[beagleowner]

Henry was our precious 14 year old beagle. He had so many people and children who would stop at the front yard to pet him, feed him treats, and visit. He was the celebrity of the neighborhood. We loved him a great deal and he showed us so much love and affection. We lost Henry yesterday to heart failure. Even to the end he was gentle and loving. He was recuperating from an ACL injury and he was amazing in his recovery. But Sunday, a change happened. He started being restless, panting and would not eat. He loved to bark but Sunday, no barking. When we took him to our Vet, we thought he had the flu, only to learn that it was heart failure. Both sides of his heart were damaged and he was dying. We made that sad decision through tears. Our Vet, with tears in his eyes, assured us there was nothing we did or anything we could have done to prevent this from happening. We miss him. We have had so many calls and gifts of consolation but our hearts are heavy! Goodbye Henry, til we meet at the Rainbow Bridge.

[raylene5]

Hi all,

So we are about to get a puppy in a couple of weeks and I’m wanting to try Dr. Dunbar’s “Before and After Getting your Puppy” advice and pretty much feed all meals from the Kong. He believes that keeping the puppy entertained and exercised with the chew toys will help with sleep, separation issues and keep them from chewing up other things in the house.

He says to measure out your dog’s kibble for the day and just stuffing it all in the Kong and let the dog eat from that instead of the food bowl, until they have been found to be trustworthy in the house. It’s important to use their allotted amount of kibble rather than treats because the treats are full of more fat and calories (some treats are fine). My problem is that I’m going to raw feed the dog. So what would I stuff the Kong with that they can eat all day without gaining too much weight?

Thanks!

[Dorenda]

Jude, I am new to this forum and just posted under “renal failure” before I saw this post of yours. Here is my situation: my dog was snake-bit about a year ago and we have been fighting renal failure ever since (high BUN and Creatine levels). The vet has him on Hills Science Diet KD canned and dry food but he will hardly eat it. I end up maxing it with Bisquick to make doggie treats (1:1 ratio) but I know he’s barely eating enough to get by. Do you have any suggestions–I read in your post something about some food you make from Kidney Yahoo? Thanks for ANY help!

[Cocker_mom]

Hi, InkedMarie! Since about April I’ve been feeding both my dogs the Iams Healthy Naturals Adult Lamb Meal and Rice dog food. They’ve both responded well to it, and it was included on the list of (literally, hundreds–at least one thousand) dog foods the allergy testing company gave me. Basically, it’s an average kibble, but it’s easily accessible in my area. Prior to that, I had my allergy prone cocker on Nature’s Recipe Grain-Free Easy to Digest Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Pumpkin dog food and my older cocker on Blue Buffalo Senior Turkey (both are considered limited ingredient foods). (I’d highly recommend both those foods; it was just a 20+ mile drive one-way every time I needed dog food.)

To put things in context, I got my allergy prone cocker in September, 2012. I was visiting the vet pretty much every two weeks and he was constantly on keto, benadryl, special shampoo for the elephant hide, and various ear medications. The shampoo improved the elephant hide somewhat, but he was still having problems with ears and itching/licking in general. Once I got him on the Nature’s Recipe, he slowly started improving (I was beginning to think we had a definite winner!), but then spring hit and his skin, eyes, ears just drove him crazy with itching, so he really didn’t enjoy a substantial change in his condition. I did the food allergy test first just because I wanted to eliminate as many of the most likely causes as possible before considering something like an allergy panel/allergy shots. After getting the results, I rid the house of any foods, treats, etc. he was allergic to and made the decision to put both dogs on the same food with my vet’s approval. There was a little adjusting of portions for my older cocker, and she definitely liked the Blue Buffalo much better (it has oats, and I didn’t want to risk my allergy prone dog getting a morsel of it), but she’s doing really well on it.

The warm months were a nightmare for the little guy. The exposed skin and the yeast and the elephant hide cleared up completely with the food adjustment but the ears were the worst I’d seen yet–literally Velveeta cheese at the worst, and medicines weren’t providing much relief. More bi-weekly vet visits, and I even participated in some trial drugs when everything else failed. Thank goodness for the first hard frost. It’s winter now, and his ears have cleared up, so I am pretty confident now the food issues have been ruled out. We’ve both gotten a much needed break from the ear agony. He looks far and away better than ever and the constant itching/licking isn’t going on now that it’s winter. That’s what convinced me to do the outdoor panel before his 2nd spring with me. The tests aren’t terribly invasive or expensive–they use only a small blood sample. I couldn’t imagine having a chronic yeast infection! I’m hoping the allergy shots will prep him for the spring allergens.

I could probably start a whole new thread about cockers and their ears, but I can tell you that having owned two cockers now, my experience with the younger dog has been COMPLETELY different than the older one. Basically, I’ve always exercised preventative care with my older cocker just because cockers are naturally prone to infections with their big floppy ears–cleaning and drying the ears once a week or so, keeping the insides or the ear shaved close, and letting them air out. She’s had maybe 3 or 4 ear infections in her 13 years, and her ears are very clean and healthy. My younger cocker’s ears are a mess–gnarly and misshapen on the inside with a lot of scar tissue particularly on the left ear and there is an ugly polyp on the left ear too. He is truly a special needs dog, and I’m thinking the product of overbreeding (resulting in a very cute but very issue-prone pup).

I know a lot of dogs do well on a food elimination diet, and I believe I truly gave that method a fair shake (the food he was on when he took the food allergy test was actually on the testing company’s approved list–although none of the prior foods I tried were), but my dog’s issues are caused by a variety of allergens that aren’t limited to just food. I spent literally thousands of dollars in vet bills for various treatments that treated only symptoms but not the true problem, and I have no regrets with the allergy tests. I truly believe we’ve reached a turning point. They might not be necessary for every dog, but if your dog is experiencing chronic allergies and a food adjustment isn’t completely alleviating the symptoms, the test is worth it.

[Cocker_mom]

I am new to this forum and mom to two cocker spaniels (ages 13 and 6), so I’ve seen my share of ear infections and whatnot. I adopted my youngest cocker a little over a year ago (September, 2012), and he had terrible elephant skin on his groin and chest and he stunk of yeast–it was all through his ears and on his little nose and paws. Just pitiful. He was a stray and his owner didn’t claim him although he was housebroken and sat on command when I got him. My vet initially suggested a “lifestyle” change–just being consistently cared for–might improve the skin. Unfortunately, it didn’t improve the near constant itching/licking, and we tried all kinds of medications on top of daily benedryl which just knocked the poor guy out. Much like spotcdb’s case, it would clear up only to come back. I tried the fancy, super expensive all natural dog foods for allergy prone dogs. We rotated foods to eliminate potential allergens. No substantial changes. It took about 5 months for me to make the decision to just test for the food allergies (about $200), and I’m so glad I did. He was VERY allergic to–surprise–OATS and SOY! Those would have been the last ingredients to be eliminated rotating the foods out. Today he is on a dog food (the company that does the testing gave me a HUGE list of foods/treats he could eat that wouldn’t trigger a reaction) that doesn’t cost me an arm and a leg but is still good for him. I just had an outdoor/indoor allergy panel done for him this week. Again, so glad I did because he was still having problems with his ears in the warm months, and it looks like he’ll need to go on allergy shots, which I’ll start before the spring to hopefully give him a head start. Never experienced anything like this with my older cocker, who I’ve had since she was 12 weeks old. Long story short, I really wish I’d done these allergy tests from the get-go, or at least in the first few months. I could have saved my little guy a lot of irritation and myself a lot of money. Incidentally, the elephant skin was completely eliminated shortly after getting him on the right food. He is SO much better, prettier, and happier than when I brought him home.

[brewer]

I have a 90 lb 10 month old German Shepherd who has some allergies. I took him to the vet and was advised it is food allergies, most likely turkey that is in his food. I am eliminating the turkey and switching to a salmon diet. It is nature’s domain salmon dog food which is grain free. Could there be a dye in this brand of dog food that is causing the problem?
I searched the internet and also found that air fresheners could be causing the problem. I am wondering if I should get rid of the plug in air fresheners as it seems the rash began when we plugged them in shortly before Christmas, also around the same time we gave him the turkey dog food and some new treats (stopping treats as well).
I am just trying to get this under control as quickly as possible and would appreciate any thoughts or recommendations.

[IsabelleR]

Thank you for your response. My little angel does have a lot of challenges, but she has such a sweet and strong spirit. This diabetes is a tough one, though, and is already taking a toll on her. I need to figure out how to help her and soon. I will see if I can find a veterinary nutritionist, as you’ve suggested. In the meantime, do you have any recommendations on probiotics…she loves Prostora, but since the first ingredient is sucrose, I’m not giving it to her anymore. Also, I’ve bought some venison at the grocery store and plan to start adding that to her current food to increase the protein content and have replaced her venison and potato treats with venison jerky.
Thanks, again.

[nugent]

I fed my poodle the new begging strips with cheese, bought at Wal Mart, since giving the treats to him is has a lot of symptoms of food poisoning, vet is in the process of testing him and the treats, dont know if this is the problem or not, but thought I would post it.
will update after Vet report.
I have notified Purina, but no reply yet.

[IsabelleR]

Hi,
I’m new to this site and am seeking dietary advice. My 16 year old Jack Russell was just diagnosed with diabetes after we noticed she had started drinking lots of water for about two days. Her blood sugar was in the 600s and she had traces of ketones. She has had inflammatory bowel disease for years and takes .625 mg prednisolone daily along with being on the Royal Canine hypoallergenic potato and venison prescription diet. The diabetes came on quite suddenly — her blood was checked monthly as she was recently on 6 months of chemotherapy and glucose was always around 90 or so. She also has a heart murmur for which she takes Enalapril. She is not overweight, but lost a pound in the past two weeks, so is skinny at 15 pounds. The vet started her on 2units of Humulin N twice daily, and just increased her to 3 units twice daily after her glucose curve. Because of all of her conditions, he suggested taking a conservative approach and also to keep her on her current diet, minus any treats. Any suggestions on a more appropriate food for her, that would also work with her IBD – she can have duck or venison, although I switched her off of duck about a year ago after she had a mild case of pancreatitis. Thank you — I’m feeling helpless and desperate.

[Mom2Cavs]

Betsy Greer….thanks so much for your kind words. Lucy is actually doing quite well, except for the lesions she has on her skin and the baldness that comes with them :(. Lucy has never had skin problems, at all, so this was a shock to see these places on her. I first noticed places by her mouth and under her chin. Then the groomer noticed one on her back when he was blow drying her. Looked like nothing I had ever seen before. My first thought was an allergic reaction to something!? It all started about 2 weeks after I began feeding TOTW Pacific Stream so I actually considered it might be the food, but she had never had allergies in the past…though I know they can come on anytime. It just seemed so odd. I took her to my holistic vets and they really weren’t sure what it could be, either. We took a blood test and it showed slightly elevated kidney levels and slightly low thyroid levels. So….we kinda expected the kidney values with her bladder tumor (she’s had for a year now) and we thought she might be having a skin issue due to thyroid. But the vets had never seen skin problems like hers with thyroid before which is why we opted for biopsies to be sure. They took from 3 lesions, which had worsened and multiplied since the groomer found the one on her back. It came back as canine epitheliotropic T-cell lymphoma or CETL. Very rare cancer, happens to mostly older dogs. Can happen out of the blue, no known cause. Prognosis is poor usually and generally no treatments help. Dogs can live a few months to up to 2 years with it. It all depends on their comfort level and the seriousness of the lesions. She wears a T-Shirt around the house so she won’t bother them. Thankfully, she’s accommodating with that. She still eats great, plays more than the Cavs and is her usual self right now. In fact, Lucy’s is the first case in all the years my vets have been practicing that they’ve seen! So….we are taking it one day at a time. My vet gave me a supplement from Vetri Science called Maitake DMG Pro. They’re chews, which she readily takes (and this is a dog that’s very picky with her treats lol). It is an immune supplement. They’re very new, I can’t even order them yet. I can get it in liquid form right now, though, so I ordered that and I’m hoping she likes it mixed with something. Safflower oil has been known to help some dogs, so I have started with that, too. I’ll keep everyone posted on how she does. Again, thanks for the kind thoughts!

[Mom2Cavs]

Since I’ve taken Laverne (all 3 dogs) off poultry she’s been doing 100% better. Since I last posted here in August we’ve gone through different dry foods (can’t even remember what all), but currently they’re eating Fromm Salmon a la Veg. It does have some chicken cartilage in it and grains (which don’t seem to be a problem). I’ve been using only canned foods without poultry, as well. I’ve used Wellness a lot, especially their 95% and stews. I have on hand some Simply Nourish Fish & Potato, Weruva Cirque de la Mer, Fromm 4Star Pork and some others that I’ve fed. Also, I’ve noticed that when a food has a lot of peas Laverne has issues, too. I also have been adding in probiotics/enzymes. They get 2 treats a day. One in the morning, Wellness Lamb grain free biscuit, and one during the day, Wellness Pure Rewards Beef. Lucy, who you may have heard has CETL (skin cancer) gets some other supplements. Anal glands and itching have been gone since I’ve changed to this regimen. It might not work for all dogs, but has been good for mine. 🙂

• This reply was modified 11 years, 11 months ago by Mom2Cavs.

[Tambourineman]

I have a 14 year old lab with bad arthritis. An xray disclosed he also has a lesion on his vertebrae. So he has a lot of trouble getting up and around.

Due to his age we have not opted for surgery for his spine as we think it would be too much for him.

We give him EVO Senior which does have some calcium (2.10%). I regret to say he also gets a strip and a half of bacon which is used to hide the many meds he takes (Gabapentin, 3 tramadol, Rimadyl, and Amantadine) He now rejects pill pockets which he used to gulp like dog treats (we have tried peanut butter, cream cheese, bread, swedish meatballs, turkey hot dogs, a pill popper tool, etc., etc.) Bacon is the only thing that works and at his age not getting his meds would be worse than having some bacon.

Anyway, I am wondering if some more calcium would help with respect to building the bone in his vertebrae back up. As an experiment I ground up some Citrical and put it in his food and unlike when other meds are mixed with food he will eat it. (He no longer chews bones so he does not get any calcium that way.) I’ve read that some add ground up egg shells.

the dog food project says this about calcium: “. . . The correct ratio of calcium to phosphorus and magnesium is very important for a dog’s health and needs to be carefully balanced – this is not something you would want to do without doing your research on the topic!” . . .

“Excess intake of calcium results in growth retardation and severe bone and joint abnormalities. [Presumably this applies to puppies] When feeding a quality pet food, supplementation of calcium *** during growth *** is unnecessary, and potentially very dangerous.
Note: Excess calcium causes decreased phosphorus absorption (and vice versa!). Lack of magnesium in the diet renders calcium useless, because the body needs magnesium to properly absorb calcium. If adequate amounts of all 3 of these minerals are present int he diet, the body can regulate the balance according to its needs.”

Citrical includes 20% magnesium (80 mg) and also Vitamin D

Any thoughts?

[kvee]

I have the safemade pet stuffing octopus that I stuff with frozen treats from their treat tray bone shape. Susie likes to munch on frozen organic pumpkin puree, mashed blueberries and raspberries, greek yogurt with green bean puree, and shredded and pureed carrots.

From time to time, I stuff some DOGsbutter peanut butter.

[Harpers Mom]

Because my baby’s allergies and not being able to find store treats that work for her we have opted to home made treats, cow hoofs, antlers, etc. We just purchased a Kong toy that is stuffable. What kind of goodies does everyone stuff them with? Her first “kongsicle” was yogurt and pumpkin. Any ideas for other treats?

[Mom2Cavs]

Pattyvaughn has some good suggestions. I also have Cavaliers and small dogs are notorious for having bad teeth (not just Cavs) so it can be a constant problem, even shortly after dentals. I have had dentals given to mine off and on and their teeth stay good for only awhile. I do brush their teeth, but admit it’s not as often as I should. They are not good chewers, either, which makes it doubly hard to keep teeth clean :(. As for the breath issue. I have found that when mine eat something they are intolerant to or get into something they shouldn’t their breath smells bad. When anal glands are acting up their breath smells bad. Giving probiotics and enzymes helps tremendously. Also, feeding a high quality food and treats (I’ve actually cut them out 99% of their diet) has helped mine. Currently, I’m feeding Fromm 4Star Salmon a la Veg. Now I do also top their kibble with quality canned food (tblsp.) and mix in their prob/enz. When one of my Cavs had a poop eating problem (enzymes solved this, too, for her) her breath was atrocious! So in a nut shell it could be from:

1. the food they eat.
2. anal gland problems (they’re full).
3. eating things they shouldn’t (like poop or bugs, etc).
4. having a cracked tooth or something wrong with gums, teeth, etc.
5. needing a dental (no lie, some dogs need dentals more often, especially small dogs).

First, I would have your vet inspect your dogs mouth to see if anything is stuck in there, or a cracked tooth, etc. Your vet will probably recommend another dental, which isn’t always feasible at the time. I personally do them either every year or every other year. I don’t like to put my oldies under the anesthesia that often.
Giving raw bones can help keep teeth scrubbed clean. Brushing their teeth can help a lot. Even trying some of the dental sprays and gels, like Mercola’s, or Tropiclean can’t hurt either. Good luck to you, I know the pains of owning small dogs with bad teeth. I hope this helps some.

[InkedMarie]

If you don’t want to cut them, some of us may have bought them from you.

[theBCnut]

Can I suggest you cut them to pieces with a good heavy pair of kitchen scissors instead of throwing them out? Make them treat sized so they won’t choke. You shouldn’t have any problems after they finally got them swallowed, they are completely digestable.

[Ptcbass]

We tried the Honest Kitchen catfish chews. My dogs love them but I had to throw out the box after trying to give my dogs these treats twice. My dogs like to swallow them whole (when they get them down to a smaller size). I tried to pull it from my dogs throat when she acted like she was choking. I could feel it at the top of her throat but couldn’t get it. Now I get to watch them and worry for the next day or so hoping it doesn’t cause any problems. Too bad because they did love them. Oh and no one ever mentions the smell. They really do smell horrible!!

[mellowmutt]

Well, the food’s already mixed… I’ve read this advice a lot, but the only links I’ve come across are to those marketing rotational feeding. Maybe one in ten dogs I’ve ever known had food allergies (mostly to “bad” grains); most of the rest lived long, happy lives on the same food day in and day out, mostly dry kibble of dubious quality by today’s standards. I have two very good, related reasons for mixing rather than rotating.

First, the different kibble sizes, and one kibble being “preferred” really slows down Amiga’s feeding rate. I don’t want her “inhaling” her food, which she does when all the kibbles are the same size/smell. Mixed, she’ll try picking out the Orijen kibbles! Of course she winds up eating most of the other kibbles along with, at which point I guess she figures she may as well finish the meal. But it does take her twice as long to eat, this way, and gives me control of what she’s eating with no fuss because…

Second, she’s one of those picky mals who drive their owners to despair with hunger strikes, this being a well-known feature-bug of many individuals of most arctic breeds — which evolved to be headstrong, independent, and require less food than other dogs of similar size. If I rotate the food, which I did try, she’ll just ignore the food dish until what she wants gets put in it — which turns into a battle of wills the human usually loses (I know I’m a sucker for those sad puppy-dog eyes with whimpering), best not let it start if I want her growth rate to be steady not spurty, though.

http://wildpaw.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=8333
http://wildpaw.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=4462
(list goes on)

I also think Amiga’s spoiled enough without letting her choose her own menu, but it’s a real challenge to get her to eat what I want her to eat, regardless of when she eats it. For instance, when she was protesting NVI Rabbit she got away from me, into a neighbor’s house, and chowed down a whole bowl of Kibbles ‘n’ Bits. Came when called, after a short delay, licking her chops and grinning while the neighbor shooed her out of her house… pinned her ears back and rolled over on her back at my feet in a typical-malamute show of faux-submissiveness (neither hind leg straight), then ignored her own food for two more days. Which turned into four when she figured out how to raid the cat food for a few seconds before I caught her at it, then ate the rest of my sandwich off the countertop while I relocated the cat dish. 🙂

This can also be an issue when using toppers, but I’ve figured out how to train around this. I’m redirecting Amiga’s prey drive into SAR training (informally, can’t train with other dog/handler teams until she’s more mature about working when other dogs are present, there’s a reason so many SAR dogs are Goldens). Aside from disliking all forms of transport (no rhyme or reason for it I can figure, which I also hope she matures out of), all the aptitude for SAR work is there, her kibble OCD really shines through in “re-find” work. Her name is well-chosen, especially where kids are concerned; if the scent she’s on is animal she pricks her ears forward, but pins ’em back submissively for any and all humans… excellent potential despite being a malamute, even on tracking work.

She knows the difference between “food” and “umm-umms” and has figured out what I mean when I say “umm-umms on your dinner-food” — a big reward delayed until dinnertime instead of little treats over the course of a long, physically-demanding training session (which she sees as playing hide-and-seek in the forest for a few hours, at this stage). She’s very treat-motivated. Oh, she’ll still skip a meal here and there, but that just lets me know she isn’t getting enough exercise — that and the zoomie circles around the yard. Both of which I’m currently chalking up to being in season, total psycho malamute puppy on my hands atm.

Some Amiga videos here, the one running next to the bike was taken a month ago while the ones playing with the neighbor Husky are from last week, and aren’t mally pups just adorable before they become terrors?

http://www.veoh.com/list/u/bikefat

What worries me is topping kibble with raw/freeze-dried due to the different rates of digestion. If I just feed the toppers as a meal, I’m worried she’ll lose the correlation with it as a treat, and hold out for it as a regular meal by again spurning her kibble — perhaps even the Orijen. With the mix, when she’s hungry she’s really quite excited about being fed, with none of the malamute games we played when I tried rotating five foods and she’d only eat one of ’em.

YMalMV. 😉

[mellowmutt]

I got Amiga at 8 weeks old, back on June 1st. Her breeder recommended Nutro LBP Lamb & Rice, so that’s what I fed her at first. I wasn’t happy with her gas or her stools, so I did some research and decided to mix Orijen LBP and NV Prairie LBP with the Nutro. Did some more research and discovered that I was feeding her way too much calcium. So I added two other foods to the mix in mid-July, NV Instinct Rabbit and CC Open Sky, had to set up a spreadsheet to keep CA, CA:K, calories & protein in order. I did the calculations based on the max-CA values, not averages or the tested values of a specific batch, to be on the safe side.

Ran out of this mix a month ago, at 8 months apparently she can regulate her CA herself, so I quit worrying about it. Now I have her on a mix of Orijen Regional Red, NV Instinct Rabbit, and NV Prairie Venison & Barley. It seems reasonable to me to feed her a red-meat diet in winter, and switch to a fish-and-fowl diet come summer (ancestral-wolf feeding pattern). In a few months the mix will be Orijen Six Fish, NV Instinct Rabbit LID, and NV Prairie Duck & Oatmeal. Both supplemented with the occasional topper of Orijen Tundra freeze-dried. LID Rabbit doesn’t have turkey, which is in the Duck & Oatmeal formula, so Turkey’s on the menu all year, too. Protein content of these blends is 33%.

The Prairie kibble’s mixed in to lower my cost from $3/lb to $2.75/lb, which adds up with a large breed. Rabbit is in the mix year-round, because I read some research (I’ll post the links if I find them again) about how wild/feral canines/felines primarily eat bunnies. The missing “meat group” in the prepared foods is rodent, so I’ll also occasionally feed raw beaver meat as a topper. I’d like to add a third brand into the mix instead of the Prairie, unfortunately I haven’t found anything that doesn’t have either the “wrong” grains or is loaded with potato (a no-no for malamutes as white potato is known to trigger bloat in this breed), or is too expensive to serve the purpose.

I set up another spreadsheet for amino acids and did yet more research; I believe she’s getting the full spectrum in sufficient quantities from all the different protein sources (also gets Orijen Tundra freeze-dried treats, used these to teach her to swim ‘cuz they float without getting soggy) such that she doesn’t need the glucosamine/chondroitin/taurine supplements typically found in large-breed-specific formulas — her body ought to be able to produce as much of these as she needs provided the proper building blocks (amino acids & cartilage). Her stools, on the “winter blend” anyway, are firm and dry, and not too voluminous or frequent and she seems to be thriving; my Vet is pleased with her physical condition and says her growth rate is right on target.

Many thanks to this site and all who contribute for helping me navigate the dog-food waters, it’s enough to make one’s head explode, but it’s also nice to have so many quality options in dry kibble. It’s been several years since I’ve had a dog (Amiga’s my 4th), Iams and even Purina just aren’t what they once were so I didn’t even consider those despite two of my dogs living to 15 (Keeshond on Eukanuba and Golden Retriever on Hi-Pro). My last malamute got Iams Lamb & Rice, but was shot (with cause) by a sheep rancher at 3 1/2 back in ’94 so I have no long-term report, there.

What got me to not trust dogfood manufacturers and do this research, leading me here, was how horrific the first month was feeding Amiga just the Nutro. Glossy, semi-soft, mucousy stools (if not diarrhea) and lotsa smelly farts — just like my friends’ dogs being fed Nutro. Enzymes, pre- and pro- biotics didn’t help, de-worming only cleared up the worms. No surprise given the ridiculously-high Zinc content in Nutro formulas, apparently since Mars bought them out — these are symptoms of Zinc toxicity, not poor digestive-tract health; no band-aid for that. Wish I’d figured that out sooner, and the calcium-level thing.

If I had the puppy-food phase to do over again, I wouldn’t touch Nutro with a 10-foot pole. These problems lessened when blended with the other kibbles, and disappeared entirely (OK, occasional fart still, probably the grains) this month after discontinuing the Nutro. I would do the four-kibble mix again, going with just the Rabbit and Duck would be lower calcium, but would also lack the glucosamine/chondroitin/taurine supplements the two LBP kibbles contain, as well as the cartilage and broad spectrum of amino acids which make these supplements unnecessary.

I did rush her to the vet after-hours back in September for bloat, but I didn’t alter her diet because of it. Sometimes she eats stuff that isn’t “on the menu” so to speak, mostly I blame my kitties because they love hunting and killing — just not eating their kills, which they leave for the alley cats. And for Amiga, sometimes she finds these before I do and accounts for occasional fur/feathers in her stools (Amiga’s also killed a mourning dove, robin, grackle, and a magpie). At least they’ve learned not to bring them in the house! I’m following all the best-practice guidelines for avoiding bloat, so hopefully this was a one-time thing, scary for both of us…

[nationalguard88]

I’ve been using Wellness “just for puppies” so far and he loves them. As well as they’re easy to tear into even smaller pieces for training purposes. No bad reactions digestive or otherwise. Also peanut butter in a Kong keeps him busy and happy. Definitely will try the frozen stuffed Kong. He loves home made venison, dehydrated or not. He’s about 11 weeks so I don’t dry out to much. Dobermans inhale their food like no other I’ve seen, so I like to keep softer at this point, to avoid a chocking hazard. Afraid to give him a lot of different treats, so young. Upset his digestion. He really loves Dr. Tims Pursuit dog food. Nice firm stools, no diarrhea. Healthy looking eyes and coat. It’s hard to beat for the money, and I don’t feel worried about feeding it to him most of all. Trying to find good quality kibble without breaking the bank can be extremely stressful. Especially when there’s none locally. Finding this website was a huge help ingredient wise, but the loving owners reviews were the biggest help of all. Thanks everybody!

[nunyanunya]

Would anal gland issues cause chronic flatulence? My 10mo. old puppy farts all the time! UGH!!! Stinky and gross. He’s done this since I adopted him at 2mo. old. I don’t feed him treats just Solid Gold Wolf Cub puppy food.

[Melissaandcrew]

Look around for a slaughter/meat processing plant in your area. I have found two. One is organic and I buy most of my stuff there for under $1 a pound. Downside is I take whatever they have that week..sometimes its all beef, sometimes poultry and I now have the largest size chest freezer I could find full of assorted pieces/parts. I have waaaaay to much liver and spent a full day boiling/drying a lot into treats and still have more to go. I fill in the gaps with store bought. I use tinned sardines $1 a can and canned salmon and oysters which I bought in bulk on sale. I still feed 50percent dry, can or dehydrated.

[A.Sandy]

Fat= energy But it also means palatability so it makes pets override their limits of food. So try something between 21-25% protein so the fat% is less. Feed according to pet’s energy/activity level, always portion control, and feed according to what she should weigh not based on what she weighs now. cut down on treats and no table scraps for now until she is at the ideal weight. even if the weather is bad try to play with her indoors somehow just to keep her moving a bit. Also try adding some canned pumpkin to fill her up . Soon you might want to switch her to a senior feed if you’d like. good luck

Ana
pet nutrition expert/advisor
@pupcatfacts
pupcatnutrition.com

[Naples_vidiot]

First time here and thanks for having me. Purchased (dry pellets) Blue Buffalo several months ago and noticed that my Sheltie was getting sick once or twice a week in the morning then not eating till early afternoon. She’d drool first then vomit stomach fluids and sometimes the actual Blue Buffalo. This went on for months. Thought of all reasons why she was getting sick from low sugar levels to alergies. Tried feeding her treats at night to keep her belly full but that failed. The BB never crossed are minds as being the culprit because of its reputation. Just recently, my dog was getting sick every morning for a week straight…we finally took action. After feeding her the dry pellets from Blue Buffalo for months, we changed to a canned wet food. Miraculously she stopped getting sick. It has been 72 hours now. Wife googled Blue Buffalo and a whole page of articles populated about BB making dogs sick. She informed me and then I called the store that sold us this product then the BB headquarters. They did not pick up their phone in any department. The store that I spoke with claimed they knew nothing about the articles….you’d think they’d be aware because the multiple articles were from last March 2013. Were they protecting BB? All I know is, if I was selling food that was potentially getting pets sick, the product would be pulled immediately. We use a store swipe card everytime we buy product so maybe the seller would have looked up what we / everyone were buying and notified us about possible tainted food from BB? Waiting on BB to email us back so will check back later. Love my dog and it killed me seeing her vomotting every morning. Take her to a vet you say? Who can afford a vet these days? Or am I being obtuse. Happy Holidays!

[lmnordrum]

Puppy goes to the vet on Monday and I’ll ask for his opinion on her weight.

I don’t mind two or three meals; at issue is housetraining and how fast puppy will have to go outside. But that’s just part of having a puppy. (I have not had a dog in about 20 years!) So I’ll plan on 3 meals a day, measured out. For training I am planning on using low value treats like frozen peas or even pieces of kibble. The breeder uses Cheerios (which is oat and not corn.) Still on the fence about Cheerios.

I have a photo taken last week and you can see the belly but I can’t figure out how to post it within this forum. Its quite a belly though! Here’s a link to pup on my Pintrest (which is in the process of being created): http://www.pinterest.com/pin/384494886908431455/

[kms]

Just wanted to update and see if anyone has any thoughts on this. About a week ago, the vet put Augie back on anti-biotics (SMZ TMP). His diarrhea had gotton so bad that he was having it all night long. They also had him start back on Pro-Pectalin. After about 3-4 days on that (SMZ and Pro-Pect), his diarrhea got better and his stools became intermittently soft and formed – with occasional diarrhea/runny stuff. In the meantime, his stool had been sent to an outside lab. The results came back Saturday and the lab found a pathogenic bacteria called Campylobacter. They switched his anti-biotic immediately to a new one called Marbofloxacin and continued the Pro-Pectalin. He has been on that combination for 2 days and things are about the same so far. I read that Marbofloxacin is not recommended for large breed puppies under 12 months of age (can cause bone/joint abnormalities) so I called the vet. He said that this is true, but only in pets who have taken the med for longer than 14 days (his script is for 14 days). He also said it had the least side effects of all the anti-biotics that the lab recommended.

Does anyone know anything about Campylobacter and/or Marbofloxacin? Is it possible that this is what has been wrong all along?

As far as feeding, I’m still feeding NVI Rabbit, along with a theraputic dose of Mercola Probiotics (no pumkpin, no digestive enzymes, no treats other than his kibble).

[Akari_32]

Tonight she got half wellness and half etc dog food (totaling about 4-4.5 cups), some canned pro plan, her vitamins, and a hot dog. The hot dog only adds 140 calories, but it’s something, and it’s easier for her to eat than more dry food is. She pretty much inhaled it! Lol I’ve got some canned pumpkin I might aught to add tomorrow or she’ll belly-aching and grumbling at me.

I spent about 20 minutes pulling that rotisserie chicken off the bone the other night. It’s not a fun job at all!

She loves turkey backs, but I haven’t seen any lately. Any raw treats they’ve gotten in the last two months has been liver or gizzards because there are no necks and backs floating around! What are some other cheap cuts of meat I give them?

[cbgmom]

Hi Molzy,

Notice any changes with switching to a harness? May still be a little early — I hope it is helpful for Quincy. I don’t even have Casey wear a collar for his tags — they are all on his harness. The food I fed to him never irritated him, just the treats. Quincy seems to have more damage to either the trachea or esophagus (or whatever causes these unfortunate spasms). I fed him grain free kibble (alternated between Orijen, Taste of the Wild, etc) mixed with Kirkland’s premium wet. However, Casey has recently developed a series of other health concerns so I am transitioning him now to commercial raw. I am hoping to learn enough to go the homemade route but for now, that’s what I’ve been feeding. Honest Kitchen certainly seems like a very good food choice for Quincy especially considering you can make it pretty soupy if nec.

I have not found a single person whose vet was able to diagnose this condition. Casey’s first attack was at 4 months and I ran over to the vet thinking he had something stuck in his throat. She insisted (even though my gut was telling me she was wrong and I told her as much) that frantic grass eating was nausea and he likely had something stuck in his stomach, even though it couldn’t be seen in an xray. $1,100 and an overnight stay for nothing. A few days later, I was walking him and my neighbor said, “I think that collar is bothering him” and I realized that may be the cause.

I don’t have any other real hints except during vet appts., remind your vet and techs that he has some kind of real sensitivity around his trachea. Casey is feisty and they would restrain him around the head (as well as other areas), which is pretty common. One visit he was gulping for a month afterwards. Now I tell them not to hold him there.

Anyway, keep me posted with how he is doing!

[PetClubEmployee]

Hello!
Can we have some more information?
I’m a huge raw advocate so Id love to help.
Have you changed anything else?
How old is your dog? What kind of treats do you give?
Was the hills canned or dry?

[PetClubEmployee]

I searched for a similar article and couldn’t locate one.
I assume it is a common problem
My puppy does not chew, food, treats, bones, etc.
he does not scarf his food. He eats slow enough. His stomach doesn’t suck in either.
I’ve tried large kibble, small kibble, flat kibble, wet food, etc
He just doesn’t chew.
The worst part is jerky treats he tried to swallow them whole I’ve used gobble stoppers in his bowl but it’s really not a solution as he doesn’t eat fast.
Hoping someone can help

[Dutch]

But it keeps them from freezing in the winter!

[Dutch]

There are starch-free foods…such as Wysong’s Epigen. Very small kibble though. They also have Dentatreat that you can sprinkle on food and Dr. Dream treats for teeth..although the latter has been missing from their website for some time. Hopefully they didn’t discontinue them!

[Molzy]

Thanks cbgmom! I switched him to his harness as soon as I saw this post two days ago (on my phone, which is why I didn’t reply then, sorry!). What do you feed your dog for his normal food?

It’s so hard to tell what sets Quincy off. We were doing great for a few weeks (only mine episodes), and then early this week he had a particularly bad attack, throwing up multiple times one night. The Pepcid seems like it might be helping, hard to tell. Hopefully the harness will make a difference too. Poor guy hasn’t gotten treats in months now because I live in fear of setting off an attack, but I have decided to try some freeze dried beef this weekend.

My vet doesn’t take me seriously about it, since he has no other symptoms and has yet to gulp at the vets. I guess I’m thankful to not be spending my WHOLE paycheck at the vets (our other dog has had two surgeries in the past two weeks for entropion, and then again when he ripped his surgical site open), but it kills me to watch him when he starts panicking!

I’ll try the harness for now, please share any other helpful hints! I joined the Facebook group a few months ago, but I couldn’t post to it? I sent a message and the went responded, but I would love to be able to contact all the members.

[pfegan77]

I just learned that my 3 year old Sheltie is highly allergic to Brewer’s yeast. I’ve been checking all the labels on the Halo food, various nutritional supplements and treats. There are a lot of different yeast products. Do I need to be wary of any type of yeast, not just Brewer’s Yeast? Does Brewer’s Yeast go by any other name(s) which would be listed on the ingredients?

Thanks so much for your help!

[Rory]

Liver enzymes decreased for a year on vets herbal meds She has been on herbs for arthritis that worked very well. Liver Then increased and she was put on Hills l/d Not thrilled but enzymes came down a bit. Then began having gastric issues –diarrhea and gas –was diagnosed with IBS. Has been on Tylan powder for months. Finally improved when arthritis worsened and a week of Tramadol brought painful gas and diarrhea back. I took her off Tramadol (vet agreed) Exercise helps arthritis more. She is on herbs for IBS also.
She also gets big meatballs of Evangers Lamb and Rice canned twice a day to disguise herb caps. She does not love the Hills. Have to add a little of whatever. evangers other dogs get. She gets pieces Stella and Chewy freeze dried Dog Food patties as her treats. (Rabbit). I like that but a little pricey for all 7 rescues but I would do it for her but am afraid to take her off Hills She leaves some Hills on her plate in morning but will eat Evangers and Stella. Vets are just not aware of all foods and content. She is 11 lab mix.

[kwass610]

My boyfriend and I have a 4 y/o rescue yorkie-poo that is most likely from a puppy mill, and is allergic to everything. We currently have him on Natural Balance Lamb and Brown Rice food, which the vet suggested, and cyclosporine. He is doing better over the past few months that he has been on these, but not perfect – his eyes still emit a sticky, chunky discharge and he has trouble growing hair around them, and he is constantly chewing his feet and legs, often until he bleeds. Sometimes he gets a black, rough pattern on his stomach skin, which I think was ID’d by a previous vet as yeast. What more can we do? The vet he used to go to just kept giving him steroids for years, which is why we found a new vet – I want to help him, not slowly kill him. He is allergic to bluegrass, fescue grass, ragweed, lambs quarters weed, marsh elder weed, sage, russian thistle, cottonwood/aspen trees, box elder/maple trees, walnut trees, birch trees, aspergillius, penicillum, candida albicans, nigrospora, phoma (all of these are fungi), mouse epidermal, dust mites, salmon, poultry mix, eggs, milk, wheat, white potato, cotton, staph, and malassezia. This is all from an official allergy test.
We also have two larger dogs (both around 70lbs) so its tricky to feed the little guy alone. Getting food that they can all eat is important, but we can give the little one meds and topical things separate from the two bigger boys.
Any advice is welcome, I am lost and frustrated, I just want him to be comfortable. It is so hard getting him sweaters, blankets, treats, food, bedding, shampoos, medications, etc. that do not have something in them that he is allergic to! We might have to replant the yard in spring if it turns out we have a type of grass he cannot tolerate.

[kwass610]

My boyfriend and i have a 4 y/o rescue yorkie-poo dog that is most likely from a puppy mill, and is allergic to everything. We currently have him on Natural Balance Lamb and brown rice food, which the vet suggested, and cyclosporine. He is doing better over the past few months that he has been on these, but not perfect – his eyes still emit a sticky, chunky discharge and he has trouble growing hair around them, and he is constantly chewing his feet and legs, often until he bleeds. Sometimes he gets a black, rough pattern on his stomach skin, which I think was ID’d by a previous vet as yeast. What more can we do? The vet he used to go to just kept giving him steroids for years, which is why we found a new vet – I want to help him, not slowly kill him. He is allergic to: bluegrass, fescue grass, ragweed, lambs quarters weed, marsh elder weed, sage, russian thistle, cottonwood/aspen trees, box elder/maple trees, walnut trees, birch trees, aspergillius, penicillum, candida albicans, nigrospora, phoma (all of these are fungi), mouse epidermal, dust mites, salmon, poultry mix, eggs, milk, wheat, white potato, cotton, staph, and malassezia. This is all from an official allergy test.
We also have two larger dogs (both around 70lbs) so its tricky to feed the little guy alone. Getting food that they can all eat is important, but we can give the little one meds and topical things separate from the two bigger boys.
Any advice is welcome, I am lost and frustrated, I just want him to be comfortable. It is so hard getting him sweaters, blankets, treats, food, bedding, shampoos, medications, etc. that do not have something in them that he is allergic to! We might have to replant the yard in spring if it turns out we have a type of grass he cannot tolerate.

[cbgmom]

My dog has had bouts of this too… frantically trying to get outside to eat grass until he threw up… gulping, bobbing, licking. First I found that it was primarily due to his collar. I removed it entirely and only use a harness. I know you said that you use a harness or gentle leader for walking but he wears a collar outside. Why don’t you try switching to a harness all of the time and see if you have any improvement? We have a cord (2 connected actually– you can get at home depot) that we have around a tree and connect it to his chest harness. That had the symptoms improve tremendously. It can also occur when he eats certain harder treats. I only give him soft chew treats and bully sticks now. The bully sticks don’t bother him. When he has an episode (which is very rare now), I give him a Pepcid once or twice a day with his food (for acid which can also irritate his trachea). My dog is about 45 pds so one tablet is his dose. Some dogs have very sensitive tracheas. If he had any damage to that area (choke collars, mean owners who pull by collar) or any hereditary condition, that may add to the problem. There is actually a Facebook page for Gulping Dogs! Not that much information, but you are not alone! Good luck!

[Mom2Cavs]

I don’t know if this helps but my Petsmart carries Zuke’s, Fruitables, Wet Noses, Newman’s Own, Wellness treats, Castor & Pollux, and their brand Simply Nourish. These are all treats I have used at various times with success. Some have grain frees available, as well as chews, soft and biscuits. Petco carries Wellness, Zuke’s, Fruitables, some Wet Noses, Instinct biscuits and freeze dried, Nutrisca freeze dried. These are the ones I can think of off the top of my head, they may carry more good ones than I’ve listed. I’ve actually cut out most treats and just use kibble for treats primarily. When I do give a treat….if it’s a biscuit they get Wellness grain free lamb or Fruitables biscuits. I like Wet Noses, too. If it’s a soft treat I use Pure Meat or Wellness Pure Rewards or Fruitables. I use to use Zuke’s quite a lot, but for some reason went over to Fruitables more. For chews they mostly get The Honest Kitchen Beams (dried fish skins).

• This reply was modified 12 years ago by Mom2Cavs.

[FreeholdHound]

Treats my boy does well with widely available: Cloud Star Buddy Biscuits (peanut butter is his favorite) & Old Mother Hubbard. He also loves the Halo dental chews in either pumpkin or banana. Most treats are just too small in size & I get the WTH look. Zukes didn’t agree with him at all. I fill his Kongs with the scraps at the bottom of the treat canister frozen with peanut butter or yogurt & sometimes left over banana.

He’s eating Natures Logic Beef right now & just finished a bag of Earthborn Holistic GPF. He has quite a few things I have to avoid, but these 2 foods have been a blessing along with some raw.

[Gizzy]

People please be aware that dog treats Made in China are killing dogs.

PLEASE DO NOT BUY ANY CHEWMASTERS (CELEBRITY PRODUCTS INC.) TREATS FOR YOUR DOGS.

I bought Chewmasters Chicken Fillets for my dogs, the company REMOVED the Made in China from their packaging as a way of tricking people into buying their products thinking they are safe, they are NOT safe. This product KILLED my 7 year old health shih Tzu Gizzy on November 22 of this year. She went into full kidney failure within 2 months of having this product. Please if you love your pets don’t buy them anything made in China, and don’t buy Chewmasters because they are Made in China, the company just doesn’t tell you that. Over 3,600 dogs have become sick and or died from these treats!!

[dogspotindia]

If you are searching in India than I suggest you to try a online pet store named dogspot.in and the link of treat section is “http://www.dogspot.in/treats-food/”. I think it will help you.

[nationalguard88]

Hey thanks guys. Patty, I agree with the peanut butter, as I did in the past. Wasn’t sure about their other treats.(your reviews have been a big help with my choosing dog foods, thanks.)
Ohbichon, thanks again for the local location help, and I agree with her being more involved in making treats herself. I use venison I harvest myself for meat in treats. All natural the way it should be. Only downside would be the pesticides the farmers use, but I eat it, and dogs love it. Anyone have their own recipes for treats they’d like to share, be glad to hear. Or direct me to another forum area about it, appreciated. Ill defininately check out zukes and the others mentioned as well. Thanks again for your politeness and help. So glad I found this site 🙂 truly knowledgable people that care for their babies as I do! My vet gave me a complimentary bag of large breed puppy science diet, went in the garbage. Also vet tech tried to give my baby a treat for being good, I took it from her politely and put in the trash when she left. Know one feeds my baby anything but me or my fiancé. I don’t know what’s in that stuff?

[OhBichonPlease]

I just checked the Petsmart website, since most posters seem to have access.. they apparently offer Castor & Pollux ORGANIX Dog Cookies in stores only. From what I understand from browsing this site, this is a reputable company with quality products. Newman’s Own also make dog treats that should be pretty easy to find, considering how popular the brand is. Old Mother Hubbard’s biscuits are USA made and that is a Wellpet brand – they have consistently high product ratings on this site.
My girl is currently going crazy for Zuke’s peanut butter and blueberry mini-bites. They are small and crunchy, easy to break in half without being messy, and pretty healthy. I prefer to feed vegetarian store-bought treats for primarily hygienic reasons, although I do like limiting meat sources I’m not 100% sure about.

nationalguard88, you may want to encourage your fiance to bake some of her own treats for the dog! A good way to bond and feel included and ensure healthy, safe ingredients.

[nationalguard88]

I live in Owensboro Ky. Only pet stores locally are petsmart, pet food center, and an E&L pets. I just want to be able to shop locally for a no wheat, soy, corn, by product, or ingredients sourced in china dog treats. Was curious about zukes or kong treats. Use kong toys, but never hear anything about the treats themselves. Just because it says made in USA, doesn’t mean the ingredients are safe or from china. Something local my lady can buy, so I’m not doing it all online??? Thanks for the brands, I’ll look them up.

[A.Sandy]

Hello,
My name is Ana I am the owner of a small pet nutrition consulting business called Pupcat Nutrition Consulting I am a pet nutrition expert/advisor. Dogs with pancreatitis have very fragile immune systems, avoid high protein and high fat diets, feed small frequent meals through out the day, and less or no processed diets and avoid dry foods and rotation. The next thing PLEASE STOP feeding science diet it’s killing your dog! Here are some suggestions: lean meats,(bison,chicken,turkey) low fat treats, try senior formulas they have less fat and less protein. Here are some awesome brands that will transform your pup forever!! ok , your best bet would be dehydrated raw, I recommend Honest kitchen preference or all except thrive mix with canned for extra moisture and flavor try senior formula canned like merrick , and natural balance(try to stick with 4% fat or less) avoid grocery store pet foods. and it would be beneficial to add a probiotic/prebiotic to aid digestion, like PROZYMES is a really good one I like. and remember there is a transition period when switching foods (7-10 days) for more info on honest kitchen go to thehonestkitchen.com and for more real nutrition facts follow me on twitter @pupcatfacts and on facebook or at pupcatnutrition.com
good luck!!

-Ana

[Angeldogs]

Yep….have one big guy here that is allergic to peas, white potatoes, venison, chicken and turkey. Confirmed by allergy tests by Spectrum Labs, which I highly recommend if you are struggling with food issues and skin rashes.

You’d think that I’d have an easy time of finding him a kibble? Nope. I have been doing ingredients research on every brand of food that is relatively easy to find…..shocking! Just because it states sweet potatoes……well, I keep finding potato gluten or white potatoes on the same list of ingredients. Or LID foods that list lamb or beef as the protein source with chicken fat in them.

So far, after two days of reading ingredients on websites, I found ONE kibble: Canine Caviar Lamb and Pearl Millet.

I’m currently feeding him raw ground beef mixed with Sojos Grain Free, and being careful about treats, which are mostly raw beef bone treats.

Really frustrating that the names of the food indicate limited ingredients, but they are NOT.

[OhBichonPlease]

I have bought and used The Honest Kitchen Pro Bloom Goat’s Milk for Dogs & Cats for a picky eater who recently went through some digestive issues. It seems like a great product that should be gentle and beneficial to your dog.

“Pro Bloom is a shelf-stable instant goat’s milk with digestive enzymes & probiotics. Pro Bloom is The Honest Kitchen’s very own formulation of natural goat’s milk plus probiotics and digestive enzymes, designed to nourish and nurture cats and dogs. It’s ideal for growing puppies and general immune support at the gut level. Simply mix one packet with one cup of warm water. Serve alone as a nourishing drink, pour on kibble for added moisture, or use to hydrate Honest Kitchen food. Pro Bloom is human-grade and made in the USA from pasture-raised, free-ranging goat’s milk in the Pacific Northwest. It’s naturally free of pesticides, herbicides, growth hormones and antibiotics. Ingredients: Dehydrated goat’s milk, dried aspergillus oryzae fermentation product, dried candida rugosa fermentation product, dried trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation product, dried pineapple fermentation product; dried lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried lactobacillus brevis fermentation product, dried bifidobacterium longum fermentation product, dried streptococcus thermophiles fermentation product”

There are multiple servings in each packet depending on the weight of your animal [can be used for kittens, puppies, cats and dogs]. Only a dog 71lbs+ would get the whole cup of reconstituted milk that each packet can make in a serving.

It reconstitutes nicely, although I just used it to rehydrate some freeze-dried food.
As long as your dog can handle dairy, this is convenient product to have on hand to encourage good gut health and hydration.

You may also want to try kefir instead of yogurt. It has more probiotics. You can mix it with the canned pumpkin and try freezing it for for treats.

[I used to make my own yogurt at home, easy-peasy, with dried milk powder, yogurt and kefir. I would be interested in trying to similarly make a “dog yogurt” with the Pro Bloom product. I don’t know if it would work, but it would be a nice treat.]

[A.Sandy]

Propylene glycol, found in body washes, hair gels, shampoos, hair sprays and one of the main ingredients in antifreeze and also found in… some of your dog’s favorite treats! They say propylene glycol is safe to use in food products but the reality is it’s not. This is what I call a silent killer. It is not “dangerous” if ingested in small quantities but it will get accumulated in the system over time and can be extremely toxic and even deadly, only if ingested, that’s why it’s included in our beauty products that we use externally. If it has killed humans that have consumed it, now imagine what it can do in dogs and cats over time? follow extended comments in facebook and follow us on twitter @pupcatfacts for more info