[Jason C]

Hello all,
I am new to the forum so hopefully I am posting in the right section. We have recently put a deposit down on a Yorkie who is going to be smaller than the average Yorkie. The breeder does not breed for teacups, he just happened to be a tiny guy. The breeder says she will feed him Royal Canin puppy food, which I am not a super big fan of. We are fairly new to being dog owners but I want to make sure Little Toby(our Yorkie) is eating good quality ingredients. I have been doing A LOT research on my own and there are so many dog foods, it is overwhelming. I want to get a good puppy food for him and then eventually transition to a small breed dog food. We will be getting our little guy in about 2 weeks, the breeder wanted to keep him longer because he was so small, to ensure his health.

I am looking at doing this for the puppy food: Here

Then I am looking to transition to this dog food when he is an “adult” Here

I am very open to any suggestions and I could definitely use help on what treats to get as well. I would like to get the little guy some treats(for potty training) and something to chew on to help his teething and teeth down the road. I don’t want bad quality items that can cause health issue. I also don’t know if I should get a higher content of protein or fat food for an undersized Yorkie. The breeder thinks he will only get about 3lbs, I am hoping he can get up to 4 or 5lbs. His health is good and I want to make sure he has a nice healthy, happy life.

Thanks,
Jason C

[pugmomsandy]

Well, the past week or so I’ve been feeding Instinct kibble with tripe+Sojo’s in one meal. The week before, I was feeding canned (Tiki, Weruva, or Nutrisource) with Primal raw frozen in one meal. For treats I was giving Stewart freeze dried raw and Nature’s Logic dried lung and Merrick Backcountry freeze dried raw. My next shopping cart will have some Wellness cans and Nutrisource kibble or Nature’s Logic kibble. I have fed Wellness Core, Zignature, Pro Pac Ultimates, Fromm, Grandma Lucy’s, Vital Essentials.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 5 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[julia d]

agreed!!!! i am always very confused by people say they loooove all animals but directly support animal abuse by buying factory farmed meats for themselves and their pets. i started my own dog treat business because i have always had a hard time finding treats in stores from humanely raised meats. i would love a humanely raised category on this website that i could post to my treat facebook page for my clients to refer to.
anyway… for the people here who obviously actually DO care about the welfare of farm animals as well you can check out my website: https://dolceardesiatreats.com

[Ryan K]

I have no information at all about the mass this vet felt other then her telling me it doesn’t appear to be related to the anal glands. She said anal glands can abscess and get cancerous but this seems to be along the rectal wall above or around that general area. She didn’t say anything was an emergency or that I should rush to get an x Ray or treatment ASAP. She just said that when I bring him in for his next anal gland expresssing that she will feel it to see if it has gotten larger. She said to watch for irritation and if he shows signs of struggling to defecate or continues to scoot his butt then I should possibly run him in sooner for the biopsy which would involve putting him under and prolapsing the anus to use a needle and aspirate the mass for a sample. I am wondering if this could be a hernia? His diet has been massively changed since his slipped disc issue as well. He’s had a life of strict grain free- high quality dog food but since he has been on tramadol, Prevacox and gabapentin his appetite is pretty much destroyed. He’s been living off peanut butter (I hide his pills in it), canned chicken and tuna fish and some raw hide chews which he only eats the coating off of and leaves the actual rawhide. So, I don’t know if this is dietary related? I ordered some Glandex to see if that helps his anal glands in the meantime. I doubt he will eat them though. He’s seriously so uninterested in dry kibble or even most scraps. Should I just stop giving him tuna, bones and treats and force him to only eat kibble? This is so frustrating. This whole experience has truly shown me that I don’t think I can handle another dog again. It’s so much emotional and financial stress and trauma. I love my dog though so I’m trying my best for him.

[pitlove]

Hi Kristen-

I spent about a year and a half doing what you are doing right now, with my pitbull. I was switching foods constantly, looking for the lowest carb foods, no potatoes for a while, no grains, high protein. It did absolutely nothing to help him because I had been given very wrong information about why and how yeast forms.

Yeast naturally grows on the dogs skin and when their immune system is healthy, the body regulates the yeast and keeps it under control. The opposite happens when the immune system is weakened, often times because of allergies, but other reasons as well. Though many people will continue to perpetuate the myth that carbs “feed” yeast because they break down into glucose, this is untrue and therefore simply limiting carbs without having an understanding of what is causing the immune system to be suppressed is pointless.

If you believe food is an issue, you will need to conduct a proper elimination diet, which it sounds like you may have attempted at one point though I don’t know what food you used to attempt it. When doing one properly, you will either need to homecook one novel protein and one novel carb for 2 months straight or use the veterinary theraputic diets whos proteins have been hydrolyzed. Hydrolyzation of the proteins breaks them down into their component amino acids making the immune system unable to detect them, thus not causing an immune system response. During this time they of course can not have anything but that diet. No treats, no flavored meds, nothing. An elimination diet is the golden standard for diagnosing food allergies. Those who have told you allergy tests for food allergies are unreliable were correct, they are. Often times yielding false negatives and false positives.

I personally chose the veterinary theraputic diet to do my pitbulls elimination diet (Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein) and he greatly improved, thus telling me food was a component to his allergy issues. He is now eating a fish based, grain inclusive food with almost 50% carbs and is yeast free during the winter months. Unfortunetly when June hits in the south here he does get a little worse again leading me to suspect environmental allergies on top of the food issues. But for that I bathe twice a week in Malaseb shampoo to kill the yeast. I’ve been successful with this regime for 8 months now.

[InkedMarie]

Barb,
I think Amicus is a smaller kibble. She should be feeding an adult or all life stages food. It seems that alot of picky eaters are small dogs & I believe that most are owner-made picky dogs. I suggest she put the food down, leave it for 15 minutes then pick it up. The dog gets nothing else til the next meal: no people food, no treats, nada.

[Susan]

Hi Newmom, follow Rodney Habib on his Face Book page he’s a Pet Nutrition Blogger, or on “Planet Paws” F/B site, https://www.facebook.com/PlanetPaws.ca/?pnref=lhc
I’ve learnt so much about healthy feeding & Rodney has a his videos, how to make frozen Coconut oil with Berries treats & freeze also videos about kibbles being unbalanced & are very high in omega 6 & very low in omega 3, causing health problems in dogs, like skin problems, joint problems etc he has a video at the moment about chicken, “Is chicken bad for your dog” cause chicken is so cheap a lot of kibbles are chicken, the problem is chicken is high in omega 6, Pro anti-inflammatory & very low in omega 3 which is anti-inflammatory & dogs start scratching & people think my dog is sensitive to chicken, like me, every time Patch ate raw or cooked chicken, he got a red swollen back paw & started to itch & scratch his body, but when he ate a premium kibble with chicken in it, he was OK???, now I’ve realized the kibble was probably balanced with omega 3 it was 1/2 of the omega 6 what it should be & Patch didn’t get his red swollen paw & itchy skin….but when he ate raw & cooked chicken it was tooo much omega 6 causing his red hot paw & itchy skin, so now when I buy a kibble I rotate between different brands & different proteins,
I read the Omega 6% & 3 % & make sure the omega 3% is either 1/2 of the omega 6% or nilly 1/2 of the omega 6%. Rodney said if it doesn’t say on the bag of kibble or on the kibbles site then send the kibble companies an email & ask them for their omega 3% & omega 6% & tell these kibble companies what it should be & I will not be buying your crappy unbalanced kibble till you improve it… we need to stand up to these big kibble companies & show them we are not stupid & are educated about our pets diet..
I give raw almonds about 3 almonds a day for a dog a day, I eat 1/2 an Almond & give Patch the other 1/2 of Almonds I give as a treat & his coat has become real shinny, google foods that are high in omega 3, I also give some peeled apple pieces as a treat, dogs that have skin problems also need Vitamin C in their diet…. you can buy Dog Vitamin C in Australia we have Natural Animal Solutions http://www.naturalanimalsolutions.com.au/education.php
There’s a lot of good info on Jacqueline Rudans site she’s a animal Naturopath..

Go to Aldis & look for Tin Sardines in Spring Water or Olive Oil you can give 3 small sardines a day added to one of his meal, Sardines have Vitamin, A, C, D, B-12, B-6 Calcium, Iron & Magnesium, sardines are very healthy to add to your dogs food, Aldis sell tin of Sardines for 59c in Australia…I’d add Sardines to a meal instead of buying any fish oil supplements…unless they’re made in New Zealand
They did a study on Fish Oils in America & 70% were rancid they were off before the bottle was even opened, they tested a fresh just opened bottle of fish oil capsules & they were rancid off..then they tested New Zealand Fish oil supplements & the New Zealand made fish oils were fresher & hadn’t gone rancid yet….
I like giving fresh whole foods instead of supplements, also for skin problems make sure your bathing weekly baths in a good medicated shampoo I use “Malaseb” medicated shampoo on my boy, the Malaseb shampoo kills any bacteria on their skin & soften their skin/fur when you bath you wash off any pollens & allergens on the dogs coat, Patch feels so soft after his bath, when Patch is real itchy cause of environment allergies I have to bath him twice a week to relieve his itchy skin & red paws…

[Anonymous]

Hi guys! I wanted to share a giveaway with you! It includes all natural treats and grooming products that will leave your pup feeling healthy and beautiful from the inside out!

Click below to enter, it’s super easy 🙂

https://iodogs.com/pages/smellslikelove

[Cannoli]

Hi Sally Z,

I am not sure how much cheaper you want to get when feeding raw meat to your dog. Eventually the cheaper you go the less quality and safety you get.

Nothing wrong with store bought meat or poultry. I feed that to my dog but I COOK it first. Nothing wrong with feeding your dogs cooked protein. As long you you add the necessary supplements afterwards to balance it on a weekly basis.. I have discovered that feeding cook food is cheaper than feeding my pup raw. Supermarkets always have sales on fish, turkey, pork, and chicken.

Heck I am now feeding my pup raw food once a week out of the month and the other weeks I feed him cooked proteins.

Anyway in regards to bone replacement you can use eggshells, calcium seaweed (found on Amazon-the bottle lasts for months cost is less than $20), bone meal powder (found on amazon just make sure it does not have added vitamins.

Organ is cheap to find at supermarket just slighlty braise them to kill any bacteria. Or what I like to do at times is I make liver and organ treats by putting them in a dehydrator.

Or you can buy pre-made dehydrated organ and liver treats online. Just make sure they are 100 made in America and are organic free range.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Cannoli. Reason: added more context
• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Cannoli. Reason: typo

[DavidSPT]

Hello!

We’ve built an app that will identify harmful pet food ingredients and recalled pet food by simply using your phone to scan the barcode of the pet food product!

My name is David Santa and I’m one of the founders of the Safe Pet Treats app. Our goal is to provide every pet owner in America with a tool to help protect their pets from harmful ingredients, recalled pet food and to raise awareness about the dangers in pet foods.

Check out this quick video for more details.
http://bit.ly/YouTube_Vid_SafePetTreats

Features:
*Instantly identify harmful pet food ingredients
*Instantly know if the product has been recalled by the FDA or manufacturer
*Personalize and add up to 10 additional ingredients to avoid
*Receive instant notifications as soon as a product has been recalled
*Save time at the pet store by not having to read every single ingredient
*Search for your favorite pet food product to see just how safe it is

The app is free to try for 24 hours and after that it’s a small monthly or annual subscription. Currently our database consists of 36,000+ pet food products and it’s growing every day!

We would love to know what the DogFoodAdvisor community thinks about the app so please let me know!

Special thanks to DogFoodAdvisor for allowing us to post on their awesome website!

http://www.safepettreats.com

[Pavo]

I can’t take the credit for this ideal, found it somewhere else, but it does make a lot of sense.

If you buy a high quality canned food for your dog or cat you can use it for a supply of healthy treats!

All you need to do is open the canned food and spoon a little treat size amount on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.
Now put the cookie sheet in the freezer until frozen. After they are frozen you can move them to a container that is airtight and back in the freezer.
If your pup doesn’t like them frozen you can also thaw them a little so they are chewy but firm.

[crazy4cats]

Ha! It is your thread, so you can take it off topic! I’m not really a lot of help regarding treats. I shop sales and with coupons. So I don’t really have a certain one that I buy. I try to buy small ones because my dogs are a little chubby and don’t need extra calories. Especially now with the time change coming and weather getting bad. Their walks won’t be as consistent. They do get a bully stick once a week to chew on. We get them at Costco.

[Pavo]

Thanks crazy4cats!

This will be a little off topic here but what do you use as treats for your puppies?

Just wondering….

[pitlove]

Hi Paige-

Here is the package insert for IVERHART MAX Chewable Tablets: http://www.virbacvet.com/pdf/product_pdfs/IVERHART_MAX_Chewable_Tablets_Insert.pdf

It contains ivermectin, pyrantel pamoate, and praziquantel, so it treats heart worm as well as round, hook, and tape worms.

Sometimes products with inactive ingredients will not list them, but still list the % of inactive ingredients. So this product may not have any. You also may want to check the list of side effects to see if her reaction matches one of the listed side effects. Otherwise you might want to call Virbac and ask if there are any inactive ingredients.

[Joy C]

All Canine Carry Outs® chewy dog treats are made right here in the USA. All major ingredients, including the meat, come from the USA. Like most pet companies, they source a limited amount of minor ingredients from other countries due to limited availability in the U.S. They do not source any of our ingredients from China.

[Lisa B]

I started my dog on HR last month. He has always been a thin, small dog. He loves the HR dog food and treats. He has gained weighted/filled out, poops less, etc. I’m very pleased. 🙂

[Pavo]

Any ideal where I can find HONEST ratings for Dog Treats?

[Diana L]

We had a horrible experience with the dreambone (no rawhide) alternative treats this weekend. Both of my dogs began vomiting and having bloody stools shortly afterwards. One was dead in about 24 hours in a pool of blood from her mouth. I submitted an online report to the FDA in hopes these will get recalled.

[Renee B]

You might check out http://www.pawtree.com/arkansaspets and do a quick pet profile. They offer great natural dog foods, treats, supplements based on your dogs needs. They may have what your looking for.

[Renee B]

you might try doing a pet profile on her at http://www.pawtree.com/arkansaspets. They have natural pet foods based on your dogs needs. Along with treats, etc.

[zcRiley]

Zignature Limited Ingredient Formula Dry Dog Food (Turkey, lamb, or duck)

Key Benefits:
Grain-free and limited ingredient formula
Gluten-free diet
No potato, chicken or eggs
Complete and balanced diet for all life stages
Made in the USA

Stay away from all grains, brewer’s yeast and oatmeal anything. Same for treats. Yeast also feeds on oatmeal based shampoo. Bath in Aroma Paws honeysuckle and jasmine formula, all natural. Order food from Chewy.com, ingredients and reviews listed on everything.

Stop all the medications, it weakens the immune system. Wipe out ears daily with a tissue, q-tip out the yeast. Get ear drops from vet and keep at it.

[Sandra W]

My 11 mo old Glen chews at her toes and scratches her ear. This is a recurring problem and has been treated with medications each time. A vet suggested changing her food/treats and I am looking for the proper dog food. She started with a standard dry food the breeder used and then I used Horizon Legacy Puppy Grain Free. I don’t remember a real problem then. After we got another puppy (Vizsla) I stopped the Horizon (I could only get it in 8 lb bags) and switched to Wellness Complete Health Puppy Deboned Chicken, Oatmeal & Salmon Meal. It was a few months before I noticed the chewing and scratching, so it may not be a food allergy, but I’m going to try changing her food. Also, the Blue Buffalo Health Bar treats (all varieties) need to be changed. Does anyone have a recommendation/suggestion?

[Molly F]

Hey there, back again!
This is slightly off topic, but you all have been so helpful, thought I’d ask.
After we switched from Purina One LBP (chicken based) to Lamb and Rice, Freya’s itching did seem to decrease. I made the misteak of getting excited about home cooking and tried multiple new proteins (beef, pork, tuna) and she’s super itchy again. It’s been almost two weeks since she’s had anything but her kibble though, with the exception of some beef liver treats I made, and she’s still itchy. She did eat some chicken based cat food (in the form of cat vomit :/) and I noticed that the lamb and rice has “poultry by product meal” and I wonder if she’s sensitive the that.
She’s not really itching or chewing holes in herself and her poops seem good,so I’m aware it’s possibly not a food thing at all, but I’m going to switch her to EBH Coastal Catch, just to see if maybe she does better without grains. I don’t really have anything against grains, and I don’t really think it’s terrible for dogs to have them, but her current food has multiple and I want to figure out if maybe it’s one of those, as her symptoms seem slightly closer to a yeast issue.
Thoughts?

[InkedMarie]

Make sure you have a vet visit done, to make sure he’s healthy.

We adopted an obese dog & used Wellness Core reduced fat food with great luck. If I needed such a food now, I’d use Annamaet Lean. Make sure your dog isnt getting table foodor many treats. If you need to treat, use the kibble.
Good luck!

[Molly F]

Ok, I’ve gone and gotten myself all worried and worked up now!
Here’s the story: I have an 8mo old female GSD who came from pretty large stock. She was on LBP food until about 6mo when I switched her over to Purina One Lamb and Rice, partly because I had read it was recommended to switch large breeds earlier (old info, I know) and partly because she was SOOOO itchy on a chicken based food. The switch to lamb did seem to help with the itchy skin, but now I’m all stressed out that I’ve messed up her growth by taking her off puppy food too soon. I’m thinking of doing her half and half on the Purina and TOTW puppy.
I guess my questions are:
Will it help/make any difference to add puppy food back in at this point? Should I switch her back to all puppy?
I know TOTW isn’t the very best, but it’s pretty good for my price range. I’m not really anti-grain and still make some toppers/treats with cooked grains.
I guess I just need some more input…..

[Mirae L]

My pure bred bichon frise began forming bladder stones at age 5yrs. He was fed an all organic, home cooked meal, mostly consisting of pasture raise chicken, beef or pork, white rice, and veggies. Duck, chicken, beef and fish treats.

I followed the vets advice and had the stones surgically removed, and the stones returned within a year. I was furious. The vet then told me they commonly recur, and I set out on a mission to find a non-invasive way to get rid of them.

Bladder stones cannot be treated with ultrasound because of all the liquid in the bladder. So I coupled WD Cusick’s breed specific diet with Chinese herbs, passwan (Mandarin for ‘break up stone’), and all 5 of his stones were gone in 3 weeks.

I love these breed specific diets!

[elaine c]

Hi Brian, I wrote this without seeing that you had replied.. and I said some of the same things.. Will a dog die on pro plan probably not… but for me I want to do better by my dogs. It is like us eating the way we do.. will we die… no.. But we will live more flexible, more lean and healthier on better food. I just don’t believe that any processed food is good because so much is lost in the high heat cooking. the bags have already sat somewhere for months before you even buy it. I make organic treats that go to stores and a distributor wanted to represent me.. and my treats had to last 12 – 18 month!!!! I don’t want my treats to last that long. It is the same with dog food. In my humble opinion

[Sirius K]

I have a 2 and a half year old mastiff. He is absolutely lovely and has been more or less in good health his whole life. He isn’t on an 100% raw diet, though a lot of what I give him throughout the day is raw meat/slightly cooked meat/meat-based actually good quality treats (I do heavy research before buying anything lmao)

Anyway, so my dog loves steak. So do I. Steak used to be a birthday treat, but since we moved into a place on our own and it’s just the two of us– anyway, he gets steak a lot now. He’s all about that. Lol. I cut his portion into pieces to give him before I season or cook my portion.

Anyway, at the nearby farmer’s market, I recently bought a calf heart (organic, grass-fed, very nice looking) — I haven’t had full on raw beef heart before and neither has my dog. It was frozen when I purchased it and it’s been frozen up until I tossed it in my fridge to thaw. Seeing as it’s a muscle, I figured he would view it similar to steak.

I cut him a couple pieces today because he seemed interested, but he wouldn’t touch it!
This is the first time he’s turned down (meat) raw food of any type. He’s usually only the type to turn down most fruits and vegetables (that are safe for dogs of course) lol.

Did he just think it smelled weird or something? Raw heart does smell rather strong even to me– so I’m sure it smells a hell of a lot to him. But he really likes his other smelly treats– like the green tripe sticks by Barkworthies. So, do you know what’s up?

I’m about to soak some pieces in apple cider vinegar because I read a few places that it would cut down on the smell. But yeah. I was fully planning on sharing this bounty with him. Haha. I don’t know why he isn’t interested. I’m half worried something is wrong with the beef heart I bought and that’s why he won’t eat it, but everything checks out and it seems really fresh.

He loves chicken hearts and all that good stuff.
Anyway, any ideas?
Thanks. 🙂

• This topic was modified 9 years, 7 months ago by Sirius K.

[Madison V]

My sweet wheaten terrier suffered from the same mysterious symptoms for about three years before I put her to sleep because the symptoms were distressing to her and the vet tried everything they possibly could. For two years I tried different things with her: Pepcid, gas x, and she had her blood tested numerous times. Nothing was ever found. She “appeared” to be a healthy 4 year old. I changed her diet to boiled chicken and rice and never gave her any additional treats. I never did try the seizure medication. The vet thought it was a seizure disorder. It would start out of the blue: frantic gulping, wrenching, vomiting white foam, and the worst part was that she consumed ANYTHING in her path. There were two times when she ingested something that caused an intestinal blockage that involved two ER visits with extensive stays. The scariest thing occurred when she was overnight at the ER, inside her kennel. She had an IV in her leg and ATE the IV needle and all the gauze. She vomited it up hours later. She must have had an episode while there…alone and scared out of her mind. It was so traumatizing for both her and I. I didn’t know what else to do, so I sadly said goodbye to her and laid her to rest.
It was four years ago, I think about her every day. I can’t believe after all these years that the vet’s still have no clue as to how to treat these episodes. One thing I did think about was the correlation between applying frontline and the occurrence of yet another gulping episode. Frontline now states that their product can cause seizures in dogs. Perhaps you should see if that could be the culprit. I wished I had tried that….

• This reply was modified 9 years, 7 months ago by Madison V.

[Ryan K]

My 14 year old Old English Sheepdog is pretty much at the end phase of her life and we are all heartbroken over it. She has been fairly sick over the last few weeks with a lack of appetite and her hind legs giving out. Our vet has said that she has nerve degeneration in her spine that is causing her back legs to gradually slide out from under her. With a small dog this is a bit easier to handle with carrying them and getting them around but with a 65 pound dog it’s not that easy. I wondered if there was any supplement that people have given their dogs for aiding the nerves in regenerating or getting better? I read that the mushroom Lion’s Mane is great for humans but haven’t heard how much a dog could tolerate. I would love to keep my dog going cause she’s so vibrant despite her age and these new hindrances. We love her so much and this has been a rough couple weeks with thinking the end is near. Is it a waste or stupid to try new supplements at this point? I brought her in to the vet today thinking it was the end for her after a long night of heavy panting and only eating canned food that she KNOWS has no pills in. She has suddenly become a detective with finding her meds hidden in wrapped treats and spits them out and it’s just crazy! But, he said that although she is old and not feeling well he thinks she looks good and can go a bit longer and he didn’t recommend euthanasia which was a relief. I don’t want to prolong her pain or make her stick around just to avoid that decision.

Any recommendations for senior dog supplements for the nervous system would be great. Also, she is allergic to brewers yeast so I have to avoid that ingredient. Thanks!

[Patricia Y]

Please help identify training treats for our cavachon puppy. We need to high “high reward” and regular treats. Want grain free and healthy but not high calorie. Thank you

[John T]

I don’t mean to keep asking questions but the day actually do an x-ray or an ultrasound? A friend of mine had a dog that had swallowed a piece of rubber ball that was causing problems and they didn’t find it With the x-ray but they found it with the ultrasound.

Yes we do do anything we can for our dogs after all their family. After my year-long battle With the x-ray but they found it with the ultrasound.

Yes we do do anything we can for our dogs after all their family. After my year-long battle with Blue causing all his problem I just make his food every week including his treats that I dehydrate. Sorry but no more commercial crap for him. Good luck and have a good day

[Susan]

Hi Caryn, you have to realise vets aren’t nutritionist & some vets know stuff all about nutrition for dogs & cats….. a good vet would be telling you to feed a balanced raw or cooked diet to your dog & cat, not a kibble….
You should always rotate between a few different brand kibbles & different proteins when feeding a kibble, never just feed the one brand & same protein their whole lives like some people do….also add fresh whole foods to the kibble…. They have found by adding 1 tablespoon of cooked veggies/fruit or a protein to the dogs kibble just 3 times a week can reduce the chances of them getting cancer.. …follow “Rodney Habib” the Pet nutrition blogger on Face Book he’s excellent & it’s so easy to make your dog healthier, happier & live longer…since dogs have been eating just kibble they aren’t living as long as when they were fed table scraps & cooked meals..

When picking a good kibble, look at the ingredients, a good kibble should have at least 3-5 proteins as the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th ingredient, then should have a carb like sweet potatoes as the next ingredient….. also when the ingredients are written, the ingredients are raw, not cooked yet except if it says meal eg, chicken meal, lamb meal, duck meal etc also the ingredient list is written on weight, so when ingredients are cooked the ingredients shrink, especially proteins/meats, a good kibble should read Lamb, then Lamb Meal, chicken meal, or turkey, turkey meal, chicken meal etc when it says meal there’s more meat cause the meal is cooked meats dried & made into powder form (meal) but when it just say chicken or lamb or duck, it’s raw & hasn’t been cooked yet it needs the meal to follow, duck then duck meal or chicken then chicken meal etc… also if it say’s fish or ocean fish you want to know what type of fish it is?? it should say salmon, salmon meal or Whitefish, Sardines or Anchovy …..
Have a look at “Canidae” Pure formulas grain free & their Life Stages formulas, their Life Stages, All Life Stages formula is a good kibble, it has 4 high quality meat meals, chicken, turkey, lamb & fish & is a pretty good price when you buy a 20kg bag, then look for another premium kibble & I rotate in the same day some times, I give Patch his “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain for breakfast then he has Canidae Life Stages formula for dinner when I forget to take out his cooked meal out of freezer…. Some people rotate when the bag of kibble is down too 1/4 of the bag left then start adding & mixing in the next new kibble your going to feed, after you have rotated a few different kibbles you don’t really need to slowly introduce anymore……You will see a difference when your dog is feed a better quality kibble that agrees with him, they have more energy, their coat shines, their poos are firm & smaller…. then pick about 3 different kibbles with different proteins & fed them but still keep your eye out for another kibble to try that’s on special or new..
Go onto the “Review” section & start looking at 3-5 star kibbles, I prefer a kibble with less ingredients, limited ingredient kibbles & I add fresh cooked food to the kibble, tin sardines in oil/spring water are excellent, I add tin Salmon in spring water, you ban add the salmon bones, you give about 3 small sardines or 1/4 of the small tin, also veggies broccoli, berries, apple, I fed pieces of peeled seeded apple, watermelon, rock melon as treats also yogurt Patch gets 1 heap spoon yogurt at 11 am every day now….3-4 years ago if I gave Patch anything different in his diet he’d have diarrhea, gas/farts, bad wind pain, rumbling, grumbling bowel noises, he’s a rescue that was feed a very poor diet & now has IBD & Skin & Food sensitivities…. Good Luck
*Canidae- http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
*Sport Dog Elite Series- http://www.sportdogfood.com/dog-food/active-sporting/performance/
*Taste Of The Wild- http://www.tasteofthewild.com.au
*California Natural- http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products

[Philip L. P]

Milk Bones? Bad for your dogs, are you all freakin kidding me!

I don’t feed my dogs any form of dog food, I’ve moved the plants that make this stuff and I can guarantee you you’ll never see a filthier place! That my friends goes for those of the better brands also! Wouldn’t feed my dogs a Raw diet either… fresh, cooked, and frozen human food. As to the Milk Bones that’s a whole different story… I heard story’s about the video and claims that are supposed to state scientific fact that Milk Bones are bad for your dogs… and it all has been debunked as hogwash! There’s never been any such scientific study done on any of that. Not saying it is anything other than what it is meant to be ie.. a treat, treats aren’t supposed to be necessarily healthy same as candy for kids, liquor for adults, or drugs for addicts. But when it comes to Milk Bones you won’t find a better bone for your dog to chew on, or one that will keep your dogs teeth and breath clean. They aren’t supposed to be a meal, or even a supplement… they are supposed to be a treat and one that keeps the dogs teeth in good order. That has always worked for me, none of my dogs have ever had cavity’s, broken teeth, or even yellow teeth even in old age. Milk Bones have been around for over a hundred years and made in the USA. Keep giving your dogs those Nalgene bones and keep taking your dogs to the vets for dental work… as to the use of preservatives of any kind, use common sense in judging the produce, you can’t get away from their use completely. Some of you people take this stuff way too far! I get a kick out of hearing how well you all feed and take care of your dogs and cats, and then leave them play by them selves with toys that were made in china, let them alone out in the yard that has been sprayed with lawn and garden insecticides, fertilizers, and poisonous plants, animals take in more toxins than they’d ever get from Milk Bones from just being in your home. Crap think of all the stuff you all just use on your carpets, cleaners that you use on your floors, ant and roach killers that you use under your counters. You all are taking this healthier food stuff way too far sometimes, hell a couple hot dogs are better than no food at all. Give them love, companionship, a place to live, food and medical care when they need it and most times they’ll live to a good old age. Do what you can afford for your animals, its better than them being out on the streets on their own.

[Sallynova]

try a food for picky dogs like Dogs For The Earth Organic dog food. sometimes dogs who won’t eat are more sensitive to the smell of processing or modified ingredients – we’ve been using this food for years and so are many of our friends and family and it’s great. They make treats too. It comes in a brown paper bag and our dogs love it so much all we have to do is crinkle a bag and they come running. Google them and see what you think.

[christine k]

I have a service dog and she attends grad school with me. Wednesdays is our long days; eleven hours straight and she mostly sits still or rest, so by the end of the day, she’s pretty restless. She is 5 years old, 18-20 lbs, and a terrier mix.

What treats can I give her that isn’t big or gets terribly soggy, smelly and gross and will hold her attention at least 30-60 minutes? She doesn’t like rawhide or Himalayan bones very much. I’ve given her Busy Bones and she likes them and they last, but they’re a bit expensive.

[Suzanne W]

My German shepherd was getting awful sores which would frequently become pustules. We spent lots of knee and did antibiotics and baths and diet changes etc and in the end here’s what worked for Ida. We give her grain free diet, we add homaede topper. Although her treats have grains, she doesn’t get many. We spray her tummy (which is where she predominately gets these staph pimples, though sometimes elsewhere) Once a day with silversol spray and let air dry(don’t let her lick it off it needs about twenty minutes to dry) and she hardly ever gets any infections as long as we do this once daily. If we forget for a few days, she may get a dot or two, so then we spray it about every four to six hours till they dry up then resume our once daily. Now, for those that believe this is expensive, it is absolutely not. We save money and her health by not going to the vet, we save her by not ravishing her system with antibiotics, etc, and the best part is it works. After you get the rash or sores under control, it takes very very little. It kills almost every bacteria, fungus, and even virus. We have used this successfully for our pets ear infections, our ear infections, our skin problems, our colds. It does take a few days longer than traditional harmful medicines, but it absolutely works. We keep a spray bottle, an ear and eye dropper, and a nasal thing you squirt in your own nose when you start to get sick AT onset! It wards off your cold somewhat and lessens the time you feel ill. The most important thing is do it at onset and be consistent. I do not sell it or have anything to do with that aspect. I first found it. It is called :ASAP 22 plus silver solution. It is made by American biotech labs, LLC. In Utah. Oh yes, we also take it orally as well. I give the dogs or us a half teaspoon once or twice daily when something comes up. I hope this helps. I regret we never knew about this years ago as there’s been so much suffering. I hope this helps. A little goes a long way. We’ve used it a couple of years.

[Valerie I]

New Chicken Soup for the Soul Treats coupon found online:

Coupons.com Printable Coupons

[InkedMarie]

Harold,
A quick Google search will show you that dingo treats are not good….they were recalled a year ago & there is ab article here on DFA about it.
Them being made in China should tell you to stop buying them.

[Jenn H]

Bad teeth are more often than not hereditary.
I have a few friends who use K-10+ dental sticks. They swear by it. Admittedly they aren’t militant about giving the “treats” yet have gotten great results.
Not only do they not give them regularly, but they don’t even give their dogs the suggested amount. Because of the cost and they have large dogs.
In fact I think one friend gives her dog a couple of the medallions sporadically.

[Susie]

Wow, I think my girl Sadie has the same problem. She’s 11 and otherwise healthy. Thank you for posting so that I can see a neurologist and have knowledge. Do either of you know what triggers this? Sadie gulps and licks floors, and looks scared when it happens. She’s had 3 now, spaced out, and they last maybe half an hour. She will calm down and stop for a few minutes but then it starts back up. Could heat or motion sickness trigger it? She eats five star canned foods and made in USA grain free treats. No vaccines. I’m worried. Thank you.

[Dee H]

One dog who is on Taste of the Wild kibble and Nature’s Domain canned Turkey and Pea stew has had lots of GI distress. Has anyone had trouble with the Kirkland canned food?
The other dog has slightly loose stools but is otherwise ok.

We took the first dog off of the Kirkland Natures Domain kibble, because he cannot tolerate sweet potato – did cause lots of diarrhea, and in other circumstances (for instance, when included in treats and not kibble).

[Susan]

Hi, from another aussie, love her name Opal……We have a few Australian made foods, there’s “Meals For Mutts” & “Stay Loyal” both Australian made premium kibbles…..Stay Loyal only makes the 1 kibble & doesn’t sell thru on line pet stores or thru Pet Shops you have to buy from the Stay Loyal site, I think their kibble is an All Life Stages formula, you’d have to email Stay Loyal & ask….
“Meals For Mutts” is Gluten, Dairy, Sugar & Potato FREE, excellent for dogs with food sensitivities & skin problems & they have excellent treats with no added ingredients like Ivory Coats treats have….MfM treats are all natural, MfM also make, Omega 3 6 & 9 Oil, Probiotic & a new Tripe powder has just come out, you add to your raw or cooked food, follow MfM on their Face Book page to keep up to date, they are always bringing out new things..
here’s their site http://www.mealsformutts.com.au/index.html

Also try the Ziwi Peak air dried raw you can use as treats for training, Ziwi Peak rung me yesterday, I have just got a 5 month old kitten from RSPCA & I sent Ziwi Peak an email asking is their cat Air Dried food an all life stages formula & can it be fed to kittens, the man that rung said, yes it can, the cat Air Dried can be feed to my kitten & they will have a freshly made samples next week & he’ll be sending me out some samples, send them an email & tell them about your new pup & ask for some samples to see which flavour she prefers of all their Air Dried formulas my boy loves the Venison & Fish, also send MfM an email they also will send you out some samples, so Opal will have a heaps of healthy training treats…. http://www.ziwipeak.com

[Susan]

Hi Peter, I have the same problem with my dog Patch that has IBD & food/skin allergies, tooo many big poo’s on certain kibbles…..Look at the Protein % as well, too much protein can also make poos bigger & softer, when my IBD boy eats a kibble with 30% & over in protein, he does 4-5 poos a day & when he eats kibbles with fillers like corn, gluten meal, barley, oats, millet, he gets itchy smelly skin & does big sloppy poos.. when I feed a kibble with under 30% protein around 26% protein & grain free with limited ingredients, my boy does only 2 poos a day…Taste Of The Wild, Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb seems to suit him the best out of all the kibbles I have tried & Canidae Pure Land, he does 1-2 small poos a day. Both these kibbles have limited ingredients…

Just keep rotating different brands of kibble until you work out which brands your pup does the best on, then rotate between them, never just feed the same brand for years & years also start adding some fresh whole foods to his kibble as well…

Finally people are telling these pet food industries, we’ve had enough, we love our pets & we want the best for them & don’t want to feed a kibble with maize, corn gluten meal, beet pulp, tallow, by-product meats, preservatives, food colouring etc…..
Back in the 1940-1980 dogs were feed table scraps & those dogs were much more healthier, they were not feed processed kibbles with maize/corn, gluten meal & by-product meats, they ate what we ate…then in the 90’s Hills & a few other pet food companies started saying, Don’t feed foods we eat, it’s not good for your dog, your dog needs a well balanced diet dry KIBBLE & people followed like sheep & still to this day, there’s still some un educated people who say “Oh no, you can’t feed your dogs & cats foods we eat”…..
50 yrs later finally people like Rodney Habib (someone you should follow on F/B) is saying enough is enough to these pet food companies & educating people to feed fresh meats, fresh fruits, fresh veggies again like our parents did…..Back in the 50’s 60’s & 70’s, dogs didn’t get cancer & have all these food & skin allergies, dogs didn’t have as many health problems as they do today, why??
Watch a video Rodney Habib put together called “Maggies Story the Oldest Dog in the World” Maggie was a kelpie X Cattle dog that lived on a dairy farm, Victoria Australia, she wasn’t over vaccinated, she only had her puppy vaccinations, she wasn’t desexed until she was 14yr old cause a dairy worker brought his dog with him & Maggie fell pregnant, she lived till she was 30yrs old & just passed away in her sleep this year…she wasn’t feed kibble, you have to watch the video to see what she ate & drank…

Your on the right track, you’ve know about ingredients in kibbles, now start looking at healthy foods to add to the kibble, they did a study & found dogs that were feed 1 tablespoon of fresh foods added to kibble just 3 times a week reduced their chances of getting cancer, the post is on Rodney Habib F/B page, there’s lots of excellent info on Rodney F/B page https://www.facebook.com/rodneyhabib/?pnref=story

Have you tried Ziwi Peak Air dried raw?, I use the Ziwi Peak as treats when I don’t have any fruit like apple, water melon or raw almonds & I have just started my 5 month kitten on the cat Ziwi Peak & then when she loses her teeth I will be giving her a chicken wing once a week to clean her teeth, look after your pups teeth, small breeds are prone to teeth problems, give a raw chicken wing once/twice a week for breakfast, peel off the skin so there’s less fat…also email kibble companies & ask for samples..Ziwi Peak sends out samples http://www.ziwipeak.com Good-Luck

[HoundMusic]

It might be the protein levels in the food are too high. Phosphorous is a mineral that “tags along” with protein – i.e., the higher the protein levels in a feed, the higher the phos. will be. And if that is the case, it could be affecting the dog’s kidney function, which is a major cause of inexplicably bad teeth in young dogs.

Some dogs do naturally have a tendency to build up tartar, but there is plenty that can be done with diet to prevent it. Try a lower protein feed or one that specifically has been formulated for dental health. Several years ago, I had to put an older dog on Science Diet Oral Care, because at 2yrs old, her teeth were practically rotting out of her mouth after whelping a litter. Still don’t know the underlying cause for it, but I gave her the kibble pieces as treats, and it did help. I don’t care for the SD brand and wouldn’t recommend it, but there are certainly other brands that do make similar foods.

And just as an aside, in a bad case, the “bumpy” Nylabones and rawhides might also be of some help.

[Kathleen C]

No, but I just checked Amazon for the Blue Dog treats and according to many the quality has gone way down. Any comments about that? Have they been sold to another company recently? Is Fedwell a brand?

[Karen B]

We use Nature Variety Rabbit treats….no problems.

[Kathleen C]

I keep trying to find dog treats recommended on the site but so far have had no luck. Are there any out there available that can be recommended or have they all been recalled? I got some Zukes again with no problem but are they still safe?

[Kristi G]

I am having a problem with my 12-year-old Yorkie, we have a weight problem.

She should be at 7-7.5 pounds but we are pushing 8.5-9 pounds. I was feeding her Wellness Core and that nipped the problem in the bud. Her weight was down, she loved the food, and felt healthier than ever. Then, the vet said her kidney levels were a little high and advised me to not feed her a high protein food and feed her a senior food instead. I then used the site again and started using Blue Wilderness Senior Grain Free, she was back up in weight in no time. We don’t do treats or bones so no culprit there. Pet Smart recommended Wellness Complete Health Senior, but she won’t eat the food so I can’t tell if it will work or not. We are still in the process of switching. She’s not typically a fickle eater and is usually quite the opposite-always ready to eat. But she turns her nose up to Wellness Complete Health Senior.

I want a dry (teeth are good), 5 Star Senior Food that won’t make her fat and will keep her at a Healthy Weight. Anyone have any recommendations? I’ve been trying to find something right for her for almost 2 years now and am desperate to find the right thing for my baby.

[Marty M]

Thank you for this topic. I had three bags of this poison in my pantry, and after seeing “propylene glycol” mentioned as an ingredient by another poster, ran incredulously to confirm. Not only is it an ingredient, it is the 8th listed. What the heck is anti-freeze doing in something for pets?!?!?

If not for this topic thread I could be amongst the other posters who have lost their beloved pets. My heart goes out to them. I have been reading these forums to better educate myself about the nutrition in pet foods, as one of my five dogs went from 17 up to 24 pounds in one year. Obviously to my husband and I, “we” are completely to blame as the Beagles, while as smart as whips, cannot reach the pantry door or figure another way in to the food (thank goodness, or we would be doomed). They, and I, thank you for the recommendation of beef trachea treats, as an alternative to the fattening Greenies.

May this thread warn other pet parents, and I for one will be reading all ingredient lists with a very careful eye.