[soho]

Hi Everyone,

Late last year when I was developing my Jerky Treats I also looked into making a high quality, high protein cookie type of treat for dogs. Chicken Meal came to mind as an ingredient worth looking into. It is a concentrated protein and I wanted my product to be at least 60% protein. I want to thank Richard Darlington from Brother’s pet foods for having the courage to disclose that Tyson Animal Nutrition is the source for the Chicken Meal that Brother’s uses!

In October, 2012 I contacted Tyson Animal Nutrition to get information on their Chicken Meal. Here is what I found out:

It takes approximately 4 pounds of Chicken to make 1 pound of Chicken Meal.

Chicken meal ingredients:
Chicken Meal = legs, frames, backs, necks and skin.

Quality:
Human grade, USDA inspected chicken.

Processing:
Ground, cooked, fat and solids separated, most of the fat removed, dried, pressed to remove even more fat and preserved with Naturox.

Cost:
44 cents a pound per ton.

My conclusion:
I was shocked. 44 cents a pound for a product that contains 4 pounds of fresh chicken, plus it is ground, cooked, separated, pressed and preserved and it only costs 44 cents a pound.

The cost of the chicken and the processing used to make this product:
I took the 44 cents per pound and divided it in half. I figured about 22 cents a pound for processing and 22 cents a pound for the cost of the chicken.

Since it takes 4 pounds of chicken to make 1 pound of chicken meal this means that each pound of fresh chicken used to make this meal cost under 6 cents a pound for the chicken and under 6 cents a pound to process that chicken.

I will NOT be using Tyson’s Chicken Meal in any of my products.

[soho]

Hi Bernice,

I make jerky treats for dogs and cats and they have less than 100 milligrams of salt per ounce. Please check them out if you’d like.

/forums/topic/homemade-chicken-and-fish-jerky/

[DieselJunki]

My brothers dog chipped her tooth on a nylabone. I wouldn’t give them to my dog ever. But like HDM says they can choke on anything.

I give bully sticks, pigs ears, and the Mercola dental sticks for puppies and senior dogs (makes his breath smell good and it isn’t made of plastic like those nylabones are or whatever junk material they are made of, sorry but I really do dislike them). However my dog is a gulper and hardly chews anything once it’s small enough to fit in his mouth so he must be supervised at all times with his chews. When they get to small I take them and toss them away.

My puppy gets bored with his chews so I try to change it up and find new things to feed. When I first gave him the Mercola dental sticks he chewed until it was time to take it away. But his interest in them faded as time went on. Same with the bully stick, he chewed on the ends of it for awhile then got bored with it. Pigs ears got boring too because he’ll chew for a bit then leave it be.

[BeachBumBernice]

My dog’s latest checkup showed her sodium levels were elevated which the vet said could lead to kidney problems. We currently feed her Origen. Does anyone know of a high quality low sodium dog food and/or treats?

[theBCnut]

I gave my GSDs the biggest ones because they can chew apart anything, but the one he choked on was probably defective because he used to have a thing about throwing it in the air and dropping it. I think it cracked and that was the only reason he could get a big enough piece off. It was a pretty frightning experience, fortunately by the time that happenedI had already been working emergencies at my vet hosp. for years, so I didn’t panic, I just did what I had to do.

[Anonymous]

Sorry to hear about that Pattyvaughn. I feed mine the tiniest ones they offer.

[theBCnut]

Funny that you mention Nylabones. That is the only thing my dogs have ever choked on. One of my GSDs bit off a chunk and before I could get it away, he swallowed it and began to choke. He couldn’t get it back up and he passed out. At that time, I literally reached down his throat and dislodged it. He couldn’t eat for a couple days after that due to a raw throat, but after that he was fine. He was never allowed another nylabone.

[Anonymous]

Maybe your dog is different Hound Dog Mom, than with a Yorkshire Terrier. Because I’ve had issues that resulted in seeing the Vet for bloody stools and they have related it to the food and treats I was feeding him.

[Anonymous]

Nylabones are a safe treat for dogs that are heavy chewers.

[Mom2Cavs]

I’ve found a great chew that my dogs love! They are small dogs so I buy the smaller size but the treats are made in a larger size, as well. These treats are The Honest Kitchen Beams….dried catfish skins! Even Lucy, who generally hates all chews and most treats, loves these!

[Hound Dog Mom]

A dog can choke on anything. A toy, a stick in the yard, etc. They need to be supervised when eating chews, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have them. I don’t feed rawhide, but I feed bully sticks, dried trachea chews, pig ears, etc. on a regular basis and I have never had a dog choke.

[Anonymous]

If your feeding him/her different treats all the time, that could upset his intestines. Or if your switching dog food too often and too many, that could upset him also. Or if he wanders outdoors and a neighbor is giving him stuff, then that could upset his intestines. Worse scenario could be that he has Parvo.

[Anonymous]

You shouldn’t give your dog any type of rawhide, bully sticks, pig ears, etc because they could choke on them.

[Anonymous]

There has been a recall on so many treats, that it is a good thought to make your own treats. That is what I’m thinking of doing. Your recipes sounds yummy~!

[Anonymous]

You didn’t say what food & treats you were feeding. So many health problems are food/treat related.
My Shih Tzu had pancreatitis at 12 yrs. Plus terrible allergies with both my dogs & getting steroids. I started studying dog nutrition. I decided to try Blue Buffalo as this was the only company to write back out of 3 others I contacted.
Within 3 weeks all allergy related problems started going away. in 2 mo. the pancreatitis was GONE and she has never had another bout. She is now 15 1/2 and the boss of the house. no steroid shots or pills for over 3 yrs.
Hound Dog Mom is very knowledgeable so you might also ask her.

[Anonymous]

Please be careful with supplements as some food and treats have glucosamine, chondroitin, hydraulic acid. Sometimes more is not better and overdoing could have a negative effect.

[YorkieLuvr]

Our Yorkie has gained weight as have her guardians. To help her we turned to
your “Dog Food Calculator” and found “Step 3” to be inaccurate according to our
family’s life style.

We give her three “very small treats” every day and suddenly realized…they
actually amount to an additional 40 calories every day. Not that bad for us
180 pound humans but they become an additional 12.5% to her daily 316
calorie requirement.

It would be advisable for you to adjust your calculator to at least encourage your
users to include the “sneaky” calories of all treats.

YorkieLuvr

[panda]

I want to thank everyone for their kind advice. It has been a month since my last post. Bailey is doing nicely, his paw licking has stopped, his d is gone, he is totally normal. A side effect is that his coat has improved.

He’s on Nat Bal sweet potato and fish kibble and treats. We give him 1/3 of a carrot 3 times a day and 6 to nine small treats per day. Last Saturday he had salmon skins. That’s been it.

Thank you all very much,

Paul

[NectarMom]

I feed Brothers Allergy Formula and my largest Chihuahua was 17.5 lbs and she has lost 6.5lbs in the last 3 months we have been on Brothers. She still needs to loose a few more pounds and I feel very confident if I keep feeding her the recommended amount then she will loose the rest in no time. I don’t mind getting my dogs food shipped to me since they all seem to be doing well on this brand. The only thing is since the ingredient change with adding Menhaden Fish my dogs don’t eat their food as well so I am hoping by the time I order another bag that they will have changed the Formula back to the original ingredients. But I am grateful that my one with intestinal allergies has not had any issues since we switched off of Acana onto Brothers Allergy Formula. We are still having detox issues though , all 4 of my dogs are still licking their feet and scratching like mad but I am hopeful that this will pass once we are on Brothers for approx 6 mos. I am also adding Mercola Enzymes and Probiotics on their food and that is all they get. No treats or anything else

[sp464]

I have an 8 old Great Dane who refuses to eat unless there’s lots of special treats in it – chicken breast, peanut butter, treats, etc. She’s on the skinnier side of healthy, getting too close to underweight for my taste and her refusal to eat is not helping! We use a glucosamine joint powder that mixes with water, so if she doesn’t eat her food within 20 minutes, it becomes soggy cereal. I’ve tried giving her dry kibble and using the joint powder separately and she still won’t eat the kibble unless she’s starving. She never says no to treats and will walk around sniffing things like she’s hungry but really waits for desperation to set in before she goes for the bowl.

I had her on Canidae, as that’s what she was fed in foster care (I’ve only had her 4 months) and she was fine, though never food motivated. She was also fine staying with my sister for a few weeks. In both places, she had another dog who would gladly eat her food if she left it so I think competition played a big role there.

I recently switched her to Taste of the Wild, as I thought the different flavors might be enticing and I’ve tried two different TOTW flavors but she’s had the same reaction as with Canidae.

Any suggestions of other foods in a similar price range to try? Apart from joint stiffness, she’s got no health issues or allergies that I’m aware of. I’m going crazy trying to please this stubborn old lady!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Didn’t notice where there was a topic area for people to post recipes, I think there should be one. I used to bake for my dogs all the time, but since I switched to homemade raw that started occupying a lot of my time and I’ve mostly been buying treats for the dogs. Since it was Valentine’s Day today, however, I decided to do something special for the dogs and made them some homemade healthy cookies. 🙂

Ingredients:
-2 C. Sprouted Wheat Flour (I used Arrowhead Mills)
-1 C. Organic Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
-1 Organic Cage-Free Egg
-1/2 C. Organic Pumpkin Seed Butter (I used Jarrow Formulas – can substitute Peanut Butter)
-1 tsp. Vanilla
-1/2 C. Water

Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients. Roll into small balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten the balls slightly. Bake 18-22 minutes or until edges start to brown.

[BryanV21]

I’m late to the party, but when I have dogs with bad allergies I recommend Primal treats. They have nothing but meat in them, and come in a few varieties including venison.

[Mom2Cavs]

Hi all. I’ve been feeding Merrick’s new grain free kibble (and one bag of their Small Breed) since right before Christmas. I’ve also been using their small breed canned food as a topper (of course, along with other brands). I’ve fed two bags of the Chicken, one bag of Buffalo, one bag of Pork. It was going great, even better than when they were on Fromm, until this second bag of Pork that was just added last week (the first bag of Pork was a different lot #). I’ve been buying the small bags, except right before this “episode” I did buy a large bag of the Duck which they haven’t had yet. Anyway, I dumped the new bag of Pork in with the other bag that was already in the bin. I didn’t check it closely because I was getting ready to go out of town. My daughter would be the one to feed them while I was gone. She helps me sometimes and knows what to do. The evening meal before I left I fed them. I didn’t feed the next morning meal but did notice that someone had some weird looking stool when they went out first thing in the morn. It had some formed and the rest was runny. It was also a weird color…..dark green or dark grayish to almost black. I didn’t see which one did it. My immediate thought was that Hazel was stressing because I was leaving, as she is my “stressy” dog. I told my daughter to go ahead and feed but no treats and to watch them and call me. I would be back in 3-4 days. Well…this went on for all the time I was gone! No one acted sick, though, and they had no accidents in the house (thank goodness!). When I got back I immediately checked everything out. I started inspecting the kibble and noticed something odd. This new bag of Pork had some pieces that were longer, thinner, way darker and looked very dense throughout the bag. It looked like maybe the extruder had an issue. I immediately took them off this food, of course, and started chicken and rice. Everything was fine. All dogs actually had this bad stool, not just one, and all dogs went back to somewhat fine (still getting there) afterward. I’m switching off Merrick now. I will say this is the first time I’ve had firsthand experience with a food having something “off” in it and I’m not happy. I called Merrick with the lot number and they, of course, weren’t much help. They said no one else has had a problem or contacted them with anything and that they would send me a coupon. I told them I had been very happy with Merrick until this and I didn’t want a coupon because I wasn’t going to take a chance on poor quality control with them again. I may go back to Fromm, but right now I’m going to give Acana’s Single line a chance. I’m phasing in their Lamb and Apple currently. The dogs love it (using it as treats now and putting a few kibble in their chicken/rice mix). I’m just so disappointed. I am going to take the Duck bag back. I had a little of the small Chicken bag left and looked in it to see if the dark pieces were there and they were not. I just don’t want to take a chance with Merrick again, even though they did fine until now. I’ll keep you guys posted. Sorry this is so long, but I needed to rant and wanted to alert others to this possibility. 🙁

[Melissaandcrew]

Home made dehydrated meats for treats here, kibble, Nutrisource biscuits and depending on what we are doing, I have also used freeze dried broken into small pieces : )

[Mom2Cavs]

I use a few different treats for mine. I like Zuke’s and they do have some grain free ones now. I pinch them up so they’re smaller for training. I like Vital Essentials bites (they’re tripe, I think) for mine. If I use biscuits I will go for Nature’s Variety Instinct or Darford…sometimes Fromm grain free. I also like to use freeze dried chicken pieces. Sometimes I just give them their kibble for a treat lol. The Cavs are treat monsters! They also love THK Beams (dried catfish skins)! They are not great chewers, but love the Beams and also lamb ears.

[pugmomsandy]

JessicainNYC,

Wagatha’s biscuits are organic but not grain free. And I believe Grandma Lucy’s has organic treats as well.

[L0v3lyf55]

@JessicainNYC, We were just introduced to them by a friend of ours and our dog loves them. She has been extra good trying to get more than she should she loves them so much! I love that they don’t upset her tummy at all!

I have tried most natural or organic brands for her but she likes the taste of these the best and like I said, no tummy problems!

[JessicainNYC]

We just started using Charlie Chews. These are an organic based treat and in all honesty was not sure if my Sammy would like them or not. But, wow he actually follows me around the house for them lol. These are by far my favorite treat so far.

You may want to check them out. http://www.charliechews.com

What other brands of organic treats have you guys tried and had some success with?

[stampede334]

I also have a yellow lab puppy that hubby and I rescued couple months ago….talk about major diarrhea!! Keep in mind that he had Parvo and survived. Found out that the puppy food I was feeding him at the time contained, potatoes, sweet potatoes, barley, rye flour so that being said….I switched to Earthborn and I also give him pumpkin as well. I also give him nzymes antioxidant treats as well and his stool is almost back to normal. It will take couple more weeks since I just switched last week! He is much happier puppy! Tina…I had to chuckled at your comment about spending too much time looking at stool…..I did the same thing!!

[3 dogs]

Any word on Rachael Rays Soup Bone or Savory Bites? I cannot get company to respond to my inquiry of type of glycerin used

• This topic was modified 13 years, 3 months ago by 3 dogs. Reason: misspell

[Hound Dog Mom]

I wouldn’t consider a bully stick to be a high calorie treat – at least not for an active dog. My dogs each eat about 2,500 calories per day each and they all get either a bully stick, dried trachea chew or pig ear before bed. I estimate their chew treat to be around 200 calories – this accounts for only 8% of their daily caloric intake. Obviously the owner of a small breed or couch potato dog would have to be more conscientious – but this goes for any treats and meals too. I believe that natural chews, such as bully sticks, are – aside from raw meaty bones – the most species-appropriate chew for dogs. Chewing is healthy for dogs – it helps to clean their teeth and to stimulate them mentally by satisfying their natural urge to chew. Feeding a natural type chew is much healthier – imo – than any of those junk food chews on the market like Greenies, Dentastix and Busy Bones that are loaded with carbohydrates and often contain gluten, corn, gmos, sugar, propylene glycol, artificial colorings, etc. etc.

As far as natural treats being contaminated with bacteria like salmonella – this is old news. It’s been known for years and years that natural treats often are contaminated with bacteria. Does the fact that a bully stick may be contaminated with salmonella pose a risk to your pet’s health? I don’t think so and history supports that it isn’t a risk.

Excerpt from: “The Human Health Implications of Salmonella-Contaminated Natural Pet Treats and Raw Pet Food” [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16447116]

“To date there have been no published reports of salmonellosis occurring in dogs as a result of exposure to natural pet treats.”

Just as a healthy dog should be able to handle the bacteria present in raw meat, a healthy dog should be able to handle the bacteria that may or may not be present on a natural chew. Every dog I’ve ever owned (even as a kid) ate natural chews regularly and my current dogs have been on a raw meat diet for over a year and a half – I’ve never had a dog get sick and . People just need to use common sense here. If you have a small and/or inactive dog – limit their chews to once or twice a week. Don’t give an immune-compromised dog a natural treat (or raw meat) as their immune system ay be too weak to handle the bacteria. Know that your treat came from a reputable manufacturer. Always wash your hands after handling natural pet treats and disinfect any surfaces that they touch.

[shelties mom]

http://www.ibtimes.com/bully-sticks-dog-treats-are-rich-calories-can-harbor-bacteria-1044084

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi dave and AngieH –

The difficult thing with colitis is that it can have many different causes and it can be acute or chronic. Dietary changes often can help ease the symptoms of colitis. Most dogs with colitis respond well to increased levels of dietary fiber and/or a hypoallergenic diet. Many dogs with colitis also seem to better tolerate foods that are lower in fat. When trying a new food make sure that you don’t feed anything else to your dog during the trial period (no treats!) and give the diet three to six weeks to see if there is improvement (remember, the improvement won’t be immediate and in some cases your dog’s diarrhea can even worsen in the initial stages of the switch as the dog is becoming accustomed to the new food).

For increasing the fiber level, rather then looking specifically for a high-fiber food, I would recommend just adding some canned pumpkin or psyllium to a high quality food. Both are high in fiber and will increase the overall fiber content of the food being fed.

For choosing a hypoallergenic diet you want to pick a food that has a protein source and carbohydrate source (if applicable) that your dog has never been exposed to. Making a homemade food is a great option here.

Two supplements I would definitely start immediately
1. Probiotics – these will help replenish the good bacteria in the dog’s digestive tract and keep pathenogenic bacteria in check.
2. Digestive Enzymes – These will give the dog a boost in digesting their food so the dog’s already stressed digestive system doesn’t have to work as hard at producing its own enzymes.

Some other supplements you may want to try that have proved successful for some dogs suffering from colitis:
1. L-glutamine – An amino acid that helps to repair the mucosal lining of the digestive tract.
2. Slippery Elm – An herb that helps to sooth the digestive tract and relieve inflammation.

I think in the case of colitis, that a high quality home-prepared diet would be best and most easily customizable to the dog’s individual needs. However, here are some commercial foods that are hypo-allergenic and lower in fat that may be worth considering:
1. The Honest Kitchen’s Zeal – Dehydrated, fish-based food, 9% fat on a dry-matter basis.
2. Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance Rabbit – Freeze-dried food, 15% fat on a dry-matter basis.
3. Nature’s Variety Instinct – Limited Ingredient dry foods are all under 20% fat on a dry-matter basis and include a turkey, duck and lamb variety.
4. Addiction’s Dry Foods – salmon-based, venison-based and lamb-based options, all around 13% fat on a dry-matter basis.
5. Addiction Dehydrated Foods – brush-tail, kangaroo, venison, lamb offerings, all around 9% fat on a dry-matter basis.
6. Addiction Canned Foods – brushtail, venison and salmon are only 10% fat on a dry-matter basis.
7. Great Life – Dry foods Buffalo Rx and Duck Rx are both 13% fat on a dry-matter basis.
8. Tiki Dog – canned food with some low fat hypoallergenic options.
9. California Natural Grain-Free – kangaroo, salmon, lamb and venison options, all 13% fat or less on a dry-matter basis.

*Some of the foods I recommended are a little low in protein for my taste, unfortunately when feeding a commercial food most of the foods that are lower in fat and that contain a novel protein also contain less overall meat and thus less protein – this is why I think homemade is the best option. If you are feeding one of the lower protein dehydrated or kibbled foods I’d highly recommend adding one of the recommended canned foods to boost the overall protein content. Also, this is not an exhaustive list – check out the foods Dr. Mike has reviewed on DFA and you’ll likely be able to find more – these are just some brands that first came to mind.

Good luck!

[InkedMarie]

She is such a food hound, I sort of forgot about that with shelties LOL. I have to be careful how many treats I give her. We picked up some Buddy Biscuits soft chews. I’m afraid to give her something crunchy, I don’t know if she’ll gum it or swallow it whole.

[pugmomsandy]

Maybe you can give her a couple pieces of the Vital Essentials freeze dried nibblets as treats. They’re small enough that she would probably swallow them. When I give it to my dogs, they have little nibblet sized poops! Even the Stella and Chewy’s Carnivore Crunch might work as well since they both have ground bone.

[Anonymous]

thank you for the input! My pom did not get sick from her food. One incident I think was too many rawhides at a friends house and another was frosty paws treats. So I am VERY careful now what I feed her.

I think I’ve chosen to go with the Acana brand. They have a high rating and I like what they have to say about the source of their ingredients. But no one in my area carries the small breed or light and trim choice. I bought a bag of the grasslands variety and will slowly work it into her diet. She seemed to like the Acana last night. She picked out the few pieces that were in her bowl and ate those first!

I’m eager to see if there are improvements in her weight and energy!!

[dianne1089]

I want to start making my own dog treats, but most of the recipes I see don’t seem very nutritious.

Anybody with great recipes out there? I’m looking for one that can be done with fruit or vegetables

[pugmomsandy]

We just started Vital Essentials freeze dried nibbles. We use it as treats. They love it but honestly, I don’t think there’s anything a pug would refuse!

[kbobrow]

My dog loves these so I buy them for him sometimes. I purchased a bag of the bacon/cheese flavor and my husband noticed a fiber, like a paint brush bristle stick out of one of the treats. Very sharp very sturdy. I got to looking in the bag and most of the treats had several of these fibers sticking out of them. Very sharp and so sturdy we had to pull them out with tweezers. I sent Pedigree and email and then sent me back an email telling me I need to contact them during their 8 to 5 business hours. Well I work so that is kinda hard for me. One would think since I’m the customer with their bad product they could find time to contact me. That’s customer service for you nowday. Anyway please be aware if you buy any of these treats. I won’t be purchasing anymore.

[nicci10681]

I LOVE this company! I feed my 2 Dachshunds the Chicken Artisan, they love it and I feel good knowing that they are getting some of the best food out there. I’ve also tried several of the treats, the lil bear cookies in several flavors, and the dogs love them, I’ve even tried them myself and they are quite yummy!! lol. I really love that I can read and know every ingredient in them! Everything is human grade. I’ve worked in the pet industry for over 13 years (grooming and obedience training) and I’ve really taken to educating myself on dog nutrition, it’s a passion of mine, if for no other reason than because I want the very best for my babies, no matter the cost! I’ve been through so many foods, but have time and again been disappointed when they were bought out by a bigger company and lowered their quality standards. I can only pray that this doesn’t happen to Grandma Lucy’s and that they stay true to who they are and what they do! I would HIGHLY recommend their food!!

[ami]

I bought a large bag of these treats as i have bought this product many times before but decided to buy the large bag as i know the product and felt confident. But when i started pulling out the freeze dried liver treats most of them looked really different. Normally the treats look like smooth cardboard, in this bag there were some chunks that looked as if they were diseased livers. They had various sized whiteish and other discoloured spots through them. This to me looked like it was ‘Fatty Liver’ which is a disease. If you look up a google image for fatty liver you will be disgusted at what you find.

I want to know if anyone else has seen weird looking freeze dried liver treats. I won’t feed them to my dog and I am going to bring some of these abnormal looking treats in to my vet to take a look at. I will be really upset if there is a problem with them as i thought i was safe buying my dog’s treats made in the Canada or the U.S..

I will post again when i hear back from the vet.
Tnx,
ami

[sisu]

I have a 7 year old who is a spinal walking paraplegic. He has no feeling from the waist down. He can walk due to muscle memory which 10-15% of dogs maintain. There is limited bladder and bowel control. Although the conditions are different our goals in waste management may be the same.

Grain inclusive foods result in big fluffy poop. Grain free with the highest meat content and lowest carbs give the best results when feeding kibble. With a balanced raw diet there is barely any waste. Therefore, the poop is very small, ring finger to little finger size. If Prey Model Raw (PMR) is not an option consider premade raw with the highest meat content. After 5 years of trial and error I have found that EVO Herring and Salmon kibble works very well. As almost a contradiction to my high meat, low carb, low fiber rule Blue Buffalo Wilderness Salmon also results in small size poop. I suspect it may be due to the digestibility of the menhaden fish meal. Of the two brands EVO poop is smaller. Some companies will send free samples. Use the contact link on their websites to make the request.

I feed as close to 6 am and 6 pm as possible. There are very few treats given. Rewards are enthusiastic chin scratches and lots of happy, verbal praise. By restricting the frequency of food going in I can predict that poop will happen an hour to and hour and a half after each meal. Exercise will cause him to poop sooner rather than later. Anal stimulation either by lightly touching around the outside of the anus or using a KY jelly lubricated thermometer inserted into the rectum with some slight movement will cause him to poop a couple of hours sooner than expected. Although I have rarely used either of these methods they are useful for getting things back on schedule. If used frequently poop on demand becomes the schedule rather than allowing his natural digestion to establish a schedule.

Below is a list of meat protein in various brands of kibble that I have collected from the ‘net. I have not fed these brands. Although I trust the sources of the information I cannot guarantee it.

Dr. Tim’s Momentum 35/25, 96%
Native Level 4, 35/25, 93%
Diamond Extreme Athlete, 93%
Inukshuk 32/32, 95%
Annamet should be 90+%. Specific amt. is not known.
Orijen 82%
Horizon Legacy 80%
Instinct 70%.
Merrick grain free 70%

I am unsure if the constant leg movement your boy has are muscle spasms. If so, daily muscle massage of the legs and along the spine similar to Tellington Touch, gentle repetitive bicycle movement, and flexing the leg joints and toes may help. All is done slowly. Stop if there is a spasm. Resume when the muscles relax. After 2 years of daily massage/flexing therapy Connor has no spasms.

If your dog is being treated by a general vet I would suggest a visit to a veterinary neurologist or neurosurgeon. Not for surgery but to evaluate and treat the current condition. For example, there is medication that can help with muscle spasms. Also, if it is in the budget, professional physical therapy can help with lingering issues. If the carts were not professionally fitted a neurologist or physical therapist may be able to resolve the current problems.

If interested in raw feeding:
http://preymodelraw.com/how-to-get-started/
http://puppybutt.weebly.com/uploads/7/6/9/2/7692088/beginners_guide_to_prey_model_raw_rv.4.1.pdf

The Paralysis: Neurological and IVDD forum is very helpful and informative.
http://www.handicappedpet.net/helppets/

I hope some of this helps.

[SuZee]

Thanks, HDM – I’ll check out the websites!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi SuZee –

For chew treats I give my dogs dried tracheas, bully sticks and pig ears. I have never had an issue with any of these – they’re natural treats and species-appropriate, unlike a lot of those “dental chew” type treats you get at the store loaded with carbs, colorings and preservatives. I order from bestbullysticks.com and happydogplace.com – both these sites carry high quality, trustworthy products.

[SuZee]

I am getting a Golden Doodle puppy in five weeks, haven’t had a puppy for many years. I really want to do everything right with this dog; I have read that some commercial treats are treated with arsenic, others cannot be digested and cause blockages, etc. There are so many stories and I can’t separate fact from fiction. While I appreciate the various beliefs set forth on this forum, I am not averse to using commercially prepared treats if they are ok for my pup. That being said, how can I know what treats I can give her? Chew sticks? Any help would be appreciated!

[mbigdogs]

Hi Everyone
I guess I don’t have to mention that two dogs over 200 pounds can eat a significant amount of food. I want to buy them the best food I can afford and still pay my mortgage 🙂 The bull mastiff is under a year old and the saint bernard is almost 3. They are amazing loving dogs and I want them to stay healthy as long as possible. It is difficult to buy enough cans for dogs this size. I watched the video about which kind to buy. How about a mixture of canned and dry? With all the recalls now I am just getting confused on what I should purchase that is good for both of them. I am also scared about treats since Petco just literally pulled almost the entire dog section off the shelves. I do make some of my own treats for them. It is just difficult to make homemade food for dogs this size and work full time. Can someone suggest some good options for what would be cost effective and yet as healthy as I can get for them? Thank you very much for your help.

• This topic was modified 13 years, 4 months ago by mbigdogs.

[soho]

Hi Guys and Gals

Regretfully not everyone appreciates my posts. This will be my last post on DFA. If anyone has any more questions about my jerky treats please contact me at [email address removed by the moderator at users request]

Thank you everyone,
James

• This reply was modified 13 years ago by Mike Sagman.

[InkedMarie]

I will give you some advice as it pertains to one of my dogs. I did not do allergy testing but an online friend gave me a list of ingredients to avoid: chicken, corn, wheat, soy, rice and flax. I have since found that Boone does fine with flax but cannot have yeast. He has done the best with a grain and potato free foods. Beef can be a common allergen, I have read. On this forum, go to the dog food ingredients board and the stickie at the top has the list of those foods.
Boone does best with fish and turkey foods. He eats a pre made raw in the morning and some of that is beef and he has no issue with it. His pre made is also turkey and duck. He eats Brothers Allergy, which has chicken liver & chicken at but is doing great on this food.
Something to keep in mind. You have to be mindful of every morsel your dog eats. That means treats as well. If you feed him a grain free food, feed him grainfree treats. Scour that ingredients list. Also, you wouldn’t think about it but supplements as well. Mixed tocopherols can be soy so the salmon oil I give him is just that, salmon oil (it’s a liquid). I once gave him a salmon oil capsule that had soy as a secondary ingredient. We use Bug Off Garlic for the insects and we cannot use the chewables because there is yeast in it.
I advise trying a few different foods, by different makers. I like doing that because you never know if a food will become unavailable or you see a sale on another one he can have. Hope I’ve been of help!

[Hound Dog Mom]

i8ok –

I think Plato probably does use quite a bit of meat, just fatty meat. For example, if you look at their chicken jerky strips they have 30% protein and 25% fat – boneless, skinless chicken breast is only 10% fat (http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/poultry-products/701/2). If they were using organic boneless skinless chicken breast the product would likely be very very expensive and also much lower in fat. Personally, the higher fat content wouldn’t bother me – I typically feed my dogs higher fat foods anyways. If you’re getting a dog treat, especially at the price Plato’s treats are sold for, you’re not going to be getting boneless skinless chicken breast. I’ve never used the strips before, but I have used the Plato’s Farmer’s Market treats and I don’t have an issue with any of their grain-free treats.

[mydogisme]

Jamienico, I hear and feel every word you are saying. My son came with me to look at things I will need for her burial. dress, favorite toy,ball,necklase with diamond stone with her name. I love her and I felt I could splurge on her to show others just how much i love her but she never knew any difference only she loved being next to me and me talking to her at night before we both fell asleep. how do we make these people or companies pay for what they have done to us and to our pets? nothing ever will replace your babies nor mine. I dont know what to do,maybe Mike would know where to get started. If 1 woman came up against a water company in Tx for causing cancer, why cant we come up against these companies putting stuff in dog food that claim feed them what you would eat. I got to one point 2 years ago of not liking what i was seeing on bags and started feeding Dixie organic human food but knew i couldnt match the vitamins she would need. So again I switched her to the best foods. I bought her some treats thats on the front said Vitality,pure chicken. I check out every word EXCEPT in the very bottom in tini words it said’made in china!’ I got sick and ran to her vet and he said she probably wasnt on it long enough to do any harm. i bought maybe 3 or 4 bags over the summer as yard treats when i would mow the yard,Dixie would sit and watch,when I got to close that she might get dust on her I took her in to sit on her window seat to watch me mow. She did everything with me and went everywhere with me. I hear every word you said. I know the feelings. I will never ever have another pet. My heart is shattered over Dixie