C4D
Thanks for the followup. We are taking your advice and staying away from junk treats. As a mater of fact , for a main meal (2), we now find that buying a whole chicken, when they are on sale, and cooking it in a crock pot is now our dogs favorite meal. Of course we strip the chicken, skim off the fat and add the juice back to the chicken with a can of peas, some corn and some strings beans along with rice and cook till the rice is done. Freeze that in separate tubs and give about 4 table spoons to a cup of good dry food. He cleans the bowl spotless. We’re using this in place of the two or three table spoons of caned dog food we used to put with the dry food. There were some can foods he would not touch. Calvin is a 12 year old retired Labbradoodle that was a Guide Dog for the Blind for 10 years until he went blind in the right eye and blew out both rear knees. He weights in at around 80 lbs. and this amount of food maintains that weight as he is not that active anymore. The Vet says he is in good health otherwise.
Hi Darrel M,
I posted earlier on this thread, please read my comments. I admit that 20 years ago I gave these to my dog, poor baby. These are just terrible treats. There are so many options of fresh food you could give your dog as opposed to this bag of junk. You could give them: bananas, apples, carrots, cantaloupe, watermelon, peanut butter, a piece of cooked chicken, anything fresh. They would look, feel and be healthier if you do.
Hi Linda,
You can find information to guide you in the USDA nutrient database. For example, while they don’t list freeze dried liver, there is an entry for raw liver. The Ca is reported as 5 mg/135 kcals which is 37 mg/1000kcals. For growth the safe upper limit as reported by NRC for Ca is 4500mg/1000kcals. In comparison then you can see that liver isn’t a high calcium food. However you may want to limit how much liver you use for other reasons.
For cheese… mozzarella they report 505 mg for 300 kcals= 1683mg/1000kcals So from a calcium standpoint cheese is fine to use as well.
It is recommended not to exceed ~10% of the total daily caloric amount from unbalanced sources. I have used a different complete and balanced food with an appropriate Ca amount as treats for training and I have placed kibble into a plastic zip lock and let it stay overnight in the fridge with a few slices of hot dog in the bag… kibble with a kick of flavor.
Good luck with your pup!
Hi!
I understand that we need to watch the calcium levels in the foods our large breed puppies are eating as well as avoiding over feeding. My concern is treats… I’ve heard that freeze dried liver is high in calcium. Should this be limited as a treat for my puppy? I would imagine cheese is a big no no. I need to use a lot of high value treats, (as well as puppy kibble) for training purposes but I am concerned about the “hidden calcium” adding up.
Thank you for any advice!
Linda
Hi Daniel,
After a lot of trial and error, we found our very picky maltese prefer freeze dried and dehydrated, to which water is added. It’s pricier than kibble or canned but much more palatable, and also healthier since it’s not highly processed.
Freeze dried ours will eat:
Primal
Stella and Chewys
Stewarts
Orijen
Nutrisca
Northwest Naturals
Tru Dog
Vital Essentials
Most available from Chewy
http://www.chewy.com/dog/freeze-dried-food-336
They also love Only Natural Niblets Venison and Liver but they’ll eat all the flavors. There’s an excellent sale on the chicken now.
Only Natural Pet RawNibs Freeze Dried Chicken & Liver Meal Topper for Dogs
We buy the smallest bags possible, including sample bags, because the variety keep them interested in meals, plus it’s healthier. We also add probiotics and enzymes to the food to maximize nutrient absorption, strengthen immune system and minimize stomach issues.
Dehydrated foods:
Chewy sells these small sample bags of Dr. Harveys to try:
http://www.chewy.com/dog/freeze-dried-food-336/dr-harveys
Honest Kitchen sells sample bags of their dehydrated food. My pups like this less than Dr. Harveys but some pups really love it.
http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/catalogsearch/result/?cat=0&q=samples
We give Real Meat Food Co. when we’re in a hurry. It’s an air dried food made from grass fed, free range meats…..much less processed than dry and much more palatable. They love it. We buy the sample packs so it’s easy to rotate. Wellness Core has also has an air dried that’s very palatable but not as high quality as Real Meat Food Co.
http://shop.realmeatpet.com/Introduction-Dog-Cat-Food-Trial-3-Pack-FD3PACK.htm
Sometimes we do homemade for variety and add a premix.
Lastly, we always put toppers on food to entice eating….they can include their favorite treats like freeze dried Orijen, Stella and Chewy, Lakse Kronch Wild Salmon or lean meats, egg yolk, a sprinkle of parmesan, goat cheese, etc.
Chewy has a nice variety of healthy treats. Mine love the freeze dried type.
http://www.chewy.com/dog/treats-335/freeze-dried-food
Liya,
Can you tell us which Acana recipe you’re feeding and what type of treats you may be giving him?
Whether or not the current food is the culprit, you should get him to a veterinarian if you haven’t already done so, especially since he was a stray.
Hello,
I wanted to share my experiences with pancreatitis. Years ago my german shepard had an acute case and we almost lost her. She would not touch the prescription food the vet gave us so we make her food ourselves. We found that she did well on the leanest beef, and as all white meat chicken and turkey (we bought the breast only.) We cooked the meat as she was picky eater and seemed to prefer the food cooked when at her sickest. We rinsed the cooked meat after it cooked to rinse off any extra fat that she did not need. We added preferance by the honest kitchen or used our own blend of crushed vegetables and added pumpkin or sweet potatoe. If we feed the vegetable blend, we will add calcium from eggshells. She did well. After a time she handled the meat raw but raw bones she never did though bones have more fat. It would make her act like she did not feel well so we kept this up with this recipe for a long time, and gradually found she could have most kinds of meat just as long as it was lean (lamb and duck were no, and she ate fish and eggs very occasionally once she was healthy.)
I will agree with the bone broth. We didn’t make it first but once started it seemed to help heal her digestive from the irritation caused of vomiting. For treats use bites of meat and she cannot have cheese or dairy (too much fat.) Also give coconut oil if tolerated. We use no grains. Keep stress low and water bowl clean and lots of sunshine. Feed more meals instead of one or two. A day of fast can help. I hope I can help and am sorry English is not my first language. I hope you can understand my writing.
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This reply was modified 9 years, 12 months ago by
Emily G.
Many of these foods are available in the small non-corporate type pet food stores but you can also order from Chewy.com. Usually food comes within two days of ordering.
http://www.chewy.com/dog/freeze-dried-food-336
http://www.chewy.com/dog/treats-335/freeze-dried-food
I buy Dogs for the Earth here:
http://dogsfortheearth.com/
Real Meat Food Co.
http://shop.realmeatpet.com/Introduction-Dog-Cat-Food-Trial-3-Pack-FD3PACK.htm
Good luck!
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This reply was modified 9 years, 12 months ago by
JeffreyT.
Hi Craig,
DogFoodie gave you some great suggestions.
We have two very picky maltese, one with a sensitive stomach.
After a lot of trial and error with many types of foods, we found the freeze dried is the most palatable, easily digested and tolerated by our pups. I suggest starting with freeze dried that is pathogen-free (HPP process removes bacteria, salmonella, parasites, etc). Add filtered water and let soak in a few minutes. Rotating foods keeps them excited about mealtime, and is healthier than eating only one type of food. The following are some of the pathogen-free freeze dried mine will eat.
Stella and Chewy
Primal
Northwest Naturals (pretty sure it’s HPP)
Stewarts
Nutrisca
Dogs for the Earth (it’s already lightly cooked using all organic ingredients).
Honest Kitchen makes a great food. I wish mine liked it. You can order sample packs online.
I always add probiotics and enzymes to food which helps strengthen gut, digestion, immune system and vitality….we alternate between Dr. Peter Tobias, Mercola and Animal Essentials….all source non-GMO, pure ingredients. We keep Perfect Form by Honest Kitchen on hand in case of loose stools, but we rarely need to use anymore. I always start any supplement at a much lower dose than suggested and slowly build up.
When your pup gets stronger you may consider adding freeze dried foods that do not go through the HPP process since it’s less processed, like Orijen. Ours are crazy for the crunchy freeze dried like Tru Dog, which uses grass fed, free range meats, Only Natural Niblets and Vital Essentials. The only dry type food we give is an air dried, grass fed, minimally processed food from Real Meat Food Co. We buy the 3 pack sample bags for our rotation. They love this it and it’s easy to serve when in a hurry.
FYI, we use toppers on meals to entice our picky eaters. When feeding cooked food like Dogs for the Earth we add a cooked topper such as Dogs for the Earth liver and parsley treat, egg yolk, a sprinkle of parmesan, some lean meat or Lakse Kronch Wild Salmon Treats, etc. When feeding the raw freeze dried we top it with a few freeze dried treats (Stella and Chewys or Orijen). I try to add cooked toppers to cooked food and raw toppers to raw food to make it easier on digestion.
There meal recipes came from The Healthy Dog Cookbook. Meat and Potato Patties (treats), Doggy Delicious Omelet, Spring Chicken Dinner and Thanksgiving Dinner (minus the cran and turkey sauces, ingredients in those not good).
Then of course the supplements, Canine Plus, Omega 3,6, 9 and Seaweed Calcium.
I have just this week introduced them to Merrick grain free chicken and sweet potato. Vets both agreed that it is a good idea for teeth cleaning and having a plan C, plan B is the Whole Earth Farms Hearty Chicken and Hearty Turkey grain free stew.
Going forward it was suggested to me to give them the hard kibble 4 meals a week with the rest being home cooked…. They get two meals a day, morning and evening and of course the home cooked treats during the day…..
Hi Craig,
Chicken and rice shouldn’t be fed long-term unless recommended by your vet. This diet lacks vitamins, minerals, amino acids, Omegas, etc. White rice has very little nutritional value.
I would suggest that you consider rotating proteins that you’re adding as toppers. Your dog would benefit a great deal from the addition of tinned sardines a couple of times weekly. Chicken is fine occasionally, but rotate that with the sardines and a red meat protein. Make sure that the extras (including treats) make up no more than 20% of your pup’s daily intake to avoid throwing off the nutritional balance of his diet.
Since you have a smaller dog, and he seems to like homemade (probably warm) food, you could fully investigate making home cooked meals, that are complete and balanced. It must be properly balanced or it’ll do more harm than good when fed long-term. A good book to read would be Dr. Karen Becker’s Real Food for Healthy Cats and Dogs. Dogaware dot com is a great website with lots of information about nutrition and home cooking meals.
If you are looking for commercial diets, you might investigate dehydrated or freeze dried foods. My favorite dehydrated foods are from The Honest Kitchen. Zeal might be a good choice to start. Freeze dried (and canned) foods tend to be higher in fat which is very important in your dog’s diet, but should be fed in moderation. Your dog is eating very little healthy fat currently, so any increase in fat should be done gradually. A good freeze dried food is Orijen, but it’s high in fat. You might also look at a lower fat canned food as an option, such as Wellness Core Reduced Fat.
You’re obviously a very caring pet guardian! I’m sure you enjoy cooking for your dog and you could fix him chicken and rice once a week or so. As long as his diet is balanced the rest of the week, it’ll be fine. I’d probably use brown rice for a little more nutrition and fiber rather than white rice. Good luck and have fun!
My Bruno is currently on the salmon and trout food and he also had a sample of the kangaroo formula. He was itchy on the food he was previously on, so my local pet store recommended Zignature as it is LID. He liked it the first few days, but is not super crazy about it. I usually serve his food with toppers but I have eliminated those for about 2 weeks, due to his itching. I hope he will like it more when I re-introduce some of the toppers. I use the kangaroo formula as treats but he’s not crazy about that either…
But, it has helped alleviate his itching and stool is great on it so that’s good! 🙂
I use the large sized “bites” as treats but I would not feed this as a regular diet. Read the ingredients and you will agree I think. I attended a dental seminar recently and they recommend what is on the VOHC website for oral care, but as stated previously, the only way to keep the teeth in good condition is to brush and regular cleanings as recommended by your vet. Although not all vets are doing the best dentistry treatments either. The doctor was a specialist in the dental field. I live in an area where there are a lot of specialty veterinarians so I am lucky. I love your breed, had two minis at one point in my life. I feed my dogs a variety of things right now. One I feed Acana, my puppy I feed Nutrisource puppy and my old girl I feed Holistic Select turkey and lentil. Hope you find a good diet for your special friend!
We have two small dogs, a Pom/Shih zue and a Yorkie/Chee WahWah. We have been feeding them home made dried pork treats for almost two years. We slice up pork roast as thin as we can and dry it in a dehydrator. We do the same with chicken. They like the pork better than the chicken by far.
The dehydrator heats the meat up to 170F. We dry it for around 8 hours till it is almost the consistency of potato chips.
We also make our own dog food from ground chicken, but that’s fodder for a different discussion. We’ve been making the dog food for about 4 years, with praises from our vet on their health.
Hi Mal W,
I believe that if your dog is showing stomach problems when eating these treats, you should stop immediately.
I own a toy poodle 4.5 lbs., now 14 years old, who LOVES the Canine Carry Outs beef flavor, and a blessing that he’s never had a problem with these.
Now, I only give him 1/2 of a nugget mixed with the ProPlan dry tidbits & a teaspoon of the Cesar wet food. If I am going out for a few hours, I give him the other 1/2 cut into pieces.
I actually take the time to chop each nugget 3x lengthwise & 3x wide….innocent little pooch, he loves them & is so satisfied with the small treats.
But I did notice once when I bought the bacon & the patties that he vomited, so I stopped on the second episode & threw them away.
I just checked the bag & mine says in a big front seal: MADE IN THE USA and no where in the package nor ingredients does it mention China.
Perhaps the amount given makes a difference, along with the type of food he eats, expensive but worth it. ProPlan dry for small breeds since he was born has protected his digestive system.
Good luck & may this input help dog-loving owners.
Douxo Chlorhexidine 3% Pads and Malaseb Shampoo were prescribed by the dermatologist that treats my dog, but, the dog also receives allergen-specific immunotherapy. Not sure if these products would have helped much without this.
Kevin R. One of my girls, a Maltipoo, was riddled with food intolerances, sensitive and allergies and also environmental issues. Her dermatologist/allergist here in Atlanta, Ga. at Blue Pearl Georgia Veterinary Specialists suggested that I not do that particular testing nor the skin testing and shots. He told me it would be a very long process and the duration of the injections would probably be long term as she was such a mess. He advised me that the very best way to deal with her situation was to attempt to either do an illumination diet or try to figure out and eliminate ingredients in her diet and also to remove all, or as many, toxins in the home environment. I no longer burn candles, no air freshener sprays, no plug ins. I switched to natural type cleaners. Never ever any type of carpet freshening powders that are then vacuumed up. Hardwood floors are cleaned with a solution of vinegar and water. I also wipe her paws (all three dogs actually) when she comes in from out in the yard. I switched to a landscaping company that only uses organic products. I removed all the lawn in our patio/back area where they play and potty to stone, gravel and flower gardens….annuals and perennials. Just early on this year I had two types of testing done solely out of curiosity on my part because I had spent years “fixing” her issues to see what they would come up with. I did the Nutriscan Saliva test by Dr. Jean Dodds first and I believe the cost was around $250.00. If memory serves me that tests for 20 items. Though the test was informative as it did have things that I had already eliminated from her diet I did find that the test showed that she was sensitive to one of the few foods she actually does very well on. I then heard about a test called Glacier Peak Holistics on an allergy group I’m on. That tests for 200 including food and environment which cost $85.00. It is a food and saliva test. I that test was spot on for every single thing that through the years I had eliminated from her diet. The food that she does well on was not something that came up as a sensitivity on that test. It did come up with with food ingredient that I was not aware of and that was cucumbers. From time to time Katie would itch, not a lot but it was there. Turns out that they must have coincided with times that I shared cucumbers with the girls. I eliminated the cucumbers and she’s never scratched again. I feed all three of my dogs commercial raw frozen diets rotating brands and proteins with the exceptions of the ones that Katie cannot tolerate. For treats they get fresh fruits and veggies. I’ve been feeding them this way for a little over 4 1/2 years. Switching to the raw frozen was how I was able to eliminate her food issues as it was the quickest way to eliminate soy, grains, all fowl, corn, white potatoes, tomatoes, white rice, all night shade plant ingredients which are all pro inflammatory. I got Katie at the age of 9 weeks old and at that early age she was an allergy sensitive mess. It took me two years to go through the elimination process with her. She is now 6 1/2 years old and a happy camper. Quite comfortable and happy in her own skin. I continue to wipe all three toy dogs privates and paws with warm clean wash cloths. I should mention that I also have a “no shoes” policy in our home. No one, including repairmen, etc. enters our home with shoes on. It would defeat all I’m doing by dragging in environmental stuff that’s on the bottom of their shoes. Everyone is perfectly happy to go along with my wishes and as a matter of fact through the years more and more people that I know have gone with the “no shoes” in the house policy. I also purchased one of those iRobot Roombas that is programmed to go on daily and then I do a deep in the wall vacuuming once a week. It sounds like a lot but when it all comes together it’s all really easy and has changed her and our lives around.
Edit: I will add that there are some people that do not believe in the allergy tests that I have had done on Katie nor their efficacy. All I can say is that they really were spot on with Katie’s issues. Both companies will send you the kits that you need to do the testing with detailed instructions, you send everything back to them and typically in a week or so you’ll get an email with the results. You can then call them and they will go over the results in detail with you.
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This reply was modified 10 years ago by
Dori.
Hi All,
I’m new here and found this site via Google.
I have a PomChi…just over a year old and weighs 8 lbs. I buy a fresh chicken when needed, boil it for an hour, then pull off the meat. I also cook a beef roast and slice it up. I make him his own treats for snacks. I do give him people food for snacks also since he’s such a good “begger”….lol.
I mainly feed Cooper a mix of the chicken and the beef. He seems to be happy with it, his poop is fine, but I sometimes wonder if these two meats are providing everything he needs.
Can I get a few comments on the diet that I feed Cooper please…with emphasis on is it complete.
Thank you, Chris
Hi all, my dog currently has a mild vaginitis issue as I noticed she was having a discharge. I don’t know the direct cause of this although she does have a recessed vulva. However, she is 9 years and never had this before and now has had it twice in the past 3 – 4 months. The first time, I took her to the vet and they just seemed to brush it off and told me to clean the area fairly often with baby wipes. The second time, I went to a different vet and they gave her some antibiotics. This vet mentioned that a food change could cause this. Has anyone ever had a similar issue and suspected it was from the food? I did change her food about 3 – 4 months ago to Acana Duck and Pear. The first time I noticed the issue was actually before the food switch, but I did have some Orijen (same parent company) duck treats that I was giving her at the time. Thanks for your help.
I did give him a small rawhide treat about a month ago, and he hasn’t had ANY treats in the past few weeks.
Claire P. When he vomits, what’s coming up? Also what type of water are you giving him? Bottled, Spring, Filtered, Reverse Osmosis or tap water?
It is possible that he is sensitive to something in his food. I’d try avoiding all poultry, all fowl, and go grain free, avoid soy, corn, any veggies in the night shade group as though all promote inflammation. Also no white rice or white potatoes for the same inflammatory reason. I’d also switch brands. Maybe try something like a dehydrated food. Grandma Lucy’s, The Honest Kitchen and Sojo’s I believe all make grain free formulas. You rehydrate them with warm water so that will get some liquid into him. You can also try adding digestive enzymes to his meals and probiotics. The brand I use is by Enzymedica as they are vegan and also vegetarian containing no grains, soy, etc. etc. so there very likely isn’t anything in them that could bother him. I have a allergy girl and it’s the only ones she’s perfectly fine with taking in her meals.
Another thought is, are you or anyone in the home giving him store bought treats or bully sticks or anything like that? Rawhide chews? If so, you shouldn’t.
One last thought: Have you given thought to allergy testing. Dr. Jean Dodds has a NutriScan test that is a saliva test. Another one that I have used and is way cheaper ($85.00) is by glacierpeakholistics.com. There’s is a saliva and hair sample test. You order there’s on line, same for the Nutriscan (I think that one was around $250 or $275) they’ll send you what you need with directions. You return the kit back to them and then you’ll have the results usually in about a week by email. If you then have any questions, you can call them and they’ll go over the results with you in detail. I found the tests very useful and only wish I’d done them early on instead of going through years of eliminations.
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This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by Dori.
Hi Bev A,
I don’t come on DFA, and especially the forums, that much any more so didn’t see your post. Betsy alerted me that you had asked me a question. Thanks Betsy!!
Probiotics and certain prebiotics do help lower BUN – even the Merck Vet Manual agrees “feeding moderately fermentable fiber can facilitate enteric dialysis and provide a nonrenal route of urea excretion.” Unfortunately it seems most vets don’t know this yet. 🙁 http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/management_and_nutrition/nutrition_small_animals/nutrition_in_disease_management_in_small_animals.html
How high is your baby girl’s creatinine? Creatinine is more indicative of how the kidneys are doing. BUN can be elevated for additional reasons besides the kidneys. Example — feeding kibble (even KD prescription kibble), while simultaneously not getting enough water, can increase BUN. Does she have unlimited access to water and does she drink often? If you are feeding KD kibble, I would HIGHLY recommend switching to Science Diet’s KD canned foods — they have three of them (one is egg based, one is chicken based and one is beef based). Mixing up the canned food could keep her eating better based on her history. IF her creatinin is on the low side of high AND you can get the BUN down by feeding canned food and giving probiotics/prebiotics, you can also consider adding some higher protein, lower phosphorus toppers to her food and see how she does. The Merck Vet Manual has some info on this too. “In addition, research in dogs is also showing that higher protein levels than what are typically used in most therapeutic renal diets is beneficial as long as the diets are phosphorus restricted. Energy should be supplied primarily via feeding relatively more digestible fat and carbohydrates.” As stated, most of the “energy” in the diet should be fats and appropriate carbs but adding the right kinds of protein can help as well as being more appealing. For now, while the BUN is high, don’t mess with adding anything with protein, including treats, to the diet. If she likes organic, extra virgin coconut oil you can add small amounts of that to each meal and blend it in well so she doesn’t pick it out. It won’t add to the BUN. Oh, and I do like raw goats milk.
Changing from a kibbled diet to a canned KD diet should help reduce BUN. Adding a GOOD quality probiotic (I like Primal Defense by Garden Of Life or the product at Mercola Healthy Pets website) and the right prebiotic can help further reduce BUN. Adding the wrong prebiotic (fermentable fiber is another term) can make things worse as they ferment in the wrong part of the digestive tract apparently. The product I found the most beneficial for my KD girl is called acacia fiber. NOW brand makes one. http://www.nowfoods.com/Acacia-Fiber-Organic-Powder-12oz.htm
If she’s never been on probiotics and prebiotics before then I would introduce them slowly over several weeks period. My Audrey was 9 pounds and I gave her 1/2 of a Primal Defense and 1/8 tsp of acacia fiber in her food as needed (when I noticed she seemed off). To start out I would give maybe 1/8 of the probiotic for a few days. Then continue that dose but add a pinch of the fiber for a few more days. Then increase the probiotic to 1/4 but leave fiber at 1/8 for a few more days. If you don’t see any symptoms you might be able to go a little quicker. If you do see symptoms you might want to decrease the amounts being given a bit. Given to quickly to dogs not used to them, probiotics can often have diarrhea as a symptom as an example.
Let me know if you have any more questions for me and let us know how things are going.
Good luck to you and your baby!!!
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This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by
Shawna.
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This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by Shawna.
I think that when that time comes she won’t want the treats either. But I agree. Make them happy and comfortable.
I learned a long time ago not to fall for wanting treats. She would eat them around the clock if I would let her but I know they aren’t good very often.
Yes, it certainly is/ I would agree with you if was my other dog. Bitty does have nausea at times but you can always tell when she does. She will demand treats after a while and I will give her the food I have offered before. She still won’t eat that but will continue to demand treats. It is a merry go round with her
Hi are you on face Book there’s a group called ” Canine Nutrition and Natural Health” run by Cat Lane, she is a Canine Nutritionist & Chartered Herbalist, if you join her F/B group, post a post asking for HELP & she normally will suggest a few things to feed & where to start , she does consults over the phone & emails, I think the email consults are cheaper…. Cat Lane has a web page as well with helpful information called http://www.thepossiblecanine.com
Start feeding healthy foods, no more kibble, cancer loves sugar carbs & processed proteins, also look at what treats your giving… feed healthy foods that fight cancer….. Curcumin has been scientifically proven to fight cancer. Probiotics are also the key as studies show that these beneficial bacteria exhibit anticancer activity…. here’s the link… http://www.dogster.com/lifestlye/dog-cancer-treatment
thanks for replying.He is a 3 yr old german shepherd who develpoped this at about the age of 1.Vets dont seem to know much more than i have researched myself really.He has a strict diet of boiled chicken rice or white fish boiled and royal canin gastro intestinal food advised by the vet.He has no treats or chews and is not a dog that eats things he shouldnt he doesnt scavenge.I am desperate to get it right for him to give him the best life i can he is a gorgeous and gentle dog.The medications he has are Metranidazole,medrum and he has pro biotic powders on his food twice a day.i just worry about how very lethargic he gets and would love to know if someone else can identify with this to put my mind at rest.he has had bloods,xrays we are sure it is collitis but it breaks our heart to think he is so depressed when he gets a bad bout.Thankyou for listening Rebecca
The vet said “what are you feeding her” I said Newmans Own Canned Turkey with Brown Rice & Honest Kitchen Keen, she said well you could try the prescription allergy food but then she can’t have anything else, no treats, nothing. I decided against that due to her age & quality of life issues. So I used the elimination method & it is definitely the Honest Kitchen food. The soft poops stopped after stopping the HK. Was just wondering if anyone else had the problem with that food cause everyone online raves & praises it for helping with digestive issues. I stupidly opened the 10# box, wish I could donate it to someplace???
It’s not cheap to just toss in trash.
Hi Ruth, some dogs can’t eat boiled rice, it irritates their bowel, when I rescued my boy 3 years ago, first he was weeing blood, so he was put on the Royal Canine Vet Diet S/O Urinary kibble & wet tin after 6 weeks his crystal had all dissolved & vet said stop feeding the Royal Canine Vet diet & feed a healthy diet, Patch started having diarrhea on & off, I couldn’t work out what was wrong, he’d do poos with Jelly, then poo’s with blood, then diarrhea, then normal poos, but when he was eating the Royal Canine Vet diet S/O his poos were fine, later we realised there was no rice in the wet tin S/O then finally vet realised it was the boiled rice & he had food sensitivities….we thought chicken also but he eats chicken now…
Try feeding boiled potatoes instead of the boiled rice & see if poos are better…. Patch also didn’t like kibble in the beginning, so I started using his kibble as treats….
Read the ingredients on the wet tin foods & don’t get any that have rice & see how he does…also some wet tin foods will say Lamb & when you read the ingredients it will have poultry by-products as well & only a little bit of lamb…
Hi Michael S,
it’s been a while since you posted, but these links might help. Generally organ meat, even in raw feeding, should be no more than 10 % of the total diet and liver only 5%. I find it’s a bit too rich to use alone, so I often mix with lung and fresh cooked muscle meat. I have large dogs, Labs, and tend to keep the treats slightly bigger than a pea. It’s easy to nibble, get back quickly to training, and keeps them interested in more since they don’t get full.
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/why-organ-meat-is-important-for-the-raw-fed-dog/
http://dogaware.com/diet/treats.html
George B,
I generally don’t treat for potty breaks, but you could apply the above information if you use treats. And treats, even good ones, shouldn’t be more than 10% of the total diet. I foster and find that crate training is very effective in potty training, especially in the beginning. Good luck with your pup!
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This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by
C4D.
Hi micheal s:
I suggest contacting the company and ask them specific questions about their product.
My guess is, unless your dog has a health issue, protein is not the reason for the recommended feeding guidelines. When feeding treats you are adding extra calories and risk unbalancing their diet. Treats should not exceed 10% of your dog’s daily calories. At least that would be my concern with feeding treats or other unbalanced extras regardless of age. Here’s a little more info:
http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vmth/local_resources/pdfs/Treats_guidelines.pdf
I have never used food/treats for housebreaking. Just carry or walk the dog outside to the desired location you would like him to eliminate at, every 2 hours during the day, at bedtime and first thing in the morning, about 30 minutes after meals. May take a month or two, but it works like a charm.
Remember, a puppy is like an infant, they will have accidents.
Why not just broil up a little chicken liver and freeze it…it would be a lot cheaper.
BTW: All organ meats are high in fat. I give them as an occasional topper, maybe once a week (twice at the most). Too fatty for every day consumption, imo.
@Olga, what did/do you feed your vegetarian dog? Do you give any vitamin or taurine supplement?
We use V-dog kibble and she adores it enough for us to use it as training treats, but she goes NUTS over blended beans and broccoli so I would like to home cook for her more. Our dog cannot have milk due to food allergies, but she just loves all the veggies and low-sugar fruits she can get.
I will likely check out a new cookbook called Healthy Happy Pooch with recipes for home-cooked meals, but I would also love to hear what someone with your experience feeds your dogs as you clearly have had great results. We’re happy V-dog exists, but processed kibble in any form doesn’t strike me as an ideal long-term diet.
Thank you for sharing your story. Our dog is thriving on her veggie diet (vet and staff always remark how nice it is to see a healthy dog of her breed), but it has been only a year.
Hi Everyone,
I have a 10 month old coonhound/Rottweiler mix with a problem. Up until last week we had him on Blue Buffalo’s puppy dry food and he was eating fine. He’s very high energy and it’s hard for him to focus on anything for long so eating can be challenging but after a recent vet visit where the vet advised me that he’s underweight and needs to gain weight, he’s stopped eating his food. Now, he’s only eating his brother’s food and treats, which is an adult salmon/sweet potato dry food. Of course, this food is not what he needs to gain weight. I was thinking about maybe trying a puppy wet/dry food mix? He definitely has a sensitive stomach, he can’t eat too much or he throws up. I was wondering if anyone might have any recommendations for a good wet food, I’ve never had a dog on wet food before, let alone one with a sensitive stomach. Thank you for any suggestions!
I have a 3 year old dachshund as well as a 6 year old pug. I’ve given them the carry out treats for at least 3 years and have never had an issue. They love all kinds but the carryout are their favorites.
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This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by
Savanna H.
I try to sneak treats to Dustin, too, but even if Jake is sleeping he always hears the bag being opened and appears in the kitchen! Other cats not big on cat treats, tho.
Yes, just had blood work done and the vet was surprised it was perfect. Just gonna have to get her some fattening treats and the others some lite ones! I try to sneak her some, but the other fatties can always hear the crinkling noise. Lol! Thanks for your concern. 🐱🐸
Hi JM-
The vet was a little concerned about my hyper-t kitty’s weight loss when she was in last week. Of course, she is not one of the piggies who jumped up on the counter to steal the freeze dried treats from their canine brothers. She is extremely shy.
I’m going to try and sneak her some though. That might be a healthy way of bumping up her calories a bit!
Hi PL- Ziwipeak sounds like a great food for your cat. Unfortunately, I’m not sure it would fit in my budget. I remember you saying something about her having surgery a while back. Did everything go OK?
Hi Crystal, my Patch had the gulping, vomiting & he grinded his teeth… its acid reflux coming up into his throat, change diet, lower the fat & try not to feed kibble, home cooked is best for this even if 1 meal is cooked & the other meal is wet tin food, a low fat tin food… over the 2 years, I have found kibble makes it worse & treats especially if the treats are high in fat….. fat in a kibble should be around 10%, fat in wet tin food 3% fat & under… I’ve been cooking, lean white meats, chicken, pork & fish & I add sweet potatoes, Oh I don’t feed all these meats at once, separate meals…. 3 small meals a day..
I would be seeing a vet, ASAP, it only cost about $60 for a vet visit & some answers & a script for medications, some vets will write you a script that you take to a chemist & its cheaper, after trying natural remedies & nothing worked for Patch, Patch had an Endoscope & Biopsies done, make sure the vet does the biopsies, when the vet looked at Patches stomach everything looked fine BUT the biopsies results showed Helicobacter-Pylori & IBD The Helicobacter-Pylori makes the acid reflux worse & ant acids don’t work & medications are needed, Metronidazole, Amoxicillin & Zantac & change of diet, Gluten free & no sugar carbs……in the mean time give him some Pepto or Mylanta about 3-4mls to relieve this 20mins before his meals, its not nice to have, he may also have ulcers depends how long he has had this problem, the acid burns the stomach & you get stomach ulcers that can bleed, vet will give ant acid medication like {Famotidine- Pepcid} or {Ranitidine-Zantac} or {Prilosec- Omeprazole} to relieve his symptoms…
Hi JM-
I have tried to feed my cats a little thawed out raw a while back and not one of them even took a bite. Then, I tried the soft Fresh Pet kibble thinking my senior kitty would love it. No luck! But….the other day I was mixing some freeze dried Orijin treats into my dogs’ kibble as a meal mixer. I got a couple of free samples that I thought I’d put to good use. Two of my cats would NOT leave the treats alone! Their naughty kitty instincts took over and there was actually some growling going on. They loved them!!! It took me by surprise.
Not sure if I’ll be buying much freeze dried food for them as it is so expensive, but I agree with you, they really do love it and will try to give it to them as a treat now and then.
Hi C4D-
I’m not exactly sure what triggered them. I am signed up for Pet Smart’s rewards/membership program and emails. Maybe it is because maybe I bought some NV raw there when I had a manufacturers coupon or some NV treats or something. But, I have received at least six $15 off NVI’s frozen raw coupons in the last 5 or 6 months. And I can use them on any size or flavor. Woo Hoo!
I keep buying more even though I don’t need them because I’m not sure when they are going to end!
I can’t share them because they have my full name and Pet Smart membership number on them. Darn!
My 2 year old beagle “Henry” just started doing this. I now call him “Gulpy McCrazy Eyes” when he starts the frantic licking, eating grass and gagging that leads to vomit (at night). I have been feeding him Blue Buffalo Salmon & potato limited ingredient grain free since I got him a few months ago. He eats twice a day. And since we are in training, he gets lots of treats, but only grain free. It all started with a throat irritation that was the result of him sticking his head out the window that was down partially and I slammed on my breaks when a giant duck flew across the road in front of my car. He coughed for a while, but otherwise acted ok. I stopped using the gentle leader because it seemed to make his throat worse. Even though the gentle leader is the best thing to happen to dog-walking EVER, we will use the harness. Laying him down and rubbing belly seems to help the gulping subside. It seems to build upon anxiety. not sure about acid reflux yet. But may try pepto and magnesium before pepcid.
I will try natural remedies before expensive vet and stressful procedures. I take pro-biotics myself for digestion…Another option for those who suffer from allergies is ALLERPLEX. I love it and highly recommend it for both humans and our four-legged friends. Thank you for all your comments. I am glad I read this thread before freaking out and wasting time and money!
I’m desperate for help trying to find some good treats and chew bones for my dogs. They are so picky with treats and I’ve had a hard time finding something for them that really lasts. My big guy is 120lbs and my little one is 75lbs so, please no comments from people with cat sized dogs. I really just want to hear from other owners of XLARGE dogs, what do you use? What lasts a long time (a day or more)? Here is my experience so far:
– Nylabones: last less than an hour (even the Super size)
– Benebones: dogs don’t like them
– Bullysticks: last less than an hour
– Antlers: dogs don’t like them
– Cow hooves: Not recommended by our vet.
– Rawhides: definitely not recommended by our vet.
– Himalayan chews: they liked one brand and not the other. So we’re still testing this.
– Whimzees: pretty good, especially if I freeze them with yogurt in the back.
– Stuff kongs: pretty good
– Marrow bones: last about an hour
What have I not thought of?? Thanks a lot for the help!
My dog, pitbull boxer, just tuned 2 and weighs 50lbs. For the past 3 days she has been waking me up in the middle of the night crying. When I let her out she vomits and has diarrhea. Throughout the day she seems fine, a little whiny, but other than that everything seems normal. It’s at night time where she is having problems.
Her appetite seems normal, she’s been drinking a fair amount of water, nothing to out of the ordinary. I bought Canine Carry outs, beef and bacon flavor, from Walmart on Monday, the 19th. I have given her these treats before, not the specific kind, but this brand I have before. Rarley though, I usually am a milk bone fan. I called the business number, they were closed for the day. I took her to the vet, they want to run some test results if she doesn’t get better or worse by tomorrow.
I guess my question here is should I get the test results to be safe? Will the tests determine that these treats are the problem? I’m definitely throwing them out and will no longer be giving my dog them but how can these still be on the shelf if so many problems have been brought up?
Hi Carrie R,
Have you tried her on a grain free salmon? The food you are currently feeding has grains. I have a dog that can’t tolerate any grains and as she got older developed an allergy to 1 specific protein.
https://www.proplan.com/dogs/products/focus-adult-sensitive-skin-stomach-formula/#ingredientsandguaranteedanalysis
Zignature has 2 fish formulas that are limited ingredients that might work. It could be the protein (fish) causing the allergy, but I would try eliminating the grains first. If that doesn’t work, I would switch to a new protein she hasn’t had. It could be environmental as well, but I would try a limited ingredient diet first. If you do this, you need to make sure ALL the treats are the same protein and grain free otherwise you won’t know if it’s working.
Hi all, I am looking to transition from kibble to a home cooked diet for my dog, but am having trouble locating a good book to do so. I have saw the books by Dr. Becker and Steve Brown, but judging by the reviews, it seems they may focus mainly on raw diets. There is another named “Feed your Best Friend Better: Easy, Nutritious Meals and Treats for Dogs,” that gets some good praise from http://www.dogaware.com. However, the author suggest the recipes be added to commercial food. I’m trying to find good, balanced recipes in order to avoid commercial food. That’s my whole point of doing this. Any suggestions? Thanks.
I felt the same way, regarding the recall, but it was only the chicken products. All chicken dog food is at risk for salmonella. And I know the company had an issue with jerky treats (made in China). What else is new?
All I can say, is that I am happy with with the items I have mentioned.
BTW: My neighbor’s dog does very well on Fromm. I was going to try it, but it contains potato…not an issue for most dogs, but if you are trying to rule out food sensitivities, potato may be something you would want to avoid.
I have a 9 year old shih tzu that is a little overweight and would like to find a good high quality food. She doesn’t need to lose too much but just trim down. I have been looking for food with a lower fat content but then noticed that sometimes the fat content is higher but the calories per cup number is lower. What number is more important?
She is currently on Grandma Lucy’s Artisan Venison but has a hard time getting it out of the bowl so I am putting Fromm White Fish and Potato kibble in with it.
The other problem I am struggling with is I just lost a dog this week. She had allergies and was put on prednisone and then developed small bladder stones. Then the doctor put her on Royal Canin SO (with me protesting but caved in). One week later she was in intensive care and in tons of pain with pancreatitis. She lasted a week (and over $4000 dollars later) she died. She was only 6 and I know that food caused it since she was healthy before and I didn’t feed treats or anything else during that week. Now I am looking for a food that won’t cause stones or pancreatic, is grain free and lower calorie, no Chinese ingredients and preferably organic. Well that is about impossible to find! I have read that sweet potatoes are bad to promote stones. Most grain free food contains sweet potatoes and then also low glycemic index food without grains seems to be hard to find. I know I am trying to find the “perfect” food but the pain my family and dog just went through was just horrible. I really want to do all I can not to ever repeat that again. Any suggestions would be appreciated! I am trying to take a step back and just go with a good food but then I get caught up in the details again. Right now I am looking at Natures Logic (but it is higher fat, acceptable calories), Acana Light and Fit (not grain free), Pinnalce, Stella and Chewy Duck (seems expensive), Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance (higher fat), and Fromm (grain free are higher fat). Help Please!
Hi, I live in Australia so we have different brands, my boy has IBD Colitis (food sensitivities)every time I give Patch a probiotic he feels sick, I’ve read there’s a die off period, just keep taking the probiotics but I stopped I couldn’t handle watching Patch feel sick licking & licking his mouth & eating grass, so a lady at the pet shop said give him Papaya (Paw Paw) so I mashed up 1/2 a Papaya & put the mashed papaya in ice cube & froze, I was giving Patch 1 thawed ice cube of the papaya about 10.30am after our walked he loved it, at first I thought Patch was OK but again he started his mouth licking & eating grass…
I found a good dog probiotic had to be stored in the fridge or kept under 25 degrees so the heat doesn’t kill the live bacteria…also Tripe, tripe is excellent, Patch tried the K-9Natural Lamb Green Tripe was really good… K-9 Natural has their Raw frozen or their freeze dried Green Lamb Tripe, the smell was OK not as bad as I thought it would be…..Patch loved it but it made him feel sick….
My vet said she went to a seminar & the lady said they tested 10 popular dog probiotics & only 3 had live cultures Purina Fortiflora was suppose to be good, she didn’t mention the probiotics that weren’t good my vet said, I said if Patch doesn’t feel sick then its no good…
I joined a group on Face Book called “Fast Track Diet” (Official Group) run by Dr Norm Robillard he’s specializes in IBS SIBO Leaky Gut Acid Reflux etc
& has written a book called “Fast Tract Digestion” its for humans but I’d say a dog would have similar bowel & stomach problems with certain foods, he said it’s best to take probiotics on an empty stomach when your Hydrochloric Acid is low, either first thing in the morning or night just before bed & not with food….
I found this link what each strain of bacteria is for & what it helps Lactobacillus GG (L.rhamnosus) protects against respiratory illness, treats candida, colitis and diarhea, reduces stress and anxiety.. http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/how-to-choose-good-probiotic-supplement.html
i started giving my pug the “canine carryouts” dog treats last week and he also experienced a violent seizure this morning! luckily we rushed him to the vet and his is doing okay now but please please please do not give these to your dog!
