[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.

[sophia s]

I read dogfoodadvisor’s review of Blue Wilderness food rolls–2.5 stars because of “modest” amount of meat and presence of not only molasses and vegetable glycerin but also sugar.

I like it because it is grain-free, potato free except for potato starch, soy free, carrageenan free, and corn free. AND my very picky eater really likes it.

I want to use this product exclusively as a training treat instead of using Zuke’s Tiny Naturals because I would save quite a bit of money by switching.

Here are the ingredients for for Zuke’s Tiny Naturals Peanut Butter Flavor:
Peanut Butter, Chickpeas, Peas, Sweet Potatoes, Glycerin, Pea Protein, Agave Syrup, Gelatin, Coconut Oil, Flaxseed, Salt, Flax Meal, Citric Acid, Lactic Acid, Succinic Acid, Natural Flavor, Sunflower Lecithin, Mixed Tocopherols, Rosemary Extract, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Zinc Proteinate.

Here is the link for Dogfoodadvisor’s review of Blue Wilderness Food Rolls:
/dog-food-reviews/blue-buffalo-wilderness-wild-rolls/

Questions:
As a training treat, is one of these options better than the other?
Is the food roll a suitable option as a training treat?
If neither is suitable or recommended as a training treat, what moist training treats would be a good option?

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!

[pitlove]

My Lab was raised on Purina ONE and we did move away from that food for a while when we first took him from my boyfriends parents. Luckily with him he does well on any food I put him on. My pitbull is not as lucky. He has many food intolerances and allergies that limit what he can eat, so my Lab just eats the same thing he eats. They are both on Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach because it’s the only food my pitbull will eat (very very picky) that clears up his allergies and his intolerances. The Lab seems to be doing very well on a regular adult diet. I’m very careful about the way I feed him and I don’t give treats much.

From what I’ve read, opinions vary on amounts of protein. Some say flat out higher protein, some say higher, but also has to be of higher quality. I’m starting to read more that the quality is what is of importance more so than just a super high amount of protein.

[Sara B]

I have a new Shorkie puppy, 10 weeks old & 5 lbs. I would like suggestions for a dry Ned wet food for him. Our other dogs have had allergies and I am crying Norene’s about that also. And what kind of chew treats do you recommend?

• This topic was modified 9 years, 4 months ago by Sara B.

[Michael F]

Hi, My last two dogs lived to be 16 and 17 years old, they developed arthritis and we used
Duralactin and all natural anti-inflammatory, you can read more about it her https://www.vetinfo.com/duralactin-canine-side-effects.html it doesn’t have the side affects of Rimadyl, I’m not to saying you should stop her rimadly, I’m not sure how bad her arthritis is and it is a choice your and your vet would make. With the Duralactin we also gave our dogs Cosequin, or I guess now they make Dasaquin, we gave our dogs both the Duralactin and the Cosequin and they did quite well, I also found that four short walks a day, made it easier for them to get up and down and move around. For your weight loss, I would keep her on her diet food that works for her, and feed her the amount of it she is suppose to have for her required weight, as a topper for a treat, you might try a little boiled fat free ground turkey and or boiled skinless boneless chicken breasts, those will be much lower fat options and should still feel like a treat to her. To make it easy you can cook it up ahead of time and freeze small amounts in freezer bags, and then you’ll have a pre-made topper for her food. It’s not easy getting a dog with arthritis extra exercise, but if you stick to the amount of food she is suppose to eat for the weight you want her to be at and avoid extra fatty food additives and other people food and give her the low fat kibble as treat, rather than a fatty dog treat, she’ll eventually take weight off, you don’t want to under-feed her, because then she get malnourished, she needs a certain amount of food each day to get her needed vitamins. Give it some time and you’ll see results! A cute story about the need to feed your dog too many special treats….My parents had a toy poodle named pete, they only fed him buddig lunchmeat, they said he would not eat dog food, at age six, he looked awful, instead of being chocolate brown he was grey and going bald, his eyes looked sickly and he limped on his hind leg at time, unfortunately my parents passed away at that time, anyway, pete came to live with me and my other two dogs, and guess what, I fed him dog food, not lunchmeat, in a few months time, his coat was nice and chocolate brown again, his eyes looked great, he got daily walks with the other two dogs, and he lived to be almost 18 years old! So that is my story about table scraps versus dog food! That doesn’t mean I’m knocking a raw diet for dogs or home cooking for dogs, they are preferred to dog food by many vets and many of us dog owners, however, they have to be a balanced diet, not just luchmeat and table scraps.

[zcRiley]

I have tried all bones of all kinds and some are just downright dangerous, one snag in the tract and it’s over. Surgery won’t even save your dog. I only now trust Barkworthies Odor-Free Joint & Mobility 6″ Bully Sticks Dog Treats and Zuke’s Dental Bones in berry crisp formula.

I do not give it daily either, chewing things do not clean away plaque and bacteria. I use Virbac’s C.E.T. Enzymatic Toothpaste in vanilla-mint flavor. My boys don’t like brushes so I scrub with a thin cotton towel wrapped around my finger. I only brush the stubborn stains on the back tooth.

[InkedMarie]

I have no experience in those foods but my research has led me to believe that a grainfree weight loss food is best. Grains are inflammatory so a grainfree may help there. A number of years back, we adopted a dog who should have weighed about 25lb but weighed 43.7!

I used Wellness Core’s reduced fat with great success; I suggest trying that or Annamaet Lean. Feed a little less than what the bag recommends. Be very mindful of anything else she eats.Skip treats and try a couple baby carrots as a treat if you need to use treats.

[Lori D]

I read here a few older reviews non favorable and outside here 5 star treats. Well after a few different varieties of their products the peanut butter seems to be the devil of gastrointestinal of 5 star rating. My two chihuahuas are ok but my Yorkie is done. The ingredients may look ok but not for my little ones. ( Kelp for dogs?, seriously? ) Only good is the rawhide free but it’s not worth it. I need a long use chewy for little dogs. It so settles them at night like a pacifier. Suggestions please.

[Kathleen C]

This isn’t the right place for this question, but looked all over and couldn’t find better. I picked up some treats at the vet this morning. Purina Pro Plan Vet Diets: Gentle Snackers. I didn’t see the ingredient list first or I wouldn’t have gotten it. However, can you tell me if anything hydrogenated is OK to give a dog or any animal? I know it’s not good for me, can we feed dogs this? The mere name Purina should have warned me I know, but it’s just a treat.

[Kristy O]

I’ve been reading (through online research sites and here) good things about the Fromm weight loss dog food (Gold, Gold Coast, and Four Star Weight Management) but I haven’t yet tried one of them…I’m leaning toward one of the 2 Gold choices right now. I have a female, spayed German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP), about 9 years old who is tremendously overweight. I volunteer for the Illinois Shorthair Rescues and she came to us as a foster dog from a kill shelter. She was with us for one day and became ours forever. 🙂 She’s so sweet, but I’m thinking she was likely a puppy mill dog – at the very least a backyard breeder/breeder dog. It’s obvious she has had several litters of pups. She should weigh between 50-60 pounds and definitely not over 70, but she’s over 80 lbs. 🙁 In all fairness, she came to us overweight, with heartworm and multiple other problems, so it’s been difficult to work too much on her weight loss; however, she’s now heartworm free and we’re working diligently to get the weight off. We run her every morning on a nearby farm (as far as she can tolerate – also has hip problems) and have cut back on her food to approx. 2 cups/day and a couple treats in between. We currently feed Exclusive, which works well for our other GSP (she has Addison’s Disease). As a matter of fact, I believe that food really helped to save her life when she was diagnosed years ago. I digress. Sorry. I’m thinking about trying the Fromm for both of them now. Has anybody else tried their products? Would be happy to hear if you have. The weight management products ARE on the list of Editor’s Choice at 4 Stars, so it must be pretty good. Please let me know what you all think. Thanks!

[Kristy O]

I’ve been reading (through online research sites and hear) good things about the Fromm weight loss dog food (Gold, Gold Coast, and Four Star Weight Management) but I haven’t yet tried one of them…I’m leaning toward one of the 2 Gold choices right now. I have a female, spayed German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP), about 9 years old who is tremendously overweight. I volunteer for the Illinois Shorthair Rescues and she came to us as a foster dog from a kill shelter. She was with us for one day and became ours forever. 🙂 She’s so sweet, but I’m thinking she was likely a puppy mill dog – at the very least a backyard breeder/breeder dog. It’s obvious she has had several litters of pups. She should weigh between 50-60 pounds and definitely not over 70, but she’s over 80 lbs. 🙁 In all fairness, she came to us overweight, with heartworm and multiple other problems, so it’s been difficult to work too much on her weight loss; however, she’s now heartworm free and we’re working diligently to get the weight off. We run her every morning on a nearby farm (as far as she can tolerate – also has hip problems) and have cut back on her food to approx. 2 cups/day and a couple treats in between. We currently feed Exclusive, which works well for our other GSP (she has Addison’s Disease). As a matter of fact, I believe that food really helped to save her life when she was diagnosed years ago. I digress. Sorry. I’m thinking about trying the Fromm for both of them now. Has anybody else tried their products? Would be happy to hear if you have. The weight management products ARE on the list of Editor’s Choice at 4 Stars, so it must be pretty good. Please let me know what you all think. Thanks!

[weezerweeks]

I’m the crazy lady with the rescue cats at Subway. I want to bring the 5 out of 8 that I have home. They have been at Subway for over 2 years now. This is their home. They have beds and a cat condo. They are fed twice a day and given treats by my night manager. All my girls at Subway love them and help me with them. My vet says if I bring them home they might try to go back since that’s home to them. I only have 5 left and I feel they will be safer at my house.Any advice. Thanks

[anonymously]

Chewy.com has some Kong treats https://www.chewy.com/s?query=treats+kongs&nav-submit-button=

Hope this helps.

[Kellye P]

Linda,
Thank you so much for your kind words. I held the little paw print that came with Duffy’s ashes and cried a bit. 😢

The one thing I did that made the biggest positive impact was finding the Chi Institute herbalist. It’s a real shame that Duffy was so allergic to cinnamon because the formula for diabetics gets rave reviews but it’s full of various forms of cinnamon. However, the Chi Institute vet had other herbal formulas that helped a lot with keeping him content in other ways. Duffy was drug free except for insulin and he never had any problems with stiffness or liver or bladder or anything except the dad-blasted glucose!!!
I highly recommend finding a local Chi Institute herbalist because Kismet can probably handle cinnamon just fine and the formula will help.

http://www.tcvm.com/Resources/FindaTCVMPractitioner.aspx

The Solid Gold food isn’t necessarily for diabetics but since Duffy would eat it, he got it every day and he thrived on it. My vet wanted him to get at least 300 calories a day, which meant over half a can. With any other food, that would have been impossible, but I could get 1/3 cup in Duffy twice a day and then little bonus bits as baked treats. The food is very thick so I could slice it and bake it as crunchy treats as well as feed it straight from the can.
Also, a trick I thought of that seemed to work —
I took Acana duck kibble (“cool” for diabetes), put it in the food processor, and chopped it to a fine powder. I added 1/8 cup of the powder to the canned food for added calories.
It didn’t add much bulk and Duffy didn’t notice the extra food.

He was so hard to keep alive. Even as a puppy, he refused to eat. He never saw food as a reward. He never begged for treats. I always had to force him to eat but it wasn’t a big deal until he became diabetic. That when he HAD to eat twice a day, and had to eat the same amount of food.

What breed is Kismet? Do you use the super short needle syringes? I had my pharmacy special order them. Duffy was like a baby bird so he needed everything very small. I ordered the glucose/ketone test strips from Amazon. They had the two test pads on each strip. I used an electrolyte supplement in his water. It was an unsweetened brand made for dogs. It’s also sold on Amazon.
Let me know how things go for Kismet. Best wishes!!

[Caitlin H]

Thanks so much for all the info! We didn’t stick with the pure balance because it was sold in Walmart and I don’t shop there. She did fine on it. My mother in law gave us a couple servings of signature brand, and she did well again. We figured she was a dog that could eat anything and the vet said she could have any of the major labels.. so we tried pedigree. No illness but larger stinky poops.. so then we went to weld harvest, simply because the first ingredients looked alight (but I admit I am not an expert!). We Fed her that for a bit and then when we ran out my husband grabbed trader Joe’s. That’s where the tummy issues started. She’s in obedience so she is getting lots of treats as well and this started on fourth of July weekend and she is scared of fireworks… so honestly It could have been anything to set off. I told my vet all this and that is why I am not too happy they jumped right to a life time of prescription dog food.

Wild Harvest has a ton of ingredients, but the first few were deboned chicken, chicken meal, brown rice, rice flour, and chicken fat… Which is why I picked it. Since the last bout, we have stopped all treats, got rid of the trader Joe’s food and only doing the wild harvest and she is doing good so far. I am going to look into these other suggestions though as like you said, I have heard from lots of people it is good to switch the protein from time to time. I really hope we just did a little too much and little fast… we are going to slow it down and be a little more thoughtful with what we feed her

I have heard so much about TOTW, we might give that a go next. We don’t have a Costco membership unfortunately.

Thanks again! Glad that your pup found a diet that worked

[pitlove]

Hi Tonya

Welcome to the forums!

Tripett is a canned variety of green beef tripe that is a great topper for kibble because it has a perfect 1:1 ca/phos ratio.

Basically as I’m sure you have learned, excessive calcium and excess weight gain are the two major causes of bone growth disorders in growing large breeds. Some of these diseases don’t manifest until later in life, some manifest early on and then clear up. Either way it is important to feed a food appropriate for a growing large breed. The calcium to phos ratio should not exceed 1:5:1 and the calcium to calorie ratio should not exceed 3g/1000kcals.

Here is the issue….some foods make the claim “All Life Stages” which does mean it can be fed to a puppy or an adult. However, that does not always mean a LBP. Natural Balance makes the claim “All Stages, All Breeds” however that may or may not be true depending on what their nutritional philosophy regarding LBP’s is. Some companies are running on the old tired myth that protein is the main cause of bone growth disorders, dispite this theory being debunked some 20 years ago. They put so much emphasis on low protein that they ignore the calcium content.

Some companies list their “nutrient analysis” right there on their website, which I love! Some do not and you have to email the company and ask for it. Reason this is important is because there is a great tool on DFA here in that thread we orginally were talking on that lets you put in the MAX calcium, MAX phos and the calories/kg of the food and it tells you the calcium/phos ratio and the calcium/calorie ratio. However, you can not use the MIN numbers found on the bag. It does not tell you the true amount of calcium contained in the food. When using the MIN numbers, just about every food on the market would look LBP safe lol.

When it comes to feeding guidelines on the bag, they are simply a guideline. NB is a lower calorie food, so in order to meet the dogs daily caloric requirements, more food needs to be fed. Higher calorie foods would require less. One issue with feeding SO much less than the guidelines is the dog becoming nutrient deficient over time.

A lot of factors come in to play in keeping a dog lean. Being spayed/neutered will decrease metabolism, being less active, consuming too many calories in ratio to what is being burned. Personally, I would reward with something like green beans instead of the Zuke’s treats you are using if you are doing a lot of training with her and she is getting a lot of treats. We don’t use a lot of treats in my house because I’m very careful with my dogs weight. I have 3 kinds of treats right now, each with different kcals/treat and I use them based on how much excersize I feel they have done that day. Many days they don’t get a treat at all because I’m also incorporating raw into their kibble, so that takes up the calories of the treats. Praise is also a good training reward vs a treat.

[Kathleen C]

OK, I neither have a large and giant breed dog nor is he a puppy, but at my local pet store they sell Old Mother Hubbard treats. I didn’t look to see if they contain green tea, but after reading this I certainly will not buy any for my Boston Terrier. Glad I checked here first.

[Kathleen C]

If my dog, who should weigh between 18 and 19 pounds and is now close to 20, ate almost a cup a day he would weigh 50 pounds. He gets 1/4 cup twice a day with some low cal treats like green beans, carrots, some very low fat treats from my local pet store that I can trust. If I can get him back to 19 pounds I plan on giving him 1/3 cup twice a day, but I have to have some results first.

[Kellye P]

Hi Linda P,
Thank you for asking about Duffy. He ended up making amazing progress. He topped 7 pounds and grew the most glorious coat of dark black curly hair. It was unbelievable! You can see from his photo that he had gone gray. The new hair was jet black. He was doing better than I could have ever hoped, but then he had a crash of hypoglycemia. He stayed in the specialist’s 24 hour hospital for 5 days. They did a glucose curve the entire time and he was all over the chart. He soared up to 600 and then 1 unit of insulin sent him to 30 and he stayed around 50 for many hours. They watched him very closely and he seemed fine so they let everything work itself out. He came home with instructions to get .5 unit once a day. He crashed again a couple months later. Where do you go from there? I had to try to feed him several times a day, which he did not like. He had his first seizure in December 2015. We tried all the drugs and did everything we could but the seizures started to come in waves, one after another, so we had to say goodbye this past February. It absolutely broke our hearts. I fought so hard and never gave up on him, but as soon as I realized the seizures couldn’t be controlled, I ended it very quickly. I didn’t hesitate. No suffering for Duffy. 💜💜💜💜

Good luck with Kismet. Solid Gold canned food Hund-N-Flocken became a favorite and it is the highest calorie that I have found at 580 per can. Duffy loved it. I sliced it and baked it into crunchy treats so he ate it all day.

[C4D]

I’m including the DFA link for the feeding calculator. According to the numbers I put in:
Ideal weight: 19 lbs/20 lbs
Activity Level: overweight
Calories per cup: 360
Your should be feeding .98/1.02 cups per day depending on which weight you want. This total would be including ALL treat calories, so you have to add them in, or reduce the food. Treats should never account for more than 10% of their daily food intake. If you overtreat and underfeed, you would be undernourishing the dog. Since the calories of the food are 360 and she should be getting 10% max in treats, those high calorie treats would put her over on just 2 treats! If she seems hungry, wetting her food with warm water will make her feel fuller. Also, adding cooked frozen green beans is another trick that often works. I almost forgot this. Make sure you are using a real measuring cup that has all of the increments. Many private dog stores have them for free. Good Luck!

Link:

/dog-feeding-tips/dog-food-calculator/

[Christine W]

C4D,thank you! yes i checked the little liver treats i have,they are only 2.8 calories per treat.Wow the other one is high.The Wellness Core reduced fat is 360 per cup,the Science Diet,which she refuses to give up eating is 291.I can’t stand that she wants that food! but she did lose weight on it.I’m still working on this.
Can someone tell me since she is 22 pounds and my vet wants her at 19 or 20,how much to really feed her a day? any comments or help is so appreciated! 🙂

[C4D]

Are you feeding your dog’s per the feeding guidelines based on what the dog’s ideal weight should be? Also (like people) dogs really don’t need and shouldn’t have treats all day long. I only use them for training or working with a new foster.

Christine W, 19 calories per treat is a high calorie treat, even for my 80 lb labs.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 5 months ago by C4D.

[Christine W]

I just noticed Annamaet has Lean Treats,19 calories per treat,i don’t know if that’s high? i also noticed they have Algae in their food? i don’t get that either.

[Francis F]

Hi Alice R,

I’m sorry to hear about your Rottweiler’s vomiting. I have asked this question over and over in these forums and no one replies:

Question: how many of the canine Carry Outs did you give your Rottweiler? I own a toy poodle, 4.5 lbs., 14 years old. He’s been eating these treats since he was born; however,
I only give him a little piece like 3/4″ with each meal, that means twice a day. Every once in a while, to reward him about something, I may give him 1/4 of a nugget.

I’ve indicated before that these are TREATS, not food, and that is why I’ve asked everyone how much they give. Be careful though, you don’t want your dear dog to get real sick or worse. Good luck, Francis3

[Jen T]

Hi everyone, I have a Westie who is 9 years old and this summer has been the worst for her. We moved from the East Coast to the West Coast over 5 years ago. In May 2013, she had her first ear infection in her left ear, which turned out to be an inner ear infection. This summer (starting in May) she has been having mild bacteria/yeast infections in her left ear which my vet says are a secondary infection from environmental allergies (theorized, never went to a dermatologist).

Last Saturday, her left ear was inflammed (narrow canal, thick skin, yellow golden flakes, smelly). Thursday, my vet prescribed Apoquel (3.6mg pills) and suggested to lightly apply a cortisone cream for 5 days. She has never tried using Claritin or any antihistimine for this. Today we started the Apoquel because I wanted to read more about it. I’m planning to only do 10 days (1/2 pill twice a day) instead of the full 30 days (asked the vet if it was okay and they said yes). Her left ear at this moment is no longer red but still has yellow golden flakes and is a bit smelly.

I’m hoping someone can help me since my vet (and others) only believes in steroids, antibiotics, and Apoquel for long term use. When my Westie’s flare up calms down, what can I do to minimize the use of Apoquel and steroid creams? Right now, I am bathing her once a week with Malaseb and rinsing with apple cider vinegar (will do twice a week now), wiping her down with a wet paper towel (sometimes apple cider vinegar), doing foot soaks at the end of the night with warm water, and I’m currently trying an 8 week diet of only Acana Pork & Squash with no treats. I have noticed that her poop from Acana (since Thursday) is fairly soft versus when I had half Acana and half homecooked food plus Ark Naturals Probiotic added. Should I add a probiotic to help with the soft poop as well as the suppressing of the immune system due to Apoqeul? I greatly appreciate any help since this is my first dog and the vets near me don’t seem to know anything outside of steroids and antibiotics. Thank you.

[Susan]

Hi have you seen a Dermatologist?? a Dermatologist is the best place to start google one in your area they are a bit dearer then a vet but in the long run you will save money cause all vets do is relieve the itch with drugs & don’t find the cause of the problem…

With my boy it’s Food sensitivities & seasonal environment allergies….I don’t give any steroids as they suppress the immune system or antibiotics as they kill all the good bacteria in the gut & they need a healthy gut to have a strong immune system…. It sounds like you have been going around in circle….
With food did you try elimination diet ? 1 novel protein, 1 carb & feed for 2 months & add dog Omega 3, 6 & 9 Oil, with kibbles it’s too hard, unless you feed a kibble that just has 2-3 ingredients like “California Natural” Lamb & Rice, a few people use this kibble instead of feeding the vet diets….. http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products

With the shampoo which one did you use ? you have to make sure your using the right shampoo for the skin problem your dealing with….. Baths are the best for skin problems, you wash away any allergens & pollens on their skin & fur & if they have yeasty smelly skin, shampoos like Malaseb kill the bacteria & relieve any itch & redness they may have.
I use Malaseb medicated shampoo twice a week in the Spring/Summer months & once maybe twice a month give baths in the Winter months…..It depends if he’s starting to smell & itch at the moment it’s Winter & Patch has no yeasty smell & isn’t itchy, so I must have his diet right finally as soon as he eats a kibble with Barley & chicken he starts scratching & starts to smell yeasty, gets red paws, red under his mouth/chin & sometimes hive like lumps all over the white fur section of his body…when it’s food sensitivities some dogs have sloppy poos, bad farts/gas etc, it starts to do your head in…..
I take Patch for a walk & he’s fine, no itch, nothing, we go for a walk & Patch might walk under a tree or smell a bush that he’s sensitive too, then in 1/2 to 1 hour later he’ll get his hive like lumps all over the white fur on his body & start to itch, sometimes he doesn’t itch when he has his hive lumps… also when you change diet, add new supplements, bath in a new shampoo etc, you have to do 1 thing at a time, if you try a new supplement or add a new ingredient to the diet, it must be done with nothing else new added to diet or put on their skin that day or week, even treats you can not give a little treat cause it may have something he’s sensitive too…..Keep a diary….my vet said you’ll start to see a pattern & I did, I was at the vets the same times every year March/April & November/December that’s when vet said he’s got Seasonal Environment Allergies… & with food sensitivities it can take anywhere from 1 day to 6 weeks to show any symptoms…Patch was eating Wellness Simple he was doing really well then on the 4-5 week his poos started to get real smelly, yellow & soft, so I emailed Wellness & the lady said he’s probably sensitive to an ingredient, it happened on the Wellness Complete health kibbles as well.. so I rotate his kibbles now find, a few limited ingredient kibbles he does good on & rotate before the month is up.. I also cook his dinner, Pork & Sweet Potato & add DigestaVite Plus powder & Dog Omega 3, 6 & 9 Oil, so the meal is balanced…
It’s best to see a Dermatologist….. I’ve joined a Face Book group called “Dog issues, allergies and other information support group” http://www.facebook.com/groups/240043826044760/
the admins that run the group are very helpful so are the ladies in the group, they have links of Dermatologist in your area, prices & cost for blood test, some of the ladies do injections once a week, once the Dermatologist finds out what your dog my be sensitive too, then the Dermatologist de sensitises your dog from that allergen…has your dog been tested for mites?? also are you feeding chicken a lot of the Bull breeds Staffys /Pit Bulls are sensitive to chicken & have skin problems….

[Katie C]

She was fully dewormed as a puppy (not too long ago) and I mentioned these problems to the vet but she didn’t think it sounded like parasites. We most often have diarrhea issues when she has any new treats.

Thank you for the resources!

[DogFoodie]

Hi Oceans11,

I feed my dogs a base of kibble and vary the toppers. The extras I mentioned are the toppers. Sorry I didn’t make that clear! 🙂 I buy small bags of dry food that will be used up within two or three weeks. I rotate foods with each new bag. Neither of my dogs requires a transition. My Cavalier would love to eat raw at every meal, but my Golden turns his nose up at it and walks away. I feed them similarly for my sanity. I can’t feed them the same dry food because my Golden has lots of food sensitivities. They both love raw tripe though. I use tripe as a topper or occasionally a full meal. It stinks to high heaven. I order mine from My Pet Carnivore. I’m on their local home-delivery route. You could also order from Hare Today. I prefer frozen raw over canned.

ALS foods are all life stages. They meet the AAFCO profile for growth. Growth foods are called “puppy” foods by some manufacturers, but some might also refer to growth foods as ALS foods. The other profile is adult maintenance. I prefer not to use maintenance foods. Some foods labelled puppy just might be higher in calories, so it’s a good idea to pay attention to calories (usually listed as kcals per cup) all of the time. Feeding guidelines on bags and cans of food tend to be high. Determine for sure how many calories your pup needs daily and measure it out. Be sure to include calories from all sources… kibble, canned, treats, etc. With a small dog, you might need to weigh food using a digital kitchen scale to ensure accuracy. There’s less room for error when you’re talking about a small number of calories to begin with. Keep an eye on their body condition and use that as your guide for portion control.

If they’re truly hungry at mealtime they’ll eat eagerly!

[anonymously]

I would wait till the loose stool issues clear up before introducing any new foods…..sometimes less is more. Keep it simple.
In fact, I would consider a limited ingredient food such as Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea (check chewy.com for reviews) with a topper like a bite of scrambled egg (prepared with a small amount of water, no dairy) No treats, nothing else for now. And, start walking.

[anonymously]

Why are you feeding him puppy kibble at 2 years old? It sounds like you may be overfeeding him. What breed of dog is he?
Is he getting enough exercise? A 1 hour walk a day?
How many bowel movements a day is he having? More than 2 per day could be an indication that he is consuming more food than he needs.

Also, Orijen is a wonderful food, however it is higher in calories than Nutrisca which works for my small breed. If the dog is not active……maybe you should consider a less rich food.

I don’t use freeze dried foods or fattening treats so I can’t offer an opinion. Just use a little of the kibble or a bite of lean cooked chicken breast or something if I offer a treat.

[pitlove]

Hi Elizabeth-

Regarding the weight issue…26lbs to around 15 is a pretty big jump. I would start slow like you said and feed for 20lbs, then re-weigh him to see the progress. Once he hits 20lbs feed for 15. After that you simply would feed to maintain 15 lbs.

Also I would suggest using this tool, as it takes activity level into account: /dog-feeding-tips/dog-food-calculator/

I find it to be much more accurate than the bag, though both are still just a guideline.

Yes, 3 calories is very low for a treat, however it makes a difference how many he’s getting daily. It is easy to assume that you can overfeed a 3 calorie treat and it won’t make much of a difference, but over time it does. Is there any particular reason they need treats? If not, I would eliminate them and reward with pets and praise. Both work just as well as a treat.