[Cathy F]

Hello

My son thinks nothing about spending £40-£50 on a 15kg-17kg sack top end dry food for is dogs. I have always feed my dogs pedigree chum. But since i was given one of my son’s dogs puppy’s it got me thinking about the nutrition and supplements more.

I’m feed up of reading reviews some saying the product is good only to read on another website the product is rubbish.

Budgeting between £15-£20 for a 15kg-17kg sack. What makes would fit into this area in regards getting the best quality ingredients for your buck?

Thanks

[Jenn H]

I’m a little concerned about Fromm food. This is at least the 4th time I’ve seen someone say their dog got a bacterial infection from the food in 2 days.
I am looking to switch my GSD puppy and this was at the top of my list.
1 person (on another site) said Fromm told her they tested the sample she sent and found nothing wrong. The kicker is that she hadn’t yet sent them the sample. They outright lied to her. She did send it to an independent facility at a vet school and is awaiting the results.
As per usual it will take a lot of sick dogs and people & vets complaining to the co & FDA before anything is actually looked into.
Thought I’d share what I just learned. It’s very disappointing. This has always been a favorite food of mine.
Just be observant of any changes in your dogs if you feed this.

[jiggamah n]

I would stay away from it. I fed my first dog their food when he was 1.5 years (this was a while ago). He would sporadically get lethargic and vomit with mild diarrhea. My food-snob girlfriend blamed the food and suggested switching. I did and the symptoms stopped. Three years later, I had adopted another puppy and ran out of his food (in the interim, he was eating the older dog’s food and was fine). I ended up buying and feeding him BB’s puppy food. Like my older dog, he started vomiting, was lethargic but did not have diarrhea. My girlfriend, again, blamed the food. I switched and it stopped.

This is not to say that it’s necessarily the food. But the two having similar symptoms from similar food –both of which stopped after we changed the food– is enough for me to avoid it. Compound that with their ratings on Consumer Affairs and I’d encourage you all to avoid it, as well. It’s not worth the money or the vet visits.

[zuponicafe]

Hi Debbie.
I have a 10 m/o medium/large mixed breed and after my initial puppy paranoia I decided to feed him a variation of different brands wet & dry.
I find great deals on some really decent food and it has helped to keep things w/in reason on food costs. Luckily he doesn’t have allergies so I’ve not had to worry there and his tolerance to switching has been fantastic.
I might add there are a lot of different pet food suppliers nearby, so I can kinda shop around which is great for finding deals.

[InkedMarie]

Nope, it is not too early….I have a puppy coming home in less than 2 weeks and he/she will be weaned to raw!

I feed ground raw. I primarily buy from Hare Today, a little from Reel Raw Dog. I live in the northeast so these are good options for me. If you live elsewhere in the US, Raw Feeding Miami & My Pet Carnivore are good options.

I buy grinds that have meat/bone/organs & some have tripe. I scoop/weigh into a bowl, add salmon oil & eggs 3x a week and thats it. I’m a prey model believer, I don’t think dogs need produce in their food. Thats a choice for you to make. Buying grinds are much cheaper than buying premade raw.

[karen t]

I have a 61/2 month old boxer. I do cook for my dog. I feed him Fromn’s w cooked chicken and beef. I’d say he gets 2/3 Fromn’s for lg. breed puppy’s and 1/3 meat. since I own a market he also gets fresh ground raw hamburger mixed w/ his food at times. I also give him yogurt once a day. also he gets Nyzmes antioxidants granules every morning in his food. occasionally an egg/ cooked. the meat mix is cooked in water. I would say be careful of the fat amount w/ the cheese spread. my former dog got systemic yeast from to much antibiotics. this took several yrs. to figure out since I had a bad vet at the time. I found the cure myself- Nyzmes, and they where the one’s who turned me on to Fromn’s dog food. I think that if your dogs are eating at least 2/3 kibble they will get all the nutrients and elements they need. my dogs always turn fussy. I think because they smell all the cooking and want people food. that’s why I mix cooked food in w/ the kibble. Fromn’s is a very good kibble/ not sure if 4 or 5 stars. this time I’m taking no chances that’s why I give the Nyzmes and yogurt good luck!

[Diane M]

Hi
Is it recommended to start my 15 week old pug puppy on raw food or is this too early? I am planning on feeding 1/2 raw and 1/2 kibble. Any advice or recommendations would be great! If so, is there a certain raw you would recommend for a puppy? Thanks!

[Christie]

My puppy and 6 year old have been on Whole Earth Farms Chicken and Turkey dry and wet for the past few months now (after switching from Ideal Balance puppy and adult dry foods). I’m not exactly thrilled at Merrick’s decision to partner up with Purina, despite the company’s saying that it won’t be changing the formula. For now. And since WEF is owned by Merrick, I really don’t want to support Purina by way of buying a Merrick product.

I’m not running out tomorrow to make a change…any change to the product will most likely take time if it happens. But I’m not fully invested in the brand and neither dog ‘loves’ the food. I’m really just biding my time until the puppy is old enough to eat adult food and I can switch both to an “Adult” quality food.

For now, I’m stuck with All Life Stages food. I saw in the ratings that Berkley & Jensen dry food is 4 stars. It’s the same price per pound as the WEF dry (BJs Chicken formula) and it has some really good reviews. Does anyone have experience with the brand? And I see that they also have a wet food line, but it isn’t rated here.

During a recent trip to the vet, the doc admonished me on choosing a ‘holistic brand’ because they typically lead to stool, hair and digestive issues. She told me that she only buys Royal Canin for her dogs and recommended that. The previous vet told me (when I was feeding my adult dog Blue Buffalo) that the BB was terrible and to feed my dog what he feeds his: Purina Pro Plan.

[Pitlove]

Hi- Firstly, thank you for rescuing her and I hope the fighting dog was rescued as well and rehabilitated and given a chance at a home as most are not.

Since Aurora is still a puppy and was probably not fed a proper diet if she was being used as a bait dog, its critical now that she recieve proper nutrition. She is a large breed and large breeds, especially GSD’s, are predisposed to orthopedic and growth disorders that are devastating for both the dog and the pet parent. I would highly recommend keeping her on a large breed puppy food that has controlled levels of calcium and phosphorus til she is at LEAST a year old, if not older. However, I did switch my large breed to an adult food at a year and he is fine. GSD’s by breed standard are on the thinner side, so make sure she is not underweight, but at an ideal weight for her breed and age. Extra weight from overfeeding also contributes to these growth disorders.

A lot of her issues could be brought on from stress, especially if feeding her a protein that I highly doubt she was exposed to didn’t help. Also, and this may seem obvious, but make sure you check her really good for fleas. GSD’s have thick double coats and with the conditions she was likely in as a bait dog, I doubt she was on a flea preventative. Fromm is an excellent food, so I think thats a great choice. Both of the Taste of the Wild puppy formulas are safe for large breed puppies so I’d go with High Prairie since you have already tried a fish based formula that did not work. Also cleaning her ears regularly with an ear wash and removing the gunk with a cotton ball or gauze will help reduce any ear infections or yeast in the ears.

My vet told me that licking the paws is usually associated with an environmental allergy, so its possible that something she is being exposed to now outside is affecting her.

[C4D]

Hi Bethany C,

Wonderful luck for your pup to find a caring owner like you!

The others have given you some very good information. I do foster very underweight dogs and dogs with various parasites as they come from very rural areas. The giardia or coccidia that Bobby dog could be a very real possibility. I’ve had foster dogs that tested negative the first time and it was found on a more thorough or subsequent testing.

The best way to see if the dog has an issue of parasites is to put it on a very simple boiled chicken or boiled hamburger (strain the grease) and plain white rice diet for a few days. This should get the tummy back on track as it is a very bland diet. You could add a spoon of pure pumpkin to the mix also. If you don’t see an improvement on the diarrhea within a few days on this diet, you should have the dog’s stool tested again for parasites, including hookworm, giardia and coccidia. I’ve found hese particular parasites seem to cause the most problems with weight loss and loose stools. Tapeworm is also a very real possibility that isn’t caught in a normal stool sample, almost a guarantee if the dog had fleas, but it doesn’t usually cause diarrhea. The tests are not very expensive. Unfortunately, if it’s a parasite issue, no amount of dog food, no matter what the quality, will help until the parasites are gone.

If the dog does well on the bland diet, you can slowly introduce a nutritious food. We all want our really thin dogs to gain some weight, but you have to do it slowly as their system isn’t used to being well fed. I find that by slowly increasing my foster’s portion, they will put the weight on, but it takes time. Too much food too fast just overwhelms their system and cause more diarrhea. Many rescues advise adding a bit of extra carbohydrates like rice, oatmeal and/or sweet potatoes, along with their regular dog food, to help increase weight. Canned food also can help, but again, it must be added slowly to prevent GI upset. Satin Balls are another rescue trick that might work, once you have the diarrhea under control.

Here’s a link to the recipe:

http://www.gpalouisville.org/Recipes.htm

Some other budget friendly dog foods are Pure Balance (Walmart, made by Ainsworth pet food company), Sportmix Wholesomes or ProPac Ultimates (Midwestern pet food company). These foods aren’t as cheap as Puppy Chow, but their are so much healthier. You feed less of these formulas, so they aren’t as expensive as they seem. C4C and BD are correct. Bad breath is a symptom of poor dental health or some other issue.

Good luck with your rescue and keep us posted!

[Bobby dog]

What a terrible story, but a happy ending! That is a great budget for kibble IMO.

The protein & fat %’s in Puppy Chow are average, the fiber might be just a little more than other kibbles depending on what recipe you’re feeding. It averages 27% protein, 10-12% min. fat, and 4-5% fiber. Sometimes changes in any of these percentages can cause digestive upset. Something to keep in mind when deciding on a new food. Kibble in higher price ranges usually have a higher meat content so protein and fat percentages will go up along with calories per cup. One other thing to keep in mind is overfeeding can also cause digestive upset. If he is skin and bones I would work with my Vet to figure out the calories he needs to add healthy weight in a reasonable amount of time.

Check out Victor you should find several formulas to fit your needs within your budget; maybe the Chicken Meal w/Brown Rice. Looking at the Mitchell’s site I see they sell Purina Mills, Inc. They may sell their dog food lines, PMI Nutrition. I feed some recipes from their Infinia and Exclusive lines, these would be in your price range.

I also feed Nutrisource, Fromm, Precise, some Pro Plan recipes, Annamaet, Wellness Core, Nature’s Variety, and Rawz.

If you decide to buy on-line I regularly order from Chewy, Petflow, PetSmart, and Petco. They all have great customer service and prices.

I don’t feed Diamond products at this time due to their recall history; they make Taste of the Wild and manufacture some Solid Gold recipes along with some other brands. They have allot of affordable foods, if you decide to feed one of their products or anything they manufacture I suggest signing up for recall alerts:
/dog-food-recall-alerts/

I recommend adding moisture to kibble even if it’s just water. Adding fresh or canned foods could help with his weight. Some budget friendly canned foods are Wal-Mart’s Pure Balance Stews ($1/can), Tractor Supply Company 4Health Stews (.99/can), and if you have a Costco membership Kirkland Signature Nature’s Domain (.80/can) you have to buy it by the case. Each are 4-5 star DFA rated. I don’t recommend Pure Balance 95% or 4Health Grain free canned foods due to the high fat content.

This is a download I use as a guide for adding fresh foods to a kibble diet:
https://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DN330EBK

[Bethany C]

So a little over 2 weeks ago I found a 2 year old black lab while camping. He eats fine and he drinks fine, we have had no issues trying to get him to ingest anything. But he has had diarrhea since switching him to puppy food which is what everyone told us to do because of the high fat and protein content. But his poop is liquid now. There is no scooping it up possible. We have him on Purina Puppy Chow (Yes I know Purina just awful, even though we have two 13 year old dogs that have never had a health issue, no weight problem, and run miles every day on their own freewill). From the day we got him his poop has been soft but at least looked like poop. Now it is just liquid. He has been to the vet and everything checked out fine so now I’m just looking for a good DOG food, not puppy. The fat in the puppy food I think is doing more harm than good for he poops huge piles multiple times a day yet we are feed him the correct amount. I know a family that uses victor dog food, but all three of the dogs have the worst breath you could imagine. I can not even stand to be near them if their face is not turned away from me. I am not saying it is the dog food and I would actually love to know if anyone uses Victor and their dog’s breath does not stink. Also the dog food I am looking at is Taste of the Wild. If anyone has any idea of a good weight gaining food that would be awesome! (preferably one that doesn’t make their breath stink lol) Also my boyfriend and I are still in school so we need to stay in budget and not get a food ridiculously expensive. The 40lbs bag of Purina was $22.

• This topic was modified 10 years, 5 months ago by Bethany C.

[Jenn H]

I often feed my dogs combo and change their food every 3-4 months. It’s been great as far as avoiding recalls and it helps them create their own good bacteria. The body gets used to the same food.

Right now I have a 4 month old German Shepherd puppy. And I have been dealing with diarrhea off & on. I found out it could be due to teething. They produce more saliva. That ends up in the stomach and what comes out isn’t pleasant.
I gave him pumpkin, bland diet and probio. It helps.

Now I am giving him raw unpasteurized goat milk. So far so good.

The only thing is I am very careful about his calcium intake. He is not to exceed 1.5% per day. Even that is higher than I like. I try to keep it around 1-1.2% max.
I hate doing the math, but I know how important it is to control his growth. It’s important large breed puppies do not grow too fast.

Orijen is an excellent food. I am changing him to Acana. Orijen is a little out of my price range right now.

I would suggest that if you need to give him rice for diarrhea in the future that it be white rice not brown. The brown can be too much work to digest when their bellies aren’t feeling well. I used to give brown also until I was corrected.

Whatever direction you go in just be sure to keep track of the daily calcium amounts. Stay as close to 1% as possible. I believe the guidelines are .75-1.5%.
Often this mean contacting the dog food companies and asking what the MAX amt is in their food. They often list min amt if at all.

[Ryan L]

Hello,
We have a 1 year and 3 month year old female Maltese Yorkshire Yorkshire Terrier Mix named Lennon. She is the light of our life, very smart and playful but has had a delicate tummy from day one. The breeder we got her from was feeding her Purina’s and we switched her quickly to Fromm Gold Holistic Puppy Dry Dog Food. She did well with that but eventually got disinterested and was not eating often enough so we tried most of the flavors such as the Surf & Turf, Lamb & Lentils etc. Between the switching she would often get diarrhea but no idea if it was from her food or not. We did practice switching her food gradually instead of just introducing a brand new food right away. Every so often she would get a bout of diarrhea and we would feed her chicken and rice with a little low sodium chicken broth to soothe her tummy. She has never had a problem when we make her chicken and rice but we are hoping we don’t have to feed her that every day.

About 2 weeks ago she got real sick and was throwing up, eating grass, waking up in the middle night with bad diarrhea and we took her to the vet. They suggested we switch her food again so this time around we went with Prarie Gold Adult Grain-Free: http://frommfamily.com/products/gold/dog/dry/#prairie-gold-adult. She has been on this for about a week and her poops are very soft often diarrhea so we are back to square 1… Sigh.

We are recent members on this site and still a bit overwhelmed with the choices if we go with a different brand a ll together. We have a Chuck and Don’s by our house and they mentioned Zignature but did not see that one included in the editors best of. I should also note we did try Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet Dry but took it back after a day once we learned it was bought out by Purina. Our Lennon is very small (5 pounds)1 year and 3 month year old Morkie with a sensitive tummy and often picky. I am thinking about taking back her current Prairie Gold Adult Grain-Free (we got this because we thought the grain free limited ingredient might help) and starting over with a different brand. If anyone has any suggestions for a dry non raw food we would love to hear it!
Cheers,
Ryan & Anna Luse

[C4D]

Hi Lynda W,

Being a Lab lover and owner (Chocolate and Black), you might want to look into large breed puppy food both on this forum and on the DFA’s reviews. While Costco’s brand gets a decent rating (3.5 stars) there are many on this site that don’t use it because of Diamond’s history in regard to recalls. Here’s the link for the review area:

/best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/

While economy is on many people’s mind, you will save money in vet bills and help your pup live the best life possible if you feed the correct foods. Good luck with your new pup!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Krystal H-
Wow! You have your hands full. I know what you mean by needing a chart. I have a note book that I keep information in for different foods and supplements for my crew. I just wanted to let you know that I have a repeat delivery set up with Chewy and it works out really well. They are extremely flexible with being able to switch up your order as far as frequency and items in your list. You can delete items, add items, delay or move up the delivery as much as you want. They give you a heads up email about a week before your order is to be delivered to allow you to make any changes. I have tried other company’s programs who said they were flexible and definitely were not.

I currently am rotating between Victor (unfortunately not available on chewy) and Whole Earth Farms kibble for my dogs. I feed them the same food but different amounts. They are litter mates, but have two totally different metabolisms. I feed the hyper one first since he gets more food and then take my time to put the bowl down for the chubbier less active dog. If allowed, he will eat his real fast and then rush over to help his brother finish his meal. But, they do eat the same food, just in different amounts. What breed is your XL puppy?

[Krystal H]

I actually prefer to shop online as long as shipping doesn’t make the price ridiculous! I have checked out Chewy and I love the idea of autoship! I can’t always get out to the stores, and my local stores sell out of quality foods really fast, so online is really my best option. I’ll check out that thread when I get the chance, but I am assuming it’s just a lot of options like the editors choice lists, which leaves me scrambling to check the quality, cost, and availability of each one and weigh the options for each dog and I start losing track of where I started and getting all mixed up! LOL I need a chart for this! LOL
I would like to get Roxie and Kovu on the same food if possible, but I know with her being mature and chubby and him being young and active, that might not be the best idea. I know Dessa needs to be on her own since she’s a puppy and a XL breed mix. I’m leaning towards the Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy Food, but that’s just based on what I’ve been able to find that’s of acceptable quality and I can find easliy from sellers I trust. I’m more than open to other brands though as I really have never used any Fromm products before.
I don’t have a set budget for pet food, I’ll work a bit extra if I need to, but I definitely can’t afford to feed Orijen and the like. I’ve been feeding Kirkland lately because it’s the only acceptable food that I can find reliably locally besides junk. I used to feed Taste of the Wild when Kovu was a pup, but it’s so hard to find locally I couldn’t keep up with hunting it down.

[Jonathan S]

Feeding raw and kibble is something you’ll find a lot of opinions about. Some people say never feed them at the same time because they digest at different rates. Some people say that’s not the case. I say, it depends on the dog. My dogs find the raw too rich on its own, and they have some digestive distress when I feed them raw and kibble in separate meals. I started feeding them raw and kibble at the same time, and no problem! You’ll just have to try and see what works for your dog. I’ve been feeding raw since they were 6 months old and they’re both happy and healthy. I also use a digestive supplement, but I keep experimenting trying to find one that I like. I’ve had good results with Flora4, but right now I’m using a kelp extract that seems to be working really well.

I have two recipes I use to keep their meals interesting…

2 lbs. Bone in ground rabbit
1 lb ground lamb
1 lb green lamb tripe
2 lbs chicken hearts, gizzards, livers
1 lb blue berries
1 lb greens (Green Juju)
1 lb peas
3 eggs
3 carrots
2 apples
1 can of organic pumpkin
2 tbs turmeric

Recipe 2
2 lbs ground duck necks
2 lbs turkey organs
2 lbs ground chicken backs or turkey necks
3 eggs
1 lb butternut squash
1 lb broccoli
1 lb frozen mango chunks
1 cup hemp seed hearts
.5 cup fennel seeds
1 can pumpkin or 1 cup of Firm Up!

All the veggies or whole things go through the food processor to make them readily digestible. The seeds get ground up. The apples are grated. I make both of these recipes at the same time, put them in individual serving containers, then freeze them. Makes enough for two weeks for both my dogs.

The common advice I’ve found is to feed your dog 2 to 4% of their body weight in raw food. Since I’m only feeding half raw, I just took the top end and cut it in half.

Oh, and I feed them twice a day, but when they were younger I was feeding them 3 times per day. Went to twice a day at around 8 months… about the time we shifted from puppy food to adult kibble.
2 tbs ground turmeric
coconut oil

• This reply was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by Jonathan S.

[C4D]

Hi Reewa R,

Some of us have to sleep and work, so answers are not always immediate. Your posts were in the middle of the night in my area and I work as well.

I can’t answer your questions on feeding a puppy raw since I haven’t had a puppy in many years. I have adult dogs. I do feed kibble and raw as I have several large dogs. I feed canned/kibble for 1 meal and raw/cooked for the other meal. Some people feed raw and kibble together in the same meal. I don’t supplement with vitamins since I’m using commerical foods that already are complete and balanced. The links I included in the earlier post may be able to answer that question.

[Jonathan S]

I’m not a professional, but I do feed raw to my pups. Do lots of research first. there’s going to be a time and effort commitment as well as a financial commitment. Check out different recipes. Go to youtube and look up Dr. Karen Becker… she’s got lots of really great advice. The hardest thing is going to be convincing yourself that you’re doing the right thing. You’re going to find information out there and opinion that make it seem like handling raw food is like handling poison… it’s not. Take the same precautions you would with handling the food you serve your family.

The next hardest thing is perseverance. You’re going to affect their digestion and it might be messy at first. That doesn’t mean you should stop. You need to give them time to adjust. You will also need to take into account what proteins may or may not agree with your dog. Also, your raw food, especially if you’re making your own, will likely be higher in fat. That can cause some issues if you’re still feeding kibble as puppy food is usually higher in fat. I had to take my pups off puppy food much earlier than I expected.

I read some good advice about not feeding 100% raw. Most of your really good commercial foods are focused to provide complete nutrition, so they have vitamins and minerals in there that you might miss. I feed my dogs 50% raw and 50% kibble to make sure I don’t miss anything.

Another thing I do is review this site very carefully. If dog food advisor thinks that a particular ingredient is a positive thing in a highly rated food, you can bet it’s going to make an appearance in my food.

I hope this helps!

[SNOWFLAKE]

Hey/// Just joined this forum. I own a smooth fox terrier.. He is 2months old. Currently i feed him kibble .. but I think raw food is more beneficial for dogs ..there are pros and cons to this but if it will benefit my puppy i am willing to take the risk. please can someone suggest ways of starting him on Barf.. I am thinking raw chicken mince would be ok to start with .. Not sure. PLease help . need some professional advice.

[Darek N]

Thank you for all your reply.
I found this wonderful website when I got my Golden Retriever Puppy and was searching for suggestions on food for GR puppy’s. After reading posts I found the list of recommended food and learn about importance of low calcium. Lots of people liked and recommended Fromm 4Star and that’s what I was feeding my puppy with. Now that he is over 6 month old I am little confused and don know what to do in this stage of his life. I use to feed him 3 times a day as suggested about 2 to 1.5 times more then the company suggested amount since he was a puppy. Should I adjust the frequency and the amount of food when he is over 6 month? He is now 54 ponds nice and lean and I don’t want to over or under due his diet. I also have to change the company since Fromm is not available locally and I have to special order it every time and it cost me arm and a leg. I got Earthborn Holistic Meadow Feast & and Coastal Catch for variety and he likes it. My only concern is that the Meadow Feast has protein level at only 26. What are your thoughts on that? “Aquarianqt” suggested to figure out calories – How do I do that? Can someone please clarify that for me. He is 6 mount old neutered male at 54 pounds.
Thank you for all your help

[Jenn H]

Pitlove, thanks for the input.
GSDs (in my experience) are food motivated when it comes to training. On the other hand they can be equally happy being rewarded with a favorite toy (as is often the case in K-9s).
The Lab is soooo different. Stereotypes exist for a reason. I don’t think she has ever tasted anything she’s ever eaten. I soak & drown her food in the slowest feeder I can find. I’m very careful about her feeding. I see Labs with lumps and they are fat, etc. Lillie is a lean and muscular 60 lbs! No lumps & bumps or excess fat (except a couple lbs in winter or she gets cold)! She acts like a puppy! She’ll be 11 next month.
The dog food is literally locked up in the bathroom in an airtight bin because she’ll think nothing of opening doors and eating til she explodes. I can’t stand the behavior, but haven’t been able to fix it. The thing with the pup is I don’t know if he’s as hungry as he acts or if he’s mimicking her behavior. If he’s so hungry, then I want to find him something to satisfy him. If he’s just picking up bad habits, then I can & am dealing with that.

It’s good to see someone else not fanatical about grain free. Like you I’m not against them. I just think they should be given to dogs who truly need them. I prefer to expose my animals to everything and see what they can tolerate rather than completely avoid something because they might have an issue.
I’ve had a dog that needed to avoid pretty much all grains and some meats. And a dog that could tolerate small amts of grain here & there.
My only real issue with grain free is that they are so high in carbs. Which is ironic. I think that because I don’t feed the girls grain free may be partly why Lillie doesn’t have the lumps. She’s not over loaded w/ carbs.

I’ll probably just end up switching my little guy’s food completely. I do that every few months and it’s been a great thing for my dogs. It’s good for the good bacteria in the gut to have something new.

Thanks again for the help. I’ll check out the Lab lady’s posts. I might learn something.

[Jenn H]

My whole life I have only had GSDs and never have they acted like they were starving. They certainly wouldn’t dive into a bag of dog food. The only dog I have ever seen act like this is a Lab that we inherited.
He literally throws a fit and gets so mad when his bowl is empty. It’s kind of funny to see a puppy with such a temper. But I don’t ever want him to feel hungry. This makes me think he’s either not satisfied with his food or is missing something nutritionally.

Every few months it’s good to switch foods so and I am looking into what to switch him to next. Fromm is on my short list. But if that doesn’t seem to satisfy him, then I want to be prepared to combo feed if I can come up w/ something that won’t exceed the calcium amts.
My other idea is maybe his food is too good and I should try a brand with more fillers. But doing that may cause him to actually lack important nutrients.

[Jenn H]

Does anyone feed their dogs a diet of kibble and canned/raw/dehydrated?
I have large breed dogs that I like to supplement their dry when the weather gets cold to keep their weight up.
My real.concern is my puppy. He’s 4 months old. GSD. Approx 30 lbs. I know I have to keep his calcium at 1.5% max. Because of that I am having a problem finding the right food.
He acts like he’s starving to death even though he gets 3 3/4 cups fed over 4 meals. Right now he’s on Wellness Core Grain Free Puppy.

I’m looking for either a food that will satisfy his appetite or something I can supplement/replace some of his kibble with that will allow me to stay within the calcium guidelines.
While I am not opposed to canned, raw or dehydrated, I cannot feed strictly those types of foods.
I would also prefer a NON grain free food. Unless a dog has allergies I know they actually need some grains. Plus it seems that grain free has far more carbs than non grain free.

I appreciate any suggestions.
Thank you.

[Shawna]

Hi Paul R,

They now know that dogs with kidney disease actually need good amounts of protein in the diet as it helps with the blood flow (aka GFR) and therefore keeping the blood clean. The exception to that rule is when the dog has high amounts of protein in the urine as that is a sign of inflammation of the kidneys. The protein should be lowered until the reason for the inflammation has been found and addressed — possibly a bacterial infection, stones, food sensitivity (they know in humans that gluten can cause increased proteinuria – I would assume reactions to foods can be the same in dogs). Here’s some data on that “A gluten-free diet induced in 75% of the cases a parallel improvement in these abnormal immunological data. Mean proteinuria values were found to be significantly decreased after 6 months of the diet and a reduction was also observed in microscopic hematuria.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2311308

May not be the case with your pup but I think it is often overlooked as a possibility.

My dog had kidney disease from birth and lived nine years. I fed her a raw diet but once in a while I was running in and out or really sick for a few days and would give her some kibble. Each time I gave her kibble I had to deal with the consequences of doing so for several days after. I would highly advise against ANY kibble, even prescription. The new prescription Science Diets are chicken and beef based and look appealing. If you can’t home cook and don’t want to feed raw it would be something to try while you are trying to deal with the proteinuria. I would also give a high quality omega 3 fish oil as it is anti-inflammatory etc. Another to try is organic (must be organic) turmeric (the spice). Turmeric is anti-inflammatory as well as anti-fibrotic, which are both helpful for the failing kidneys. Start with a small amount and build. Most dogs do well with it but my Audrey didn’t seem to tolerate it well. 🙁

Don’t give any more flea or tick meds or heartworm preventatives. Also no more vaccines. Some states will give rabies exemptions for pets with life threatening diseases. Take advantage of that if your state does.

It also helps to give reverse osmosis filtered water. There are so many impurities in most tap water. Always have water available. I would also look at a good probiotic and prebiotic. The right ones can help clear BUN etc from the blood which will help your pup feel better. This is called “nitrogen trapping” which was apparently discovered and coined by Iams researchers. I used a probiotic called Garden of Life Primal Defense (a human product) and a prebiotic called Fiber 35 Sprinkle Fiber (also human). I’ve heard that Sprinkle Fiber is no longer made but it was simply 100% pure acacia fiber. Any source of acacia fiber will work. Not all fibers work, some make things worse. I found this out the hard way. The one product I would not do without is made by Standard Process and is called Canine Renal Support. It helps in many many ways.

I hope something I’ve wrote is helpful for you and your sweet puppy!! Let me know if I can clarify anything or answer any questions etc.

Prayers to you both!!

[Pitlove]

Cara, since your Dogue De Bordeaux is past the point of puppyhood, her body can correctly absorb calcium. Any skeletal or growth disorders that you dog might have would have already been apparent as they usually happen during their critical growth period. Something your dog is past.

I feed Fromm Gold Large Breed Adult to my pitbull. Its lower in protein than I prefer, but I don’t feed the recommended amount (I feed less because hes not as active right now) and he maintains his ideal weight. Also hes picky and this is a food he eats happily. No canned food or anything else on it to enhance flavor. Perhaps this could be a food that would work for her. The fat is lower too than the regular Adult formula which I liked.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by Pitlove.

[Pitlove]

“I have read that it’s actually not good to keep dogs on puppy food for too long, due to them causing growth at a much faster than normal rate which can lead to hip and other health problems. But opinion seems to be all over the board on this one.”

This is true ONLY if the food is NOT correctly formulated to meet the needs of a large breed puppy. There is nothing all over the place about that. That is why even if a food says “Large Breed Puppy” on it, I STILL email the company for the max amounts of calcium and phosphorus to make sure its actually safe. Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy is and it is an excellent food and company at that. I would highly recommend it. If fact I’m feeding the Fromm Gold Large Breed Adult to my pitbull.

Your pup should be on the LBP food til hes a year old to play it safe. Their bodies can start absorbing calcium correctly at 10 months, but I think feeding them a good LBP food til a year is a lot better. Most people would say tranistion. I don’t need to for my dog, but I built up his stomachs health and strength. Fromm is an easy to tranisition to, easily digestiable food. If anything add a probiotic (LifeWay Kefir at Walmart is a good one) to the food if you don’t want to tranisition. It will add healthy bacteria to his gut and make him able to digest a new food easier.

[Pitlove]

Hi Dianna- What makes you think he doesn’t like the size of the kibble? Most of the kibbles that are for LBP’s are larger because the dogs mouth is larger. I feed Fromm Gold Large Breed Adult and the kibbles are a good size for my pitbull. The kibble is the same size for the Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy. I can see Wellness being smaller because even though its appropriate for LBP’s its “marketed” for puppies in general which could also mean small breeds.

The Eukanuba LBP formula is actually not too bad and is correctly formulated for your Bull Mastiff pup, so if he is willing to eat that perhaps go back to what you know he likes.

My personal favorite LBP food is Fromm Gold LBP so its unfortunate that it didn’t work out for him.

[dianna M]

Hi everyone. I have a 6 month bullmastiff puppy who is a picky eater.. I have tried a few of the top brands like fromm, taste of the wild, dr. Tims. I also tried wellness before I knew about the green tea extract. Anyways the breeders fedd eucanuba which I mixed while transitioning and he ate his food fine no issues the problem is once the transition is mostly the top brand he won’t eat it. My conclusion is he doesn’t like the little baby kibble in all those brands. He eats eucanuba, and wellness no problem and even if mixed with the better brands.

So is there any great brands for large breed puppy with a bigger kibble??? Or is there an ok brand with big kibble that I can always mix with a better small k ibble food. I really want to feed him a great quality food but I am at a loss.

[Bronwyn L]

I have an almost 3 year old mixed breed named Kosi who has what appears to be acid reflux. his primary symptoms are discomfort (he can’t sit still) and vomiting of bile – this is particularly the case if he doesn’t eat for more than 8 hours. If I feed him meals throughout the day – particularly one at 8 or 9 pm – right before bed – he is fine. The problem is he is SO picky! he will gobble food up for 2 days or so and then completely turn his nose up at it. I have a rotation of foods I use, but nothing really tempts him.

Generally speaking he refuses to eat any and all wet (canned) foods, and will refuse his kibble if there is a single drop of water mixed into it. He also refuses any of the freeze-dried foods on the market. The kibble he eats most consistently is Taste of the Wild wetlands formula. I rotate with other TOTW formulas and used to rotate with a few other brands, but at this point he refuses all of them.

He refuses any food that has any oil or “palate enhancer” added to it. He doesn’t like cheese or most other people food (he’ll accept ham, chicken, or turkey in small quantities, he refuses all tuna or other fish), in fact the only dog treat he will eat are old fashioned milk bones (which makes my other dog happy – she gets all the fun organic jerky chews!)

I cook for my other dog (she’s 11, with different issues), and Kosi sometimes will eat her food (mix of rice, meat, veggies, etc), but the last two days has turned his nose up at it. my vet has also suggested a bland diet to use on occasion – again he’ll eat it once or twice and then turn up his nose at it for a week or more.

he has mouth issues from an injury as a tiny puppy, so sometimes he seems scared of chewing his kibble (and he chews each piece 10 times), I’ve tried small sized kibble, which he liked the first time I offered, then refused ever since. Again, he refuses wet foods or softened kibble. I’ve actually thrown out a bowl of kibble mixed with expensive Evenger’s canned rabbit (which he liked one time), and offered him a bowl of plain dry kibble, which he ate.

The problem with all of this, is that it is very difficult to keep him fed often enough to keep away the acid reflux symptoms! For example, last night he ate his evening meal, but this morning he decided he didn’t want the kibble, or the rice mixture, or anything else I offered. Several hours later, as I write this, I can tell he’s actually hungry and would likely eat his “normal” kibble, but he’s refusing to eat his food, because his stomach hurts… which just makes him cranky. He’s also built very skinny. he’s active, and his coat is shiny, but if he goes a day without food, you can see all his ribs.

I can’t leave food out for him to pick at all day, as my other dog is a corgi mix (read stomach on legs) and would gobble it all up as soon as Kosi wanders off.

I’m at my wits end!! Any suggestions?

[Tammy C]

I am raising 4 lab pups, all under the age of one. 4 can be incredibly expensive to feed as they can go through a 40 pound bag of food in 2 weeks or less. I want my pups to have great nutrition at a very reasonable price which is why I feed them diamond naturals large breed puppy lamb and rice. No corn, wheat or soy, no preservatives and packed with fruits and vegetables. Incredibly, most rural kings or tractor supply stores sell for 36.99 for 40 pounds. With multiple dogs I could never pay $45-$75 a bag like a lot of the puppy foods recommended here. Diamond had past recalls but seems to have straightened up the problems as my labs have beautiful coats, white teeth, lots of energy and no digestive issues.

[Natasha]

My F1B goldendoodle puppy weighs 15.5 pounds and I’m feeding her twice a day–breakfast and dinner. I also give her treats when training her and occasionally some teething bones.

Anyway I’m feeding her the Purina Pro Plan chicken and rice puppy formula. I’m only feeding her this because this is what the breeder fed her and I bought two bags of it. Once the bag I have now finishes, I’m switching my puppy over to the 5-star dry Wellness puppy formula.

I’m also mixing her dry Purina food with the wet Wellness Petite Entrees Mini Filets (4.5 stars). I feed her 1/2 cup of the Purina with one tub of the petite entrees for each meal.

I’m just wondering if it’s healthy since the petite entrees are meant for small breeds. My goldendoodle is small by goldendoodle standards, but apparently this is medium compared to most dogs. My vet says she doubts my dog will ever weigh over 25 pounds.

[C4D]

Ahhh, to be young and hopeful. I used to feed Evo and Orijen in rotation along with several other really good brands. Evo was easily an equivalent food to Orijen in quality and price. It was family owned by Naturapet and even carried by veterinarians. I decided to pull it out of my rotation due to my dog’s weight gain and injury. It was sold off shortly after that to P&G. Within a few months, many people in the dog business (breeders, show people, etc) as well as others were complaining on the internet about their dogs having problems with Evo (as well as the other Naturapet products). Naturapet never had a recall in the entire family history, yet P&G had a massive recall within 3 years of acquiring the company. Here’s just a bit of the history in links:

Link for buyout & brief Naturapet history. Please note that in the first link, the wording is very similar to what Purina and Merrick said about the buyout:

http://news.pg.com/press-release/pg-corporate-announcements/pg-acquires-natura-pet-products

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/05/06/procter-and-gamble-natura-pet-products/

Assurance the product won’t change:
http://groovycatsndogs.com/proctor_gamble_buys_natura_pet_products/

1st recall info:

Natura Recall: California Natural, Innova, EVO, Innova, Healthwise Pet Foods for Salmonella Contamination

Many years ago, I also used to feed my new puppy Iams (you were a child back then). It was considered a very good food many years. I was pleasantly surpised (I thought) to find it available at walmart a few years later. A friend who bred, showed and trained dogs told me Iams was not what it used to be. We all know it isn’t.

History of Iams:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iams

History of Ekanuba:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eukanuba

They all say how they’re going to bring their wonderful product to the “next level”. The next level for all of these companies seems to be a step down. It certainly was for Iams, Eukanuba, Naturapet. Innova was one of the flagship foods that people loved. It doesn’t exist anymore since Mars took over. Sorry Pitlove, I’m older and much more doubtful and will definitely say goodbye to Merrick for now. I’ve already let Naturapet become a fond but bittersweet memory. And Zukes is history for me too.

[Dennis H]

I have been breeding and showing dogs for fifty years. During that time I worked for two major pet food companies (25 years combined). Back when I began, Purina Dog Chow, Ken L Ration, Blue Mountain and Gains Meal where about the only dry foods around, canned was pretty much Skippy’s, Blue Mountain, Ken L Ration.
Loved the Blue Mountain baked kibble and their canned.
Since then I have used any number of foods some which worked well, some which did so-so and others which were a bust.
We have had basset hounds, rottweilers, miniature bull terriers and now have a young 8 month old airedale.
We were feeding her an expensive fairly new big brand puppy food and she began to loose coat. We changed to Kirkland Puppy and lo and behold the hair is coming back. She maintains good weight and we do free feed. She is not a glutton which helps. Just my two “sense” worth.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Ashley:
My dog is six, can eat anything, and has no health issues other than a tendency to gain weight during hot weather months. For canned foods I only take brands, ingredients, calories, proteins, and GA’s into consideration. I feed whatever recipe fits the bill regardless of what is on the label, puppy, small/large breed, Sr., etc. I try to feed foods with a fat to protein ratio of 50% or less; equal calories coming from fat and protein or more from protein than fat. For example, a recipe that is 4% fat and 8% protein would be ideal for him, 7% fat – 8% protein not so much. Some of the f-p ratios I feed can be up to 70% which is okay at this time since I rotate foods.

My budget foods are Tractor Supply Company 4Health – Turkey & Sweet Potato, Beef & Veg stews, or Sr. Chicken & Rice recipes, Triumph Puppy or Turkey recipes, BJ’s Earth’s Pride Chicken & Rice, and Wal-Mart Pure Balance Stews.

Here are some brands to check out that I currently feed or have fed:
Blue Buffalo Home-style, by Nature (no 95% recipes), California Natural, Canidae Pure Sky or Foundations, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Eagle Pack, Halo Spot’s Stew or Spot’s Choice recipes, Holistic Select, Hill’s Ideal Balance stews, Lotus, Nature’s Recipe canned or tubs, Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed recipes, Precise, Purina Pro Plan Natural recipes, Purina Beyond, Red Barn stews, Tiki Dog, Wellness – Core, Simple, Complete Health, or Stew recipes, and Weruva Human Style or Dogs in the Kitchen recipes only (Kobe/Kurobuta recipes are canned by Evanger’s).

Low fat recipes; most are available at my local stores. I order Life’s Abundance from their website. Generally I find stews to be higher in protein and lower in fat, but not always. These are between 12-20% fat and below 25% carbs on a dry matter basis using their label info:
Fromm’s Shredded Beef
I and Love and You Stews
Life’s Abundance Turkey & Shrimp or Chic & Crab stews
Nature’s Recipe Pure Essentials LID GF Chic/Broth or GF Lamb/Broth
Nature’s Recipe Pure Essentials tubs LID Duck or LID Venison
Nature’s Recipe tubs GF Chic & Duck in broth or GF Chic & Venison in broth
Nature’s Recipe tubs Chicken in broth or Chic & Turkey in broth
Nature’s Recipe GF Chic & Turkey stew or Chic & Venison Stew
Purina Beyond GF stews
Red Barn Beef Stew
Tiki Dog – Kauai Luau, Lahaina Luau, Maui Luau, or Tonga Luau recipes
Weruva – Marbella Paella, Bed & Breakfast, or Paw Lickin’ Chicken recipes
Wellness Core Weight Management

These are 22-25% fat and below 25% carbs DMB:
Halo Sr. Beef
Merrick Golden Years Medley
Nutro Natural Choice LID Sr.
Precise Holistic Pork w/veg in gravy
Red Barn Chic, Turkey, or Steak & Egg stews
Wal-Mart Pure Balance stews
Wellness Stews

Here are some freeze dried/frozen commercial raw and dehydrated foods I feed. I use the same guidelines for these foods:
I and Love and You dehydrated Turkey (I also want to try the Beef and Chicken)
Nature’s Variety Raw Frozen Beef, Lamb, and Venison
Primal FD Turkey & Sardine, Frozen Venison, and frozen Turkey & Sardine
Stella & Chewy’s FD Chicken

Here is some info you might find helpful:
/choosing-dog-food/canned-or-dry-dog-food/
/dog-feeding-tips/how-much-dog-food/
/canine-nutrition/low-fat-dog-food/
/choosing-dog-food/dry-matter-basis/
/choosing-dog-food/raw-dog-food-fat/
http://www.dogaware.com/diet/freshfoods.html
Carb calculator:
http://www.scheyderweb.com/cats/catfood.html

[Missie]

Hello,

I’ve tried giving both my dogs a probiotic and both got sick from it. I purchased VetriScience Vetri-Probiotic everyday chews from chewy.com. I have a 1 1/2 year old beagle and a 14 week old beagle puppy. I talked to my vet about a probiotic and she thought it was a great idea. I’ve given the probiotic just once after a meal. 1 chew for my 1 1/2 year old and a half of a chew for the 14 week old as the directions indicated and gave them the chew after one meal. I feed 3 times a day and they got the probiotic on their second meal of the day. After their final meal of the day, they both vomited. I feed the 1 year old Earthborn Holistic Meadow Feast dry food and the puppy get Wellness Core puppy dry food.

Upon looking at the ingredients for both dry foods I noticed that they do contain similar ingredients to the probiotic and if maybe that caused them to get sick? I’m wondering if maybe someone else has ran into this issue because I’ve never heard of dogs getting sick after having a probiotic.

Thanks!
Missie

[Kevin B]

Wow. Some of you guys are brutal. I tell ya what. I have an 11 year old Lab. And I’ve had him on Bright Mind for a little over a month. And it’s doing well for him. He’s perked up, he’s not running around like a puppy any more. But he isn’t just laying down sleeping all day. He’s on a couple meds. An d prior to this we feed him Call of the Wild. I knew Purina wasn’t a great dog food before I bought Bright Mind, but I tell ya what. If you have an old dog, feeding them this, isn’t going to hurt, the comments I see an here seem to be rather arrogant. Relax folks. If you have enough time to look at the Purina site to get a laugh… you must live a sad strange life. I got my old mutt back after feeding him this. He’s still old and slow, but you can see the improvement.

[Pitlove]

Alright so after hearing that he is 9 months old and I assume is going to be over 50 lbs at mature weight, it’s most important as you might know, that he really needs to have been eating a large breed puppy food. More importantly one that is actually correctly formulated for a large breed. If he wasn’t fed correctly it might be too late at this point since he is almost at the mark where his body can absorb calcium correctly. However, he still can’t be fed as an adult UNLESS the adult food doesn’t exceed the 1.5:1 calcium to phophorus ratio, not yet at least. If they can swing it I would highly recommend the Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy. When I got my pitbull I didn’t know anything about LBP nutrition, thankfully he grew well. I still think it’s important to not take the chance though, as I met a lady who had a 5 mo old lab with pano. Really horrible for the dog. I believe he weighed almost 90lbs at 5 months old. At least thats what she told me.

Also, more importantly too, make sure they are not overfeeding him. Taking in too many calories can contribute to over growth.

Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy is actually 4 stars on here and might be more readily available. Not sure if it’s within their budget. I really don’t know of a quality food thats cheaper than what I’ve mentioned.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by Pitlove.

[Stephanie A]

I believe my 12 week old pit bull puppy has a food allergy. I am currently feeding her the blue
wilderness chicken flavor. I am looking to switch her food to a high quality high protein diet that will help her with her constant itching and scratching. Does anyone have any good suggestions?

[Pitlove]

Hi Kim- Seems like a lot is happening at a fast pace with your foster. Went from being fine on Diamond to itching and loose stool in 2 weeks. The loose stool could certainly be food. My dog (and my cat actually) let me know very quickly via their “output” whether or not something is agreeing with them. My cat will throw up instantly if she eats beef and my dog will have diaherra (sometimes explosive) if a food doesn’t agree with him and he gets very bad gas on beef.

For his upset stomach; if he has been eating Diamond his whole life, he probably doesn’t have a diverse enough amount of microflora in his gut to handle the diet change. If you didn’t tranistion him to Earthborn, that is most likely the cause of the diaherra. If you did, you might have needed to give him more time switching. If you gave him even more than 7 days to switch, maybe there is some stress playing a role from the rehome?

For the itching; there could be an ingredient that he is intolerant to in the Earthborn that’s not in whichever Diamond Naturals you were feeding. Compare the 2 ingredient panels and see if something jumps out at you as being different. Look at everything including stuff lower on the list. You can certainly try to go back to Diamond and see if that helps. Or a food that mimics the ingredients if you want to stay away from Diamond.

Not sure where you live or if he came to you from a different state, but down in LA where I live, environmental allergies in dogs is like an epidemic because of the climate. So it could be a change in climate depending on where you live or where he’s from.

If you want you can almost treat him like hes an 8 week old puppy and just keep his food the same til he adjusts. Sometimes going to a new home especially for a dog thats in foster care can be hard on them. Keeping him on Diamond will also give you an idea if it’s the food or the environment. If he goes back to no itching and diaherra, it’s probably the food. If the diaherra clears up, but the itching continues it could be the environment.

On one last note, make sure you check him for fleas as well. Akitas have some pretty intense coats that fleas can hide in, so really look hard for them. Just in case.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by Pitlove.

[Candia S]

I would like to Nominate Natures Logic. I have been feeding it to my White English lab since she was a puppy. Her coat is white, her skin is conditioned and she is in impeccable shape. Natures Logic contains no by products, no artificial ingredients, no synthetic vitamins or minerals, no herbicides, pesticides, or preservatives. Its rated 5 stars on dog food advisor and I believe that it will make Editors choice if it were considered.

[Susan]

Hi, when I rescued my boy I had the same problem but he was 4 years old, we did every test, in the end the only food that worked was the Vet Diet “Eukanuba Intestinal” low residue kibble, the fiber is only 1.7% & fat is 10% fat…Not the Iams Intestinal the fiber is higher 4% & different ingredients…You may need a vet diet just to get him stable & doing firm poos, then when bowel has healed after feeding the vet diet for about 6months & he’s stable doing firm poos everyday, then very slowly add a new limited ingredient kibble, I email the companies & ask for insoluble fiber %, soluble fiber % & dietary fiber% they only put the crude fiber on their bags…introduce the new kibble very slowly over a 2-3 week period, I start a new kibble using the new kibble as treats for a couple of days, also you feed nothing else, no treats nothing…..

There’s insoluble fiber, soluble fiber, dietary fiber & crude fiber & the pet shop foods are not formulated for dogs with stomach & bowel problems, the kibbles are formulated for healthy dogs, where vet diets are made for certain health problems, don’t get me wrong, I’m not into vet diets but sometimes the vet diets help fix the health problem, the vet diet was the only kibble that firmed up Patches poos & you get so excited when they do a firm poo lol, after just 1-2 days of eating his Eukanuba Intestinal, Patch was pooing a nice firm poo that I could pick up & not leave a big skid mark on the lawn at the park…… the Hills Z/d Ultra has more insoluble fiber, insoluble-3.7% soluble-0.1% crude fiber-2.9% the Z/d Ultra did not help my boy gave him water diarrhea, The Royal Canine HP Hypoallergenic was OK the fiber was 1% but the fat was 19% fat & Patches morning poo was firm but afternoon poo was a cow paddie…… all vet diets are money back guaranteed, if they don’t work, that’s what I liked..
The Eukanuba Intestinal has more soluble fiber & less insoluble fiber & worked for Patch after trying 3 different vet diets…..

You need to work out what works for your pup, when you fed the home cooked hamburger mince, rice & pumkin did that firm up his poos completely? cause pumkin is high in fiber & pumkin made Patches poos very sloppy also the cooked boiled rice irritated his bowel giving him diarrhea, but he can eat the grounded rice in kibbles…

The next time you cook buy some lean beef mince, not hamburger mince, hamburger mince is high in fat…..buy some potatoes, boil the potatoes & mash 1/4 potatoes thru the cooked lean mince, no pumkin & no boiled rice, see if that firms up his poos, then add some pumkin & see if poo goes sloppy again, if poo goes sloppy then he needs a lower fiber diet,

I stay away from kibbles with peas most of the grain free kibbles have peas, lentils, legumes, all high in lectins & lectins can cause leaky gut..

I started to feed a cook meal for breakfast & feed his Eukanuba Intestinal for lunch & dinner, cause I knew the Eukanuba Intestinal made his poos firm & he was only doing 1 maybe 2 poos a day on the Eukanuba Intestinal, so I started to feed the cooked meal for breakfast to see the difference in his poos & what foods worked, you’d see his sloppy orange pumkin & chicken poo, then I knew the pumkin wasn’t working, then I added boiled rice with the boiled chicken & he had diarrhea, then I change to lean beef mince, broccoli, celery with quinoa & he does firm poos now, firmer poos when he eats a cooked meal then when he eats his kibble…..

“California Natural” has their limited ingredient Puppy Chicken & Rice it has just 6 ingredients but chicken is the protein & the fat is 16%min-18% max …. I know puppies need fat but I’m wondering maybe he can’t handle too much fat & a lot of puppy kibbles/wet are higher in fat…. http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products/1161.

It will take time but you will work out what his stomach/bowel cant handle, so keep a diary….its best to start with a vet diet first, get him stable & doing firm poos, then after 6months start looking for a new limited ingredient kibble that has around the same fat % & fiber % that’s in the vet diet that’s working for you pup…Good-Luck 🙂

[Sarah N]

My boyfriend and I have a one year old french bulldog boston terrier mix. We bought blue buffalo puppy food (lamb and oatmeal, and chicken and brown rice) for her because we thought it would provide her with the best health benefits. We fed her this from September (when we got her) up until a few days ago. About a month ago she started throwing up almost everyday. We thought it was the Nylabone, but once that was taken away the vomit continued. It got to the point where none of the food was even digesting and coming up in the vomit with clear mucus. Then things got really bad. She had constipation, then diarrhea, followed by excessive drooling (like a waterfall), started shaking, and kept trying to vomit. We took her to the vet immediately the vet insisted it was the food we were giving her. The vet said her entire body was affected- especially her major organs. We put her on a beef, quinoa, and veggie diet. Her vomiting completely stopped and her bowels are regulated again. Feeding her this diet is extremely expensive and we want to get her on a dry dog food diet again (or at least partly for one meal a day). What do we buy? We already thought we bought the best and have no idea where to turn now. Any advice would be great. We just want our little girl to be healthy and active.

• This topic was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by Sarah N.

[Beth S]

I have a 2 year old border collie. We have been feeding her Eukanuba Performance for over a year with no issues. During a vacation the last two weeks of June, she developed diarrhea within 2 days of staying with a relative. She essentially had it the entire time we were gone since my father-in-law did not really let us in on the severity. When we returned, we had her tested to ensure there were no parasites. She came up clear, so we made her chicken and rice with Metronidazole and Endosorb for 5 days (she was normal but not her usual schedule of once after breakfast and before bed), then worked her food back in. 4 days afterward, she started having diarrhea again. We thought maybe it was stress since she is more than a little high-strung. We switched back to chicken and rice and everything was fine, if a bit irregular. After a week we went back to dog food – diarrhea again within 2 days. I can’t help but think it’s her food now. Maybe the stress of us leaving made her develop an intolerance?

We originally started feeding her Nutro Ultra right after her puppy food, but switched her off of it (to the Eukanuba) as the Nutro seemed to caused loose stools as well. I should mention that the diarrhea itself is (typically) a bit of solid followed by splat with a lot of mucus (snot) but no blood unless she’s had it for a few days, so we think it may be large colon issues – if that has any bearing.

A) It seems the Eukanuba Performance packaging was changed recently, but it seemed that the ingredients had not been changed. Not sure if anyone else has had issues.

B)If her food is the culprit, how do I go about trying new foods – she has eaten Eukanuba for 23 of her 24 months. Any suggestions or tips would be appreciated!

• This topic was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by Beth S.

[Pitlove]

Wait, I’m confused, did you mean to say he’s 8 weeks? You said 8 months. If he is 8 months old already and you are just now getting him, he has already gone through the majority of his critical growth period. Between 8-10 months old is when LBP’s can absorb calcium correctly and their diet doesn’t need to be as strict. However, you can (and probably should) play it safe and keep him on a LBP food until he reaches 1 year of age. If you meant 8 weeks, then yes you need to choose a good Large Breed Puppy food.

If you are going to feed Canidae make sure the formula you are going to feed is not one of the ones manufactured by Diamond. Very wise to avoid this manufactuerer.

My personal recommendation is Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy. Very easily digested food and formulated correctly for a LBP. Also a family owned and operated company for over 100 years with no recalls.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by Pitlove.

[CircaRigel]

Carolyn,
Congratulations on your puppy! I’ve not known a Golden Mountain Doodle, but having known some Bernese Mountain Dogs, a Newfiedoodle, and a number of golden and labradoodles, and based on my experiences with them, I think you’re in for a wonderful experience!

I would hesitate to feed Wellness right now (or Eagle Pack, Holistic Select, or Old Mother Hubbard). All of the kibbles made by Wellpet right now contain green tea extract, which a number of studies has shown can cause liver toxicity in dogs. While the amount in the foods is probably not enough to have much of a toxic effect, those studies were on grown dogs, and puppies may react differently. Prior to my discovering this, I had tried to make a slow transition to Wellness for my own puppy, and he developed diarrhea immediately, even though he only had a couple of tablespoons of the food with his first meal. I had thought it perhaps just a simple sensitivity, until I looked at other Vine reviews of it on Amazon (I occasionally review things on Amazon in their Vine program- the items are random, and from time to time they offer a quality dog food I wish to try Galen on). Approximately 10% of the dogs that tested it on Vine became ill, in two cases, extremely ill. After I did some checking, I found the research showing the toxicity (several studies were stopped early because of it), and also discovered that all of the WellPet foods have green tea extract.

I immediately switched Galen to Canidae Large and Giant breed puppy at that time (which I chose on my own, based on ingredients, calcium/phosphorus levels, and the inclusion of probiotics et. al- not something I was sent for review purposes). He also gets Tripett green beef tripe (which naturally contains digestive enzymes, which are beneficial to digestion and nutrient absorption). For treats, he gets Sojos freeze dried raw lamb and Natural Balance Potato and Kangaroo Limited Ingredient dog food (another thing I was sent a sample of, but is too expensive for me to actually use as his primary food). I also give him an occasional raw beef soup bone.

Now that he’s 8 months old, I’ve transitioned him to Canidae Grain Free Pure Sea, which also has the highest ratings on Dog Food Advisor. At this age, they can properly metabolize calcium, so it’s not as imperative to keep levels so low. There has also been some recent research among giant breed breeders and vets that suggests they may also do better being weaned directly to an adult food- but one that meets the calcium/phosphorus recommendations for large and giant breed puppies. They say that the extra calories in the puppy foods tend to be empty calories, and that the adult foods may have greater nutritional benefit, ounce for ounce.

Hope this helps!
Belinda

[Jonathan S]

It might be tough to find in a puppy formula, but maybe try bigger kibbles? That helped with my dogs. Also, as I understand it, puppy food tends to be higher in fat… that may be contributing. Because of the fat content, I had to move my pups to adult food earlier than I had planned when I started feeding them raw diet as well. Once I did though, their tummies settled down and they started chewing the bigger kibbles instead of wolfing everything down!

[Kate L]

I doubt that unchewed kibble is the problem. More than likely, it is a food sensitivity of some sort. If I had to guess, it is the kibble. Kibble is highly processed at a high heat, which renders the fats somewhat indigestible. Could be, your puppy is one of the dogs who has a sensitive stomach. My dog has a sensitive stomach. Any reason you want to feed kibble? Canned is better. (that is just my opinion and the opinion of some nutritionists, but not all). However, canned can be higher in fat.
It is perfectly OK to crush the kibble, by the way. Many dogs never actually chew kibble. I had a pug that never chewed kibble. . .just woofed it down whole. He was fine. When you switch brands, do it over a week. 1/4 at a time. . .very slowly.

[Ezequiel B]

Hi,

We have a 4 month old German Shepard and we have two issues with trying to feed her kibbles:

(1) she doesnt like them
(2) when she does eat them she doesnt chew which leads to bloating, diarrhea, etc

For (1) we have tried three different brands (Blue Buffalo, Eukanuba, and Wellness Core) with little success. We also tried mixing in some wet food but it only made (2) worse.

Since we were left with three bags of expensive kibbles we decided to throw them in the food processor (seperately. we did not mix brands) and we have been feeding her about a 50/50 mix of Wellness Core Grain Free Puppy Formula (wet) and Eukanuba (pulverized kibbles).

My question is…..is this a bad thing we’re doing? should she be able/willing/trained to eat kibbles?

Thank you!