[zcRiley]

Thanks, guys. Sorry I wasn’t more specific. I have two 1 yr 2 mo old AmStaff mixes. They’ve been great on Orijen Dry Puppy Food (adding NutraMax Lab’s Cosequin DS for glucosamine much later). I used to mix in Horizon, Merricks or Acana for some zing; that was until I started doing major research on ingredients/hi end fillers, recalls etc. The Giardia & Campi was diagnosed with only 1 of my pups (the one that always had a digestive issue). At that point, I started mixing in Orijen 6 Fish with a crumble of Dr Foster & Smith’s Omega 3 chews. After the Giardia was taken care of, his behavior went down the tubes, I cried during that time thinking was it me, was it his brother, is he dying of something? After $600 doing the full bloodwork panel, fecal float, fecal ELISA & the fecal culture, it was the culture that found the Campi bacteria. 2 shots later & a slew of antibiotics per dog, it was time to add some “help” to their tummies. I got the Purina Veterinary Diets FortiFlora (not knowing that animal digest & Enteroccoccus faecium was bad) & Nzymes (which has soy sprouts). I stopped immediately after four days of small doses/horrifying results, thus initiating the deeper ingredient research I should have done before. I’m now waiting for my new order of Nusentia’s Probiotic Miracle & Enzyme Miracle. During this wait, the pups are switched to Nature’s Balance Synergy Dry Dog Food (has prebiotic & more fiber). AND ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE ADDED & no treats. The rice & boiled chicken routine doesn’t sit well with them either. I DO add tons of kisses & hugs as to how sorry I am for making them worse.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Marcus A –

If you’re a Editor’s Choice Member, I’d recommend checking out the list of recommended budget friendly foods.

As for helping your dog to lose weight, there’s only one way to achieve this which is by creating an energy deficit. This means that your dog will need to be burning more calories than he his consuming. Unfortunately, just as with weight loss for us humans, there’s no easy (or fun) way to achieve this.

My recommendation would be to pick a quality food that you can afford and reduce the portion sizes and increase the amount of exercise he’s getting (since he’s older, you may need to opt for short but frequent walks). There’s really no reason to pick a food labeled specifically for weight loss as long as you are controlling the portion size.

Start by feeding him the amount suggested on the bag for what he SHOULD weigh (not what he does weigh) – if it gives you a range go with the lower amount. So, for example, if he weighs 50 lbs. and he should be 40 lbs. look on the bag for how much a 40 lb. dog should eat. If the bag says a 40 lb. dog should eat 1 1/2 – 2 C. per day, start by feeding him 1 1/2 C. per day. Aim for a reduction of about 1% of his body weight per week. If he’s not losing, gradually reduce portion sizes (for a dog his size, 1/4 C. increments would probably be fine) until you see results. If he’s losing too rapidly, gradually increase portion sizes.

Remember – treats have calories too! All treats eaten need to be accounted for in his daily calorie intake. Make others in the household aware of this as well.

Good luck!

• This reply was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Tina]

Merrick has had recalls on its treats in the past. My mistake 🙂

[Bobby dog]

I forgot, in my Chewy order I got a few days ago I also ordered a Merrick beef tendon. Bobby really liked it and it kept him busy for about an hour. You can probably find them in pet stores if interested.

http://www.merrickpetcare.com/consumer/products/product.jsp?id=67&page=0&view=list&sort=category_3&order=asc&name=Doggie_Wishbone_Tendon_Treats&categories=Dog-Treats-Natural Chews&age=All_Life_Stages

[Bobby dog]

I did recently give Bobby a beef trachea to chew on which he enjoyed. I haven’t really looked into them like a should though.

Suggestions for chew treats from http://www.daneangelnetwork.org/rawhide.htm:

The following products are all digestible and safe for your pets.

Budda Chew Products- all digestible chew bones and treats

Muscle Chews- all digestible, contains no hide product.

Bull Pizzle Chews- all natural alternative to rawhide.

Healthy Edibles- all natural health chews, completely digestible and contain no sugars or fillers. Available at http://www.drsfostersmith.com

Kong rubber products are great chew toys, which can keep dogs very busy, especially when a little peanut butter and dog biscuits are wedged inside for them to work out.

[theBCnut]

No, Merrick treats have not had many recalls lately, but maybe they should have. WEF certainly should have. Merrick does not like to do the right thing and issue recalls quickly. They wait until they receive a threat of lawsuit from the FDA.

OK, I sort of take that back. They have had a few minor recalls 2 years, 3 years, and 4 years ago, but nothing lately, though I think they should.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by theBCnut.

[Tina]

Merrick treats have had many recalls lately and my neighbor was feeding Merrick to her pit bull until he became ill.

[Mom2Cavs]

My dogs have no staining now. I have 3 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and the girls had been pretty good for awhile, but not perfect. Rupert came to me with some large eye stains and paw staining. I have recently been feeding Wellness Small Breed kibbles (a variety of Sm. Brd. Senior, Sm. Brd. Simple Salmon and Sm. Brd. Whitefish). I got Rupert going on 3 months ago and started this kibble 2 months ago. I also top with Wellness canned and a very few others, Simply Nourish and Weruva but mostly Wellness. I also am using Wholistic Pet Digest All Plus and a supplement called Firm Up, which is dried pumpkin and apple pectin. The only treats they get are Wellness Yogurt biscuits at night before bedtime. I use their kibble the rest of the time. At the Hospital during Therapy Dog visits Laverne and Hazel get banana chips and Zuke’s minis (which I plan on replacing after the bag is empty). ALL staining is gone from everyone. It use to be when I groomed/brushed them and wiped their eyes Hazel would be great, Laverne would have one eye that still came away with a little brownish stain and Rupert would be getting a little better but not totally clear. Now, after 2 months of nothing but feeding this way, all staining is gone from all dogs. Even Rupert has none on his paws or otherwise. I’m thrilled! I’ve always loved Wellness products but the kibble size was too big for my Cavs. When they came out with these new formulas for Small Breeds I immediately bought them and I’m so happy…..now I just hope they continue to come out with more Small Breed flavors.

One note I would like to make, though, is that I think that getting the dogs’ guts back in peak shape is what helped the staining the most and I feel that the Digest All Plus and Firm Up were instrumental in doing that. Laverne had prior anal gland problems that are not happening now either, and Rupert had a ruptured anal gland right after coming to us which has healed great and I’ve seen no signs of returning (I keep praying about it, lol!).

[Robert S]

Are Good N Fun treats safe to feed my dog?

[Scott C]

Amy,
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I admit that my post was borne of frustration, yet I stand by what I said.

It is a matter of record that American food (specifically, American manufactured or processed for) is increasingly less-safe. US Companies contaminated 15% more nations’ food supplies with human food that subsequently had to be recalled in Q4 of 2013 than ever before (ExpertSource), involving 860,000 pounds of food (compared to half that, one quarter earlier, the previous worst statistic on record). In 2010, 500 million (not a typo) American eggs were recalled, due to Salmonella poisoning (USDA) and 1906 US-manufactured food product recalls—all due to contamination of one kind or another—occurred between 2011 and 2012.

Selecting only one American company, Tyson Foods pled guilty to 20 felony counts of violating the Clean Water Act (2003), admitted to have continued contaminating the water supply for four years after federal search warrants were executed against them in 1999. In 2013, Tyson was cited four times by the US Department of Labor for OSHA workplace safety violations in which a human dismemberment occurred and may have entered the active production chain. In 2005, an undercover agent video-documented that Tyson was knowingly allowing chickens to be scalded alive in its plants, and dead animals tossed through the air “for fun” by employees. In 2008, federal courts found Tyson guilty of two counts of knowingly and intentionally using fraudulent labeling to claim that their products were anti-biotic free for over two years.

Now, an argument could be proffered that these are violations, so regulations are in place and adequate. The fact remains that American law is written to favor corporations who do the violating, as the duration of these ongoing transgressions suggests. (Tyson’s quarterly profits more than doubled in the second quarter, to $213 million US, and while prices have increased, cost savings were a significant factor. Having demonstrated that it saves costs by doing things like illegally contaminating the ground water, Tyson is not to be trusted with our health. Not Ever.)

So, one of my primary points is that I don’t trust American regulations in the way I trust Canadian regulations, specifically because Canadian law is so much more invasive to corporate operation than is American law. And one presumes that it is this, not the goodness of their hearts, which drives Champion’s move to open a plant in this country. It will be far easier for Champion to provide a much lower-quality product at much lower costs with much lower risk of being caught for having done so here in the United States than ever in Canada. It will also be far harder to detect a drop in ingredient quality until it is too late. American law and regulation cannot even guarantee safe food for our children; how could we ever have the hubris to assume it will protect our pets?

It may be, of course, I readily acknowledge, false to say that whatever Champion produces in Kentucky will be a priori garbage. My fear may be completely unfounded. It is only a fear of the future, after all.

I merely state that it will not be *my* pets who die when this turns out to not be the case. You may, of course, put your own pets at whatever level of risk you deem acceptable. For ourselves, we searched for months for a food we could trust as the result of laboratory tests and an environment of government regulation and we thought we had found Champion. In moving to Kentucky, Champion abandons virtually everything that made it our choice. They leave behind Canadian (often, wild) game ingredients, raised on healthy diets, near or in uncontaminated waters, processed humanely through systems exceeding Canadian government standards for human food, in facilities carefully and strictly monitored by a government which properly _shuts_down_ companies that seriously violate public health (rather than fining them a mere 3% of their quarterly profits, or, if you prefer, 0.0203% of their annual revenue). This is akin to setting the penalty for robbing a bank at something like $50 and pretending it’s a deterrent.

If you feel I’m being overly dramatic by using a criminal metaphor, read the above, again: They _pled_guilty_ to 20 _felony_ counts of violating public safety by contaminating lakes, rivers, and groundwater. Their penalty was $7 million. You can do the math.
———————–

Case,
For three reasons, I’m saddened that you have chosen to introduce the proposition of quantifying agreement or disagreement with my view.

First, thousands of you disagreeing with me will not shield your pets from toxic food, should my worst fears be realized.

Second, thousands of you disagreeing with me in a public forum monitored by Champion will simply reinforce the perception of the US being a trusting, safe environment for business, and encourage the worst from them, should my worst fears be realized.

Third, thousands of you disagreeing with me will serve no purpose other than to end the discussion. “Let’s vote on it,” has long been teamspeak for “I’m tired of this topic, let’s pretend we have an answer and move on.” Yet will your disagreement with my perspective keep my dogs safe? Will Amy’s reticence to think ill of Champion until the damage is done prevent that damage from occurring?
———————–

Everyone,
Here is the bottom-line:

The American Veterinary Medical Association has recorded over 914 pet food recalls from American companies in the last two years. NBC News has reported over 1000 dogs dead and over 4800 animals sick in the past six months from jerky treats alone. In 2002, the peer-reviewed American Journal of Veterinary Research found that the FDA was wrong in its earlier finding that pentobarbital residues in dog and cat food were from euthanized cattle, re-opening the serious allegation that the pentobarbital in American dog and cat food was, in fact, from… rendered (euthanized) dogs and cats. The semi-sacred Royal Canin brand is facing a class action suit over toxic levels of vitamin D in its products. American laws–the lack of them–allowed the FDA to find in 2005 that Diamond Pet Foods was releasing food containing up to 1,851 parts per billion of the deadly mycotoxin, aflatoxin. Acceptable levels are twenty (20) parts per billion. Over 100 dogs died because proper testing costs money and isn’t required.

Trusting these profit-makers to care for your animals is no longer reasonable. Trusting American regulations to protect your animals is no longer rational. Champion may be a good company today, or it may be that Canadian regulation keeps them honest. Without knowing which is true, I must see the move to American as a large step down a slippery slope. My intuition tells me this is the narrow end of the wedge.

We will buy Orijen until it is no longer made in Canada, and then I will stop buying it.

Fundamentally, I believe we should all actively question and challenge—and not merely trust until someone’s beloved pet lies dead. After all, that’s why this website exists in the first place.

Respectfully yours.

[Mimi S]

We have an Irish Setter that was raised on raw. Lately he’s been “off his food” and getting what we call grumble belly. He was getting Bravo, a balanced raw, chicken drumsticks and various, good, expensive treats. We switched to canned Nature’s Variety, different sources of protein plus chicken drumsticks. He’s still not right, although never diarrhea like the previous post and his stool doesn’t smell much. He’s still pooping, has energy but no interest in food. Should we stop the chicken and go to a good kibble, keep some canned and ad kibble, feed only raw without the chicken drumsticks? Help! We’re frustrated. He came to us at about 1 1/2 and was fine. We lost our last setter to stomach cancer and are so afraid there’s something we’re doing wrong. He drinks the filtered water that we drink.

[raam]

I do use a probiotic, the dog variety by Jarrow Formulas, and a digestive enzyme and probiotics mix by NaturVet. They have had no effect.

Interestingly, a friend gave me one satchet of the Fortiflora probiotics by Purina. Not my first brand of choice, but the day after I gave it, his first poop was solid. The rest was still mushy, but I ordered some off Amazon to try it. It will arrive tomorrow, so fingers crossed.

I also give him some holistic drops by Amber Technology to prevent reinfection with giardia.

Today things were already a bit better. I’m leaving the Ziwipeak for a while and used some light cheap turkey roll treats for training instead. I’ll wait a few more days with the new probiotics coming in to see how things go. I’ll also check out the brands and websites you mentioned!

Fortunately aside from the soft poop, he is happy, healthy, playful and super lovey-dovey!

[Susan]

Hi, I just read C4C post & I remembered Patch is on a probiotic, is ur boy on a good dog probiotic for his tummy & bowel, the probiotic helps their digestive tract thats what Patches vet gave Patch he was put on Vet Prescription Eukanuba Intestinal & protexin Probiotic for 5months vet wanted Patches bowel to heal…I couldnt give him anything else no treats nothing just the Eukanuba Intestinal kibble she wanted him on the Intestinal for 1 year but after 5months I started to slowly try other kibbles so slowly just adding about 1/4 cup to his Intestinal cup then if I saw his poo start to go sloppy I’d stop the new kibble & just give his Eukanuba & take the kibble back as they are guaranteed.. now I just use his kibble as treats, that way I know he wont have the runs or sloppy poo, Ive finally found ‘Holistic Select’ kibbles they are lower in fat % about 13% but Im using the senior chicken & rice its 10% fat & fiber is 3.50% Ive just been slowly mixing with the Eukanuba Intestinal so far Patch is doing really well I also give a little bit of banana or apple as a treat only natural foods no processed treats…I hope you find the right food but only try 1 thing at a time then u know whats causing the sloppy poo..Good-Luck

[raam]

Thank you for your reply, Sue!

I think you are totally onto something. I just realized while reading your reply that a factor that might have contributed could be that I use Ziwipeak Lamb as training treats. They, too, are very rich. I did cut down on his regular food intake to level it with the Ziwipeak, but I guess in the end having two rich foods together could have been too much. For the last three days I used a different training treat for variety and while still mushy, his stools seem to have a little more form.

So I think I will end up making the switch to Acana and use lighter training treats.

[Susan]

Hi, Omayra has ur little man been fleaed? as that is probably causing his itch, a nice bath & a good flea product like frontline should keep the fleas away Frontline make a really good spray, I dont know if it can be used on pups u’d have to check..food allergies are rare especially a 3month old pup, only around 5% of dogs will suffer food allergies, some may be intolarant to certain foods, & have food intolarences also look at the Fat% on ur treats alot of treats are high in fat & you can only give a few treats a day as they can cause diarrhea & muchy poo.. its best to use ur dogs daily kibble (Blue Buffalo) as a treat when training…..make sure you keep up with his worming….sounds like u are both sharing ur little boy so make sure that you both arent giving treats at different times & just use some of his kibble as a treat…
Someone else will have to help with the Raw as my boy is on kibble & home cooked chicken & pumkin..sounds like ur little boy has a loving caring home..

[Omayra R]

Hello all.

My sister adopted a puppy last month and he is the first dog to be our family member. He will be 3 months old tomorrow (June 8th).

We were told to feed him dry mixed with wet 4 times a day, up until July 19th. After that, 3 times a day dry.

His dry is the Blue Buffalo holistic life protection brand, and his wet is Wellness for puppies. For training treats we have Organix peanut butter cookies and Fruitables pumpkin and apple flavor.

Now his poop is finally coming out solid, but at the end it’s a little mushy. From my understanding, poop must be solid and not that smelly. At first he was pooping diarrhea, but that was before he got his deworming shot. After the shot, no more diarrhea but would like it his poop to be more solid and a tad bit smelly. This morning he pooped a lot! He hasn’t pooped since. I asked my sister how often does he poop now and she hasn’t been paying attention, so bare with me. As I don’t live with my family and the dog. I stay over the weekends to watch over him. Since I have a more flexible schedule, I can take him to the vet etc.

I notice after he eats, he gets itchy. I’m wondering if he has any food allergies? I know this mix is prone to skin sensitivity. I want that itching to stop. Also read that tear stains are more proned to his food, not breed. We clean his eyes often but would to see that decrease. It’s not excessive though.

Can anyone here suggest me a new diet, please? I’m looking into the raw brand route but i’m not sure how many times a day with these foods. Sorry, this all so new to me.

I’m also in the process of looking for a well reputable holistic vet. I’m just do terrified of all the horror stories with vets and diets I’ve been reading online.

We want the very best for our little guy.

Thank you 🙂

[Carolynne M]

I have a little cairn with seizures. The one ingredient I try to avoid is rosemary in any form. It is a seizure trigger for some dogs. It’s used as a natural preservative in many quality foods but checking the ingredient list will give you the information you need. That said – rosemary may not be a trigger for your dog but you never know.

A very good quality kibble will help. As mentioned by others – watch for preservatives. I make some home cooked food and serve it along with quality kibble.

Congratulations on two mild seizures in a year – that’s good control! A seizure dog should be fed as healthy of a diet as possible. You’ve made a great decision to check out foods to feed Moose. I give my girl a probiotic in addition to the kibble/home cooked due to her health status. There are some great foods that have pre and probiotics in them which might work well for Moose. Holistic Selects is one brand that comes to mind – I’ve been very happy with it for my other dogs. Fresh fruit and veggies for treats will help with the pheno munchies.

[Bobby dog]

Check out those labels to be sure they contain healthy ingredients. I have found a few treats from better dog food companies that have added sugars, color, and excessive starches; dental chews can also contain unsavory ingredients.

If you are unable to financially swing feeding a commercial or homemade raw diet all the time, pugmomsandy’s suggestion of feeding raw & canned or just canned would be good to consider too. I think you will see healthier skin and have less odor by improving the quality of his canned food as well.

Having his thyroid checked is a great suggestion; hair loss is one of the symptoms of a thyroid condition.

I have looked at raw diets before and bookmarked a few sites. Here’s a link to a list of premixes:
http://dogaware.com/diet/dogfoodmixes.html

Here’s some links for homemade diets:
http://dogaware.com/diet/homemade.html#
http://dogaware.com/diet/rawfoods.html

[Susan]

When I first rescued Patch he was having the rumbling bowel & blood in his stools vet said he had Colitis & I had to cut back on the fat % Patch was put on the Eukanuba Intestinal it has only 10% fat & 1.75% fiber the Eukanuba has helped, we’ve had no more rumbling bowel only when I tried mince meat he was up early hours of the morning & I could hear him coming he sounded like a car engine rumbling & grumbling.. so now I boil chicken breast & add some pumkin for breakfast, I put the cooked chicken & pumkin in a blender & munch up as Patch gulps his food this way Ive digested the chicken a bit for him. I also cant give any treats that are liver jerky treats this gives him diarrhea & the rumbling tummy… Ive been slowly trying Holistic Select Senior Chicken meal this kibble has oatmeal rice & pumkin so far so good.. I add water just to soften the kibble a bit so if he gulps & swollows the kibble whole its softer, just make sure u look at the fat% & the least ingredients the better, pumkin & oatmeal are really good on the stomach & bowel also the Eukanuba is a Low residue kibble that breaks up easy so is the Holistic Select kibbles easier on their digestion…..Chocolate would be high in fat hard fats….Also the Holistic Select Senior is high in Gluosamine supports healthy hips & joints. http://www.holisticselect.com/senior-dry-dog-food-chicken-meal-and-rice

[Akari_32]

He gets very little in the way of actual dog treats. He usually gets a bit of people food for treats. I yell at mom for giving him jelly beans quite often… Other than those, he gets veggies and meat scraps. Right now, his treats are Wellness Toy Breed cranberry something-or-anothers. They were on clearance lol Oh, and he steals the cats food if he leaves it and it’s not up high. Alec gets mostly Wellness Grain Free.

The only commercial raw diets locally available are Bill Jac (not sure how good that is) and Natures Variety, which is not cost effective at all (I’ve already looked into that.). There may be other brands that I’ve over looked, though.

What if we were to feed like, half raw, half Natures Variety Instinct kibble? That has freeze dried raw coating, and all sorts of good stuff in it. Would supplements be needed then? (Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to avoid supplements, I just know they can be costly, so if I can find a way to balance his diet as cheaply as possible, I’d like to take that route).

[Bobby dog]

Hey Akari:
You probably want to track down Hounddogmom and also purchase the books that most raw feeders on this website recommend from Steve Brown and Dr. Karen Becker. There is truly a science to a raw diet that isn’t commercially made.

Just food for thought…I suggest considering Bentley’s entire diet, not just kibble. The canned food, treats, or any other products that you feed him need to be quality as well. Any ingredient, no matter the quantity, can affect his health if he has an intolerance to it.

[Glen M]

I’m familiar with the HUGE company that makes Betsy Farms. It’s called True Science (www.truescience.com) and they have a small office of maybe 30 employees in a suburb of Boise, Idaho not too far from where I live. There was a recent local news story on the company about how since the company began a few years ago, they’ve opened a couple facilities to manufacture the treats and have created a little over 200 new U.S. jobs. Not sure about you, but to me that’s not a large corporation and I applaud US companies that don’t ship jobs oversees.

I’m with you 100% that buyers should be super careful when it comes to jerky treats for dogs, but these guys are legit. Betsy Farms don’t just make the products in the USA, they source the ingredients from here. This is a very big deal because there are several other treats that claim to be made in the USA but use meat imported from other countries like China. And by law they don’t have to disclose it on the package.

If you’re really concerned to know which brands have been reported to the FDA for safety concerns, the FDA has a list of them. Betsy Farms has not been affected by any of these report, as so many other jerky treats have. Information is power… just make sure you have the right information.

http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/ProductSafetyInformation/ucm295445.htm

I’d scroll down and click on the 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 reports. You’ll see some familiar brands.

[Cesar M]

Thanks for giving advices and reference links. Me check this, for future treats to my dogs.

Thank you

[pugmomsandy]

My dogs really liked it. They already eat raw though but I would sprinkle it on their kibble. I sprinkled some on some of my foster food before too and they liked it too. No GI issues. It’s quick and convenient to use. I used the Raw Boost treats as well.

[ab1028]

The beef, bison, and grains tend to just make is very, very itchy. He doesn’t have any intolerances that we know of. He doesn’t itch himself to the point of being red, raw, of losing fur, but he just shouldn’t be this itchy. I am considering trying to find a dog safe mosquito spray for him. We used to give Jasper canned food with his meals, but sometimes he would get tired of it. The canned foods he had were Go! and Wellness (95% and CORE). Now he gets kibble with an Orijen freeze dried treat sprinkled on top (to entice him to eat it). For supper he often has Orijen freeze dried medallions, which he really enjoys. For snacks (and we know that these don’t make him itchy), he gets fruits and veggies, freeze dried treats, buddy biscuits (hard and soft ones), and ice chips/cubes.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by ab1028.

[Case]

I’m guilty of posting non-editor’s choice topics in the editor’s choice forum, but I just noticed this suggestion and it makes sense to me, so I will use the other forums in the future. Thanks USA Dog Treats!

[Case]

Another Recipe for Satin Balls:

Mix a pound of raw ground beef, an 8oz package of cream cheese, a jar of all-natural peanut butter, a dozen egg yolks, a 10oz package of wheat germ and a cup of flaked oats that have been soaked in heavy cream.

Form the mixture into balls and place in the freezer.

Feed the Satin Balls as treats or food supplements as desired.

[pugmomsandy]

It depends on the size of the pug. They come in so many sizes now. I don’t have “standard” sized pugs, lol! My “normal size” pugs at age 6 eat 2/3 cup a day and weigh 22-24 lbs. My 10 yr old large pug eats a rounded 2/3 cup a day with treats and weighs 28-29 lbs. I’ve fed my “standard” sized fosters 2/3 cups a day. My 15 yr old xlarge (and I mean tall and long – showing some Mastiff traits) pug eats 1 cup day. I had a large female who looked optimal at 27-28 lbs as she was wideset – big head, chest and hips and short legs like a bulldog. And sometimes they get a little wet food on top of the kibble. If they were only eating kibble and canned regulary, they would get 1/3 can and 1/4 cup kibble. The younger ones I might feed 1 cup a day. For my personal ones, they eat such a variety. Dry and wet, raw and wet, just raw, just RMB.

This is one of my standard ones: looks great, but technically overweight (that’s why I don’t go by weight, I use body condition)

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/plutoharness2_zps6d5c006c.jpg

This is a regular and large pug:

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/0bd6f2d9-225c-454e-9521-122834da060d_zps44b288af.jpg

Here’s what I mean when I say they aren’t just “standard” size anymore! These are both adults:

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/dooceyboss_zps22223e38.jpg

I’ve had obese ones here. And guess what – I fed them 2/3 cup of kibble to get them down. I’ve had a 43 lb pug before too. Down here in my area, it’s too hot now for outdoor fun. No walking or dog parks until October.

[InkedMarie]

holy moly, interesting stuff to read. I’m recuperating so I’ll bite: Tina, what is your dog on prescription food for? We may be able to help with a non prescription food. There are some very good dog foods out there that don’t cost and arm & leg but if your family really is poor, maybe you have too many animals.

Edit: I read via email and missed the post about your dog Ginger. There are dog foods out there that are high quality and cost much less than vet weight loss foods. Try Wellness Core reduced fat or Annamaet Lean. Feed less than the bag says. Exercise the dog more. No table scraps if she gets any, stop the treats. Try a baby carrot for a treat if she needs them but not often.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by InkedMarie.

[Kate B]

Hey guys! This is my first time posting. I have a 15 pound schnoodle that I adopted almost three years ago. I’m not entirely sure how old Wilson is as his surrender paperwork had a few different ages on it but I think (as does his vet) he is between 6 and 8 and in good health.

He’s always, always, always been a picky eater. He’s my first dog and I honestly didn’t know anything about feeding a dog beyond kibble and canned at first. I fed him Vet’s Choice Health Extension for a while and then Acana but they took inordinate amounts of coaxing or soaking in water or additional treats (i.e. cottage cheese or some eggs, etc.) to get him to eat. Meal time would become sometimes a 15-30 minute exercise in who was going to be more stubborn. He would also occasionally throw the kibble back up (anywhere from 30 minutes to hours after he ate). Clearly, this didn’t seem like the best possible diet for him anymore.

I had considered transitioning him to raw, using a commercial raw diet like Stella and Chewy’s or Primal. Well, we tried for about a month and he really struggled with it. A) he hated the Primal with a passion and B) had trouble keeping both of the diets down. I instead decided to try home-cooked and use Grandma Lucy’s as a pre-mix. We’ve been doing this for about three weeks and it has been super successful so far which is a huge relief to me. I want him to have the healthiest life possible! I’ve been rotating him through several kinds of protein (chicken, ground turkey, ground beef, eggs, salmon, tuna) and it all seems easy enough to combine with the pre-mix. I give him 4 oz of the pre-mix and 6 oz of protein (I’m using Primal’s recommendation to give protein between 2-3% of a dog’s weight) split across two daily meals. I haven’t been following Grandma Lucy’s pre-mix recommendation (they recommend 1-1.5 cups per day for dogs between 10-20 lbs) because that seems really, really high to me in contrast to the protein. Any thoughts there?

Here’s my question: do I need to add any additional supplements? Like I said, this isn’t raw meat and it’s making me nervous that I might be screwing something up with the calcium and/or phosphorus. I’m assuming I should also add some sort of fish/krill/flax oil as well and would love some advice! So far, I had looked at Wysong’s Call of the Wild as a possibility but wasn’t sure if that was overkill (Grandma Lucy’s pre-mix has 1% calcium). Any advice would be much appreciated!

[Charlene G]

jumpyourbonespettreats.com
All healthy and nutritionally contains high quality ingredients

[Naturella]

Good job, Harper’s Mom! 🙂

Ok, guys, so my donation includes:

TOTW High Prairie Puppy – 5 lbs – $13 from PetLand
TOTW Pacific Stream Puppy – 5 lbs – $13 from PetLand
NutriSource Grain Free Lamb – 5 lbs – $14 from PetLand
NutriSource Grain Free Seafood Select (Salmon really) – 5 lbs – $15 from PetLand
2 free Castor&Pollux Organix Adult Samples – free from a health food store
4 cups of Bruno’s food mix – Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch:Vets Choice Holistic Health Extension:Victor Yukon Salmon in a ratio of 3:1:0.5 in the overall mix – free-ish from my stash, lol
4 J&W Small Chew bones (the nylon ones) – @ $.97/piece from PetSmart
3 rope toys – @ $.94/piece from WalMart
3 chew/rope toys – @ $.94/piece from WalMart
3 tennis balls for fetching – two @ $.99/piece and one @ $.01/piece from PetSmart
2 clickers – @ $.99/piece from PetSmart, but I already had them, so free-ish, lol
1 frisbee – @ $.99/piece from PetSmart
1 stuffed turtle toy – free gift from Petland
1 Small Greenie – free gift from Petland
8 Meow Mix Souffles – @ $.49 or $.50 from Target and PetSmart respectively

All for: $38 (includes also 12 more Meow Mix Souffles for friends’ cats, not the shelter ones)!

Here’s how it adds up: for the PetLand foods I had a coupon for $10-off a $25+ purchase, and they have a one-time promotion of buy-any-TOTW-bag-get-one-NutriSource-Free! So hence the cost of the NutriSource is nulled and for about $17 (with tax and stuff) I got 20 lbs of good food! And added the extra stuff, that can be used as treats! 🙂

Now, I just pray TSA doesn’t raid my bag and snatch it all up, cause I’d be sad… And hope the animals in the shelter like it all! 🙂

For reference – 4 bags of food, plus 2 plastic bags of toys, samples, and cat food, cost me under $40, while 2 non-full plastic bags of gifts for the family and friends cost me over $70. So I think I did good! 🙂

P.S. I think PetLand hates me though… sigh… Meh. lol

[Jenna R]

Hi Amy!

I am looking to take him off of Beneful. I didn’t realize how bad it was until I joined yesterday.

I have already rid my house of milk bones and other ‘treats’ that aren’t good for him, and replaced them with carrots and other yummy veggies. He loves them! He does not have any dietary restrictions.

Last year I decided to gradually switch him over to Royal Canin (a recommendation by my vet – it’s the only dog food line that they offer), and he liked it, but I cannot afford that stuff, and I was not impressed when I read its 3.5 star rating on the website yesterday.

Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it!!

Jenna

[Susan]

Hi, when I first rescued my boy he would have the gurgling Bowel, I took Patch to the vets & vet said it was Colitis & to put him on a low fat diet, so vet put Patch on the Eukanuba Intestinal this kibble has stopped the gurgling bowel & rumbling, its a low residue kibble that breaks up easily & the fat% is 10%..I also could hear his bowel from another room & he too would not eat when this was happening of a morning he’d only eat grass also I would make him a piece of dry toast with either honey thinly spread or a fish paste very thinly spread as soon as he’d have his toast the gurgling would stop..Try a kibble with a low fat% 10% or under also watch what you feed at night… I dont give Patch no treats, nothing at night after his Eukanuba Intestinal kibble, this has also helped him….Have you tried the Wellness Simple range Limited ingredients they have the Duck & oatmeal & fat is min-11% u’d have to email Wellpet & ask what the max fat% is, they have the Simple Healthy weight at 8% fat its Salmon & Peas formula Im not sure about the peas thats why I havent tried as peas would give more wind pain..Ive been introducing Patch to the Holistic Select Senior also made by Wellpet cause the fat is min-10% I emailed Holistic Select & they said that the max fat is 11.98%.this kibble is a Hydrolized kibble & breaks up real easy.. I found when Patch ate real hard kibble he’d get the noisey tummy/bowel, so what I do know if I try a new kibble I boil the jug I put about 2 kibbles in a class of boiled water, I count to 40 sec then I get 2 small teaspoons & I place 1 of the kibbles that was in the boiling water on one spoon then I get the other spoon & push down, a good kibble should crush easily, a hard kibble wont crush & sometimes flings away..thats why I put 2 kibbles in the water just in case this happens but the Holistic Select Senoir or any of the Holistic Select kibbles are nice & soft after being in water after 40sec as the protein is hydrolized better on their digestion, Ive been trying to work out Patches health now for 1 year & we have it just right at the moment with the Eukanuba Intestinal & the Holistic Select senior Chicken meal & rice I only mix the Holistic Select & Intestinal for his lunch meal at the moment, But he was just on the Holistic Select for about 7months before I found the Holistic Select Senior, I did try a few other brand kibbles but they were too hard to digest.. Good-Luck also watch the fat if you give any treats or meats I do boiled chicken breast & boiled pumkin for breakfast as the rice irritates Patches bowel I have also tried the Eukanuba FP as Patch has itchy skin & the fat% was 15% too high gave him the rumbling tummy/bowel then diarrhea, the Eukanuba Intestinal is for their tummy/bowel & for skin problems it cleared all his itchy skin up but at the end of summer he gets seasonal allergies from pollens & grasses & there’s nothing you can really do for that except put him in a plastic bubble & keep him looked up all summer Lol

[Naturella]

Thanks, Akari! I don’t have enough space in my luggage nor the cash to bring whole meals to my friends – each only gets 3 souffles, lol, so they would definitely be just treats! As long as they don’t explode in my bag! lol

[Mike Sagman]

USA Dog Treats,

Have you noticed any improvement in the number of members posting in error to this forum? It looks a little better to me. However, I’m not sure.

[Marietta B]

I used to have a picky Shih Tzu. She would never eat and she always vomited bile from having an empty stomach. Then I discovered raw dehydrated food! She eats every day now and I’m guessing it’s been 3 years since I started feeding her the dehydrated raw. I alternate between Stella and Chewy’s, Primal and Ziwipeak. I also started feeding her Only Natural Pet Max Meat and the air dried variety of The Real Meat Company. Every time she finishes a bag I switch to another brand and protein and she never has digestive issues. I keep Tiki Dog and Weruva canned varieties on hand for days when I want her to have a special treat. Hang in there. You will eventually find some foods that your dog will love. Just try not to give in and offer treats because your dog will catch on quickly and will hold out for them.

[zcRiley]

Take the guess work out. Order from this link: http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/search/dogs/treats-and-chews/raw-frozen-bones

[Willow9311]

I have been giving my 2 beagles full moon treats, just not the freeze dried chicken. I have been giving them the chicken strips and have not had any problems and both of mine have sensitive stomachs. I guess it must be the rosemary extract. I will be on the look out for rosemary extract in anything I feed my fur babies.

[Akari_32]

I’m telling you, it’s those Blue Buffalo treats! He’s crazy for them. If I want him to come and he’s not coming when called, I just shake the bag and he comes running XD

[Naturella]

Bobby dog, that’s a great idea! I will keep a log, and, for that purpose I will give him one more of those pumpkin-inclusive treats… another thing he may have eaten is the roommate’s dog SD… Both dogs roam the apartment freely and Bruno usually eats his food when its served, but she doesn’t – she eats when sje gets hungry. So he may have gotten into her bowl and thrown that up, no idea…

But hopefully the log, and also catching him vomit will help… but of course, if he keeps vomiting, to the vet we will go! I will try him with a treat today; if he vomits, I will see if it’s the treat; if he doesn’t vomit it would have to be something else that I have not fed him. If it is the treat, I will stop giving them to him and if he doesn’t vomit tomorrow, I will consider him ok. If he does, off to the vet. Hope this works out!

[Akari_32]

Going to be picking up 96 cans of Sheba up up here in the next few days. Should cost me about $20, plus tax >=3 I (conveniently lol) have it narrowed down to 8 flavors (no fish, and feeds at 1 can per 4 pounds), which means 12 of each flavor. That’ll fit right into my 30-ish day set up of food, with some extra, and I also plan on another 15 cans of price matched Wellness, which should cost me about $5. And that odd number will take care of that pesky extra can of tuna Wellness Grain Free I have laying around, since he gets two cans a day of the Wellness. Yay!

Also, I’m teaching him to shake. Because I apparently have nothing better to do with my life LOL He’s doing really good, and this is our first real try tonight. He could eat his weight in those Blue Buffalo cat treats if I let him. We must have went through about 20 tonight! LOL When he gets better at it I’ll share a video :3

[Naturella]

Hello, DFAers!

So, for a couple days Bruno has been throwing up once a day, once on my roommate’s shirt and another at a friend’s house. The only “new” thing in his diet is frozen canned pumpkin that was thawed to use in frozen treat mixture, and then re-frozen as treats again. Could that have caused it?

I haven’t seen the color or consistency of the vomit to be able to tell if that’s what he’s vomiting mostly, but all other things and add-ins in his diet he’s had before and has had no issue with them (coconut oil, raw egg, plain yoghurt, RMBs, raw fish, THK is what he’s been having this week). Plus the treats that contain several fats (coconut oil and butter, peanut butter, tahini (sesame seed paste), turmeric, shredded coconut and almond flour, flax seed meal, honey, a pinch of cinnamon, yoghurt) and the pumpkin – the latter being the “new” thing although he’s had it before with no issue. But he’s had those treats since the day before yesterday and he’s thrown up yesterday and today, so unless he’s gotten into something (which is entirely possible), it might have to be the pumpkin I guess…

What do you think?

[Eric Q]

im having the same problem. I got my puppy last September from north shore animal league. I was feeding her what they were giving her (just some super market brand puppy chow) I immediately started swiching her to the better food (wellness just for puppy) she would maybe 2 times a week finish her food. I tried many brands from call of the wiled, wellness, nutro, and others. I tried mixing wet with dry , only dry , only wet and nothing seems to interest her. She is now 11 months old and im at my wits end. I took her to the vet several times they say she looks good she is not under weight. but I know she is hungry. I do not as a rule give her any people food. Im the only one in my house so I know someone is not giving her stuff behind my back. I do sometimes give her a milk bone or a small carrot as a treat but nothing more and she devours the milk bone or carrot and looks for more but when it comes to meal time she will eat a little and walk away. I now get dried liver training treats from the pet store and grind them down and sprinkle it over the food. sometimes it helps sometimes it doesn’t. Does anyone have any advice? Please help!!!

[Naturella]

Bobby dog,

I still give Bruno coconut oil as a regular part of his meals every other day, but he gets homemade frozen treats that have a lot of coconut oil every once in a while. He also comes to the kitchen and looks at me while I prepare his treats and begs, but he gets nothing but a taste-test at the end until the treats are frozen and ready, lol! 🙂

[Mike Sagman]

Hi USA Dog Treats,

You’ve made a valid suggestion. So, I’ve now added the following text to our Editor’s Choice Forum description:

“This forum is for Editor’s Choice members only. Participants are asked to limit all discussions to topics related to Editor’s Choice only.”

Not sure how effective this guideline will prove to be. However, at least now you and others can point to this description to help encourage members to post unrelated content to one of our other forums.

Hope this helps.

[Frances M]

Currently I have three dogs, a 10 yr.old GS, a 3 yr.old terrier, and a 1.5 yr.old 18 lb. terrier something. They all eat the same food, boiled chicken and rice along with Rachael Rays Zero grain kibble once a day. My GS more times than not has diarrhea and he’s the only one with this problem. He has had his blood work and stool analyzed and it shows nothing. He put him on antibiotics and it went away for three or four days, give him antibiotics again and the same thing happens. My vet wants to run every test he can before he treats him for the obvious. Maybe I’m feeding him wrong, yesterday I stopped giving him the kibble to see if that could be part of the problem. So here’s one of my questions, what hard food would I feed him and how much. He’s at a good weight for his size according to the vet, 100 lbs., he’s a big boy. Question two, how much do I feed my little dog who is 18 lbs.? I have never had a small dog before and I am really just guessing.

Thank you for any suggestions.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Mary C:
Check out the review side for Diabetic Dog Food, here’s the link:
/frequently-asked-questions/diabetic-dog-food/

There is a poster there, USA Dog Treats, that would probably be able to help you with the information you are looking for. Just look for one of his posts and reply to it with your question. Here’s a link to another website concerning K9 diabetes that may have info as well:
http://www.k9diabetes.com/index.html

Good luck!

[Mike Sagman]

I can understand your frustration with some of the topics that have been created by other members.

However, these forums were never intended to limit any discussion to “the Editor’s Choice foods” as you suggest. The only restriction here is that one must be a member to participate.

And although ideally it would be nice if members would stick to subjects related to which dog foods they consider to be the best, we also recognize the need for many pet owners to introduce additional topics that are important to them and their pets.

So, these discussions frequently include topics like cancer, allergies, kidney problems, cost savings and (yes) even dog treats. The only time we feel compelled to delete threads is when they have nothing to do with dogs.

And of course, as a member, it’s always your choice to select which ones you choose to read or reply to.

[Anonymous]

Yes, my dog loves the Peanut butter honey flavor of Sojos http://www.amazon.com/Sojos-Treats-Peanut-Butter-Honey/dp/B000ROR8U4 and Jerhigh strawberry flavor treats http://www.petsworld.in/jerhigh-strawberry-fruity-stix.html.