[dawn m]

are they non-GMO or better yet organic fruits & veggies? Why is it so hard to find healthy food & treats for our pets that aren’t cost prohibitive? Maybe it’s time for me to take my creativity out of the sewing room and apply it to the much dreaded kitchen˜!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by dawn m.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Here are the ingredients I see online for liver flavored Charlie Bear treats: Wheat flour, liver (poultry liver preserved naturally with vitamin E), salt (2 tablespoons per 100 pounds), garlic powder

Not horrible, and it is nice that they are low-calorie, but they’re certainly not grain-free. Do they make a variety that is?

[Deborah J]

I use Charlee Bear treats. All natural, all ingredients come from US & Canada. Grain free ond no chemicals of any kind. Dogs LOVE them and only 3 calories each. A bunch of flavors. Our dogs love them all. I can only find them in Petco or on line. Not very expensive either.

[Susan]

Hi Sally, I’d say who ever owned her before you has let her lick human plates & bowls & has probably feed her left overs from their plate, she probably even had a biscuit dipped in coffee, When I first rescued Patch he wouldn’t eat kibble either but he has health problems, IBD, kibble gives him pain, he too can’t eat water foods like stews, he brings them back up…..
Your girl may never eat kibble or dog tin foods, she has had a taste of good food fresh human food, If I owned her I would be googling some easy to make dog recipes, then make the meal all up & then you freeze them in little containers & take out the night before & put in fridge…there’s even places that cook meals for dogs, the ladies on this group may know some names of home cooked meals for dogs in America as I’m in Australia, I did have the name of a few in America but I can’t find the links..
I get 1 kilo turkey breast mince (grounded) mix in 1 egg & I make little bite size rissoles, you roll the turkey breast mince into little bite size balls & put the little balls on a baking tray, they bake in about 15mins, then I freeze them all, they thaw in about 15-20mins when left out on bench, you can feed the turkey rissoles as treats or I put some in the blender add some boiled pumkin that I have thawed out & some sweet potates that I have also thawed out…once a fortnight I boil half a butternut pumkin cut into pieces & freeze, I also freeze sweet potato, I have boiled rice frozen in the freezer aswell…there’s a few cook books that are balanced diets & real easy to make, google Lew Olson, Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs her book cost about $12 online, it has real easy recipes too follow & are balanced…I cooked for my last dog & I never balanced her meals & she was so healthy, shinny coat, she had all her teeth, her teeth were still nice & white at the age on ten, I never ever gave her any bones or kibbles, so that’s not true how kibble cleans a dogs teeth…

[Sally H]

I have been feeding her chicken and she only wants the brown meat. She does love liver but I am not up to cooking her chicken rice and green beans every day. I wouldn’t get the combination right and I want her to eat nutritionally. I have never had a dog that wouldn’t eat dry dog food and I never let them have people food so this is a real problem. I am 70 and walking her three times a day is tough enough as she loves long walks and chasing squirrels and I do love for her to be able to do that. She does seem to have trouble with hard
food and will not eat hard treats so I need to stick to soft foods. She sticks her nose up at all of the canned foods I have gotton her so far and the refrigerated food I got her at Publix. Someone suggest Dyno bites as being supposedly very tasty.??? She does love Cesar softie treats and hard bits of liver. as well as the greenies. She licks my coffee cup after I have drained it and even tried to lick my bowl that I had tomatos and okra in yesterday. Couldn’t believe it She throws up when she eats stews so those are out. She only gets treats once or twice a day when she does something special that she is getting trained about. Any one who can help me I will bless forever. Thank you for reading. Sally

[dawn m]

thank you Gloria, I will try that w/o the bacon since I’m vegetarian and no meat is in my kitchen. What is the recipe you use to make your treats if you care to share?!

[Gloria K]

Mickey is a 13 pound terrier mix who also gets a treat whenever he comes in from doing his business or going with me in the car to run errands, grocery shop etc. I make all of his food including his treats-biscuits, cookies- but he goes absolutely crazy over the simple ones like cooked string beans and carrot slices. I just simmer them in a little water or broth and sometimes after I drain the veggies I brush them with a little bacon grease. It only takes about a half teaspoon to flavor the entire batch. Very easy to make, very inexpensive, healthy and low calorie too. They keep in the refrigerator for a week or you can freeze them on a cookie sheet and give them to Bella frozen.
And I bought a new area rug two weeks ago and decided t Mickey was going to have his own place mat so to speak so I bought a small bathroom rug in the same color and that’s where he keeps his treats and bones so my area rug stays clean.

[dawn m]

I use the kong for my girls afternoon treat – AND she lets me know when it’s that time of day˜! I LOVE the suggestion of putting the food in the kong and then freezing it, I usually put some frozen organic veg/fruit in the kong along with organic mini raw carrots, banana, and canned food. Usually first put in organic spinach to plug the small end, then frozen organic peas/g.beans/mixed berries [big bags from Costco] and an organic mini carrot or 2 and finish off with the canned food (Dave’s grain free 95% Premium or Dave’s grain free turkey and bacon) and a small pc. of banana squished in the end. I am going to try putting all ingred. in and then freezing the kong and see how she likes it that way.

She also gets a small treat every time she comes in from going outside and I am not sure of what is good. I’ve done Nutro crunchy treats [I like that sm size but not convinced on it’s qlty], I also get Fromm treats but they are too big to give her so often, and I’ve got THK treats but they are also too big {she gets one at bed time only}. She [Bella] is a 45# boxer.

I’m also looking for a chewing treat/toys but not sure what is safe/non-toxic/good. I bought her a split antler – she loved it but it was splintering so I took it away. AND her favorite place to eat the kong and antler is on my new area rug because she can hold it down since it slides all over on her on the hard wood floors – UMMMMMM maybe I need to get her a Bella rug˜! 🙂

I would appreciate any suggestions – I would prefer to buy not make her treats since the kitchen is NOT my favorite room in the house [meaning I don’t like cooking any more than necessary – but I do want healthy non-GMO, grain free, free range when possible, no rBGH, foods and treats – for Bella and me].

Thank You˜!

[Akari_32]

Got all this for $31.15! Stay tuned for a break down 🙂

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/2014-06/F0C5BF03-2FDB-4B3C-9235-F560AD159F67_zpsyunnf4tx.jpg

I did three total transactions, two at Pet Smart and one at PetCo.

First one at PetSmart:
3x 5lb Purina Pro Plan Savor Salmon and Rice
–Original Price: $13.99 ($14.97 after tax)
–Clearance Price: $8.37 ($7.62 after tax)
1x 5lb Nature’s Variety Prairie Puppy Chicken Meal and Brown Rice
–Original Price: $14.99 ($16.04 after tax)
–Clearance Price: $8.37 ($7.62 after tax)
Coupons:
–3x $2 off any Purina product (found on random Purina products through out the store)
–1x $3 off and Nature’s Variety Instinct, Instinct RAW, or Prairie pet food (received in the mail with samples from Nature’s Variety)
–1x $5 off $25 purchase Pet Supermarket coupon
–1x $3 off any purchase $3 or more PetSmart Coupon

Total after clearance and coupons: $18.27
–Total before clearance and coupons: $60.95
–Total savings: $42.68!

Second transaction at PetSmart:
1x 5lb Nature’s Variety Prairie Puppy Chicken Meal and Brown Rice
–Original Price: $14.99 ($16.04 after tax)
–Clearance Price: $8.37 ($7.62 after tax)
1x 2oz Omega One Algae Wafers
–Original Price: $4.99
Coupons:
–1x $3 off any purchase $3 or more PetSmart Coupon
–1x $2 off $10 purchase for Pet Supermarket
–1x $3 off and Nature’s Variety Instinct, Instinct RAW, or Prairie pet food

Total after clearance and coupons: $5.95
–Total before clearance and coupons: $21.38
–Total savings: $15.43!

And at PetCo:

2x Temptations Cat Treats 2.1 oz (manager approved replacement for Friskies Cat Treats)
–Original Price: $2.13
2x 5.5oz Royal Canin Radiant Shine canned dog food
–Original Price:$1.81
1x PetLinks cat toy
–Original Price: $5.99
Coupons:
–2x Free 2.1oz Friskies cat treat PetCo coupon (manager allowed me to substitute with Temptations because they no longer cary Friskies)
–1x 10% off any PetLinks cat toy PetCo coupon
–2x 15% off any one can of Royal Canin dog or cat food PetCo coupon
–1x $2 off $10 purchase for Pet Supermarket

Total after coupons: $6.93
–Total before clearance and coupons: $14.28
–Total savings: $7.35!

Total savings for my whole trip is $65.46 🙂 Some of this is for donations.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Akari_32.

[Eugene L]

i thought dehydrated food can be store in a vacuum bag in room temperature. Am i wrong?
Cos i store my dehydrated chicken breast as treats for my Akita in a sealed bag.
I dont tend to store for like 30 days. Just a week or two will do.

And for the bone for cleaning teeth aspect, i tend to stay away from giving him a whole bone as last time there is a sharp fragment come loose and he did not chew properly before swallowing it. Luckily the vet saw the bone is very near the anus so can be removed without surgery. But He still ends up having diarrhea for 3 days as the sharp bone scratched his GI tract…><

[Mary M]

Hi,
I just discovered a new brand called “Small Batch.” They are a small company based in the Bay area of California. I’m not sure if the food is sold outside the west coast, but they certainly use high-quality ingredients. They make raw patties, and dehydrated meat treats (jerky). My dog loved the turkey jerky (notoriously picky girl). Would love to at least see a review of this food on the website.

[puppypiles]

I’ve never tried a puzzle toy, since he doesn’t like any kinds of treats, but I could give it a whirl. And frozen canned food? You are a sneaky genius.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Tammy:
For Bobby’s extras I like to make treats so I know what’s in them. If you want some recipes let me know, I realize not everyone is into making treats. lol I do feed freeze dried treats because they have minimal ingredients and are low fat. He likes Stella & Chewy’s Carnivore Kisses or Stewart’s treats. Other treats are kefir, blueberries (or other dog appropriate fruits) and organic virgin coconut oil. Once a week he gets a beef tendon to chew. I have been buying Merrick’s lately. Several posters recommend The Honest Kitchen Beams, I haven’t tried them but plan to in the future.
http://www.merrickpetcare.com/consumer/products/product.jsp?categorySort=3&id=67&page=1&view=list&sort=cpjc.level_3_category_id&order=asc&name=Doggie_Wishbone_Tendon_Treats&cat1=6&cat2=9&categories=–&age=All_Life_Stages
http://www.stellaandchewys.com/products/dog-treats/
http://stewartpet.com/our-products/pro-treat-freeze-dried-treats/

Check out this thread for some more suggestions:
/forums/topic/your-most-recommended-dog-treats/

[tammy h]

I have another question… 🙂 what about treats for my sweet bullboxer pup any suggestions?

[Mike A]

Hi everybody, my name is Mike and Im an owner of a almost 3 year old Boxer. I’ve come here for advise on how to deal with pancreatitis.

So, as I mentioned before I have a Boxer named Kolbie and shes 3 years old and weighs in about 65 pounds. She has had an issue with an upset tummy, arched up back, drueling, and wont eat from time to time the past year or so. It always seemed to clear up by days end so we never thought too much of it and it didnt happen very often. As of late, the instances increased and she has since been diagnosed with pancreatitis. We were feeding her Taste of the Wild, and Mother Hubbard peanut butter flavored treats. We would also put peanut butter in her kong for her as an extra treat also and this was a daily thing. I would also give her marrow bones to chew on and have since learned the marrow is high in fat.
She has been on Purina HA now for almost 6 weeks as prescribed by our vet and we have cut out all the extra stuff and the pancreatitis episodes have stopped. I have been adding boiled chicken and rice to the food to make it more appetizing for her. I have noticed since being on the food she has lost about 3 pounds, her coat has dulled and she seems to be shedding more. I would like to get her off this food and back to a better diet but I have no idea where to start. A raw diet is not possible for me to do on a daily basis so I would like to feed her a high quality kibble and I dont mind adding boiled chicken and rice to it if thats a good thing to do.
I was going to put her back on TOTW and nix all the other fatty stuff but after reading the bad reviews from forum members I am reluctant. So I guess what I am getting at is I need some help to choose a quality food and treat to keep my pup healthy and happy.
Thanks for reading and I’ll be happy for any advise and suggestions.

[cdubau]

The food I’m feeding them is listed under the Best Weight Loss Foods, so it should “work” to help them lose weight. I didn’t assume that because it said it was reduced fat it would work. I assumed it would work because its a 5 star food and its listed HERE as a best in weight loss. It has high protein to help them feel fuller, low in fat and low in calorie. And they don’t get but two small treats a day IF they actually get one.

They are older and aren’t losing weight, blood work was a question. Should I bring them to get blood work because they are eating BELOW recommended amount and NOT losing weight. If they were huma, eating the low end of caloric intake (even if it was high in carbs) and they weren’t losing weight, I would assume going to the doctor to have that person checked out would be the next step. Just my rational of thinking, but it really was a question.

[Dori]

In lieu of the fact that you’ve chosen a food that is low in fat I’m going to assume that you believe that fat makes dogs fat. It doesn’t. Please choose a food that is low in carbs. Carbs are what cause weight gain and also makes it very difficult to lose weight. So look for a food that has a decent amount of protein, moderate fat, and low carbs and you should see your dog start to lose weight.

People have the misconception that since “fat” is a word that has been used to describe overweight people and animals that they must be getting that way due to eating fat. Nope! It’s the amount of carbs in their diet. Also check out the carbs in their treats.

Why do you feel they need blood work because they are over weight?

[crazy4cats]

Hi Kevin-
So far treats have not been rated on this site. I too have dogs that like to gnaw. Bully sticks are their favorite. My dogs each get one 6 inch bully per week. I have to attach them to vice grips to make sure they are not swallowed. I have 80lb golden labs. I mostly buy the Cadet brand at Costco with no issues for the last 3 years. If Costco is out, I have bought them from best bullysticks.com.
I also give them large raw marrow bones, pig ears, and most recently Fish beams from THK occasionally.
Another thing they enjoy is when we prepare a kong for them. You can stuff one with canned food, pumpkin, wet kibble or any combination of ingredients they like and then freeze it. This is the most time consuming chew toy I’ve come up with for them. Unfortunately, I rarely take the time to do it. Lol! 🙂
I hope you get some ideas that work for you.

[Cheryl Pepper Millie Sophie]

Kevin C
The brand I have been using (and so far w good results by that I mean no bad stomach reactions) is ” I and Love And You” brand from Colorado, I but the odor free bully sticks, they are made from free range cattle from brazil. They are expensive ,the cheapest price is at Petco.com. Now because of the calories 1 a week . you might look at their cow ears,more bang for your buck -they give days of chewing pleasure.
Hope this helps a bit.
They only other treats I buy are from Cocotherapy-dried fruit and drier veggies ,they are very expensive most of the bag is empty ,I called the company to complain and they jabbered on about weight.

[Susan]

Hi, yes the Losec (omeprazole) could be making her feel like crap, it made Patch lethargic, not well in himself, & whinging after eating his food, sloppy poos & small her mouth, see if she has a weird smell coming out of her mouth…it takes about 12-24hrs for the Losec to leave her system so she will become & feel better in about 1 day.. with the Zantac that’s the right one the 150mg you would give 1/4 of a tablet 40-60mins before food every 12 hours, Patch weights around 36lb & I have to give 1/3 of the tablet, its hard to cut a third of a tablet especially when rounded, so sometimes its more like half a tablet so I cut off the corner..cutting 1/4 is easier just half the tablet then half again…
if you can buy some turkey breast mince (grounded) 99% fat free add 1 egg to 1 kilo turkey breast mince, mix thru, then make little small balls like a rissole put on a baking tray & bake for about 15mins then freeze some & take out as needed they thaw in about 15mins she will love them I eat them myself I use as treats as well,
Come to think about it Patch got worse after I had him on the Wellness Simple, the vet told me to stay away from kibbles that have probiotics in them, you can read the ingredients, they are all down the bottom dried Lactobacillus Casei fermentation product etc, it seemed to make Patches problem worse, then I had the Endoscope + biopsies done in December..He had the Helicobacter infection, I think once you stop the Losec she’ll be eating in a day & make some turkey breast rissole something she has never eaten.. oh another thing the Carafate seem to make Patch worse as well, so that made me think back then that he may not have a ulcer like I thought….

I’d stop everything & I bet in a day or 2 she be back to normal & happy self…just feed low fat foods, cause the more fat we eat the more stomach acid we make & maybe look up slippery elm powder, if the Zanatc doesn’t seem to help…a lot of ladies swear by it for their dogs with acid reflux…I bought some of the slippery elm powder & mixed up a paste with hot water & had about 1 teaspoon, it stopped me feeling sick, I use to give Patch some & he was sleeping thru the night then for some reason when he gets better I stopped using it… I add 1 teaspoon powder & add boiling water in a cup & keep stirring & add hot water until its like a slurry paste, it goes like jelly, I keep in the fridge, I’ve been using liquid Mylanta 3ml in a syringe whenever Patch is licking & swallowing & if he wakes thru the night grinding his teeth, he grinds his teeth when he has his acid, I might make up some slippery elm, I forgot about it…I hope Bella is feeling better soon.

[Susan]

Hi RebeccaRose, the Losec {Omeprazole} gave Patch very very sloppy poos…. Zantac is the only ant-acid that only works on the stomach & doesn’t affect the bowel, like other ant-acids do, my vet said, so perfect for dogs with IBD, Colitis etc…… PPI’s Losec & Somac do affect the bowel giving, bad wind, gas, diarrrhea google side effect to Omeprazole…..Bella would of been having the nasel Bordetella spray…poor girl, she has had a ruff time…. the Bordetella spray is dearer & doesn’t work aswell as the injection, I don’t get the Bordetella injection anymore, its a waste of money, its not 100% they can still catch Kennel cough, my vet asks, are you going away or boarding Patch, I said No, she said well you don’t need the Bordetella shot…

Shop around for an Endoscope the ladies from the F/B group “Dogs with inflammatory bowel disorder” were talking about this the other day, how some places are cheaper then other places… it was only $600 for the Endoscope that’s drugs everything & $80 each biopsies, Patch only had 2 biopsies, 1 from his stomach & 1 from his esophagus….after you start adding up cost of an Ultra scan, X-rays, blood test its cheaper to have Endoscope done….& you know exactly what’s wrong & then they can be treated properly for that illness…. Helicobacter can be caught from the mother when they are pups especially when pups come from puppy farms….Patch was a grump when he was feeling sick & had his bad acid reflux, you could just tell he wasn’t his happy self, some days were better then others..

Maybe after cutting down on fat in Bella diet & using the Pepcid (famotidine) she may feel better, but the Pepcid made Patch feel sick & he vomited up the tablet, I had to use Zantac & that helped him the best, stopped him feeling sick, normal firm poos & no wind at night….also routine, stick to a routine to help stop with the stress & lots of walkies… I’ve found when Patch is feeling un-well, I take him for a little walk to the shops or beach, he says hello to the other dogs & people & seems to come back home feeling better & walks straight in the kitchen & sits near his cupboard that has all his food in it….maybe the salt air makes him hungry……also read the fat% in treats as some treats are high in fat, its best to make your own little cookies, like Oatmeal-Apple Cookies they have cinnamon in them excellent for feeling nauseous……Applesause is good for diarrhea & so is cabbage juice they both contain pectin same as what’s in diarrhea meds…

[Linda M]

I have a 14 y/o bRat Terrier whose has been on Stella & Chewy’s frozen patties since late last summer. Since switching her to raw, her Trygycerides have been rising, but I was alarmed when they doubled on her last blood panel (they are now at 2200). The rest of her blood panel is normal, aside from an elevated Liver ALP (now at 174…but that is down from 600 about 4 years ago, thanks to a daily dose of Denamarin).

Her weight fluctuates between 18 and 20 pounds. She is sedentary for the most part (sleeps most of the day while we are working), but otherwise has tons of energy and always happy to go for walks (thankful that Chicago weather is finally breaking and we can get some exercise again).

She has always had a heart murmur (around a Grade 2 for most of her life)…about 3 years ago we were told it was a 3 borderline 4…last summer she started coughing and the vet told us her murmur was a 4 borderline 5 and she was in the early stages of Congestive Heart Failure. She was put on a daily dose of Enalapril (2.5mg twice per day) and Vetmedin (5 mg. per day split into two doses). That was also when we switched her to a raw diet, and within weeks her cough disappeared. That was last September…at her visit this past week, she no longer shows any signs of CHF and her murmur is now at a 2 borderline 3…the vet is shocked and amazed that her murmur has improved and told us that he wouldn’t believe us if hadn’t seen it for himself…he says murmurs NEVER improve. He is skeptical of the raw food, however, I attribute her improvement to the change in diet more than anything (not to say the meds haven’t helped…I have no doubt they have).

This is a dog who shed like crazy until switching her to Raw – now she barely loses any hair and her coat is thick and shiny. The muscle mass along her spine was deteriorating (you could see her pointy spine bones sticking up along her back) and she was developing spondylosis…with a “clicking” sound that you could also feel along her spine. After a month on raw, her bones no longer protruded through her back and now she can once again race up & down the stairs and on the furniture (to my dismay)…the clicking is gone. Raw had done wonders for her health, and I’m sold on it being the best for her.

She is, however, sensitive to birds…no chicken, duck, pheasant or we start dealing with itching along her lips and paws that quickly devolves into infections. We have been rotating her on beef, venison, lamb & rabbit (tho I have my concerns about the rabbit being an issue with her lip…so lately I’ve avoided feeding it to her).

She is fed strictly 2 1/2 small patties of Stella & Chewy’s twice per day, 12 hrs apart…and her only treats are carrot chips. I keep a bag of Taste of the Wild Lamb on hand…I leave handfuls of them in her bowl to eat at her leisure if she get’s hungry between meals, but she rarely touches it (unless I’m late with a feeding).

Because of her high triglycerides, my vet would like to get her onto a lower fat diet. He suggested kibbles & prescription kibbles…but I will not go down that road again…Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein nearly brought her to the brink of a malnourished death prior to Raw…no way I will go back.

So…any suggestions on how to lower the fat content while still keeping her on raw and not feeding any “crap” foods?

My working theory is to use SOJOS grain-free fruit & veggie mix (the kind you rehydrate with water) and combine that with 1 Stella & Chewys patty per day (half 1.5 oz patty at each feeding). I am having a difficult time working out how much of each to feed her while keeping the fat under 15%, the protein and fiber in a higher range, and the calorie amounts appropriate for her size/age & slower-pace lifestyle. Would love to see all of her blood panel numbers in the normal range at her next test…not just for her sake, but to prove to the vet how beneficial this raw diet has been.

ANY suggestions or help would be GREATLY appreciated!!

• This topic was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Linda M.
• This topic was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Linda M.

[Kevin C]

I actually joined this site with the hope of finding out whether bully sticks would or would not be recommended for use considering the concerns outlined in the Tufts study surrounding contamination and caloric intake as well as my own concerns about whether or not they are obtained humanely. If recommended overall by Mike, I was wondering if he had suggestions for specific brands. If not, what safe, healthy and humane alternatives might be out there for dogs who like gnaw.

My little rescue loves nothing more than a bully stick to gnaw on, but I have refrained from giving them because of not feeling that there is definitive recommendation out there by a trusted expert regarding their use. Nothing makes him happier than to gnaw, and really only the bully stick or tendon has proven to provide him the most happiness. Some alternatives like humanely obtained deer antlers are too tough for him (when we rescued him he had to have several teeth removed) and he just isn’t interested in anything synthetic.

If Mike has any suggestions, I would be immensely grateful and this type of recommendation regarding dog “treats” would be specifically helpful to someone like me and my little guy.

[Dori]

And on your recommendation I won’t buy the Grandma Lucy’s meatball type treats. They’d probably crack some of my tiny girls teeth. They should put some sort of a warning on those things or at least mention it on the site.

[Dori]

I use the Vital Essential Tripe treats for the girls. If you’ve ever used Vital Essential Freeze Dried food (they only make it in beef), then just to let you know that their tripe treats are much smaller in size and they are hard and crunchy like the food, not soft. I can hear them crunch as the girls eat them. It’s my only way of getting some tripe into their systems. They LOVE them. As DogFoodie said, there are a lot in the bag and they do vary a little in size.

[aquariangt]

@naturella I may test that out and see if it works so I don’t have to waste the whole bag, and stuff it in a monster mouth or something. I’ve used exactly 4 treats out of the bag

@DogFoodie I may try those next. I usually keep 1 freeze dried and 1 chewy treat (let’s be honest, I usually have quickies and some others around too…) so I like freeze dried, and don’t mind breaking up big ones, my hands are used to be being gross after training anyway 🙂

[DogFoodie]

I’ve used the VE tripe treats. The dogs love ’em. There are gobs in a big bag, too. Most are pretty well sized, but some are scrawny.

[aquariangt]

Yes, it’s the potroast ones, I saw meatball on the bag and apparently that stuck. I’ve used tons of freeze dried treats and never had ones that are this hard so that’s why I was wondering if I got a bad bag. I’ve never used anything from GL before either. Size wise they would be great if they weren’t so dang hard. I swear every treat I get when trying to get to my $49 from Chewy when it’s something I haven’t tried ends up in the garbage, haha!

Have any of you tried the Vital Essentials Tripe Treats? I was eying those for my next order

[Dori]

D. O. I think he’s referring to the “cheeseburgers”. In their description on line somewhere they described them as snack size meatball treats. When I looked at the site I thought of them as being crunchy since they’re freeze dried but I can certainly see them as a choking hazard for larger dogs them mine. They look about the size of Vital Essential Freeze Dried Beef food. I’ve never fed Grandma Lucy’s treats so don’t really know anything about them other than what’s on Grandma Lucy’s site.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Dori.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Dori.

[Naturella]

@aquariangt, are you talking about the treats? The Tiny Tidbits treats look like meatballs, although they are not called that. I didn’t see anything titled “Meatballs” on the Grandma Lucy’s website. Maybe they are supposed to be rehydrated like the food? IDK…

***EDIT*** – They do call them “Snack-Size Meatball Treats for Dogs”. But yeah, I’ve never used them, and if they are treats, they shouldn’t NEED to be rehydrated, but maybe it will help if they’re that hard…? And then you could mush them up and stuff them in something, and freeze them instead of giving as a treat? Just an idea.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Naturella.

[BlackandBlue]

I’d like to post a few ideas about feeding cats. About a year ago, I noticed my cat obsessively licking the fur off his belly. Eventually figured out he’s got chicken intolerance. And, although I put a liquid dental additive in water that I add to his canned food everyday, his teeth were looking yellow. Here’s how I solved both problems: I feed my cat canned large breed chunky lamb dog food (Nutro Natural Choice large breed lamb and rice formula works great but there’s others such as Hills Ideal Balance lamb cans) a few times a week.
1. It’s really hard to find a resonably priced canned cat food that doesn’t contain either chicken or fish, the dog food works great for these reasons. The Nutro is often $1.78 on sale for a large 12.5 oz can.
2. Kitty has to really chew up the large chunks so it’s really helping his teeth. (It also slows down his eating which I think is good.)
I do feed daily his dry cat food and canned cat food but it is tuna fish based.
As a side note, I think the dental dry cat foods (the large nuggets by Royal Canin or Science Diet), given as treats everyday, do help with cat’s teeth, but I can’t use them anymore as they are always chicken based.

[Akari_32]

Ugh, I’m gunna start smacking people. My grandparents came over today, the same ones that have no self control over how many treats they give the dogs, and they left the front door open when they came in! I was out back, in the garage, so I didn’t even know, and I come back in through the back door to mom yelling, and the front wide open. Mom comes around the corner with the cat (who had a terrible, angry, defeated look on his face) draped over her arm. I took him from mom, tossed him in my room, and shut the door.

We leave to go fishing, come home a few hours later, they come back in, guess who leaves the door open AGAIN? Luckily the cat was still locked up. I made some very nasty comments, disguised as “jokes”, both times. What the crap is so freaking hard about CLOSING THE FRONT DOOR WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH IT????? *bashes face on wall* And why does MY cat have to suffer being locked away in the bed room because some idiot can’t close the door? Why do I have to suffer the stress of my cat getting out because someone else can’t function? What happens when my cat get hits by a car because some retard can open a door but NOT CLOSE IT? Do you think they leave the front door open at their house? I can guarantee you they don’t.

[Dori]

Cheryl, I just figured out photo bucket just before I posted. It’s called photobucket.com It’s a place where you can upload photos that are on your computer, elsewhere too, maybe? Not sure? Anyway, then you can copy and paste it on a forum. LOL I had to go on to youtube to get a couple of tutorials before I could figure out how to copy and paste to the forums. That’s about as much help as I can give you. TheBCnut use to say how un-techie she is so the other day when she posted the Rachels I figured I should at least give it a try once again cause I am fairly tech savvy but the posting of pictures has always eluded me. Now that I’ve done it I realize how easy it is, of course, that’s after looking at the tutorials over and over again.

Thanks for the compliment on “the girls”. Yep, they were having a tea party. They got freeze dried Vital Essential Tripe treats for their “cookies”. They were trying to give them some of their real cookies so I ran into the pantry for “their” cookies.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Dori.

[Derek P]

Thanks, you guys have been very helpful so far. We are looking at changing his treats from Milk Bone to something with less ingredients, and waiting to hear what the vet says tomorrow morning. From what I read about the Coccidia I would think it isn’t that parasite only reason is because I have never seen any bloody stool. Just to add his diarrhea is not completely liquid, it is more of a soft serve, not the typical log type (not sure if those are correct scientific terms haha). Also he is aprox. 60lbs

[Dog_Obsessed]

I assume you are talking about the dental treats? Here are the ingredients I found:

Potato flour, rice flour, glycerine, water, natural flavor, gelatin, canola oil, titanium dioxide (color), monoglycerides of edible fatty acids, flaxseed oil, citric acid, magnesium stearate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate

Not horrible, but not great either. I’m not a fan of the ingredient glycerine, (more info here) but other than that they look okay. There isn’t much nutritionally redeeming about them though.

Since they are a edible chew, a dog could potentially swallow a large piece. It is important to know your dog’s chewing style and always supervise when giving chews. Occasionally, less digestible chews can cause digestive upset or an intestinal blockage. I don’t know about the digestibility of these, but that is something to be aware of.

It says on their website that all ingredients come from North America. There can be loopholes in these claims, but it is a good place to start.

On a final note, these treats look pretty high-calorie, at 89.5 calories for a small and 179 calories for a large. They wouldn’t be something I would recommend feeding daily.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Dog_Obsessed.

[Susan]

Hi, try lower protein % & lower fat % diets, & milk bones are the worst they are high in fat… get a limited ingredient, low fat, single protein kibble, Have you tried a Hypoallergenic & Gluten free kibbles, something like “California Naturals” Lamb & Rice limited ingredients, it just has 4 ingredients or their Kangaroo & Lentils… or try the “Natural Balance” limited ingredients Kangaroo & Potatoes or the Rabbit & Potatoes or the Duck & Potatoes as these flavours have the least ingredients.. here’s a really good group to join & for help, Face Book “Dogs with Inflammatory Bowel Disorder” once you find a diet & while ur trying a new kibble, do not give any treats, NOTHING just the low fat limited ingredient kibble, if everything is going good, then after say 3 months introduce something new like home made treats that are Gluten free, wheat free…
http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products

[Bobby dog]

Also, since you are unsure if it’s a food intolerance at this time I would start keeping a list of ingredients now of any foods (including treats) fed in the past or you are currently feeding. Comparing what ingredients these foods have in common and how your dog responded to each food is something that needs to be done in order to find the offending ingredient(s). It can be a long process or it may be simple, diligence is the key if it is a food intolerance.

If food intolerance turns out to be his problem it is important to treat your dog as the individual he is and find his specific intolerance; each dog is different and each will be intolerant to different things.

[Derek P]

We have an 8 month old Bulloxer (American Bulldog, Boxer Mix) and cannot find a food that will not give him diarrhea. He has had a couple solid poops, but then goes straight to diarrhea after that period. First we started him on Orijen Large breed puppy, we fed him 3-4 26.6 pound bags and still nothing but diarrhea and bad gas. We eventually switched him to Wellness Core Puppy food (which he is currently on). He started out fine for the first week or so, but now we are back to diarrhea and bad gas. He never has any table food and only has Milk Bones for treats. The only thing we could come up with is that he may just have a sensitive stomach, or dog food intolerance specifically to chicken since both of those food main ingredient was chicken. Any help is greatly appreciated, in order to get our pups stomach under control!

[John P]

Hi, Dori.

I must have misinterpreted something to begin with, but I also must have worded something incorrectly. What I meant is that if I can only find three distinct proteins, a way to incorporate variety and possibly avoid sensitivity issues would be to find a food with the same protein but different supplementary ingredients. I never thought that you intended me to use one protein. In fact, I think you’re the one who convinced me to rotate in the first place!

I’ll take your freeze dried advice into consideration and do some research. I really don’t know anything about freeze dried foods and treats (pricing, availability, health benefits, etc). I was looking for a pork-based treat to feed along with the Acana Pork and Butternut Squash kibble, and I found the Orijen Wild Boar freeze dried treats. Do you think those would be suitable as a close relation and have the health benefits you mentioned? I liked them because they were produced by the same parent company as well as the fact that wild boar is in theory wild pork. Orijen also offers freeze dried lamb treats I believe. I don’t use a lot of treats, but they’re helpful when grooming. And grooming is a daily chore with wheatens!

You have been incredibly understanding as I’ve worked through this. As Tony the Tiger would say, You’re Greaaa-aaattt!

[Dori]

Hi John. Just saw your post here and I’d like to reply and help if I can.

Nope, it wasn’t me that suggested that you keep your dogs on the same protein. That’s totally against what I do or would recommend. I may not have explained things correctly. What I had said is that I would suggest that you find a few different (proteins) that your dogs do well on and rotate within the brand if, in fact, there are different proteins in that brand that you can feed. Also find other brands with proteins you dogs do well on and rotate within all the brands all the proteins that your dogs can eat. Rotate proteins and brands. It is never, in my opinion and the way I feed, a good idea to keep a dog long term on any one protein and on any one brand.

I can’t comment on the Acana line or any dry food as I’ve mentioned before. My allergy, intolerant girl can actually eat Nature’s Logic kibble but only the dry and only the sardine formula and only in my way of rotating which is often.

Other foods I thought you might want to consider to add into their diets are Nature’s Variety Instinct Freeze Dried Lamb (doesn’t contain any poultry, fowl, or beef)

Nature’s Variety Limited Instinct Kibble Rabbit or Lamb.

Stella and Chewy’s Freeze Dried. They have a rabbit, a lamb and also a venison formula. None of which contain beef or fowl of any sort.

I think adding freeze dried to their diets in rotation would be a little more cost effective with the kibbles you’ll be feeding because this way, at least, they’ll be getting some of the benefits of raw on occasion. The other is that if freeze dried is too expensive as their entire diet in rotation you might consider rotating through the freeze dried foods that I mentioned and use them just as their treats. You’ll be sure they’re getting healthy treats and they’ll benefit health wise and you don’t have to worry about what’s in the commercial “treats” which usually contain something dogs with food intolerances have issues with. I hope this has helped. Sorry, but I hadn’t realized that you were on the road 9 months of the year. Hopefully when you stationary from time to time if your room has a fridge with small freezer you may be able to just buy small bags of raw frozen to add into their diets. Nature’s Variety Instinct is sold in most, if not all, Petco and Petsmarts and they seem to be everywhere in the country. I love that you travel with your dogs and that they are a priority in our lives. Yes, we are all rather companion animal obsessed (or most of us are) and we like it that way. So, never fear, you’re not in the minority in the world of dogs and your wanting to do the very best you can for them. I’m pretty sure it would be a safe bet that most of us dog obsessed people on this site feed our dogs healthier diets that we do ourselves and our families. I’ve been known to do a McDonald’s drive thru from time to time for myself and my husband yet would rather die than feed my dogs any low quality garbage dog food. They become our children and, as such, we commit ourselves to their health and welfare. As typical parents, we usually put ourselves last. In my opinion that’s a good thing. They can’t choose what they eat, we do it for them so we should try to do the best for them. It’s the least we can do for them when you consider all they give us in return.

[Diane D]

How safe are the dog treats Checkups?

[Cotons mom]

Beverly, I have two cottons, 1 1/2yr old, and I have had the same problem with the eye staining their whole life. I feed only raw, and pretty much the identical ones that Dori listed and they only get filtered water and if they get treats they get either fruit/veges or small pieces of freeze dried food. They do get bully sticks and raw bones from time to time. I’ve tried the sardines in water but neither one will eat them. My husband is very frustrated with the staining and has even said that he wants to try the stuff called Angel Eyes but I don’t have a good feeling with any of that stuff.
They are due their “shots” and I’m wondering about getting titers for some, and wonder if their is anything out there for heart worms besides stuff like heart guard.

[Akari_32]

Psh, I don’t get any money from her. It all goes to mom for the extra water and electricity she uses up (good lord, this woman is laundry crazy and doesn’t turn ANYTHING OFF!!). Not looking forward to her living here again. She’s got to be one of the most stupid, ignorant people I’ve ever met. Thankfully mom said she’s only staying here until she finds another place to live. *Please* let that be soon!

I moved all the dog food to my closest (well over 100 pounds, I’d say), all the dog and cat treats and random etc type items to the stand under one of the reptile tanks (were I keep the canned dog and cat food), and the litter went out in the garage (or next to the liter box, in the case of two of the tubs lol probably about 100 pounds in all). Now I have to do some rearranging to make some space in my bedroom. Had to quickly move stuff out of the closet to fit all this dog food…. Let’s just say the place looks like a tornado went through.

….Multiple times…. Lol

I’ll get to you as soon as I can go through and get out all the ones I don’t want/can’t use 🙂 I’ll try and do it tonight. I’ve been meaning to get them all out cut out and organized anyways lol If you’ve been through this years calandar and know what’s in there, feel free to make requests!

[Akari_32]

😀 you guys are the best!

Ugh, so bad news. I lost my stock pile room 🙁 Our room mate moved out several months ago, so I moved all my dog food and treats and goodies and cat litter into the spare bedroom, and mom just texted me that she is moving back in tonight and to clean the room up. Maaaaaaan! Now what am I gunna do when I go on big shopping trips?? 🙁

Oh, and I gotta talk to you about these PetCo coupons I got, Naturella! Maybe you can use some lol I bought two calendars, like a nut job XD I’ll email you in a bit lol

[GSDsForever]

With loose stool problems like you’re describing, I will give a dog a something like cottage cheese and white rice, bland & highly digestible, for a few days. (You could also use boiled plain chicken breast for the protein.)

That usually will clear up whatever is going on. And it allows the dog’s system to recover. In fact, often you will not see the dog produced stool for a day or so, and then it will be minimum. Make sure the dog has sufficient water, whenever a dog has diarrhea (or vomiting).

I really doubt that your dog needs the specific Iams food, but that mix of foods from 2 Wellness products and Orijen (why the mix?) may not be right for your dog. Try a single recipe blander, simpler, moderate in protein & low to moderate fat diet for a bit. You need low residue, which is just another fancy way of saying highly digestible, but it doesn’t have to be a specific formula & brand with that in the title or be a vet diet. Watch the treats too.

Do not overfeed, underfeed until you get it right, divided between two meals a day (no free feeding), and watch to make sure your puppy does not eat too fast. Do not play/exercise/walk/have excitement for your dog within 1-2 hours of feeding, backwards & forwards. Feeding should be during a time of calm & rest.

A tablespoon of all natural plain yogurt, with live active cultures, can also help with problem stool/digestive upset.

It’s good that your vet gave probiotics, as the antibiotics destroy beneficial bacteria. I don’t typically jump right away to antibiotics and would encourage you not to do that either. They are overused, cause problems, and rack up your vet bills unnecessarily.

[Naturella]

Just 3?!?! OMG! This is hard! LoL.

I may have to say, almost the same as C4C’s – raw eggs (MAYBE with lightly cooked whites if I have a bigger dog in the future, but for Bruno it wouldn’t make too much of a difference so I feed the whole egg raw), canned sardines including their water/juices (mmmmmmm, Omega Fatty Acids… ), and RMBs (gotta keep the teethsies clean 😀 ).

But if I could include more, there would be raw virgin unrefined COCONUT OIL (sardines are probably better, hence they made the cut, as they not only have the Omega FAs, but are a meat protein, with some bone for calcium, if I’m lucky a little fish organ left in there too), yoghurt/kefir, goat milk, canned food, dehydrated/air-dried/freeze-dried foods (I’m squishing them in one category), raw organ meats (livers, gizzards, kidneys, HEARTS, tongue, green tripe, whatever I can get my hands on. Yes, I know the heart, the tongue, and the gizzard are muscles. I count them toward the organs.), various fruits and veggies as treats (not in the kibble), and as needed canned plain pumpkin, Perfect Form, and maybe plain brown rice and boiled chicken for extreme tummy upsets.

[GSDsForever]

Yes, of course — digestibility and good absorption of nutrients and such, unless . . .

*there is a substance put in there specifically to harden & shrink the stool as found in even some crappy formulas made by smart companies to appeal to customers, or

*nondigestible plant material is included in big quantities, either from large quantities to fill up a dog in a weight loss diet or to supply other nutritional benefits (but usually good brands will just limit the amounts in this case)

I remember Wellness’s Yogurt, Apple, & Banana Well Bars (treats) being very well liked by the dogs and producing GIANT stools — probably from high percentage of whole grains & fiber in them. We miss those treats, as they smell great!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 10 months ago by GSDsForever.

[Meghan M]

To second GSDsForever, I emailed Sammy Snacks asking about ethoxyquin and here is the response I got:

“Thank you for your interest in our products. We pride ourselves on providing the highest quality of pet food and treats available on the market at an affordable price. As part of that we hold all of our mills to higher standard than most brands. We provide all of them with clear and concise list of what ingredients are not allowed in our products (of which ethoxyquin is one). We also provide them with a list of suppliers that we don’t allow to sell them ingredient that are included in our products. All of them must agree to these requirements or they would no longer make our products. I also don’t trust anyone else when it comes to the Sammy Snacks and Ancestry brand, that is why we order tests on all of our product. One of the many things that is tested for is ethoxyquin. All of our proteins and fats are preserved with vitamin E (sometimes called tocopherols).

I hope this helps and please feel free to contact us with any more questions.

Thanks,
Matt Frey
CEO
Sammy Snacks Inc.”

I may eventually add this food to my rotation. The only issue I had is the amount of Omega 3s listed. Her current food (Infinia) has a minimum of 0.3%, while the Ancestry has only 0.4%. I’m not sure if that makes it a lower-quality food compared to some of the others, but I did note the other brands had much higher levels: Zignature at 1.0%, Wellness CORE at 0.8%, Victor at 0.7%, and Legacy at 1.4%.

I also looked up Timberwolf’s dog food, and really liked the Wilderness Elk Platinum, the Black Forest Platinum Grain Free, the Ocean Blue Platinum Grain Free, and the Lamb & Apples Platinum Grain Free. I hadn’t heard of this brand before, so I’m glad I was introduced to it!

I found a store nearby that sells Victor, so I think I will start with this food based on the recommendations, along with the fact that it is the lowest protein level out of my top 3 favorites. As long as my dog does well on this for awhile, I’ll see how she does with Wellness CORE, Legacy, and possibly Zignature.

I did have a question, either specifically for GSDsForever, or for anyone who can provide input. You talked earlier about how processing is imperative for digestibility and nutrient preservation. Do you know of any dog foods (either that I have already listed, or outside brands we haven’t discussed) that have good processing techniques and gentle cooking methods?

Again, thank you all so much for your input! I feel a lot more confident about my choices – it is still overwhelming though, because there are so many options! I’m just glad that I’ve narrowed the options down to a few, and I guess now it is just a process of elimination to see how she reacts with some foods versus others.

[GSDsForever]

Allergy & Food: I would try a single novel protein/novel carb source diet, including restricting all treats (can only be that protein/carb).

This needs to be something your dog has never eaten before, ideally both the meat/protein source and the carb(s). You feed this a long while and other monitoring (you and your vet), then slowly add back in one protein at a time. You see what makes the symptoms disappear in your dog.

Heartworm Preventative: There are only so many active ingredients effective in heartworm prevention. Heartguard would have the same ingredient as Iverhart, Ivermectin. Your other option is the main active ingredient in the formerly made Interceptor, which now only is available with other anti-parastitics in the formula.

You do need to use one of them, as heartworm is very deadly & brutal on a dog.

You can also have the main active ingredient compounded for your dog at a compounding pharmacy, in whatever form and flavoring/inactive ingredients (in case of severe allergy to what you’ve already tried) and exactly custom to the weight of your dog.

Dry skin & shampoo/conditioner — Please see my thread I already started on that topic here, asking for help.

[Dori]

I’m looking forward to seeing Sugar in your avatar. Even if you’re on a windows machine you can still go to gravatar.com and sign up and then they’ll walk you through the steps to post picture. I just can’t walk you through it because I’m on a Mac.

As to the foods that I feed, they are all commercial raw foods from companies that I like and trust and all three girls have done very well on all of them. I feed all three girls the same meals. I also rotate proteins within the brands and I also rotate with different brands. All proteins with the exception of any and all poultry (fowl) regardless of how or where it is listed in the ingredients. Nothing with feathers because Katie is highly intolerant. These are the companies I feed.

Primal Formulas Raw Frozen and Primal Pronto Raw Frozen and sometimes Primal Freeze Dried
Vital Essentials Raw Frozen Foods and sometimes Vital Essentials Freeze Dried
Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Food Only
Answer’s Detailed Raw Frozen
OC Raw Frozen
Nature’s Logic Frozen Raw

Once or twice a week I split a can of sardines in water with no salt (from grocery store) between the three girls.

For treats I give them small pieces of organic (if available) fruits and veggies. Apples and cucumbers must be peeled because they carry a lot of bacteria and are waxed to make them pretty for us. Make sure to not feed any seeds or pits from any fruits as they are toxic to dogs. Of course as I’m pretty sure you already know, no raisins, grapes or onions.

If you want any more info, please ask.