[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, 11 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.

[Judy D]

Stop the Happy Hips…please don’t use anything from China, only treats made in the USA. I lost a Pomeranian 2 years ago at an early age…..he ate Happy Hips and other crap made in China….I was stupid then. Several pet stores are going discontinue treats from China but not until next year. Treats from China are still on the shelves.

[USA]

Hi PaxRomana

The jerky I make (USA Dog Treats) is made in a USDA inspected commercial catering kitchen with a grade A rating. I use Mary’s Chickens, Free-Range, Air-chilled, Non GMO, boneless skinless chicken breasts for the chicken jerky and I use WIld-Caught Salmon, Whitefish (Pollock) and Mahi Mahi for my fish jerkies.

The protein is above 80% on all varieties. Each variety is made with only one ingredient and is 100% fish or chicken. No added anything!

The ingredients for the jerky you mentioned are:

Jacks Links Beef
BEEF, SOY SAUCE(WATER, SOYBEAN, SALT, CORN SYRUP, CARMEL COLOR), WATER, SALT, SUGAR, FLAVORINGS, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, SODIUM NITRITE, POTASSIUM SORBATE TO ENSURE FRESHNESS.

Oberto’s Beef
Beef, Sugar, Water, salt, spices, natural flavors, natural smoke flavor and vinegar.

I would not feed these to my dog.

You can also make your own 100% meat jerky using any thinly sliced piece of meat that is trimmed of all external fat. Just bake in a slightly ajar oven at the lowest temp until you can easily break a piece in half.

[newmom]

Thank you to all who responded, I’ve learned a lot and feel I know what to look for when buying treats. I’m not going to use the Carry Cuts even tho they were a gift to Charlie. After reading the ingredients, I see they are not anything I want him to have. The kibble idea sounds good…I’m also intrigued by the homemade treat suggestions I see on this list. I think I will give them a try. Charlie will eat anything I give him so it is up to me to be careful about what I feed him…really careful. Thanks again, everyone. I’m a lot wiser now.

[Shasta220]

No worries! I used to make the same mistake as well – looking at the chicken ones, thinking “oh it must have lots of chicken since it looks like chicken strips!” Boy was I wrong, LOL! Now my dogs get mostly home made treats, and for training I just buy a different brand/protein source than their regular kibble (like my dogs are on beef, chicken, and lamb. So I buy fish kibble for treats).

[Susan]

Hi, is there a ‘contact us’ link on their home page..send them a email asking about the treats & where do their ingredients come from…thats what I do when I need to know max fat% & other things..

[DogFoodie]

Any time something has the word “flavor” in the name, I steer clear of it. I want beef treats, versus beef flavor treats. If it’s not beef, then what is it? If that makes sense. : )~

[LexiDog]

Sorry for your loss.

Let us know if you find anything out. My friend feeds his dog the Happy Hips chicken treats.

[GizmoMom]

I found more info here. There are some email address and phone number you can contact. Also a place where you can send the treat for testing.

https://m.facebook.com/notes/animal-parents-against-pet-treats-and-food-made-in-china/call-to-action-dogswell-catswell/416062715150019

[GizmoMom]

I am very sorry for your loss.

Did you have the treat tested?

The only Dogswell recall I saw was a year ago.
/dog-food-recall/dogswell-withdraws-dog-cat-jerky-treats/

[Shasta220]

Also, be sure to minimize treats and other scraps. I know a dog who is very very overweight (he is probably about 120-130lb, and a healthy weight on him would be closer to 80-100lb). He has a fairly good diet, and he is given only a tiny bit more kibble than my 70lb girl. How is he so huge? Table scraps and treats, of course! He gets them alllllll the time…

[Melodie M]

I purchase Dogswell veggie life happy hips sweet potato jerk treats. I gave them to my black lab mix and she vomited that night wasn’t eating and 2 days later she was in the ER with hemolytic anemia and liver failure which the Vet said was caused by a toxin in something she ate. After 4 blood transfusion multiple medications she died 10 days later. I spent over $4000 in vet bills and lost my 6 yr old dog over what I believe was toxins in dogswell treats which were part of the recall. I’m currently trying to find who to contact in the class action lawsuit. If anyone has any information please reply to my email. Nothing can bring back Kuma and my broken heart but this has to stop!
Melodie Mauldin

[Nicole V]

Hi Marie,
I’ve tried Darwin’s Choice frozen raw, and Nature’s Variety frozen raw without success. Then I tried Stella and Chewy’s FD because I got some samples at a pet store, and she was fine. Since then, she’s been getting S&C regularly as a snack and Dr. Harvey’s green tripe treats. That’s as raw as we are right now. 🙂

[Christina K]

You guys have been so helpful. I’ll get some plain yogurt, pumpkin, and sardines to give him for the weekend. The Holistic should be here tomorrow, but it might make sense just to have a few days of transitioning before heading straight for the new food.

Something that I gave him yesterday really bothered him, so I’m not going to give him any of the treats he had yesterday. I’ll continue with just chicken for today. If he has the same problem tomorrow, I’ll know it’s the chicken. He was shaking his head all night trying to get his cone off.

[Christina K]

I ordered the Holistic Select in the anchovy, salmon flavor. Until then, I’ll be feeding him chicken so that I don’t have to give him any more of the Dog Chow. Hopefully the transition goes well, I really don’t want to get anything too close to Dog Chow since it is so terrible. I also think I saw that the Holistic Select comes in a canned food, so I might do a mixture of dry and canned. I’m sure that he would enjoy it.

I also managed to fined the THK Beams on Amazon, so I got those too. Until then, I have some fruit based treats that the Pet Smart employees recommended. He seems to like them, and they certainly haven’t made anything worse.

I’m going grocery shopping tonight, so I’ll look for the Coconut Oil. I’m assuming that I’ll be able to find it in the organic section.

[Susan]

With the Elimination diet you must only give the 1 food for at least 2 weeks, my vet said 1 month, but I saw Patches reaction within 2-3 days after giving sweet potatoes, you cannot give any ather foods, nothing else, no treats, no oils nothing, then if ur dog isnt scratching or has diarrhea then you add another food like rice or I added pumkin, its very hard & takes time, Ive stopped at the Chicken, pumkin, boiled egg, bannana, But if u can afford the Holistic Select this is an excellent kibble the Anchovy, Sardine & Salmon, meal for scratching & itchy skin, its the best seller at our Pet Barn with the itchy dogs, I cant use that flavour as my boy has Pancreatitis so Ive got Patch on the Senior, Holistic Select cause the fat is low 10%..then when his itch clears up, Holistic Select has Duck Meal, Lamb & Rice meal & Chicken & rice they also have a grainfree turkey & lentils. you can rotate feeds so when 1 bag has finished buy him a new flavour & see how he goes the Duck kibble is just duck as the protein so is the lamb meal so if ur dog does have any food allergies but its rare for dogs to have food allergis only 5% of dogs, but stay away from the high carbs potatoe, sweet potato, rice is OK its a low Gi carb its a good carb.. it gets complacated, so Ive been just sticking with the Holistic Select & Patches Vet Pescription kibble as he has a few health problems & he’s been doing good with his skin, stomach & bowels, I dont want to push it…Good-Luck hope Chance is looking beautiful & shinning in a month, you watch his fur after being on a good premium food..he’ll shine…

[Nicole V]

Hello everyone,
I’m new to the forum and new to feeding raw. I have a 20lb terrier mutt that I adopted last year. She has a pretty sensitive stomach, and for a while I was convinced that she had a chicken intolerance. I’ve come to discover that this is not the case, which is a relief. I tried to transition her to a raw diet, but had a pretty terrible experience. When I try to feed her frozen raw, she gets very sick, and at one point had to be hospitalized. 🙁 The good news is that she seems to have no problems with freeze-dried raw (right now, I’m just feeding Stella & Chewy as a treat). I really have no explanations for this, but am grateful that I have the option. At this time, I’d like some advice on transitioning her to a 50% FD raw and 50% kibble diet. Right now, she’s eating Fromm’s kibble…I rotate their 4-star line, which she LOVES. I add wild salmon oil to her kibble every night. She also gets freeze-dried green tripe treats, sardines, and fresh fruit on a regular basis. I’m looking at Vital Essentials right now (I like the limited ingredients) and would like to feed this to her in the morning, and feed the kibble with fresh toppers at night. Has anyone tried this? Does anyone see any potential issues with feeding a sensitive dog this particular combo and on this schedule? I really appreciate any feedback.

[Naturella]

Christina, I would say probably give it a few days (2-3-ish) before you add a new ingredient just so you know if he would react for sure. As for tomatoes, I guess you could put them in a blender or food processor for a few seconds until they are pretty much mush, then try them. Make sure the whole elimination diet does not last too too long, as it is not a balanced way to feed a dog, so hopefully within 10-14 days you will know if he reacts to a particular ingredient. If he doesn’t react to any of the ones listed above, I would go with a grain-free diet, or a rice-and-maybe-oatmeal-or-millet-or-barley-as-the-only-grains diet. But grain-free is generally safer for an allergy-prone dog.

One of my classmates and friends told me that her dog was extremely itchy eating Pedigree and Beneful, so I told her what I know, and she got him on a grain-free diet – said the itch has been considerably reduced to just an occasional “normal” scratch here and there. She didn’t do an elimination diet, just straight up eliminated the grains, and she was lucky her dog did not react to anything else. So that is also another way you can approach it – just try a good quality fish-based kibble and add the THK Beams as treats and coconut oil, and see how that goes. I would probably still do an elimination though, just to be sure for myself. But, it may work out that he just needs good-quality grain-free kibble.

In case you want to just try the kibble round, some good grain-free kibbles (I will just list them for your ease, in no particular order) are:
Wellness Core – I want to feed in the future
Holistic Select
Orijen – I want to feed in the future
Acana Grain Free – I want to feed in the future
Victor Grain Free – I feed now
Earthborn Holistic Grain Free – I feed now
Dr. Tim’s Kinesis Grain Free – I have fed, no issues
Holistic Health Extension Grain Free – I have fed with no issues and I feed one of their grain-inclusive formulas now
Now! Fresh – I have fed a small bag (less than 1lb) with no issues
Nutrisca – I have fed, no issues
Nature’s Variety Instinct – I will feed (have a bag lined up under the sink, lol), and I have fed samples with no issues
Back to Basics Grain Free – I will feed the grain-inclusive one (have a bag lined up under the sink also)
NutriSource Grain Free – I have fed samples with no issue but it is severely overpriced in my area so I’m not sure I would buy a bag to feed it
Taste of the Wild – some don’t like it as it is produced by Diamond and that company had a huge recall issue in 2012 that they handled poorly, but 3 friends feed/have fed it with no issues
Blue Buffalo Wilderness – I have fed with no issues but some owners report tummy and stool issues with their dogs when on Blue food. However, 2 other friends have fed/still feed Blue with no issues.

I am sure others can pitch in with more recommendations, plus, if you can afford it/want to, it really is better to feed canned/dehydrated/homemade/raw. Or you can mix them up – I feed kibble and canned/THK food/fridge add-ins (like eggs, yoghurt, raw bones, etc.). But yeah, just start off with determining what works for Chance, you can always add new things once he is at least on better food. 🙂

[ab1028]

Now fresh is a really good food! My dog ate it and enjoyed it. For treats from trusted companies, I would recommend cloud star, sojos, and pet kind makes some good treats too. Natures variety instinct also makes some good raw treats.

[InkedMarie]

I’m not sure what you’re asking for help with….is it because Bravo just had a raw food recall? There are many treats out there that are great: The Honest Kitchen makes various types/sizes of treats from their Itty Bitties up to fish skins. Charlee Bear, Buddy Biscuits and SoJos are other treats I like.

[William S]

Hi
I Want nothing but the best for my 1&1/2 year old havanese Coco I’m very happy with her main food Now Fresh for small breed but I heard about some recalls one I’m stopping HARTZ DENTAL DUO small petite but I like to know about two treats which she loves are mini canine carry outs and her main training treat BRAVO Freeze Dried Buffalo Meat Treat which is made USA AND NOT ON ANY RECALL LIST I’ve been using it from day one
CAN ANYBODY HELP

[Christina K]

I might have to try that elimination diet. He’s just on Dog Chow right now, because he was living with my parents and their 3 other dogs. I really want to get him on a healthier diet. I started pouring a multivitamin on top of this food the other day. I thought he was going to take off my hands to get more of it.

I also got Chance some fruit based treats, but I’ll definitely be picking up those Honest Kitchen’s Beams. I saw the worst case of fleas on him too. He was far more affected by the fleas than the other 3 dogs. Hopefully the fish and coconut oils will help rid him of his remaining wounds.

Thank you so much for the advice. At least now I can narrow down to fish-based foods. I think that will help him a lot. My goal now is to get him out of that cone.

[Naturella]

The best thing for you to do is to see what you feed him now (maybe let us know), and then do an elimination diet – I think it’s something like cooking a basic homemade chicken and rice diet and slowly adding other ingredients from the food he is currently on to see if he reacts to one or more of them. But some of the pros on here could maybe able to better explain how to do an elimination diet.

Some more common allergens are various grains, corn, sometimes chicken or another protein, sometimes peas or tomatoes (or tomato pomace), sometimes yeast. So doing an elimination will help you know what to avoid in a food and it will make it easier for us to know what to recommend.

As for skin/coat issues, fish oil and coconut oil do some miracles. Also fish-based foods and treats. For my dog who had the worst case the vet has seen of fleas and wounds and hair falling out when he was found and taken to a vet, The Honest Kitchen’s Beams (dried fish skins to be given as chews/treats) did some miracles and then a teaspoon of coconut oil every other day continually enhances this miracle and his skin is nice and healthy and his coat is as soft and shiny as ever, I love it. No trace of wounds or missing hair – he is double-coated and his coat is very thick, soft, shiny on top and healthy. 🙂 He is also on mostly a fish-based food now so that probably helps too.

But as for pet dander – sometimes the above measures may help, sometimes not – the dog may just be genetically predisposed to extra dander. But it’s worth a shot to see if you can help it some too.

[Naturella]

USA Dog Treats,

I do want to try to make jerky-style treats sometime in the near future. For now though, I have come up with a new “ice-cream” recipe, here it is:

Ingredients:
1 tbs coconut oil
1 tbs coconut butter
1/2 tbs peanut butter
1/2 tbs tahini (sesame seed “butter” or paste)
1 tsp raw local honey (or any honey)
2 1/2 tbs Greek or plain yoghurt/kefir
1 tbs crushed fruit (peach, berries, mango, banana, etc.)
1 tsp flax seed meal
1 tsp almond meal
1 tsp coconut meal/unsweetened flakes
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Prep:
Melt the first 5 ingredients in microwave or on stove until super soft and easy to stir and homogenize. Stir in remaining ingredients. Spoon into sandwich bag and cut the tip off. Pipe into favorite toy (makes a hoof and a medium kong full of goodness plus some more) or pipe into little treat-sized piles on aluminum foil and freeze up.

These are quite caloric due to all the oils so serve sparingly. But they should be very good for coat (the coconut oil), digestion (yoghurt and flax seed meal), and overall immune support (turmeric – natural antibiotic; cinnamon – has some health benefits of sorts I hear) and health (no grain, healthy fats and carbs, some protein too). And great on a hot summer evening after a day of running/playing/swimming at a lake, beach, or the dog park! 🙂

• This reply was modified 11 years, 12 months ago by Naturella.

[Susan]

Hi, Walks 2x30min walks a day, I walk my boy 1/2 hour after eating breakfast & dinner & lunch the bugger sits near the door whinging for his walks, I live in a flat/villa no yard only the communal yard..Walking at a good pace will heap with the weight also I read u feed beans, peas, califlower etc try some pumpkin or sweet potato or potato instead of the peas & beans they wouldnt fill her up much…buy those rice cake biscuits & use as treats when hungry, I just break 1 in half & give Patch little pieces you could add some banana crushed on 1 if she doesnt like them with nothing on them…

[Susan]

I didnt notice that you said can wet, the kibbles I said do do wet tin foods, the Holistic Select senior has the least fat% always look at the fat% & slowly reduce the amount ur giving…..I wish my boy had to lose weight, he has the opposite problem cant hold his weight from having Pancreatitis..I cook pumkin & boiled chicken breast u might want to do raw chicken breast take skin off any of the chicken meats if you use, this keeps the weight off as thats what Patch has for breakfast & has lost more weight also I give rice cake biscuits as treats there’s no fat in these oh & some dehydrated apple & banana as treats…

[Naturella]

I second Sandy’s advice – Bruno’s add-ins (various canned such as Merrick, Wellness, Nutro Ultra, etc.; THK Love, Embark, Force, Keen; yoghurt/kefir, cottage cheese, coconut oil, raw eggs, pumpkin, flaxseed meal on occasion, canned sardines on occasion, RMBs (pork necks and chicken backs at the moment), and raw spelts (small fish), and natural dehydrated chews – bully sticks, ears, snouts, chicken feet and necks, tracheas, etc.) constitute about 1/4 (25%) of his daily intake. However, THK and canned are also considered balanced foods (right?), so I think I am at below 20% with unbalanced additives. I just use his body condition as a guide, and will start keeping track of his weight (IDK if I will measure him though) – he is very active and runs a lot, and appears to be in tip top shape.

Also, I will give you Bruno’s weekly sample menu. He is an about 13lb, 1 year old, active Rat Terrier mix.
Kibble mix is: Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch:Vets Choice Holistic Health Extension Original:Victor Yukon Salmon in 3:1:1/3 ratio.

Treats: above kibble mix or NutriSource Seafood Select or Castor and Pollux Organix Adult (the last 2 are from samples). Also available are Nutro and Old Mother Hubbard biscuits for special occasions. Also for special occasions (or to keep him busy when I’m busy too) I make him ice-cream with yoghurt, peanut butter, coconut oil and coconut butter, and a sprinkle of cinnamon and turmeric, and I fill anything I can – his Kong, marrow bone, hoof, other toys with holes – and freeze. Rarely I give raw veggies/fruits like carrots, cucumbers, watermelon, apple, pineapple core, mango, raw coconut, etc. (safe stuff).

Monday:
Breakfast: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon coconut oil and water to make it soupy
Lunch: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon THK chicken and water to make it soupy
Dinner: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons canned and water to make it soupy

Tuesday:
Breakfast: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons yoghurt/kefir and water to make it soupy
Lunch: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons canned and water to make it soupy
Dinner: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon THK turkey and water to make it soupy

Wednesday:
Breakfast: 1/4 cup kibble with raw egg (no shell) with a sprinkle of flaxseed meal
Lunch: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon THK beef and water to make it soupy
Dinner: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons canned and water to make it soupy

Thursday:
Breakfast: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon coconut oil and water to make it soupy
Lunch: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons canned and water to make it soupy
Dinner: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon THK turkey and water to make it soupy

Friday:
Breakfast: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons cottage cheese and water to make it soupy
Lunch: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons raw organ meat (whatever I have) or raw meat/fish (whatever I have) or 2 teaspoons of canned and water to make it soupy
Dinner: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon THK chicken and water to make it soupy

Saturday:
Breakfast: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon coconut oil and water to make it soupy
Lunch: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon THK turkey and water to make it soupy
Dinner: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons canned and water to make it soupy

Sunday:
Breakfast: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons pumpkin with a sprinkle of cinnamon and water to make it soupy
Lunch: 1/4 cup kibble with 2 teaspoons canned and water to make it soupy
Dinner: 1/4 cup kibble with teaspoon THK beef and water to make it soupy
RMB to cap it out

On days when Bruno runs a lot (i.e. Dog Park days) I may switch his next meal’s add-in with raw egg or raw meat/organ meats/fish (or canned sardine) for added natural protein “post WOD”. Or give him a dehydrated natural chew like a bully stick, a cow/lamb/pig ear, or tripe stick, or you know – “richer” stuff to make up for the calories burned and supply some lean meat for his muscles. I really just kind of gage his body condition and appetite for stuff as far as additives go. And sometimes, if I’m out of canned, I put his plain dry kibble in a dispensing toy and let him play with it and eat it as is. I also do some training daily and reward with about 20 kibble bits, and, if I want to stress on something – an Old Mother Hubbard or Nutro biscuit. Oh, and I almost always add water (as you can see) for added hydration. But yeah… So far so good with this method of mine. Hope I’m doing it right too, lol.

But I’m sure you will figure out how to balance it for Jake. 🙂