Please provide input/suggestions, and if possible, those with German Shepherds. Thank you very much!
A quick intro-wife and I used to raise Rotties. I always had German Shepherds growing up. We are now 80% empty nesters and recently bought a GS puppy-male. On Monday he was 10 wks old. I am currently mixing Taste of the Wild High Prairie and Fromm Four Star Nutritionals Grain-Free (Dry) Beef Frittata. I wet it w/ warm water. He loves it, clean bowl at every meal. For reward treats we’ve been using Orijen & Zukes and baby carrots, both cooked and raw. I know raw don’t get 100% digested, but he loves crunchy on those. He loves Orijen, but they are expensive.
Again, wanting opinions and suggestions from those that have been raising Shepherds as we are new to the game-been some time since we’ve had a puppy!
Thanks
Poor girl, sounds like Colitis, my poor boy was having colitis last year, I have him on a low fat diet now, I prefer Holistic select to wellness, they are made by the same company Wellpet but the Holistic select protein is Hydrolized making it easier to digest, I found the wellness kibbles too hard & my boy couldnt digest them…I have my boy on the Senior health chicken meal & rice, its only 10% fat, I mix this with my boys vet prescription diet & use the Holistic select as treats as well..my boy is only 5 years old but I dont think it matters that its a senior diet, Ive check out everything & the only difference is the glucosamine is higher so is the protein but the fat is the lowest something that is needed for Colitis & Pancreatitis.. Hope she gets well soon..
You can just give him a couple bites of his regular food or his regular treats. Just reduce his normal meals just a tad. I would give him something that he is use to so he doesn’t get an upset stomach. Or feed him dinner late. I feed mine dinner around anywhere from 9-11 pm.
Hi, I’d called it a “sensitive tummy” make sure the fat % is low, I found when my boy had his gurling bowel (Colitis) the vet said lower his fat & said he had Colitis..Patch was getting me up around 4-5am about every 10 days wanting to go outside & eat grass, when I first got him over 1 year ago, I’d hear his bowels rumbling from the next room, since Ive cut out the chicken necks & kept him on his Vet prescription diet ‘Eukanuba Intestianal’ that has only 10% crude fat, we haven’t had any rumbling & gurling since December, Thank-God..Ive also found when his tummy bowel was rumbling, Id make him toast eat 2 pieces of dry toast with fish paste lightly spread no butter, you could use cottage cheese something that doesnt have fat in it, the toast seemed to stop his rumbling & we could go back to bed…but watch the Crude Fat % in his kibble, no treats or things that have too much fat, also I keep his food the same & if I give him anything new I do it of a morning not of a night. I give him his Eukanuba Intestinal for his dinner so I wont get woken up with his little gurgle motor running….lol oh with the scratching stay away from kibbles & foods that are high carbohydrate, no potatoes, sweet potatos etc…maybe ur better of doing an elimination diet, like Im doing at the moment..also my boy is on a good probiotic for his stomach I feel this has also helped him…
Plato’s Farmer’s Market treats are fairly large with good ingredients. My dog likes the Chicken & Vegetables one.
Another vote for Cloud Star grainfree Buddy Biscuits. I don’t use many treats so I’m not familiar with what’s bigger but I know these are.
FreeholdHound, glad they’re tripe treats….. Would one have to trip over trip treats? XD sorry, couldn’t resist that one! LOL!
There are countless brands that you can find at boutique stores, and the ones above suggested are good. Just avoid any problem grains, sugar, and other unneeded additives (if an ingredient raises a slight red flag, just say no).
Honestly though, I’d think it would be best to just do a web search for “wheat free dog treat recipes” (or grain free). You can cut then out to those big-bone sizes. Home made jerky is also great….just pop some meat slices in a dehydrator or oven until jerky-like.
I had a miniature poodle who loved Xxxxx treats. She got blood in her stools, vet found very high liver enzymes (couldn’t figure out why). Suspicious me, I then took her off of Xxxxx treats. While she was disappointed, her appetite did improve. About about a year later wasn’t looking too lively, took to vet for standard testing. She died when her liver fell apart & she bled out at the vet’s office.
Don’t care to get sued so I leave it to you all to figure out who is Xxxxx.
No idea which ingredients destroyed her liver or where Xxxxx is made.
I do know that most of us European-type humans have eaten grain for the last 5000 or so years. Don’t believe Dogs participated in the agricultural revolution. I only get dog food or treats with no grain, made in USA and ingredients I can pronounce. No guarantees, but if you buy grain Dog may not digest it well. Even many humans can’t handle the gluten in grain varieties developed over the last four or so centuries. Wolves/Dogs eat meat, and some vegetables.
If you buy Chinese food for your own use, you get what you deserve. Your pet does not deserve anything from China.
I’ve always used a myriad of different treats for training. I’ve found that my dogs like a variety and are always excited to see what I pull out of my treat pouch next.
That said, some of the treats I use and have used for training in the past include but aren’t limited to the following:
-Bil-Jac Little-Jacs
-Bil-Jac Original Recipe Dog Treats
-NATURE’S RECIPE Dog Training Treats
-Hill’s® Science Diet Ideal Balance Soft & Chewy Training Treats
-Crazy Dog Train-Me! Mini Training Reward
-Pet Botanics Mini Training Reward
-Butcher’s Selects Premium Treats
-My Little Wolf Dog Treats
-Omega Paw’s Thins
-Lassie Natural Way Flavor Bites
I try to buy treats with good ingredients that are made in the United States. However, I also try to buy treats I’ll know my dog will eat. If I use something for training purposes and my dog won’t eat it, we have a problem.
Whatever you’re using for training purposes be sure your dog likes it. It’s more important your dog likes it than who makes it, where it’s made and what ingredients are in it.
If I have mostly good treats for training and one or two sub-par treats like Pup-Peroni who cares. My dog is mostly getting good treats and it’s not like they’re really getting them outside of training, which is usually an hour once a week for about 5 to 8 weeks.
**make that Tripe treats, not Trip**
Cloud Star user here too. Peanut Butter is the flavor of choice. Harry waits for one after dinner everyday. Trip treats work for any other time but after dinner he won’t budge until he gets his cookie 🙂
Hi scottny,
Why does it have to be a cookie type treat? I make jerky treats for my dogs using free-range chickens and wild caught fish. They are 100% meat or fish which is much more appropriate for a dog than a cookie type treat. They will give the stomach acid something to work on to help with the regurgitation issues. Dogs absolutely love all meat jerky treats. Chicken is the most universally liked dog treat I have ever seen!
A simple recipe is use any fish fillet or chicken breast or piece of meat that has no external fat. Slice thinly, turn oven on lowest setting. Place on cookie sheet and if possible leave the oven door slightly ajar to let the moisture out and bake until treat is able to be broken in half by bending.
I use Wagatha’s organic dog biscuits. They are wheat free, just not grain-free. I have used Instinct biscuits before and they weren’t small. They’re grain free freeze dried Raw Boost treats might work too.
My 70 lb, 16 month old pit mix has always had regurgitation issues, particularly in the morning. He was checked out by my vet and it seems like an irregular esophagus, nothing too serious.
One of the things I have found that helps is getting him to munch on something to absorb some of the overnight stomach acid build up prior to giving him water in the morning. Unfortunately, he loves the large Milk Bones, but of course, I don’t.
I have tried the Old Mother Hubbard Classic Bac’N’Cheez Biscuits Baked Dog Treats, which are a great size, but they are not that healthy and aren’t grain-free. Of course, my dog doesn’t like them as much as Milk Bone, either. I am trying to find something large, at least relatively healthy [he only gets one a day] and definitely grain-free that I can use. It seems almost everything that is healthy and grain-free is small.
I always get good advice here and much of my dog’s dietary/nutritional routine comes from DFA. Any ideas?
P.S. If anyone is wondering why I don’t just give him a few different healthy, grain-free cookies, the answer is my dog has always been a picky eater and I consider it a success if I can get him to eat one thing in the morning. Multiple cookies are a chore.
P.P.S. If anyone is searching the word “regurgitation” and finds this post, I would be glad to share the things I have done to minimize the problem. One idea I got from this forum was to add Iceland Pure Sardine Anchovy oil to his diet. I went from at least 1-3 regurgitations a day to 1-3 per week, maybe fewer. Coincidence or not, I don’t know, but amazon.com ships me my supply monthly and we aren’t stopping it – ever!
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This topic was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by
scottNY.
My dog recently had another bout of vomiting/diarrhea (both at the same time this time) so I decided to take the plunge and have her tested for allergies. Her results came back and her food choices are super limited, as she tested borderline to potatoes, beets, and peas (among the more common beef, wheat, etc). Thankfully, the only protein she was definitely allergic to was pork.
My question is, should I follow the food recommendations given to me or can I fudge a little with the peas/potatoes/beets? The options given to me were AvoDerm, Pinnacle, and California Naturals, along with prescription diets. I would probably go with the Pinnacle if I had to, but I really don’t want to go with any of them. The other choice I have is Honest Kitchen Thrive, but I was really hoping to get a kibble for cost/convenience.
Any suggestions? Any other foods that don’t include peas/potatoes/beets that other people are feeding? I could also live with a mix of the HK and Pinnacle, using the kibble as treats or something I suppose.
My dog has grandma seizures I am able to keep them down to (1) every nine months with no cluster seizures, have the vet run a (5) panel thryoid and check sugar levels, did you have any pesticides put on your lawn, or flowers, could your dog have eaten any dangerous plants in your yard. Unfortunately once a dog has a seizure they are prone to seizures, you need to find the underlying causes. My dogs thyroid is being attacked by his system we suspect yeast is the offensive underlying problem, the thryoid when it isn’t able to work properly drops his sugar levels, which causes the seizures I have a blood glucose testing kit for him, he is not diabetic. I am positive this was the cause from giving the chicken jerky treats as I had another dog who ended up with cushing confirmed by blood tests but he never lost his hair, he was also yeasty he passed before he was 7 years old.
I use Azmira Herbal products line and this is why I am able to keep the seizures down to (1) every nine months. Over exercise causes him to have seizures and the heat which causes yeast over growth. still trying to get a handle on the yeast, he is (5) years old and a tibetan Mastiff (pure blood). If you get the thryoid test have it checked by Dr. Jean Dodd she has incredible expertise in the thyroid epidemic, please be careful with seizure medications as this can cause more seizures and is very hard on the liver, my dog was never put on seizure medicine, also as soon as he has a seizure I start putting organic honey which is very thick not runny like most brands and this brings him outta of the seizure quicker and helps to not have the cluster seizures. Good Luck.
Cindy_g, I would say you can finish off your bag of Blue (if you haven’t yet), but slowly be weaning your dog off to Merrick, then try something else too!
Lynn J, you can look into Victor Grain Free, and maybe Nature’s Variety Instinct, they do have chicken meal in some, but not all recipes, and are pretty good, 5 stars as well.
Becky G, why don’t you try topping with canned when you transition between foods? Most dogs like canned and would eat just about anything mixed in with it. Then you can (if you want) slowly reduce the amount of canned, until he eats the kibble alone. Canned is even better to keep in the diet though, so up to you. Also, you could add pumpkin, yoghurt, cottage cheese, kefir, or something else instead of canned if you’re up for that – my dog loves all those toppings too, and even though he licks them off first and licks and spits out the kibble at first, once the “topper” is gone, he eats whatever is in his bowl and licks it clean. Another technique that may work is, get (if you can) a sample size of a different food. Victor, Earthborn Holistic, Nutrisca, Taste of the Wild, Canidae Pure, Nature’s Variety Instinct are some that I have seen samples of. Then use those kibbles as treats and do training often – see if you can trick him to like any of them. It may take a while, but it works – I have gotten my dog used to new food this way before too. Good luck!
I wouldn’t be too concerned about the protein/fat, since obesity isn’t a concern for Bru. I have no clue about the added taurine and stuff…. Probably be better to stick with dog food and maybe using the cat Kibbles as training treats on occasion? I’m just about to give my dog a can of catfood. Maddy ate some for a few days, but when it sits in the fridge (air tight container, yes), she gets picky and won’t eat. Dogs don’t mind at all though, hah. I figured it’ll make a great treat for ’em.
OMG, USA Dog Treats, thanks so much for the informative post! Our clippers are guillotine – so yeah, I think that’s why Bruno didn’t quite like them.
But I really want to get a Dremel and try that soon, so I will keep you posted! Payday on Wednesday! Woohoo! 🙂
Very nice info, USA dog treats! I also find that for wiggly dogs, it is usually fine to just clip the middle two nails on all four feet and then the dewclaws (if needed, my boy has a rear dewclaw on one side that is huge and in a half-circle, we are slowly “moving” the quick back. The other one? It got torn off when he was a pup, and now it only needs to be clipped once every 7-9mo).
Most of the time, the two outside nails don’t need more than a tiny sliver removed, if that. So if you can at least get 8-10 nails out of your dog in a day, then that’s great.
I find going for regular walks/jogs is plenty to keep the rear nails filed (whew! Loki hates having those ones messed with)
USA Dog Treats, Thank you for taking time to write a very long informative post. It is very helpful.
Currently I make dog treats and I am a canine massage therapist and I make essential oil based flea products for dogs and cats. I used to be a groomer. My expectations for using a dremel where high. It does not cause as many nail bleeds as a nail clipper but if you press hard and keep going the nail can still bleed. However, it vibrates the nail and this can be a problem. So here is my mini guide to nail clipping.
Heavy Grit Nail File – Puppies and any super sensitive dog can benefit from a nail file. First you begin to associate good things with your dog letting you handle their feet. Treats, toys, love, whatever is a high value reward for YOUR dog. Stay below their freak-out threshold. This means that if your dog freaks out the minute you get close to their foot you stay just outside that threshold and reward. You slowly move closer and closer to the foot each time stopping just before they reach their freak-out threshold and you reward. If you go too far just stop for the day and continue tomorrow.
Once you can handle the foot without a reaction you touch the file to the nail and if everything is still good you give a stroke and so on. This requires patience and determination but you will soon be filing your dog’s nails. If you file your dogs nails regularly you will not have to do anything else.
Nail Clipper – Only use pliers type clippers or scissor type clippers. Guillotine style clippers have a cutter on only one side and are much more likely to crush or pinch a nail. Any nail clipper you use MUST be super sharp. As soon as they begin to dull throw them away and get a new one! If your dog’s nails are very long and there is a nice chunk of nail that you can cut without hitting the quick then DO NOT use a grinder. Grinding large amounts of a nail are usually more upsetting to a dog than one quick clip. When clipping a nail don’t softly squeeze the clipper. One firm squeeze and your through. A firm squeeze IS the way to go. If your dog has dark colored nails and you can’t see the quick, cut small slivers and look at the nail from the bottom where you just cut. As you get close to the quick you will begin to see what looks like a black dot in the center of the bottom of the nail. This is the vein canal and you are getting close to the quick and you have gone far enough. In light colored nails the vein canal will show as a pink dot. If the nails are still touching the floor at this point you should cut a sliver a week until you get the nails just above the floor. Each time you cut a nail close to the quick the quick recedes a little and in a week you can cut another sliver. If you wait two weeks or more then the quick is right back where it was and you will not be able to get the nail any shorter than the last time.
Dremel – Good for finishing any nail to remove the sharp edges or to slightly shorten a nail. If there is long hair you can slide your free hand under the hair and pull it back. Long hair can get wrapped around a dremel and upset you and your dog!!!
Walking on concrete helps any dogs nails and with enough walking some dogs never need their nails cut. Dewclaws never touch the ground so they must ALWAYS be checked!
Dang, that might be the longest post I ever wrote!
If this food is helping, then certainly stick with it. If not, then possibly try an elimination diet….not always are allergy tests accurate. Try to do a super simple home made diet, or stay with the food (making sure she has no more allergic reactions), then add chicken for a week or two. Then try rice, or potatoes, or any other suspect allergen food. It’s time consuming, but well worth it.
Most of the time, for allergy prone dogs, home made and raw diets do the best anyway. It’d also be better since you could know exactly what goes in her bowl, no more looking at the ingredient list!
About the treats, I am disappointed with natural balance treats since they add molasses (sugar)…. Try some home made treats (keeping em simple….fruits, veggies, meat, and coconut flour or something if necessary. Bake in the oven for about an hour until nice n dried)
I am looking for a 5 star (or as close to) quality Grain Free and Potato Free dog food in both kibble and wet dog food for my 12 year old JRT @ 13 lbs, 11 year old CHI @ 6 lbs. and 9 year old Yorkie @ 7 lbs. – They all have terrible itchy and dry skin, licking paws and pink irritated belly skin – Where my pups are concerned no price is to high for their well being. I know I am over the top and love them like my children ( crazy dog lady here!)
They currently eat Artemis Small Breed Adult Dog food. Two of the 3 are on benedryl with every meal – Will not give them the predisone, only helps when they are on it.
I give them the Coco Therapy coconut chips, fruit and veggie crunch treats. At dinner in their food they get cosequin plus MSM, as well as brewers yeast and garlic tablets, Dr. Mercola krill oil. In their Poland Springs water (have never had tap water, as I live in NYC) I put 1 tsp.of Bragg Organic/unfiltered apple cider vinegar.
I bathe them monthlywith Dr. Mercola Peppermint Shampooand also use the same conditioner, both are recommeded by Dr. Mercola for skin problems. I have even tried no conditioner at all and only using 1/2 water and 1/2 Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar with no rinsing. This all started about 18 months ago.
Please. . . . any help or information would be greatly appreciated !!!! Thank you all . . .
Our rescue bully, Henry is chubby. We feed him 3/4c 2x daily & a handful of green beans of Solid Gold Wolf King right now, but after realizing that Diamond manufactures it, beyond using a different food, I will likely switch brands. We walk him every day, which he grudgingly does, although he can only go about 4-6 blocks before he is too tired to walk (has had to be carried home before!). He weighs 56-60lbs and the vet says he is 5-8 lbs overweight for his build. We throw his ball for him, which he will sometimes do, but he is a lazy bugger. He also has a bad rear foot & leg as a result. The vet thinks that his foot was broken as a puppy & never seen to. We got him when he was about 2 so we don’t know. As a result, he gets sore & tired, & limps fairly fast.
So, I am looking for a new food that is very good quality but would be good for weight loss. He gets a freeze dried sweet potato chew once a day, 2-3 baby carrots or other veggies for treats…but no biscuits or other treats of that nature. We already feed him less than the recommended amount so I think a different food is a good idea?
He is prone to yeast infections in his folds, toes & ears which I treat w unfiltered cider vinegar, natural ear wash & daily wipe downs.
I’m actually curious to know WHY my reasoning is flawed. If someone is going to say XYX, then they should back it up and not just stop at XYZ.
As for the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC), it’s like the American Dental Association (ADA) only for pets. Just as a seal citing that a mouthwash, toothpaste, toothbrush or dental floss is ADA Accepted, the VOHC® Seal of Acceptance means that the dental chew, treat, food, toothpaste, toothbrush or sealant is VOHC Accepted. It means the products do what they say they’re going to do and that regular use of products carrying the VOHC® Seal of Acceptance will reduce the severity of periodontal disease in pets. The whole point VOHC exists is so that they can help to recognize products that meet pre-set standards of plaque and calculus (tartar) retardation in pets and why it’s important for pet owners to take oral pet health seriously so why the VOHC® Seal of Acceptance wouldn’t really mean much to pet owners kind of baffles me. I’d like to think pet oral health really means something to most pet owners.
While the ingredients of Greenies and other oral dental chews and treats may not be the greatest of ingredients, these things are good and fairly safe to give a pet. After all, these things should always be given in moderation anyhow. They’re not like regular chews and treats that are given on a typically regular basis.
I use a grinder/dremel. I bought it at the hardware store. When I had my Doberman, I used to take him to the groomer inside Petsmart to have his nails done. One time when I took him, some f’n b**ch hacked everyone of his nails down to the quick. It hurt him to even walk. I couldn’t even get him to go back into Petsmart after that, he was THAT traumatized. Needless to say, I got that b**ch fired and ever since then I do my dog’s nails myself, with a dremel. It does take some getting used to, and some dremels are quieter than others. My Bailey is really good about it now, but it did take alot of treats to get her used to it.
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This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by
Cyndi.
Hello, wonderful people!
Ok, my next topic of research are pawdicures – do you do them yourselves for your fur babies, or do you let the professionals do it? Do you trust your vets, or commercial groomers such as those at a Petco or Petsmart?
If you do your dog’s nails yourselves, do you use a nail clipper or a nail grinder, or both? What is best (particularly for a small dog, 13lbs)? We have a nail clipper for Bruno but he seems to be afraid of it no matter how slowly we condition him to it, or give him treats. He also gets spooked by the sound of the nail being clipped…
Any input or shared experience will be appreciated!
Suburban Gal, I do agree with you on the moderation thing though – I was once gifted a single Greenie for Bruno. Did I toss it? No. I gave it to him and he survived. I have allowed the people in the leasing office of the apartment complex where we live to give him a Milkbone when he visits them. I am not supremely exclusive on him not having those treats – I just won’t buy them myself. I would brush his teeth and give him bully sticks and various ears, and chicken backs/necks/other RMBs before I buy him dental treats – I just don’t think they do what they are advertised for.
That being said, he does get a commercial treat every once in a while. I have a jar of Old Mother Hubbard mixed biscuits along with pommegranate Nutro biscuits that he gets one of occasionally. It may not be GREAT for him, but it’s ok with me. Plus, they were on sale! 😀 When doing the daily training session though, he usually gets his kibble as treats.
I agree with Carlyn (Shasta220). And I actually think the NutriDent ingredients are not THAT bad, I know what more of the ingredients mean than those in Milkbone for example. Before I knew all I do now, we bought Bruno a bag of the Nylabone equivalent of Greenies, NutriDent for puppies, and aside from making his stool green, they didn’t cause him any discomfort, but I doubt they cleaned his teeth at all. Once I learned about bully sticks and other dehydrated natural chews and raw meaty bones, I would not get him any of those commercial “dental” treats ever again. 🙂
I’ll share a little story with everyone:
One of my college instructors was drinking coffee one night when a fellow classmate asked him why he was drinking it when it was bad for him. The instructor told the class that if he stopped to think about everything that was bad for him before he consumed it then he probably wouldn’t be consuming a whole lot during his lifetime because most things are bad for us. Even if it’s something healthy, like fruits or vegetables, they could still be, under certain circumstances and conditions, bad for us.
It’s logic I’ve come to apply as a long-time pet owner. No matter how healthy I try to feed my pets, both in regular food and treats, the vast majority probably isn’t very good for them so I try not to let the ingredients on a package, bag, box or container scare me to the point I don’t buy it and give it to my pets. A lot of the times it comes down to what they will eat and what I can realistically afford without breaking the bank while STILL trying to do right nutritionally.
I give Gizmo, my 7-year-old papillon, Greenies and he really enjoys them.
I’ve never had a problem with giving a dog Greenies. Greenies were awarded the VOHC® Seal of Acceptance in 2007 and good for a dog’s overall oral health.
I think Greenies are just as safe as any other chew. There’s always going to be a risk of choking or intestinal blockage, but that’s with any chew-type treat. If an owner is really THAT concerned, then I think Greenies and other chew-type treats should be given under direct owner supervision and be taken away from the dog if there appears to be a problem.
Since Ive had Patch on his 1 cup of boiled chicken breast & a bit of pumkin & half an egg for breakfast he’s lost more weight this last month, he also has his 2 cups of kibble later thru the day the kibble is only 10% fat & 22% protein & 1.75% fiber, If I add more kibble it just bloats him & he seems uncomfortable, so what other low fat low carbs foods can I give him to gain some weight he only weights 16kilo.. he was between 18-20kilo this time last year but he was on a high fat hypoallergenic kibble that made him very ill, Now Ive learnt he has Chronic Pancreatitis he has to be on a low fat diet…oh, he also has IBD so I cant give him any cheese..Ive been giving him some banana…he also doesnt have no treats, I just use his kibble as a treat..there has to be a food that would gain some weight thats low in fat..
Hi again, What I do when I buy a new kibble, Patch cames to the pet shop with me (we can have dogs in Pet Barn as the shop is for them) & I show him the new kibble when we get home, then I start the new kibble as treats & give it to Patch only as a treat for a couple of days, then I mix a very little thru with his old kibble to get his tummy & bowel use to it, I only start adding under 1/4 of a cup for 1 week then if his poos look Ok & he doesnt seem to have any pain the next week I start adding more just under 1/2 a cup with his old kibble I start to know by now if he’ll get his pain from a kibble..In Lew Olson book she has a section about Picky dogs & what not to do..I also show Patch the 2 different kibbles & let him smell them both in the palm of my hands & I ask, “which one do u want to eat” & he’ll pick which hand he wants to eat, its always the newer kibble he picks cause Ive been giving it to him as a treat so he much think its special..
Hi, all – again! My new question is, how safe is it for a dog to consume cat kibble? For example, I noticed that the Nature’s Variety Instinct cat kibble of the Rabbit variety is 40% protein, and similar ingredients to the dog one. I am pretty sure the proportions would be different, but… how different? I know the cat is an obligatory carnivore, so the cat food SHOULD be even more meat-based than the dog ones. In fact, the NVI Rabbit for cat has the first 4 ingredients of meat origin, then peas, then rabbit. Then more meat in the freeze-dried bits. So yes, mucho meat.
I am just wondering. I do give Bruno said kibble (I got a small sample of it) as treats once in a while, don’t think it should hurt him – right?
The pet boutique I shop at often told me that the main difference is the protein level and the taurine – which is supposed to help with eyes. So, yeah, basically is “good” cat food safe for a dog to eat?
I have tried a few samples of it, and really want to try the venison and/or rabbit kinds! 🙂 Bruno loves the freeze-dried raw bites, and we also give him a sample of the rabbit cat formula as treats – it has awesome protein and one sample spread in over a month as treats won’t hurt him, I don’t think! 😀
Frank-
I think most of the 4 and 5 star foods are dye free. Also, there is a video that was posted today on allergies on the review side of this site under off topic discussions. It’s pretty informative. It talks a little about ear infections you might want to check it out. It’s posted by USA Dog Treats.
Back nails are not going as well as the front LOL Now we have to tag team him to get them on. When he’s not walking, he’s got his back toes all spread out like “WHAT THE CRAP IS THIS??” After some bribing with his favorite treats (Blue Buffalo), he’s warming up to them, but he still chews at them every few minutes. I tell him no and he gives this really ticked off look and lays down, trying to pretend I’m not there LOL Three paws down, one to go!
Not ready, even close, to going all raw so I want to keep feeding the kibble to make sure all the bases are covered as far as nutrition. Don’t want to get involved in adding all kinds of supplements, etc. I’m thinking of the raw as healthy treats, not meals, at this point. I am in awe of the knowledge on the raw food forum!
Hi,
My dog is a golden/collie/spaniel mix that we rescued a couple years ago. She had terrible yeast issues when we got her, her skin was black which looked strange on a dog with golden fur. After too many antibiotics and recommendations from various vets, I decided enough was enough. I researched foods and put her on the Natures Variety Instinct limited ingredient turkey meal formula. I then researched probiotics and I ordered the probiotic miracle on amazon. I get the year supply for $39.99. It took six months and lots of research but her skin is now pink and healthy, her fur is silky and she is a happy dog. We really can’t try too many different foods or else she will start itching and having trouble again but she gets carrots and duck treats which she loves. The probiotic miracle has done wonders combined with the right food. Hope this helps.
They’re good, and the good dog ones are small so they actually work for training treats too even though they’re crunchy. Not too high in cal count either. The classic line (Duck/Cherry, Chix/Veg, Sweet Potato/+Cant remember? Salmon?) Are a bit bigger, but easy to break and not too crunchy. I like them.
On topic of treats, we just got in some of THKs, and while my dogs love them, they kinda said they were quick eats so they still worked for training, and during agility last night, the pecks took Dani so long to eat that it was a bit of a hindrance, and she made a huge mess of them. Cool idea, but not sure i’ll use them much
Thank you for the replys. Is there some ratio of raw diet (chicken, deer, etc) to dry kibble? Is kibble the main diet and some raw mixed in? Or is one total meal raw then other meals are kibble. She is 11 weeks old now, and only been on dry kibble. I want to slowly introduce raw meat. We give her fruit (strawberries, apples, bananas with veggies carrots, sweet potatoes,) as treats and training food.
Here in Ohio we only do HW meds june-nov unless it’s been an unusually warm year. Seems to vary from vet to vet whether dog gets tested every year.
Bobby dog, Jake had his second piece of chicken back and it was about like the first time. I gave it to him and he just kind of looked at it, then me, back at the chicken, gave it a lick. He played with it for a couple of minutes, kept glancing at me. I told him he was on his own, I wasn’t going to hold it again! After playing with it he settled down and chewed it up!
I wish I knew what he was thinking. He likes it obviously, since he ate it, but he doesn’t go crazy, all bouncy and excited, like he does with other treats. Bobby sounds like a cutie, that’s quite a combo! I love it when the ears don’t match the body! Or ears so long it looks like they’ll trip over them! lol
Jake found a bunny nest on our walk in the woods today! He was sniffing under a log and lifted his head, had a tiny bunny in his mouth! Really tiny,eyes still closed. Lungs worked, tho! Was squealing like crazy! I put my hand out and told Jake to drop it and he gave it to me. Seemed ok, wiggling all around , no blood. Jake has a pretty soft mouth. So I put it back into the nest and we’ll stay away from that area for a while! I’ve read that bunny moms don’t care if there’s human scent at the nest, they’ll still care for the babies. So I hope that’s the case anyway! It was so tiny, I could have fit 2 in the palm of my hand! Just adorable!
Hi everyone!
There may be a mention of Sojos somewhere, but thought I would just start a subject line. I, for the most part, make my own dog treats, but came across the Sojos that are wheat and corn free. Has anyone had any experience with these treats? Your opinion?
THANK YOU!! : )
I use to use their treats every day, but have since stopped all soft treats. I liked them a lot for my dogs and they liked them, too. If I wanted a soft treat, they would be some that I would buy again, along with Wellness Pure Rewards. I’ve seen their food online but have never seen it in the stores. I’ve never tried it. I’m not sure but if memory serves me correctly it’s similar to Ziwipeak.
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This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by
Mom2Cavs.
Hahaha your posts make me laugh Aleksandra! XD I do feel so disgustingly horrible to feed it to her, yes. They use PP Sport (higher in protein….from those wonderful chicken beaks and extra corn, of course) as training treats for her. So I figured using some of my 4 star kibble half the time would make me feel like she had at least SOME real food in her gut. Plus she loves it! It’s pretty obvious how much she hates her current food – she is a Labrador and she eats free choice. But she only goes through what she needs. No more, no less (I’ve never seen a lab do that).
It was almost relieving to see her fur get flaky and skin get super stinky. I emailed her owners, giving them my story on how Cassy used to be super gross on SD and Purina, but now does fabulously. Hopefully they will see the pup’s icky skin and want to switch…. *crosses fingers*
You said that ur dogs itch none stop, you must start with an elimination diet, I started one about 1 month ago as my boy has Pancreatitis & enviornment allergies we dont know if he has food allergies that’s why I’d say the vet suggested an elimination diet, The vet said the first month just feed boil chicken but I knew my boy could eat boil chicken so I added cooked pumkin, then when I saw he wasnt scratching or rubbing his tummy on my beautiful white rug the next week I added sweet potato within 2 days Patch was rubbing on my carpet so I stopped the sweet potato & know he cant have sweet potato or a kibble with sweet potato…. then I added pasta another NO it made him itch then I read dogs with skin problems like yeast & bacteria shouldnt eat carbohydrates, potatos, sweet potatos etc, then I added half a boiled egg & he’s been good, Im thinking of adding broccoli next.. Im reading Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs by Lew Olson PhD she has help me understand alot of things & this group its a easy book to read & very easy recipes, she explains what foods aren’t good & what foods are good for certain illness, like Skin problems & what causes ur dog to itch, Pancreatitis Diabetes, Gastro problems, feeding senior dogs, getting a pup onto raw etc, she has cooked recipes & what supplements to add.. in the elimination diet you cannot give any treats nothing, just that one food for 2 weeks then 2 foods so on.. you must cook all vegetables so they are fully cooked, she even suggest to pulped vegetables as dogs digestive system weren’t meant to eat vegies, here’s one of her recipes for Skin allergies a Low Glycemic regular fats Diet..this is for a 50 pound dog to be divide into two or more smaller meals per day.
8 ounces 1 cup regular fat ground beef
2 ounces 1/4 cup beef liver or kidney
2 eggs scrambled or boiled
4 ounces 1/2 cup steamed or boiled broccoli
4 ounces 1/2 cup cooked yellow crookneck squash
4 ounces 1/2 cup whole milk yogurt
Serve meat cooked or raw combined with cooked vegetables eggs & yogurt if serving meat cooked wait until meat & eggs have cooled before stirring in the yogurt…..
What I do is I cook once a fornight & freeze everything except the egg then put in fridge the night before to thaw for next day…
Hello, all!
So, I figured I would ask – what do you all give to your dogs (if anything) for the ailments in the topic? When we got Bruno they told us that Trifexis was the most complete pill, for all them worms (treats and prevents), and kills adult fleas. Well, he was on that till March, when the vet decided that he had plateaued on weight and will probably never leave the 11-20lb segment. So they told me I can no longer buy the individual Trifexis, but only 6-month supplies at a time. So I went online (for financial reasons) and was about to get him some Trifexis, but I saw another drug, Sentinel, which claimed to also treat and prevent all the worm types and kill flea eggs (not adult fleas). It was also cheaper by like $100!!! So we got a 6-month supply of that. Bruno had his first April pill with no problems.
Well… My question is… Is it good enough? Is it really comparable/better than Trifexis? Do I need a complete pill or can I do the twice-a-year shot for Heartworm that my friend does for her dogs and not worry about fleas and such? What about topical anti-flea solutions? Do they work, are they good for the dog? My cousin was saying that he thinks it is much better to put chemistry (topical anti-flea stuff) on the dog than inside (pills that make his skin toxic to fleas), but he’s never had a dog. And what about Heartgard? My roommate uses it, but I think it’s just for Heartworm…
Basically – is there a “best” combination, and what is it, or what is it that works for y’all?
Hi everyone,
I’m new to the forum, I came across it when trying to find out if the puppy food we recently purchased was all that the bag said it was. We bought Purina beneful puppy food with soft morsels, and I’m sure you can imagine my horror when I found out that not only was the packaging less than honest about its nutritional content, but that it was downright bad for our dog!
We adopted him at about 11 weeks, he’s now 6 months old, and we believe that he is a labrador/jack russell mix. He was always picky about his kibble – we started him on the kirkland dry puppy food, then went to Taste of the Wild, which he sort of ate, and then moved to Purina – which he seems to really enjoy. Problem is, it’s not good for him!
I think the main reason he enjoys it is because it has softer bits in it, though that’s just a guess. So, my question is, what dry puppy food do you think would be the best fit for him? I’d like to find something that’s 4-or-5 stars, but nothing extraordinarily expensive. I was thinking about getting the Wellness Complete puppy recipe – it’s relatively affordable, and he went nuts over the Wellness salmon puppy treats, so I figured he would enjoy the same brand of kibble that’s also made with salmon.
Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!
Some other goodies I’ve pulled from my other threads/responses to threads 🙂
~3x 6 pound bags of Blue walnut litter for $8
~15x 3oz and 3x 5.5oz cans of Wellness Grain Free (Purple cans) for $0.70
~34x 5.5oz cans of Wellness Grain Free for $17
~52 5.5oz cans of Friskies Special Diet for $16
~9x 3oz cans of Wellness Grain Free for $0.35
~4x 4lb bags of Wellness CORE dog food for $10
~6x 5lb bags of Pet Botanics, 1 20 pound Tidy Cats tub, 1 3oz can Blue Buffalo cat food, 1 pouch Blue Buffalo cat treats, 4 small (3.5oz??) cans of Purina Pro Plan cat food for $30
Some coupon sites I use. The Target Coupons I use at Publix.
http://printablecouponsanddeals.com/Category/pet-products
http://coupons.target.com/pets-coupons
http://www.couponnetwork.com/
http://www.projectpetslimdown.com/Home/Offers
http://www.coupons.com/coupons/Pet-Care-Coupons-102/
http://www.petco.com/petco_Page_PC_petco-coupons.aspx
