where he is not hungry and throws up. Usually clears itself up within the day, however. He also gets pancreatic problems when exposed to things high in fat (learned that the hard way).

I don’t have his bloodwork levels with me (I was actually going to see if i could get a copy from his vet in the next few days for my own records) but I do remember his BUN being higher than normal but the vet never said anything about it in terms of lowering it, but I feel like my vet doesn’t really see it as a problem despite him having high values.

Anyway, he is a few months shy of being 16 years old, and he is a 6-7lbs dog. We stopped feeding him dry kibble for many many reasons (around a year ago), and now we make his food at home. I don’t do raw meat (I don’t feel like trying out the raw meat thing at his age and conditions is worth it), his meals consist of:

Lean ground turkey cooked with white rice, carrots, peas, and green beans. I use a vitamin supplement (Only Natural Pet® Senior Ultimate Daily Vitamin Powder). After reading however, I will make some changes to his food by swapping out the peas (heard they are high in phosphorous) for some other veggies. And maybe switching out the turkey for ground beef 10% fat. He does get treats too – and if he is willing fruit as well particularly apples.

Also, I would like to start my dog on some more supplements – particularly green food supplements (have heard kelp is high in sodium though and the ones i’ve looked at contain many types of kelp..hmm), switching out the vitamin powder to VetriScience Renal Essentials Kidney Health Support Dog, adding salmon oil, and adding pre/probiotics to my dog’s diet.

Is the salmon oil necessary if I use the VetriScience kidney support tabs?

Can someone who is knowledgeable with kidney disease in dogs advise on the supplements I would like to add to my dog’s diet? I know the best thing is to consult my vet, but perhaps someone on here who has gone something similar can advise.

[Robin B]

Toto is happy with the Hill’s S/D canned food. I dice it (its kind of rubbery out of the Can) and add water because he doesn’t drink much. I made a few treats from a thin slice cubed & baked low in the toaster oven. Low. ( smoke detector went off) He gobbles these too although they lack the moisture content so extra hydration is a must.
A retired vet friend discouraged me from using bone broth due to the added calcium intake. Bad for stones. So I have lots of broth for my own future consumption.
Now the pooch is constipated. Post-anaesthetic? 3 days buprenorphine? Any ideas that don’t work against Hill’s S/D objectives?

[Bailey S]

So I rescued a new dog a few days ago. He’s five years old and an alaskan malamute/german shepard mix. The people at the shelter didn’t know much about his life prior, but he did have issues with his lungs so he’s on doxy100 (a type of antibiotic i think).

In short he isn’t eating very well if at all. I can kinda coax him into eating out of my hand then setting it on the floor. But he has a tendency to run off with his food and eat it out of site. He will not eat out of a bowl at all, even with treats. I don’t know if its an issue because of his medication or choice of food. I tried soft food and a mixture but he puked that up pretty quickly so its a no go on that. Anyone have any advice? I just want the poor boy to feel comfortable and able to eat.

[Susan]

Hi Lyndsay,
have a look at “K-9 Natural Freeze Dried, Green Lipped Mussels, they are healthy crunchy & easy to digest but no more then 2-3 mussels a day so not really great if you want to use as training treats, sometimes a small bag of a dry kibbles is best that’s potato free if you want to do training there’s “Canidae” All Life Stages Bakery snacks, they’re a crunchy biscuit that you can break in 1/2 if needed, I was buying Canidae Grain Free Bison & Butter Squash snacks but these biscuits have potatoes but Canidae’s All Life Stages biscuits are Potato free,
here’s the link, click on https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products then scroll down a little bit looking to your right & you’ll see “View All” click on page 11 & you’ll see the ALS Turkey Quinoa, Butternut Squash snack biscuits 32.9 Kcals per biscuit & the ALS Wild Boar & Kale Snacks, 25 Kcals per biscuit, you can see picture of the size of biscuit…

There’s some real easy to make dog biscuits online you can also eat them & they are healthy, that’s why I like the Green lipped Mussels they’re very healthy, if you go onto “Rodney Habib” face Book page or his “Planet Paws” f/b page look for his video’s & he has some really easy to make healthy treats you can make & then put in freezer, I’ve just found his Video’s they’re on Rodney’s Planet Paws f/b page. here’s the link, https://www.facebook.com/pg/PlanetPaws.ca/videos/?ref=page_internal
scroll down a bit look for second row they’re called “Brain Booster treats” next to them is “DIY Meat Berry Pupsicals” then there’s “Honey, Ginger & Chicken Treats” you can change a few ingredients around if your boy can’t eat those ingredients….
When you make your own treats yourself you know what’s in them also if you have kids/grandkids it’s a fun thing to do & you can also eat some of them as it’s all human grade ingredients.. there’s even a video “How to make your own pet tooth paste”..

[Susan]

Hi Ginger.
here’s the Honestly Bare link https://www.honestlybare.com/about-us/
I looked at the Honestly Bare, Slow cooked tenders formula’s, here’s the Chicken, Peas Carrots formula ingredients, {Chicken, dried peas, dried carrots, “beef glycerin”, salt, “natural hickory smoke flavor”, potassium chloride, preserved with mixed-tocopherols, choline chloride}, also the Chicken Apple & Sweet Potato formula also has the “Beef Glycerine” & the “natural hickory smoke flavor” powder, these are not good or natural ingredients…”hickory smoke flavor” is a powder type flavoring to make the food more appealing & the Glycerin is a binder & a sweetener…
Some dog treats also use the Glycerine, I avoid those treats, your dog probably likes & eats this cause of the salty hickory flavoring…
The Honestly Bare slow cooked tenders formula’s are not freeze dried, it’s made to appear like the natural freeze dried formula’s, the Honestly Bare “Wholesome Topper” formula’s are freezed dried, you’re better of adding the Honestly Bare Wholesome topper to his kibble, you add water & then add to his Acana kibble as a topper the Wholesome topper don’t have the Hictory smoked powder or glycerine & the ingredients look natural but it’s just a topper not a proper balance meal…
When you read the “Wholesome Topper” it does say freeze dried chicken & 100% natural when you read the “Slow Cooked” doesn’t say 100% Natural & says 75% chicken…

When I’m on the other side of DFA the “Comment” section a few people who have very Fussy dogs have been posting that their dogs are doing really well & love “Fresh Pet” pet foods there’s, Freshpet Select, Vital & Nature’s Fresh, here’s the Freshpet link
https://freshpet.com/our-foods/our-brands/
there’s their Fresh Baked grain free formula’s & their Loaf style rolls that you can cut in sections & freeze…
Another really good Air dried food is “Ziwi Peak” https://www.ziwipets.com/
send “Ziwi Peak” an email & ask for some samples, give your address etc so they can send you the samples, Ziwi Peak is air dried & propely balanced so can be feed as main meal, your dog will probably like their NZ Tripe & Lamb it’s for Picky eaters & the Mackeral & Lamb, Ziwi Peak also do their raw wet canned foods, I bet your dog will love Ziwi Peak then just roatae between the different meat proteins, my cat goes nuts when I feed her the Ziwi Peak wet & dry food, she inhales it & doesn’t chew, the wet canned food can be a bit expensive so best to buy when on special….

[Gloria K]

I usually make my dog’s treats so I know exactly what he’s getting. There are so many wonderful recipes for dog treats that don’t contain potato… You might want to take a look. You can make five or six dozen at a time and they only take a few minutes to make because there’s just a few ingredients.

[Lyndsay D]

Good afternoon!
I have a big but little lab/pointer mix puppy on natures variety raw and he has a potato allergy (And a few other allergies) . Finding a no potato crunchy treat is almost impossible.
Does anyone have any ideas where I may be able to find some? or recipes that can be crunchy and satisfying for this pup?
Thank you!

[weezerweeks]

Anon he’s under a vets care. Susan thank u so much for your suggestions. Bailey is a 7 lb 9 year old rescued yorkie. I’ve had him for 7 years. I give him preference pre mix by THK and veg to bowl premix by Dr. Harvey. I rotate these 2 and I add the protein. I change the protein every week. Turkey, chicken, ground round, version, salmon, tuna etc. for treats he gets freeze dried tripe, the honest kitchen treats. One of these a day.I rotate them. I also add yogurt to his meal at night and a teaspoon of kefir at night. I add a joint supplement because he has luxating pettalar(not bad a 1) I was also giving him foriflora probiotic when he got sick. I also rotate them springtime, mercolas. He also gets Nordic natural fish oil and 3 times a week coconut oil.I also give him a digestive enzyme(prozyme) This is the first time he’s had direahea. He usually has nausea. My vet at this time does not want to do a scope but if needed he will send me to UGA vet school.He also walks a mile every morning with my husband and at night I walk around the block with him. He loves to walk and sniff. I know that he’s 9 1/2 now but that’s not old for a yorkie. Thanks for ur input. I will ask Dr. Mac about the losec and Zantac.

[Susan]

Hi Weezerweeks,
I wouldn’t be stressing out to much, sounds like your vet has given the best drugs in this situation, Metronidadazole & Clavamox…it will take a good 5-14 days to start seeing some good results.
Pepcid (Famotidine) is an old ant acid drug 1979, we do not use Famotidine anymore in Australia, there’s better ant acid drugs now…Zantac (Ranitidine) replaced Famotidine & might work better or ask vet about giving a stronger ant acid medication like Omerpazole (Losec)…1/2 the dose 10mg once a day, the Pepcid might not be reducing the acid in stomach, it would of been good if vet arranged an Endoscope & Biopsies to see what’s happening in his stomach & bowel….
I’d stop the boiled rice it could be irratating an inflammed bowel?
I boiled sweet potato + some boiled pumkin, only add about 1 teaspoon of the boiled Pumkin you can freeze cooked pumkin in ice cube trays & take out when needed.
Another very easy to digest food is egg, whisk 1 egg & put in microwave & lightly cook scramble egg…
also when this all started what did he eat that whole day & the days before?
does he eat the same diet 24/7 or do you rotate & change his food around?
Im very curious if you’re feeding a pet food & which one ??

Pooing blood & having mucus poos can be from food sensititivies/intolerances, sometimes after a dog eats the same food 24/7 they can all of a sudden start reacting to an ingredient in their diet, he might of had light red streaks of blood thru his earlier poos & you never noticed the blood streaks & still feeding the same ingredient that he’s become intolerant too making things worse, he might be eating treats something isnt agreeing with him??

When it comes to stomach & bowel problems the best thing to have done is Endoscope or Colon Scoped + BIOPIES, Biospies are a must & the vet will have more answers, the Metronidazole will start clear this all up & will reduce any inflammation, it just needs time..

Do you follow Dr Judy Morgan? go onto her Facebook page look to your left & click on “Video’s” & look for her “Pancreatitis Diet” & her “IBD IBS Diet” & start feeding a cooked diet, if you’re feeding any dog foods/treats etc, always keep a diary write all this down & see is there a pattern when he eats whatever he eats, does it happen again, also does he go on walks could he have picked up something, someone given him a little treat?

[Roger D]

Hi, I’m a new member with a question about a rescue dog I have. She was rescued from a hoarding situation. She’s 6 yrs old. She won’t let me feed her and runs from me when I present kibble in a bowl. She reluctantly takes treats. The vet examined her, and pronounced her healthy. She’s at her ideal weight at present. Should I just wait for her to get hungry? Other than this, she seems to be doing fine. Any suggestions? Thanks. RJ

[Jon K]

I went to a conference about a month ago in San Francisco and a company was handing out samples of their food and treats, along with a discount code. Signed my lab up with them not too long after and pretty impressed! The food looks decent, and the jerky treats are ridiculous. I’ve literally never seen my dog go so crazy for any treat before. They deliver to your door too, which is nice for those big bags.

The code they were handing out was HOTDOGGIE and it gives you a $20 credit, but the first bag is always $1 anyway. http://www.yadoggie.com

[Dan M]

Peter,
It started with him not wanting to eat although i knew he was hungry. He would go to his dish sniff a little back away and repeat that several times before he would actually eat. My vet said that it was the changes in the food supply, or something to that effect that was not agreeing with his stomach and digestive system. After he was on meds and the boiled chicken, sweet potato and pumpkin diet for a few weeks i started to reintroduce the acana food back to him very slowly. At that point i was not aware nor was my vet of the acana relocation deal. Once he was fully back on the dry food and nothing else, not even treats, cookies or anything that it started again. If he is only eating one thing in his diet and the problems come back its a very easy conclusion. Lets see, on acana from a pup till 5 years old no problems, they change and so does my dogs quality of life. Around the same time my vets own dogs started to experience issues. We put him back on the “special” diet for another few weeks along with the meds and slowly transitioned him to Merrick limited ingredients chicken diet which he absolutely loves and is having absolutely no issues with. I put it in his bowl and he cant wait to eat it, unlike acana. Two of my local retailers that sold acana have pulled all champion products from their shelves. I have not seen any hairs in the food like i have heard or and other foreign objects, so i can only say that it is my opinion that their quality control in this new plant is inferior to the past. If they say they are using local sources for their food there has to be some kind of dramatic difference for people to post so many complaints about their furry family members health problems, coincidence i doubt it. I have placed a call to Champion customer service weeks ago and have heard nothing yet and i believe i never will. Wish there was some sort of class action lawsuit against champion foods, trust me my name would be on it. Please feel free to keep me and the rest of us posted on if they contact you back or not.

[Susan]

Hi,
with the Kefir you mighten be seeing any results but it’s working, same happened with Patch he was on a dog probitic “Protexin” yellow label Soluble + the same kibble Eukanuba Intestinal Vet diet for 9 month before I started introducing any new kibbles then I slowley started new kibble 9-12months later & went back & forth with the Eukanuba Intestinal till I found the TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb kibble that worked, then once I found the TOTW I looked for other kibble with similair ingredients to the TOTW, it was always 2 steps forward 1 step backwards with Patch, then we did Endoscope + Biopsies & Patch had the Helicobater-Pylori & IBD. He probably got the IBD from old owners not stopping what was irritating his gut & bowel & kept feeding it, I rescued him age 4yr old.

You can also cut up small peeled apple pieces & Water melon for treats & when Patches gut isnt working properly the apple & water melon pieces come back out un digested in his poo & I know his stomach isn’t working & stop the Apple & Water Melon treats. Summer is coming soon & i’ll re-try the water & rock melon pieces again another good treat is Green Lipped Mussles they’re freeze dried & seem to crumble easy & are very easy to digest & healthy…. Patch is the same he can NOT have Jerky type treats he gets his pain, all the foods he eats must swell in water quickly, I’m always testing foods, treats, kibble to see which foods swell up in warm water quickly within 30mins…
Ajax will get there he’s probably had a bad start to life his mum might have been under nourised & she didn’t have enough milk to feed the whole litter, we see this alot in rescue the poor pups are born so skinny then all dumped with the mum at the pound in a box so Ajax never would got any colostrum from the beginning of mums milk what is needed for a healthy gut & strong immune.. Something has happened cause he’s a young pup…
Google info on Colotrum powder for dogs & google L-Glutamine leaky Gut..

[CockalierMom]

I honestly think once you get his gut healed (it may take several months) he will be able to eat the jerky and a bigger variety of kibble. I suspect this was going on before he was rescued and right now he just needs food that is very easily digestible so as not to irritate his gut. If you do try to introduce any of the duck and potato kibble or treats, I would do it very slowly with only 3 or 4 kibbles or half a treat in a day. I think he will be able to digest it, but take it slow to give his gut time to adjust.

I tried to find out how much soluble fiber was in several different brands of kibble (including NB), but all the companies could only give me their total fiber. Since you said probiotics and kefir don’t seem to be making much difference, that makes me think that his diet may not have enough soluble fiber to feed the bacteria (based on my experience with what I saw in my girls). I personally prefer adding food to the diet although you could add a probiotic with a prebiotic in it.

If you continue to not see any improvement (firmer, smaller, and less frequent poos), I think it is worth a try add a little banana along with the kefir and see if that helps any. Like you said, give him some time to stabilize before making any additions.

[Atlas T]

Jella – I appreciate the suggestion. I asked the vet about this for the same reasons you’re sharing. Her response was that based on how many foods I’ve tried with the same primary ingredients, she thinks that he is sensitive to something very low down on the ingredient list and therefore – something that we probably can’t test for. She doesn’t think he has sensitivities to any of the major things. So it seems like it would just be a waste of resources to do that.
——————————————
CockalierMom – ok, that makes sense about the chicken. So based on what you’re saying, it sounds like maybe we should keep those treats around (we got two huge bags!) and hope that once his tummy is better, he may be able to digest it (since he doesn’t seem to have a sensitivity to chicken itself). I am giving him kefir like you said! He’s getting 2tbsp morning and night. About the soluble fiber – how would I know how much a food has? Should I start adding more soluble fiber to his diet after his tummy stabilizes?

Thanks all!

[CockalierMom]

No, I don’t think soaking or anything could bring the jerky back to the same state as fresh cooked chicken. Once the moisture is pulled out it changes the structure of the meat, like the difference between raw and cooked meat and jerky goes even further than cooked. If nothing else is working out for training, maybe you could just use small bites of the chicken you cook and try dipping the LID treats in the cooked chicken liquid.

At this point, you need to concentrate on getting the bacteria built up in his gut so he will be able to digest more. As I mentioned before, feeding kefir with food will aid more in digestion and as Susan stated maybe 3 or 4 tablespoons a day. You might try adding just a little banana-it would give the bacteria something to feed on. I just don’t think the LID food alone provides enough soluble fiber to get the gut healthy based on what I saw with my girls. I know NB has tweaked their formulas since I was feeding it and they may have added more soluble fiber.

[Atlas T]

That’s a good note, and I’m glad you said that. Interestingly, when we was having diarrhea, I saw that the chicken jerky treats were coming out whole. So we started soaking them. We soak the chicken jerky overnight and then feed it to him. I would think that with the soaking, they would be pretty much as digestible as the chicken made at home, no?

[CockalierMom]

Although the LID kibble and treats are dry, they are processed to the point where they digest easily. The jerky you buy is dehydrated so much that it is harder to digest. I make my own jerky for the girls and I take it out before it gets too dry–it spoils quicker with less moisture removed so you need to refrigerate or freeze for longer storage.

Single ingredients will not make a difference–it is the digestibility of the ingredient(s) you need to consider–just like rice versus potatoes.

[Atlas T]

Thanks to both for the responses.

The NB LID treats are a possibility though they are the boring dry treats, which don’t really entice him. They unfortunately don’t have the moist training treats in a LID formula.

Another idea I had was maybe just plain cod skin….he seems to do ok with fish so perhaps it’s worth trying?

With the kefir, he definitely is not doing worse, but I’m not sure if he’s doing better either.

I loved your suggestions on the treats, like baking the loaf style ones or even making some from salmon and potato. I’m trying to use the NB LID puppy duck and potato for treats, but honestly he’s not super motivated by that kibble. I was also thinking maybe cod skin treats would be good because they are also single-ingredient. My issue though is that even if he is not sensitive to a certain protein, it seems like he may be sensitive to it if it’s prepared a certain way? I saw that because when I cook chicken for him at home, he is absolutely fine with it. However, when I buy him chicken jerky treats that have absolutely no other added ingredients, he gets soft poos. I find it so troubling!

Thanks, everyone!

[Susan]

Hi,
yes I knew the vet wouldn’t be able to tell you much more especially when you have done all the poo tests & ruled out parasites etc…..
How did he go after adding the Kefir, has the Kefir helped or made things worse?
He’s eating the fish NB fish formula, the fish LID is the only LID formula without pea protein the rest of the NB LID formula’s have pea protein except the Potato & Duck it doesn’t have Pea Protein BUT it doesnt have Sweet Potatoes either it just has potatoes, all the NB LID formula’s differ in ingredients, did you end up trying the NB Puppy Potato & Duck formula? it is heap higher in Omega oils that may have contribute to sloppy poo’s if you did try teh NB Puppy Potato & Duck formula…
Have you tried a different NB formula like Venison or Bison the NB formula’s that have Sweet Potatoes like the Fish NB formula has…You could start using another NB formula that has different meat protein for treats for 1-2 weeks, this way you’re slowly introducing & another meat protein to his diet but all the other NB LID formula’s have Pea Protein, (that’s if he can’t eat peas??) When he’s been stable & been doing firm poos for 2-3months start doing an elimination diet so you can work out what foods he can & can’t eat, start adding under 1/4 cup frozen peas that you have cooked to his NB Sweet Potato & Fish meal then you can rule out peas being teh problem..
For treats you could buy tin samon in “spring water” drained all the water & add 1/2 boiled sweet potato make small flat balls & bake in oven on foil lined baking tray or read what Hills does for dogs on strict vet diets, Hills recommend you buy the matching wet loaf style canned food that matches the vet diet that your dog is eating, so you look at the NB LID wet canned foods & he eat Chicken & Sweet Potatoes or there’s the matching Sweet Potatoes & Fish canned food but it has to be a loaf style wet food it can’t be the chunky broth style wet can food, you’ll have to email Natural Balance & ask them are their LID canned Fish formula a loaf style or broth & chucky style?
You open can loaf food slide out the loaf then you cut the loaf in thin slices then you put on a foil linned baking tray & slowly bake in the oven & make treats. I’ll try & find Hills treat recipe online this is what Patches vet recommend I do in the beginning when Patch couldn’t eat anything except his Eukanuba Intestinal Low Residue kibble or Hills sell their Hypo-Treats but the Natural Balance LID treats look heaps better & are cheaper & have less ingredients then the Hills Hypo-Treats have…..
Here’s Chewy site link, they seem to be cheapest & are pretty good with refunding money well so I’ve read, when a dog can’t eat a certain food.. this is Natural Balance LID formula’s & matching LID treats, pretty cheap around $5 https://www.chewy.com/s?page=1&rh=brand_facet%3ANatural+Balance

You’re lucky Atlas can eat the NB LID Sweet Potato Fish Formula & he isnt on a vet diet as vet diets are expensive almost double the price as the NB formula’s. I’ll keep a look out for another brand that has Salmon & Sweet Potato or another protein & sweet potato & has around the same amount fat, protein & fiber % that he’s doing well on. I know Merrick LID uses Sweet Potatoes & has similiar ingredients as the Natural Balance has but its the same price & dogs with GI problems do really well on Merrick LID formula’s also there’s “4health” is another really good kibble for dogs with Gi problems & it’s cheaper…. but next year after you’ve done an elimination diet I’d be trying a new kibble..

[CockalierMom]

My girls only get their kibbles as treats because of the food issues my allergy girl has. It is clear they really enjoy getting handed one kibble at a time. I know the NB LID treats have a couple of more ingredients than the kibble, but that might be something you will be able to work into his diet slowly since it has most of the same ingredients.

[Atlas T]

Hi all,

Another vet appointment, another update. Nothing really new though. Vet says he clearly has food sensitivities, and that I shouldn’t worry so much about him being on the adult food. I should keep him on this food for several months in order for his gut to stabilize. That’s pretty much all the advice I got…

So, I’ll keep him on this food for some time (even if it breaks the bank) and then maybe I’ll try transitioning to another food. My biggest issue is with the treats. I need to train him on so many things, and yet all of the treats throw his stomach for a loop. Not sure what to do.

Thanks!

[Kristin F]

She has trained you to feed her something different. Put the food down twice a day, if she doesn’t eat it in 10 minutes, take it away. Feed nothing till next meal time. She may hold out for 3 days, but she will eventually start eating when she is hungry AND realizes you won’t give in. I want my dogs to eat what I give them immediately. So I teach them that there is no alternative. I have no problems with adding scraps or giving treats, as long as my dog will eat what I put down. This way, if my dog doesn’t eat her food in the normal 60 seconds, I know she is sick and is going to the vet immediately. If you let your dog be picky you may never know when she is really sick.
The way I explain it is, if you put oatmeal in front of me, I will only eat it if I’m really hungry. I am not that fond of oatmeal. If you put ice cream in front of me, I will find room for it no matter how full I am.
I find that most people are feeding their dogs way too much food. Then if the dog doesn’t finish because they are full, the people panic and add something to get them to eat. Creates a monster. The dogs know that you worry if they don’t eat and they play games and hold out for something better.
If your dog always eats immediately, and then suddenly doesn’t, then yes, go to the vet.

[Susan]

Hi Kevin,
I’ve been feeding “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb now 2 yrs with great results, my boy has IBD, Skin Allergies & Food Intolerances to chicken & other ingreients, I’ve tried all the Vet Diets & other foods on the market for 2 long years & finally TOTW was the only food that helped Patches IBD (Sloppy Poos) + his Skin allergies (itchy, smelly paws & skin from food sensitivities chicken), even on facebook groups where dogs are sick Diamond kibbles seem to work the best for these dogs, maybe Diamond as been around longer & understands a dogs needs especially when they are suffering with food sensititivies, diarrhea, itchy skin etc, I don’t know but I read alot of really good results on these F/B groups….. “4Health” is another really good food made by Diamond where I’m reading very good results especially 4Health Special Care range Senstive Stomach Egg & Potatoes has no Chicken…also I’ve had really good results with “Canidae” Pure Formula’s.
https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products scroll down a bit look to your right & click on “View All” & pages 3 onwards have the start of the Canidae Pure range, grain free limited Ingredients kibbles, have to read each formula as they all vary.

It will all depend on your dog but alot of these really high meat protein & higher fat kibbles which have alot of different meat/organ proteins & ingredients are not agreeing with dogs who have allergies & food intolerances, some of these dogs can’t seems to handle too many different ingredients all at once I have found, so stick with kibbles that don’t have too many different ingredients but have really good ingredients, TOTW Sierra Mountain just has Lamb as the only meat protein, the only other thing I need to warn if you don’t already know is STAY away from fish kibbles as some of these American fish kibbles are 10 times higher in Toxins & Contaminates, if you want to add fish to your dogs diet buy human grade fish that you would eat like tin sardines in spring water, tin salmon in spring water, Freeze Dried Green Lipped Mussels are excellent to give as daily treats, don’t feed a kibble that’s has fish in it, these pet food companies wouldn’t be sourcing premium cuts of salmon or whitefish etc they would be buying the cheapest off cuts of fish they can find to use for pet foods & it’s sad, laws need to change so this stops happening & pet food compaines need to start testing all their pet foods & make sure they pass & aren’t 10 times higher in toxins & contaminates & a stamp then needs to be put on the front of the kibble & wet tin foods saying this food has been tested, it will happen 1 day but probably not in our life time ….
another thing once you do pick a kibble pick 2 different brands you’re happy with slowly introduce 1 of them & then start rotating between 2 different brands so your dog doesn’t start reacting to another ingredient in his/her food & he’s not eating the same ingredients 24/7 he has a few different ingredients in his diet, it doesnt have to be too many ingredients as long as he’s not just eating 1 meat protein & say Lentils & Chickpeas in his diet 24/7 for teh rest of his/her life….

[charisse]

Our Vet says Bella needs to loose a couple pounds. She’s a 4 year old rescue and we’ve had her for a year. She’s been on Orijen. Perhaps Orijen has too much fat content? I’ve also heard that Orijen has gone down in quality.

In any case we need help please in deciding what food to switch her to, so that she can loose a couple pounds or so. For the last month we feed her 1/4 cup in a.m and 1/4 cup in p.m. with a few training treats thrown in. Before the vet suggestion we fed her more. She’s about 14 lbs and she should go down to 12 or so.
Thank you so much!

[Bobby dog]

Hello Atlas:
My pup was on an Rx food for a month for digestive issues. I transitioned her back to her regular diet with no issues.

I have used Rx diets for my cats as well. I made the mistake of taking one of them off early. His health issue returned not to mention he had to endure more visits to the Vet.

For training maybe single ingredient freeze dried treats would be an option. Some I feed are Nature’s Variety, Stella & Chewie, Grandma Lucy, Vital Essentials, Primal, and Stewarts.

If food is an issue you can never know for sure if an OTC food is free from a protein your dog might react to. OTC foods, even LID or sensitive recipes, might be similar in ingredients to Rx foods, however they are not guaranteed to be free of proteins not listed on the bag as Rx foods are. Completely breaking down the equipment and sanitizing after each batch of food to prevent cross contamination is costly and time consuming. This along with other procedures adds to the price of Rx foods. Here’s an article on the subject:
https://www.avma.org/News/JAVMANews/Pages/150515a.aspx

If an elimination diet is ever recommended for your pup keep in mind you can also go the homemade route; your Vet would be able to advise you on a recipe. Some articles explaining elimination diets, food intolerances, and allergies:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2499

You can find these articles on “DVM360” the links won’t post just copy and paste the titles in their search:
“The finer points of food elimination trials: A veterinary nutritionist’s take”
“Choosing the right elimination diet for food allergic cases”

I suggest keeping an open mind. I found this site several years ago because my dog had terrible skin and coat issues. I assumed it was his diet, not the case. He’s all healed up and the only maintenance he needs is weekly baths (monthly in the winter) with a shampoo that has specific ingredients, nothing else, just baths. I did move onto other food choices, however I feed him everything under the sun with no issues. Kibble, canned, commercial raw, balanced homemade, grains, grain free, fruits, veggies, common meat proteins, I don’t even transition to new foods. Good luck! 😉

[Susan]

Hi,
I posted a post the other day but it’s not here now??.. Yes go back to just feeding the Natural Balance kibble, what meat protein is in the NB formula he’s eating??
When I rescued Patch he had just turned 4yrs old, I didn’t know what he could eat & what he couldn’t eat & in the end that’s why his 4th vet put him on another vet diet that finally worked & firmed up poos but caused itchy smelly yeasty paws & skin, cause he cant eat Chicken his stomach & bowel is OK eating chicken but he gest Yeasty itchy paw & skin & carrots cause yeasty, itchy, smelly ears, you know Atlas does well on the Natural Balance formula & you know he can eat Chicken & Potatoes so that’s a pretty good start, so he Defently has food intolerances, if his gut was un healthy then he’d be like Patch was when I first rescued him, no matter what he ate he do OK poo’s then he was doing poos with jelly on them or like a condom over the poo (Food Sensitivities), then he was doing sloppy yellow poos (S.I.B.O) that smelt awful, that’s how a “GOOD” vet knows if the dog has either S.I.B.O, IBD, EPI, Food Intolerances…..when their poos are yellow it’s their small bowel that’s not working properly…Patches new vet said lets try the vet diet Eukanuba Intestinal low residue formula it wasthe only vet diet Patchhadn’t tried & finally he was doing smaller firm poo’s & only 2 or 3 poos a day then his vet wanted him to stay on the Eukanuba Intestinal vet diet for 9-12months to let his stomach & bowel heal as he probably has been doing sloppy awful poos most of his life, that’s why he ended up at a pound I’d say, his owner just didnt care, probably when Patch was Atlas age his owner didnt bother trying to work out what was wrong with him & just kept feeding him ingredients he was sensitive too & that has now caused IBD one of Patches vet said…..

I would just feed the Natural Balance for 1 month NO Kefir as this could have caused the
in-balance in his stomach & bowel, S.I.B.O, this is why you only add 1 new food or supplement at 1 time maybe every 1-2 weeks then you know 100% it’s the new food or supplement you’ve added to diet causing sloppy/diarrhea poo’s…
Look at the ingredient list in the “Kirkland Nature’s Domain” I would start doing an Elimination Food Diet start adding peas to his cooked meal start off slowly under 1/4 of a cup for 2 days then increase the amount of peas if he doesn’t have sloppy poos diarrhea in the 2 weeks chances are he can eat peas, then I would stop the peas & start adding boiled peeled Sweet Potato also for treats start making jerky treats, you know he can eat chicken so make Chicken Jerky, if he can eat sweet potato make sweet potato jerky as well or I was making Pork & beef rissoles, I was buying very lean grounded pork mince or beef mince adding 1 whisked egg & 1 teaspoon chopped parsley mixing all together & making small Pork rissoles balls or making separate beef rissoles, I’d foil lined a baking tray & bake them in the oven, they only took about 10 mins on 1 side then half way I would drain any fat & water & turn the rissoles over then cook another 10mins after you cool the rissoles I freeze, then break up a few rissoles & give as treats or I mashed a few rissole balls with some boiled sweet potato for lunch….
It does take time doing an elimination food diet but in the end you will know 100% what he can & cant eat…

The only other thing you can do is if you see a vet ask the vet can he write you a repeat script for some “Metronidazole” a few months worth to keep at home so if Atlas becomes unwell again or when you start introducing a new kibble you put Atlas on the Metronidazole tablets for 2 weeks while intoducing the new kibble, a few dogs in the Canine IBD group see IBD Specialist & this is what their vet specialist has told them to do, same as Patch in the end I had to so I could change his vet diet, I couldn’t handle him smelly & scratching from the chicken in the vet diet, I’d start him on a new kibble he’d be doing really well, good poos then around 2 & 1/2 months later his poos went yuk & soft again, the vet didn’t know what was wrong was his gut bacteria going out of balance too much bad bacteria again?? vet couldnt work out what was happening was it food sensitivities/intolerances as they can take anywhere from 1 day to react up to 6 weeks to start reacting, but this was 2 months later, this is why your better off starting an elimination food trial & start with adding the ingredients in the Kirkland Turkey & Sweet Potato formula or a kibble you want to feed, I’d start with adding boiled Peas, then Sweet Potatoes, blueberries as treats add to his cooked meal & see how he goes, it will be 3 steps forward 2 steps backwards in the beginning, so make sure you keep a diary, I always look back on Patches diarys when I need to rememeber something……
Patch was doing really really well most of 2016 while eating the TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb kibble & having a cooked meal Pork Rissoles & sweet potatoes he was drinking heaps of water maybe 2-3 times a week, vet did all these test they showed nothing was wrong, so vet said it could be pain related so I had introduced “Canidae Pure Wild Boar” then he started whinging after 2months of introducing the Canidae, his poos were bigger & softer on the Canidae in the beginning but got better as the weeks went by plus he was eating TOTW for his bigger meals breakfast & 1st dinner, Canidae was givin for Lunch & a second dinner the Canidae were smaller meals, he was geeting his pain right side Stomach/Pancreas area I thought the Canidae was too high in Kcals it was over 400 Kcals per cup this has happened before with another kibble so I started to introduced a new kibble Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Digestion Lamb then his poos went real sloppy again & smelly he had been eating the same kibbles all Spring & Summer TOTW Canidae no poo problems until the I added the Purina Digestion, Sensitive Stomach cause Patches pain right side, Patches American vet Sue had recommendd I try Purina months before so this is why I tried the Purina, the vet Sue blammed environment allergies & said his immune system has gone into over drive from his allergies & he’s reacting but I think it was more from when I started to add Purina Sensitive Stomach kibble to his diet it had Barley in it, I dont think he does well when the kibble has barley in it or he had an imbalance in the bowel S.I.B.O & they get abnormal amounts bacterica accumulate in the small bowel making their poos go yuk again, something he was eating put his gut/bowel floria out of wack again & causes too much bad bacteria then he starts doing very sloppy poos again, that’s what happens with Small Intestinal Bowel Overgrowth (S.I.B.O) it happens in young dogs, they can’t put on any weight they stop growing, maybe Atlas has a few Intestinal problems, he has his Food Sensitivities & he might get SIBO as well & the Kefir set off the SIBO again, Metronidazole gets rid of the S.I.B.O & then the gut/bowel is balanced again…..

It’s very hard working out your dog what agrees with him & what doesn’t, I’ve learnt more thru people in canine IBD groups who have been thru all this, there’s a good small F/B group called ” Irritable Bowel Disease & G.I Related Diseases In Dogs UK” group on Face Book, the Amercan Canine IBD group the lady who runs it just pops in & tells everyone to go & see your vet & the poor people have been & seen their vets & they still have no answers what’s wrong with their por dog, I’m noticing over the years there’s a few bad vets in America, I dont think a vet in America has to study as long as an Australian or UK vet does?? cause Patches vet Sue is American & she said when she came to Australia in the late 80’s she had to do another 2 years study to work as a vet in Australia & also in Australia vets have to follow up with yearly courses… Patches really good 2nd vet Simon he did Patches Endoscope & Biopsies, he’s very busy & very hard to see he’s always operating etc he knows heaps about the stomach/bowel, he’s the vet that isnt really into giving dogs PRObiotics to dogs, he said there’s no real scientific proof about PRObiotic work in dogs, but if you think your seeing an improvement he said then give Patch the Probiotics but make sure it’s a dog probiotic that are stored in the fridge, “Protexin Soluble”, I said Probiotics seem to make Patch feel sick, he starts his mouth licking & swollowing but only some days this would happen, then Simon said when it comes to PREbiotics he said yes he has found Prebiotics did help & work on some of the dogs he’s treated… I never saw any real improvement with Patch but I did when he was on “NAS, Digestavite Plus” Powder, its a dog prebiotic with vitamins that balances raw or cooked meals he was eating, I went thru a Naturopath with Patchto put him on a raw diet in te end before I found the TOTW & Canidae kibbles, his vet referred Patch to a Holistic Vet but shewas very expensive $180 a hour, so I saw a Animal Naturopath Nutritionist instead, she cost $60 a hour, she makes the “Natural Animal Solutions” products, the Digestavite Plus Powder has Glutimine, Inulin, Spinach leaf powder, Parsley leaf, Beetroot powder, Broccoli, Green Tea, Grapeseed extract, Ginger, Slipperly Elm, Stem Bark, Milk Thistle, Acacia Powder, then Vitamin B1, B2 B3, B5 B12,D3, Patches poos were beautiful & firm when he has the Digestavite Plus Pawder over his cooked & raw meals….
You can ask the vet about weekly Vitamin B12 injections, the B12 really helps dogs that keep having diarrhea slopping poos..
Just see how Atlas goes just eating the Natural Balance for 1 month then introduce 1 new food to his diet nothing else. Good-Luck he’s your special boy.. I’m rescueing another dog soon, Patch is turning 9yrs old, 20th November…I’m going to make sure she does NOT have any Allergies or Stomach/Bowel problems. sorry about the long posts but there’s too much information to leave out..

[Susan]

Hi Sade.
Your dog might have Seasonal Environment Allergies & Food sensitivities the 2 normally come together & as the dog ages the allergies get worse not better…

Have a look at “Canidae”Pure Petite, Small Breed formula’s or there’s Pure Sea, Pure Wild, Pure Land formula’s, Canidae kibble size is nice, small & easy to digest you will see a big improvemnet with the skin, most of the Pure formula’s are chicken FREE
https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products. I’ve read that chicken fat has no protein in it, & the protein is what the dog reacts too… but when they have both Food & Environment allergies it’s hard to work out what is causing what? So Elimination Food Diet is best to do in teh colder months not Spring Summer or Autunm too many allergens..

Baths the best to do, are you bathing twice a week too wash off the allergen’s on paws & skin? I have found “Malaseb: medicated shampoo to be very good, it kills any bacteria & yeast that’s on the paws & skin, puts moisture back into the skin & makes skin nice & soft, I also use Hydrocortisone 1% cream when paws are red & itchy at night you check all over dogs body & paws look for any red irritated paws & skin look inbetween toes & pad lightly apply some hydrocotisone 1% cream, by morning paws will be all clear again, then I use “Sudocrem” before Patch goes outside for walks etc, Sudocrem is for Dermtitis, Eczema, Nappy Rash & acts as a barrier & protects the skin & paws, really good thick cream, Amazon or Ebay sell Sudocrem & the Malaseb medicated shampoo..
Start keeping a diary & write everything down, as te years pass you well start to see a patten & can work out if it is Seasonal Allrgies, another really good food to add to diet is Green Lipped Mussels chwy sells teh “K-9 Natural”Green Lipped freeze Dried Mussels give 1-2 mussels a day as treats, Mussels are high in Omega 3, EPA & DHA

You need to keep on top of things & with the weekly baths or bath as soon as he starts licking & chewing paws with the Malaseb Shampoo to relieve his itchy paws & skin, diet high in Omega 3 faty acid, applying creams & using baby wipes to wipe skin, fur & paws down after ghe comes back instide & when you dont want to bath you’ll start controling the problem, but allergies don’t get better…
A really good Face Book group to join is “Dog Issues, Allergies & Other Information Support Group” there’s a Dermatologist in the group Karen Helton Rhodes she also has her own site called “Canine Skin Solutions inc”