[Naturella]

Zach, let’s see… Bruno is 14.5 lbs (could go up to 15 lbs eventually if he isn’t yet, but in late September he was 14.5 lbs). 14-15 lbs is a healthy weight for him. He is a small terrier mix of sorts (could be Jack Russell +/- Miniature Rat Terrier +/- Chihuahua +/- something else for all we know – he was found in the bushes, so we sometimes joke that he is a Bush Terrier, lol).

For kibble – I never go below 4-star foods (so far) and I rotate brands and proteins with every bag now (I used to rotate AND mix brands before). Thank goodness my guy is small, so foods last him a while. But, I supplement with a teaspoon of raw, organic, unrefined, cold-pressed coconut oil every other day or so (Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday at breakfast), 2 heaping teaspoons of plain yoghurt/plain kefir Monday and Friday at breakfast, a raw egg once/week (Wednesday at breakfast), a half can of sardines in water once/week (Saturday at breakfast), and a raw meaty bone once/week (Sunday for dinner always – no other food for that meal). Also, for all meals that do not include the above additives (the dinner meals), I add 1-2 teaspoons of THK (alternating between Love, Embark, Force, and Keen, and also BDN), and I add water to make it soupy. Sometimes I would use canned, and still add a tad more water. And also Big Dog Natural (BDN; air-dried) green tripe, so you add that and water to the kibble, let it rehydrate as with THK, and serve.

As far as how much I take away – as per the feeding calculator on this site, and his food bags recommendations, he should have about 1 cup of dry/day, give or take small caloric differences in his brands of food. So, what I do is, I feed 3/4 cups/day of most recipes to account for the additives. On Saturday, when I feed the 1/2 can of sardines I feed 1/4 cup kibble for breakfast instead of the usual 1/4 + 1/8 cup. On Sunday, when I feed the RMB for dinner, I feed no kibble or THK, nothing. Just RMB. On Wednesday, when I feed the raw egg, I feed 1/4 cup kibble. All other meals, even with additives, are 1/4 + 1/8 cup of dry per meal. Of course, I make minor adjustments based on activity, body condition, etc., but that is his norm from which I can adjust.

Dry foods I have tried that he has done well on and could eat the kibble with no problems are: Nutro Natural Choice Small Breed Puppy (his first food when we got him, before I knew much about dog food – not a bad food though; Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy, Vets Choice Holistic Health Extension – Original, Allergix Chicken and Turkey, and Lamb and Brown Rice formulas, Dr. Tim’s Kinesis Grain Free (slightly bigger kibble, but oh well, he managed it just fine), Nutrisca Chicken and Chickpeas, Earthborn Holistic Grain Free (Coastal Catch and Primitive Natural), Victor Grain Free (all formulas) – (LOADS of samples, enough to consider him having eaten it and done well on it as a brand), Nature’s Variety Instinct (on samples he did well, on the actual food, Rabbit recipe – not really, so I stopped feeding it), Now! Fresh Adult (1 lb sample, he did well on it), NutriSource Grain Free all recipes (samples), Annamaet Grain Free (samples), Wysong (various samples), and I have a lot lined up – Back to Basics Red Meat, Canidae Pure Salmon, Dogswell LiveFree Salmon, Wysong Nurture with Quail, Earthborn Holistic Great Plains Feast. He’s had one-time samples of Stella and Chewy’s and Primal too, loved them. On occasion I would give him a small piece of a fruit/veggie, or a piece of organ/meat as a tiny treat, but those are sporadic enough for me to not account for. Same with edible natural chews – he can chew on and “eat” his antler daily, but sometimes I give half a 6-inch bully stick, 1/3 cow ear, 1 piggy snout (small) or 1 lamb ear, homemade doggie ice-cream treats, and those I don’t account for in his meals.

Hope this helps, I tried to be pretty extensive… LoL

[AspensMom]

TheBCnut and Genevieve – thank you so much for your great advice, I appreciate you replying back to me! I was feeding her 3 times a day on the Nutro Natural Choice and in the beginning she would eat it when I put it down for her feeding, but there came a point when she wouldn’t eat it anymore, and I changed to only putting her food down twice thinking that she just wasn’t hungry, but now that I think about it I think she became bored with or just didn’t like the Natural Choice anymore. But that’s when I started reading this forum and decided to switch her food. The first time she had EB Coastal Catch she devoured it up in no time flat, she was getting the Nutro lamb and rice and I was hesitant on the Meadow Feast but she liked that plain too and chowed it down.
TheBCnut, when you say I will definitely have to adjust the amount, do you mean more or less? Lately I have been feeding her 1 cup EB with 1/3 cup THK in the a.m., ½-1 cup at lunch (no topper), then 1 cup EB with 1/3 cup THK in the p.m. Would this be too much (it’s about 3 ½ cups a day, what Nutro suggested on its packaging)? I called EB and left a message about a week ago and so far nobody has called me back to clarify feeding recommendations for a puppy, and the back of their packaging doesn’t say whether its for a dog or a puppy. She is however getting a pretty good walk/run in the afternoon every day, so much so that she sleeps on and off the rest of the afternoon/evening, so with that exercise I’m not too worried about her getting fat, but that might change when winter comes and I’m not inclined to bring her to our open space/dog parks every day in freezing/snowy weather. Also, is it advisable to feed sardines/tripe every week, if so I will make sure she gets at least one every week. I assume the sardines will give her a nice shiny coat? I will also check out Annamaet’s Aqualuk and see if I can get that at any of my natural food stores, this is a good recommendation for when I start rotating her food more. BTW, how often do you/should you rotate food, every other day, week, month?? Thank you all! 

[Dori]

I wouldn’t add any more food to his meals. Just feed the amounts that you normally would. He’s used to getting treats, bones, etc so that may be making the difference but I would still hold off and add them back into his diet slowly as you planned. Don’t rush anything especially when he starts with those cute puppy dog eyes and you’re tempted to give him treats. He’s been sick on and off for at least a couple of weeks if not a little longer even so his tummy needs a little more calming down inside.

[Genevieve K]

How many times are you feeding her? Puppies need to have 3 meals a day. (I do think it’s adorable that she carries her food bowl around.) Using the caloric information on the packaging, I calculated the ideal daily feeding schedule and use that as a guide (it’s been close to the suggested servings). If you’re feeding multiple foods, I recommend doing this to ensure she’s getting what she needs. Perhaps you could do this with the different foods that you’re feeding.

In addition to a Boerboel puppy, we have two other large breed dogs. I do feed the puppy far more than I feed the adults because I know he needs the additional nutrition and the extra calories to support his quickly growing body. I keep a close eye on his body shape to ensure he’s not getting over-fed.

Having fought a weight loss battle with my Ridgeback, it’s important to keep an eye on his waist. I’m fine with him carrying a little bit more weight because I know he will use that for growth and energy but it’s important to ensure he doesn’t cross the line into “fat.”

Because of the our Boerboel puppy’s multiple allergies (arg!), we decided to use Annamaet’s Aqualuk and are now feeding it to all three dogs. It’s is appropriate for large breeds in all life stages and is listed on HDM’s list of recommended large breed dog food. The Calcium/Fat percentages are excellent and, personally, I was drawn to its EU certification which requires does not allow the 4 D’s (diseased, dying, disabled, and dead) animals.

Large dogs usually have a shorter life span and the additional cost is worth it to ensure my family is eating a very healthy food which, hopefully, will extend their life span. One wonderful side effect is that my Ridgeback’s farts, known to literally clear a room, have significantly decreased in frequency and are not nearly as foul!

No, is not an inexpensive food but we were previously feeding a different, high quality 4 star food that was only a bit less than Annamaet. There are very few retail locations that carry it so I order it online from Wag.com but there are other sites that carry it. The Annamaet website has a list of retailers – online and brick & mortar shops.

Long story short, I’d feed her as much as she wants – to a point. For training purposes (and your sanity), maintain a feeding schedule so that she doesn’t learn that she can manipulate you. The last thing you want is a dog who know that when she drops her bowl at your feet, she gets food. They’re slick little critters!

[AspensMom]

Hello everyone, I am new to this site and forum and I want to thank everyone who has posted such good advice. Due to the recommendations on this forum and the recommendations for the site’s 4 and 5 star rated dog foods and HDM’s lists, I have begun to switch my puppy’s food. I have a 4 month old (will be 5 month in a few days) female English Setter named Aspen who is currently 32 lbs. I was feeding her Nutro Natural Choice kibble alone twice a day, but a few days ago started the switch to Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch and Meadow Feast. I also have gotten several samples of The Honest Kitchen and she really likes this mixed in with her food, and I see that THK LOVE is recommended for LBP.

The Nutro said for a 30 lb dog I should be feeding her 3 1/2 – 3 3/4 cups food a day, but the EH says 1 1/4 – 1 3/4 cups a day. I am currently at a 50/50 split with old/new kibble and currently giving her 1 cup mixed kibble along with 1/3 cup THK sample topper at each feeding, however she still seems hungry. She carries around her food bowl sometimes, leading me to believe she is hungry even a couple hours after feeding her, so I wind up giving her a small handful of food when she does this and she devours it. I don’t see how when I am fully transitioned to EH 100% that only 1 1/4 – 1 3/4 will be enough for her a day, even with THK as a topper. I have a couple questions that I would like all you knowledgeable people to help me with please.
1. The EH back states “You may keep EH Coastal Catch before your puppy at all times; most puppies will satisfy their nutritional needs as their appetite dictates”. Is this for puppies that are younger than 8 weeks of age, or does this apply to older puppies, and if so up to what age? (sorry if this sounds stupid) What amount do you suggest I feed her of kibble, considering she will also be getting 1/3 cup THK LOVE?
2. Do you feel that feeding her either the coastal catch or the meadow feast along with THK as a topper is a good combination? Is her feeding of 1 cup kibble with 1/3 cup THK OK or is she getting more than she needs? I am not going the raw food route and I really like the convenience of THK compared to buying cans and having to store the remaining canned food in the fridge. With THK she can get warm fresh food with her kibble and I find it really convenient for me.
3. I am considering Aspen a LBP as our vet said that she will probably get into the 60 lb. range and to feed her a LBP food, although I want to stay with the all stages food. So am I correct that I can stay with coastal catch or meadow feast and THK LOVE until she is 10 months old and after that I can start to give her any flavors of the EH and THK (or any other recommended food to rotate her)?
4. I have also at times given her organic canned pumpkin or sweet potato and she loves those as well, but I saw other suggestions on here such as tripe/sardines/cooked eggs. If I use tripe/sardines/eggs as a topper how much of those should I give with her kibble?

One final question is that I looked and don’t see a place to upload a profile picture, could someone tell me how to do that? Thank you in advance for any help and recommendations you can provide me, I appreciate it!
AspensMom – Shelly

[Sam D]

Hi all,

We’re getting an Aussie Shepherd puppy in December. Our breeder is wonderful and responsible and has been feeding her dogs Taste of the Wild for years. She says she loves the brand and her Aussies have done well on this food. She’s not against raw at all but she just doesn’t choose to follow the raw diet.

So here is my question(s) We want to start the puppy out on TOTW kibble and, ideally, make a few meals a week raw (turkey necks, beef, chicken, liver, etc…) We’ve also looked at The Honest Kitchen. We want a lot of variety! We want our dog to be able to tolerate both kibble and raw (just not in the same meal, together)

Can dogs do well having a diet that rotates with kibble too?
Thanks, kindly!

[Angie]

Hi Guys!

I looking for advice from some of you avid raw feeders. I have been feeding Big Country Raw dinners to my two pups for the last 4 months. I have a Samoyed that’s just under 2 years old and a Shih Poo who is almost 8. The samoyed is 65lbs and the Shih Poo is 16 lbs.

My Samoyed had Coccidia and Giardia as a puppy and he has been treated for it a few times and since then his digestive system haven’t been the same so we tried raw for him and it was almost a miracle. He has small solid poops to where I don’t have to bathe his butt every morning before work.

Anyways the main reason for this post is that.. is there anything I need to add to their diets? They are getting a rotation diet of Chicken, Turkey, Beef, Lamb, Breeder Blend, and Fish Dinner. Is there a supplement I need to add since they will most likely been on this diet for a while. I do give them chicken and Turkey Necks once a week and Bones to chew + Brush their teeth a few times a week.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated,
Angie

http://www.bigcountryrawstore.com/Dinners-s/1818.htm

[Susan]

Hi, has the vet tried him on a vet prescription diet kibble yet like the Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal low fat or the Sensitivity Control….My boy was put on the Eukanuba Intestinal vet diet, it only has 1.75%-fiber 10%-Fat, he was put on the Intestinal Plus 4%-fiber first, he was still doing very sloppy poos after 2 weeks, then I had to order another bag, the lady made a mistake & gave me the Intestinal instead of the Intestinal Plus it was a blessing making the mistake as the Intestinal is only 1.75% crude fiber, as soon as he started the Intestinal 1.75%-fiber his poos were back to normal within 2 days, thats when we realised he needed less fiber, vet said she wanted him to stay on the Eukanuba Intestinal for 1 year but around 6 months when he was doing real well, I started trying other kibbles, I stay around the same fat% protein% & I tried to find a low crude fiber% as his Intestinal Vet diet but it was hard as the vet prescription diet only had the real low crude fiber, even when I give Patch Pumkin I cant give him more then a little teaspoon, if I give more his poos are very sloppy, he cant have too much fiber or fat..
Have you ever done an elimaintion diet, thats the best way, I found that Patch was getting real bad diarrhea from potatos & itchy skin & Sweet potatos made his ears itchy when I did the elimination diet, Vet tried him on the Euknuba FP for his skin last December 1 week after just introducing 1/4cup of the FP to his Intestinal for the whole week, (I slowly introduce new kibbles I use to take about 1 month) he had real bad diarrhea as soon as he ate something he had to run outside & do water poo, so I took him straight off the FP vet thought it was from the higher fat% as it was 15% where his Intestinal was only 10% then 6 months later when I started the elimination diet, I realised it was the potatos in the Eukanuba FP as it was Fish & Potato giving him the bad diarrhea…the less you give the better, there has to be a food that stops his diarrhea, on the yahoo groups there’s a group called “IBDogs” & most of the dogs with real bad diarrhea are put on Prednidsone (Steroid) has he been put on a steroid yet, its for inflammed bowel, I never put Patch on the steriod as I got his diarrhea under control, he was put on the Metroniazole for 2 weeks & when he has had a flares, he gets put on the Metronidazole (Flagyl) for 2 weeks,
Most of the kibbles that you have tried have they been grainfree, try & get a kibble with low fat, low protein, low fiber & not a grainfree kibble as some grain free kibbles are higher in fat & protein, try a limited ingredient kibble.. after trying about 6 different kibbles, I put Patch on the Wellness Simple Duck & Oatmeal first then I realised it has Potato protein (he started to scratch) then I changed him to the Lamb & Oatmeal it has Oats & rice I found Patch does better on grounded rice & oats kibbles, the fiber is 4.75% I was a bit worried to try but it had been over 6months since Patch had a real bad flare, last December but I still do his Eukanuba Intestinal for dinner & the Wellness Simple for breakfast & lunch… I have to give Patch smaller meals thru the day he doesnt do well on 2 large meals a day.. Have you tried the Wellness Complete health Puppy Large breed Deboned Chicken & brown rice.. I was going to try the Large breed if the Wellness Simple didnt work, but there was too many proteins in it & it has brown rice, brown rice is higher in fiber thats what worried me.. try to get a kibble with just has 1 protein that’s why I tried the Lamb & Oatmeal & the Duck & Oatmeal cause there’s just the 1 protein but it has peas & Patch farts cause of the peas…. Less is best..
Another kibble some of the ladys are using on the IBDogs is “Natural Balance” limited ingredients…try one that has the less ingredents some have more ingredients then the other limited ingredient kibbles… here’s the link to have look at the ingredients in the LTD kibbles, the Kangaroo has just Kangaroo & Potato & the fiber is 3% fat-10% there’s Bison & Sweet Potato but it has has peas, I wouldnt try a kibble with peas just yet, there’s the Potato & Rabbit that doesnt have peas or too many ingredients, have alook at all the Limited ingredients kibbes & pick one with just 1 protein that he has never had before the Kangaroo looked the best & had the least ingredients..the other one was the potato & Rabbit also didnt have too many ingredients to irratate his bowel..
http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/product-category.aspx?…
Or start an Elimination diet & don’t start with chicken as u’ve tried the Chicken & it didnt work, another protein like Lamb, kangaroo, rabbit, fish, one lady feeds her dog horse meat, if you can find a place that sells horse meat, cook it, not raw yet & dont do the boiled rice, Patch can have grounded rice in kibbles but not boiled rice, it irritates the bowel for some dogs, maybe try potato or sweet potatos instead of the boiled rice if he goes good then add another food.. or ask vet put him on a vet prescription diet like the Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal low fat alot of dogs do real well on the Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal or the Royal Canin Sensitivity Control its just Duck & Tapioca & no other foods, no treats etc then when he’s better after 6months try & find another kibble with similar ingredients to the vet diet he’s on..
He would be so skinny as he wouldnt be getting any nutrition cause he’s pooing it back out…something is really wrong with Banes digestion, vet may need to do bi-opies to find what the problems is.
I feel for you & Bane there’s a few Great Danes on the IBDogs group if you join they also may be able to help you out as they have & are going thru the same thing, also Coconut oil at this stage is a No No when he’s going real good then maybe introduce new things but sooooooo slowely cause 1 thing can make him have a real bad flare & then you’ll have so much touble getting them back to pooing normal again like last December, it took me nilly 3 months to get Patch back to doing nice firm poos again & on the Wellness Simple he does nice firm poos, I think he did better poos on the Duck & Oatmeal it had less peas cause they used the Potato protein & not as many peas in the Duck & Oatmeal…. Good-Luck have a look at the Natural Balance LImited ingredient kibbles…

[Susan]

Hi Kayla, I too have a rescue dog & Patch a nervous dog, he doesnt wee but if he hears the neigbours yelling he starts to stress, & want to run & run.. when he is weeing that is nerves he doesnt mean it, it just happens google “my dog wees when he gets into trouble” its called Submissive Urination, something would of happened to him when he was younger he probably got beltings, someone abused him… raise ur hand does he cower & try & hide, my boy does, so someone belted him…He needs to take time to learn to trust you, you cant lose ur cool even thought sometimes you feel like killing them, just smile & say its OK & just wipe the wee, in time this will get better, when I got Patch he wasnt trained he was 4years old & it was like he had never seen anything in his life & he would get so excited, 2 years later he still starts to cry & carry on when he sees another dog & wants to say hello to every dog, he acts like a puppy, he has gotten better, he needs time & trust also you……Patch has a nervous bowel like some humans when they get nervous they have to go to the toilet, ur boy is still young so with proper training he may grow out of all of this, when he’s being a nut he’s real happy ur probably the first real home he’s had that he feels loved, so they see how much they can push us, he’ll get better but try & gain his trust & show him what he’s doing is wrong, say NO & make him sit then give him a treat or one of his kibbles, show him if he sits & waits he’ll get a buscuit or a kibble or what ever he wants on the kitchen bench….he may be hungry too..I feed 3 cups kibble a day some wet tin food, a couple of doggy biscuits & some banana if he sits in the kitchen & waits quietly & doesnt cry & whinge like a nut & my boy weights 35lbs..It has taken nilly 2 years & Patch has become a real good boy but he still does his crying & whinging vet said that Staffys talk alot..

[Tanya C]

Hi my name is Tanya and I have many fur babies which include 3 Great Danes, 1 Chinese Crested and 3 Cats 2 orange tabbies and a black white kitten. They all range in ages from 8 weeks to 8 years. Up until recently I always fed my fur family members commercial kibbles and wet foods cause food is food right. Man was I WRONG !!!Anyway we recently lost our baby girl Thunder who was a 15 year old Husky. My husband watched me struggle with her death and how badly depressed I was becoming so he suggested a new furry baby to help focus my attention on and to maybe help fill the big hole in the heart. I eventually found Chance a 10 month old Great Dane puppy, he is a great source of happiness 🙂 He was raised on a raw dog food diet and his previous owner had switched him over to commercial foods and he is doing fine but it piqued my interest because I didn’t really know what Raw Dog Food was. I’ve been researching and researching for the last 2 weeks, I made a recipe and the dogs really seem to like it but I would like some constructive criticism. I mean I did do a lot of research but there is just so much information and a lot of it contradicts what the other is saying, so I just wanted some feedback. One thing that all the information agreed on was that it is very important for the diet to be balanced and that you can do more damage by feeding an unbalanced raw diet than by staying with commercial foods, so I just want to make sure I’m doing what is best for my fur babies.
Thank you, Sincerely, Tanya

10 lbs – ground organ meats Beef (heart, kidney, liver, spleen, brains, etc..)
5.5-6 lbs – ground Chicken thigh/leg attached bone in
350 g pureed Sardines
4 – whole x-large Eggs shells pureed with the veggies (also 12 egg shell left over from breakfast)
1 cup pureed Carrot
3-4 cups pureed Yams
3-4 cups pureed Broccoli
750 g – Biobest Plain Probiotic Yogurt

• This topic was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by Tanya C.

[Dori]

Glad to hear you like them BC. I’ve recently added the Beef, Tripe and Fish to the girls rotation. Hubby is quite the squeamish one when it comes to feeding raw so this is as close as I can get if he has to feed a meal because I’ve dared to not be home at the girl’s meal time. I wish they didn’t have the freeze dried potato in their ingredients but as you know I feed rotational diet with every meal it really won’t be a big deal. I don’t like to feed Hannah with anything that has white potatoes because of her touch of arthritis.

cindy q. I believe that some of us have stated (not just me) that for an adult or senior dog this is a great food to feed in a rotational diet. Also most of the regulars on this site feed rotational diets so that what they may miss in one meal (if, indeed, that is the case with any food you may feed) they will pick it up in the next meal. Every single meal does not have to be “complete and balanced”. Complete and Balanced has to be met over a period of a week. If you feed a rotation diet then you really should not have any problems when feeding quality foods. If you’ve followed any of my posts on the DFA site I’m a firm believer in both raw and rotational feeding. My three dogs are my proof (for me) that this is the best diet for them.

I’ve never owned a large dog so have never had to research large puppy requirements in a dog food. I believe it has to do with the calcium in a food so as to not have their bones growing quicker than they should. Others would be knowledgeable in that area. I believe this food would also be fine for puppies of medium, small and toy dogs. I would have no issue feeding puppies this food but, again, I don’t feed any food solely.

[Sharon H]

I’ve been feeding my 10 month old puppy Royal Canin shih Tzu puppy her whole life. She is getting where she eats less and looking for what is best.

[Naturella]

Kayla – I am loving all your posts and questions!

I think from my reading this is how it goes, best to worst:
Balanced raw
Freeze-dried/air-dried balanced raw
Balanced dehydrated
Canned
High-quality kibble
Low-quality kibble

Even the best kibble is in the bottom as far as “good” for dogs. As C4C said, if you can, go ahead and mix kibble and canned for each meal; heck, throw a few teaspoons of water in there too. Kibble can lead to a constant state of low-level dehydration, so making it wet is better, plus it is supposed to help with nutrient absorption.

That said, I feed kibble – I never go below 4-star foods and I rotate brands and protein with every bag now. Thank goodness my guy is small, so foods last him a while. But, I supplement with a heaping teaspoon of raw, organic, unrefined, cold-pressed coconut oil every other day or so (Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday at breakfast), 2 heaping teaspoons of plain yoghurt/plain kefir Monday and Friday at breakfast, a raw egg once/week (Wednesday at breakfast), a half can of sardines in water once/week (Saturday at breakfast), and a raw meaty bone once/week (Sunday for dinner always – no other food for that meal). Also, for all meals that do not include the above additives (the dinner meals), I add 1-2 teaspoons of The Honest Kitchen (THK) dehydrated food and I add water to make it soupy. Sometimes I would use canned, and still add a tad more water. And I just got green tripe from Big Dog Natural (BDN; air-dried), so you add that and water to the kibble, let it rehydrate as with THK, and serve. So far so good, Bruno is happy, lean, and healthy. 🙂

Please let us know if you have any other questions! 🙂

P.S. If you have a Costco membership, they have the best prices on good coconut oil, as well as cheap, good food – Kirkland Signature brand is 4-star and $26/40lbs (4.5 stars for Puppy and Mature dog, and small breed), and Nature’s Domain (grain-free) is 3.5 stars and $30/35lbs!

• This reply was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by Naturella.

[Akari_32]

That is exactly along the lines of what I’m wanting to ask them. I’ve been, out of boredom, looking around online, and found both these websites that make very good sense. I will admit, both the authors seem a little coo-coo in the head at times (like the puppy food protein percentage on the Catahoula page), but they both certainly make very good points.

http://www.catscradlecatahoulas.com/html/raw_meat_diet.html

http://rawfed.com/myths/carbs.html

The Myths About Raw Feeding website is actually very interesting. Heres the main page so you guys can see the rest of the myths.

http://rawfed.com/myths/

[Chabs]

I have 3 dogs- a lab (8), malti-poo (5) and a 9 month old shih Tzu-maltese puppy. The lab and the malti-poo have allergy/food sensitivities that cause ear/licking feet problems. I suspect yeast. I’m trying to find a food that will be the best for all 3-being that the lab usually finishes up the other two’s food if I’m not watching her. The lab can stand to lose a few pounds and does not do well with chicken. The malti-poo is a picky eater, although will eat if I mixed with a wet food. The puppy will eat whatever and I have switched her away from puppy food because I think she is basically full grown and doesn’t need the extra calories. Ideally, I would like to have them on all the same food and stick to it. The problem is finding something that they will all eat that is not too small kibble for the lab/too big kibble for the little dogs. I am not sure that they will eat a fish based food. Seems like I tried a few samples in the past and the lab turned her nose up at them. So, I guess my question is what do you recommend? I usually shop at PetSmart, but we do have a Benson’s that carries more specialized foods. I want to stay away from foods that have a lot of recalls and small brands that will be discontinued and hard to find. I was thinking of trying the Wellness Simple Lamb and Oatmeal. I used to always feed Purina One lamb but the two older dogs all of a sudden didn’t care for it any longer and refused to eat it, even when I opened a new bag. I am kind of lost and out of my comfort zone trying to pick out a dog food on my own. There are so many new brands out there that I can’t keep track of them all.

[Andrew M]

Hello Hound Dog Mom ~
Our now 6 month old German GSD weighs in at 51 ponds plus! We have been feeding him Wellness Core Puppy Dry… He devours his twice daily feeding of approximately 2 cups per feeding. My questions… You suggest mixing wet food. What is your opinion about staying with the same family of food, Wellness, and adding the wet, as a topper, either on a regular daily basis at each feeding or periodically on different days at different feedings? Thanks in advance for your comments and response… Others are also encouraged to comment if you would like to contribute.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Nancy:
Diamond manufactures quite a few foods for other companies as well. The company that makes the puppy formula that I fed my dog is one that uses them; they also will not disclose what formulas Diamond makes for them. At the time I never knew about companies using co-packers so I may or may not have fed a Diamond manufactured product to my current dog. For that reason and possible quality control issues now I would never feed or recommend the brand again.

It’s hard to keep up with what company owns their own manufacturing facilities and who hires co-packers. I live in a region that is likely supplied by the questionable SC Diamond facility so I have not intentionally bought any of their products since 2007. Good luck and check back in if you need any more help! 🙂

[crazy4cats]

Oh boy, you have taken on quite a commitment! But, it sounds like you already know what you are in for. The funny thing about your suggestion of Taste of the Wild is that it is also manufactured by Diamond. I am not as anti-Diamond as many on this site because I live in the NW and have not been affected by the recalls. Most people that feed this food have great results. However, if you are avoiding Diamond, TotW is not the food for you!
Go to the review side of this site and print off the list of the best puppy foods and take it to the pet store, feed store or boutique with you and see what they have and fits in your budget. I am a believer of adding variety to a pups diet. I like to add canned food, eggs and/or sardines to my dog’s meals to help bump up the nutrition of the kibble.
Please keep us informed of your new pup’s progress. Congrats!

[Nancy M]

I have very recently acquired from my daughter, an 8 month old mini Aussie, who is currently about 20+ lbs. She has been on Diamond puppy formula, dry, since 8 weeks of age. Not being a Diamond fan, and not willing or able to go with the RAW, I am looking for suggestions as to a more healthy and favorable dog food for her. I have always used the premium brands with my previous dogs, hoping to offer much better nutrition than the run of the mill, grocery store brands, but there have become so many choices, I have no idea where to start to switch this girl over. Being an energy, performance type of breed, opposed to my more calm, laid back lifestyle, I do not wish to feed a formula that will create more energy. Truthfully, I’m not sure she will be happy with or acceptable, of a more sedentary life with me, but rather than allow her to be given off to a stranger, I am just trying to give it my best and see if it can work. I’m not sure this is going to do her justice, but time will tell.

In the meantime, I want something substantially better for her than Diamond. Suggestions, please. My first inclination would be TOTW, but depending on what her system may accept and thrive on, I could be on a trial and error rollercoaster. I thought all of this was behind me for a good while, until I lost my beloved Sheltie a couple weeks ago and now trying to give this pup a new home. Now it starts all over again. Whoopy!

Looking for input soon, so I can try to get started. Thanks much to all!

Nancy

[Bobby dog]

Fingers crossed your kitties like it and for you because the price is right. And if they do like it, it will be one more reason to add to the list of things that make me jealous…lol

If your boys are anything like Bobby, they will like it. I think their pate’ is the kind that stays fairly soft after refrigeration. I kinda forget because Bobby had some yeasty skin symptoms and he’s on a low carb, no potato diet for the time being just in case so I haven’t fed it in a while.

I haven’t fed the Sr chic & rice, but I am adding it to “my list” of approved 4H recipes since it looks like my store is stocking it now. I will have to check the puppy chic & rice label out when I am shopping there; they have carrageenan listed twice on the website recipe list for some reason. Maybe it’s wrong, IDK.

FWIW I don’t feed the chic stew because it contains titanium dioxide or the beef stew due to the caramel. Feeding a food with caramel in a rotation really isn’t that much of a deal breaker for me, but they have so many recipes to chose from and with the others I have in his base rotation I would only buy it if necessary.

[Carlos F]

Hello everyone, i’m really glad i found this forum. Thanks to all of you i have been educating myself a lot. I am a first time owner though and just wanted to ask a couple questions. I have a huskey/pitbull mix puppy and she will be 4 months at the end of the month. I am currently feeding her 1 cup Simply Nourished large breed puppy food with a spoonful of wet food from the same brand mixed together 3 times a day. Just wondering if i have done a good choice and if mixing wet and dry food is a good idea. Thank you all in advance and i really appreciate all of your help.

[Akari_32]

Hey guys! Popping in with an update!

I was talking to mom Wednesday about Ginger (just about her in general), and she was like “well send me a picture!” (she works out of town mon-thurs). So I hang up with her, send her a pic, and she texts back “awww she’s cute!” and then sends another one that says “but we aren’t keeping her”.

Fast forward to Thursday night when she gets home, and we were all standing around and talking, and moms like “well I don’t like her name.” Of course, everyone is thinking why does her name matter if we aren’t keeping her??

Then today, I call her while my friend and I are driving to Universal, and she’s got Ginger up on her bed (she used to doggy steps to get up there), sleeping in her pillow! At the same time, my friend was texting a few of her friends that may be able to take her or know someone who may be able to, and I was telling mom about it, and she was like “well I don’t knoooow.”

So in less than 12 hours of being around that dog, she’s got mom wrapped around her little paw, and totally trained. So we may very well have ourselves a fourth dog. And it sounds like she’s moms dog LOL I suppose we’re going to have to talk about this more when I get home. Its not like she eats very much, anyways.

And speaking of eating, I got a can of Bentley’s back up Pure Balance Stew Puppy out, and mixed a couple teaspoons of the broth in and some of the meat, and she didn’t waste any time eating it! Had mom feed her the same way today, and she apparently ate very well today as well. I also noticed she can’t get down the doggy stairs, so I wonder how good her sight is, and if she is relying more on her sense of smell, which is why she wasn’t eating the dry food. She does have cataracts, and doesn’t like to be out in the yard at night, and if the lights are out, she will not go down the stairs.

Oh, and the other day, when I was at work and my room mate was home with Ginger, she said Ginger was staring out, and took her a few minutes to get her attention and bring her “back.” So maybe she does have dementia… But even still, she’s pretty much a normal dog for her age.

[aimee]

Hi Robert M,

From their website they allow Calcium levels up to 1.7% in their puppy diet. This is equivalent to about 5 grams Ca/1000 kcals. Most veterinary nutritionists recommend that calcium for large breed growth should be about 3 grams/1000kcals. The NRC places the safe upper limit for Ca at 4.5 grams/1000kcals, which this diet exceeds.

It is not a food I’d personally feed to my large breed puppy. Personally, I look for a diet with a Ca less than 3.5 grams/1000kcals and a diet that has passed AAFCO feeding trials.

I raised my lab on Purina Pro Plan large breed puppy and couldn’t be happier with the results. Most times when I mention that I raised my pup on Pro Plan someone chimes in about how awful the food is.: )

It really is a matter of what you hold important to you when judging a dog food. I want to see that the company has veterinary nutritionists on staff and has raised large breed pups on the diet while monitoring growth and skeletal development. Purina went far and beyond the min AAFCO requirements for a feeding trial and I was impressed with the amount and type of monitoring the company did in regards to monitoring the growth and development of the Lab pups involved in the trial.

I’ve read extensively on nutrition and the one common factor I find is that nutritionists state you can not tell the quality of a food by looking at an ingredient list. The ingredient list of Pro Plan doesn’t look “real pretty” but since the ingredient list is of less importance to me than other criteria when I judge a food I didn’t hesitate to use it.

[Brenda E]

Thanks for checking back! We went camping this weekend and he got diarrhea pretty bad; I woke up every two hours with my poor pup. Being fed up, I stopped feeding him Blue, he’s been eating boiled chicken with some pumpkin and an herbal supplement from The Honest Kitchen for two days and his poop is great. We have two samples of The Honest Kitchen and I bought him a small bag of Wellness brand puppy food. Hopefully his poop improves, but I’m still doing my research on food.

[Yorkieville]

Hound Dog Mom – Thank you, but we’re happy she loves the Wellness Stews, and is not a picky eater. None of my Yorkies were ever picky eaters.
It’s a shame the reviews don’t include palatability.
Thank you-I did read how the reviews were based. So, I chose THK, wanting to feed my puppy a healthy food.
It doesn’t help that it’s healthy, if she refuses to eat it. 🙂

[Karen G]

Thank you SO MUCH crazy4cats and Cyndi, the list you found for me is invaluable! I have a German Shepherd pup who is about 11 weeks old. I currently feed him Merrick for puppys (grain free). He loves the Merrick and seems to be doing well on it so far. Here is what the lable says: Protein (min) 28%, fat (min) 12%, fiber (max) 4.50%, calcium (max) 1.70%, Phosphorus (max) 1.10%. What bothers me is I don’t really know how much is in the food because of the “min” and “max” designations. I wish I had a little better idea of the actual percentages in the food. I went with Grain Free because I read something about arsenic levels but I eat grain myself so I guess it isn’t a big deal if it contains grain or not….I’m still debating about this. My vet is recommending Science Diet since they are more specific about just how much of these nutrients are included in the kibble but my previous GSD never did well on Science Diet so I’m reluctant to try it. I’m going to take a look at this list that you so kindly provided for me and see what I find. I’m new to understanding what type of ingredients a large breed pup really needs (other than keeping calcium lower) so I’m educating myself now. Thanks again for all your help and for taking the time to respond so thoughtfully to me!!!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Karen G-
Congrats on the new pup! What kind of dog is it? Did you see the recommended dry foods for large breed puppy spreadsheet that is posted on the large breed thread on this forum? I think it is on about page 33 of that thread. It lists both with and without grains kibble. The main thing objective is to keep calcium under 3.5 g per 1,000 kcal. Also, the food should be labeled for puppies (growth) or all life stages. It does not necessary for it to specifically say for large breed pups. There is no recognized standard for large breed as far as food labels go.
Nutrisource large breed pup with grains is listed and also Wellness Core puppy grain free is on the list. There are several others as well. I was trying to mention more well known brands.
Keep your pups growth slow and steady. Do not over exercise or run him/her. I feed my 3 year old big dogs Victor. Both The Victor Select chicken and rice and lamb and rice would also be good options for your new pup! Hip, knee and elbow problems are so prevalent with big dogs. We need to do what we can to try to prevent them. Have fun with your pup!

[Yorkieville]

My puppy came home eating Wellness kibble, and I kept her on it awhile, but knew there was just too much grain in it. So, we feed her the Wellness Stews that are appropriate for puppies. There are only 3, so we rotate them.
Thank you for letting me know that your Yorkie would not eat THK.
She loves the Wellness Stews, and they do smell good when we warm up her food.

[Susan]

Hi Tiffany, when I first rescue my boy he was doing sloppy poos with jelly on then & mucus, did the blood tests for parasites all blood test all came back good, vet said Colitis & he was put on Metronidzole for 2 weeks, I went back to feeding him chicken necks for breakfast & his Opitmum kibble & tin food at night again every 13 days he would be up early hours of the morning with his stomach/bowel making gurgling noises & he’d have to go out & do his jelly poos, I called them, then finally vet said looks like he has IBD, he can’t just eat anything, no more chicken necks there’s too much fat & just bone, he needs to be put on a stricted diet, so he was put on Vet prescription Royal Canin Hypoallergenic cause he also has skin problems being a Staffy but the fat was 19% in the R/C HP it was too high fat% then he got Pancreatitis, in the end he was put on Eukanuba Intestinal Low residue kibble, this stopped all the jelly poos stopped his gurlging bowel, I also cooked him boiled chicken breast mixed with a little pumkin, rice & a boiled egg, now Im giving him Wellness Simple Lamb & Oatmeal its a limited ingredient kibble & his poos are excellent better then when he was on the Royal Canin & Eukanuba Intestinal Vet diet, maybe look at the Wellness Complete Health range they have a large breed puppy formula & also give a cooked meal but keep everything the same, very simple once he gets use to the cooked or new kibble dont just change it or rotate it until you’ve worked out what he can eat & what he cant…once I had him just on the Eukanuba Intestinal & he was doing real good for 6moths, I started an elimation diet for breakfast only & his kibble for dinner & I found he couldnt eat Potatos or sweet potatos, he got a rash all over his chest & had diarrhea, if he ate a biscuit with wheat in it his paw would get real red & swollen.. unless thats what you do start an elimantion diet, you start with 1 protein normally boiled chicken & add rice then after 1 week & their poo is good add something else new to their diet for the next week, I saw an reaction within 2 hours of adding the potato, so the next morning I added the potato again to make sure it wasn’t from grass his rash & it was the potato, you can google elmination diets for dogs….
Have you tried a kibble where the protein% & fat% was lower then the Taste of the Wild & seen how he goes..
if you do cook make sure that he has the same meal for at least 4 weeks to settle everything as soon as Id change something in Patches diet he’d be pooing sloppy again, so I started watching what he was eating & writing it all down…can tin fish is good but not in oils, I use tuna in spring water & drain the spring water, I add a little boiled pumkin & a boiled egg you can also get salt free Salmon
another good site is yahoo group called “K9Kitchen” run be Monica Segal..also Lew Olson Book called “Raw & Nutrition for dogs” it has cooked recipes for dogs with health problems, that’s where I started with her book, its only cost $12 on Amazon she explains about using the egg shell after boiling the egg & drying the shell out & crushing the egg shell for their calcuim…..

[Tiffany H]

We have a 7 mo old pit mix & a 5 month old full blooded blue pit boy. The pit mix is doing great, and for the most part, so is our blue boy, but he’s having tummy issues.

We have had them both on Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy with roasted venison & bison for awhile now. The blue boy just went to the vet yesterday & was given the all clear for parasites, etc. The problem we’re encountering is no matter what we feed him, he has really loose stools at best, jelly like stools at worst with a lot of mucous. I’ve tried giving him a probiotic & it doesn’t help. The vet said it was nothing to be worried about, but I’m sure everyone knows that’s easier said than done.

I’m a whiz in the kitchen & would be more than happy/able to make his food for him, but I have no clue where to start or if that would even help. His personality is normal, same with activity level & appetite, I just hate seeing him embarrassed when he suddenly has to go & can’t make it outside.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Cameron P]

Hello Guys!

I am very picky about what I allow my German Shepherd Puppy eat! My sister feeds her two chocolate labs “Good Friends” which is bought at Rural King. I always check here to see reviews before I switch foods, but he always eats it at her house and he will be staying with her for a little bit while I’m finishing my last year of college. He’s almost 6 months and his current food is Diamond Naturals Large Breed Puppy. He doesn’t eat much, but he eats it eventually. I’m not too concerned since he’s a healthy looking pup and doesn’t get overfed! However, if anyone knows anything about this “Good Friends” puppy food, I would greatly appreciate some feed back!

German Shepherd Owner 🙂

[Patricia O]

Hello my dear forum !
I got my first and only dog about a year and a half ago ! He is the joy of my life but a very very very picky eater ! He does not like kibble (orijen), or canned food or raw food for that matter ! He wants me to hand feed him !!!!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Brenda E-
Well, sounds like a stressful situation. Have you tried feeding small meals of boiled chicken or burger with rice and pumpkin to rest and calm down his intestines? Then slowly start adding kibble back in. My pups had diarrhea when we got them, but they did have parasites. Both Giardia and Coccidia. Hopefully your vet sent a fecal to the lab to test specifically for these. Yes, a probiotic would be good to try. I use Vetri-pro BD by Vetri-Science. I order it from either Amazon.com or healthy pets.com. It contains probiotics, digestive enzymes and some supplements that help soothe the intestines.
Your large breed pup needs a puppy or all life stages food that is appropriate for his size. It is recommended to keep the calcium levels down for the growing stage for large breeds. There is more information and a spreadsheet of recommended foods created by Hound Dog Mom on the large breed thread of this forum.
You will need to keep his growth slow and steady to avoid joint issues. Also limited exercise is important.
Check out http://www.dogaware.com for a lot of information on digestive orders. Good luck!

[lmnordrum]

Wellness Core Puppy is entirely grain free and suitable for all life stages and is on HDMs list as suitable. My dog loves it and does very well on it. I only added in the Fromm later because its good to have them eat more than one thing should your food be recalled. (Although Wellness has never had a recall and is made in the USA in small batches.)

My dog also receives cooked meat as a topper. I buy inexpensive beef (chuck, round or even something on clearance) and cook it, and I also give her chicken. She’s had leftover pork too. The meat I add is just used as a topper–and a way for me to clean out the fridge. I’ll also boil eggs and give them to her if I have some older eggs. So basically my dog gets about 90% kibble and 10% of leftover meat from the fridge. Last week she had chicken parmigiana without stuff on the meat: I just scraped it off and rinsed the meat, and chopped it in the food processor. I’ll grind up my leftover meat, put it in plastic bags, and place in the freezer. Makes it easy to dump on the kibble and she’ll eat her entire meal.

I can’t bear to deal with the thought of raw food in my house or her bowl and am terrified by the thought of salmonella or listeria. When we were trying to find a second kibble I got some Instinct Rabbit which gave her loose stool. So it doesn’t seem like rabbit was a good protein for this particular animal. Plenty of people feed that Instinct Rabbit with no problems. The loose stool was why I settled on the Fromm as a backup food and part of her dinner mix.

We had a brief time around 4 months when the dog has some diarrhea but I traced that back to cranberry supplements I was giving her for a UTI. It wasn’t the food because once I eliminated that cranberry extract she was perfectly fine.

I’ve been very happy with the Wellness Core, and the Fromm. Her stool is a bit more firm when she has more Wellness. I will share that too much coconut oil, like when I decided to tip the jar over her food, gave her loose stool, but I figured that would happen with too much fat.

Hopefully you just have a systemic problem due to grain. I don’t even feed corn to my family (unless it is organic) and I sure as heck am not giving it to my dog.

[lmnordrum]

Poor pup. Have you gone totally grain free? I fed my Giant Schnauzer dog Wellness Core Puppy and added in Fromm Surf and Turf (both on the list) at about seven months. I’ve also been feeding organic coconut oil since she came home at 8 weeks. Its very unusual for my dog to itch anything at all.

As she got larger she receives more coconut oil and we’re up to the equivalent of about a tablespoon now (its totally unmeasured: I just throw a glop of it into the food and add warm water to melt it.)

Breeder had the pup on Royal Canin and i tried to do the responsible thing and mix it, but once I added in the Wellness Core Puppy, the animal would have nothing to do with Royal Canin.

I order my food from Chewy.com as the pet stores do not carry these.

Hope a good grain-free food solves your problems.

[Marlene N]

hi kriste. 
My suggestion is take your puppy off of the blue wilderness puppy food completely.
My Golden Retriever puppy like I said was fine for the first 6 months and then the diarrhea started. The food that my vet had recommended after doing the chicken and rice for 2 months and trying to get my dog back onto dog food was called Prescription ID , which is only sold by vets in canada. At $45 for a small bag, i decided to research futher. I found that the nutritional values, etc. were equivalent to the puppy food by Nutro Natural Choice lamb and rice puppy food for large breed.I have had my puppy on this food now for 2 months and no problems with her stomach, stools are firm, energy level is returned and her weight is where it should be.  At 10 months old she is 52 lbs.I hope this helps!
as you transition from chicken and rice over to puppy food I can only suggest to change the protein to either ground beef or turkey instead of chicken.
your transition should take no more than 14 days. Start with the protein and rice for a few days, until the stool is semi formed. (assuming you are feeding your puppy 3 times a day one cup per meal.) then slowly introduce the food and reduce the other two components by 1/4 cup intervals.
Ex. 1/4 protein, 1/2 rice, 1/4 food, keep consistant for a few days, reduce the other two components until you are down to 1/8 protein, 1/8 rice and 3/4 food. By this time you will also know if the food is stable on your puppies stomach.
good luck!

[Naturella]

Vianca, I am not a pro, but from what I know, different breed puppies mature differently – a small or toy breed puppy can be considered an adult and fully-mature at 6 months of age; large and giant breed puppies can continue growing and be considered puppies for up to 2 years! So I don’t know where the 5-month mark came from. I do know that adult dogs just don’t need the extra calories from puppy food, that is why the amount should be reduced, but as with every dog, you need to watch activity levels and overall body condition and adjust accordingly – for example, reduce food if she’s getting chunky or is in general not very active, and increase food if she’s too thin and/or very active. As for the dog being spayed, I don’t know if you have to reduce her food, maybe one of the pros here will jump in on that part. For my Bruno, I only reduced his kibble 1/4 cup from his 1 cup/day allowance after being neutered, but that coincided with him being 6 months old and an “adult” now. Also, now I complement the loss of kibble with various toppers (wish I did that when he was a puppy, but oh well, he got his fair share of bully sticks, fish skins, etc.), so he hasn’t really lost the calories, but he burns them just fine.

My Bruno is 13.5lbs and he’s at moderately high activity level. He is supposed to get 1 cup at most of food, I think, for his weight group. I feed him 3/4 (heaping) cup of dry food plus The Honest Kitchen as a topper and coconut oil/yoghurt every other breakfast, and a raw egg, canned sardines, and a raw meaty bone once/week for each. He is lean, muscular, and in good body condition.

I wouldn’t worry too much about the actual amount – just observe your dog and adjust accordingly, and eventually you will find an amount that works for her.

[Cyndi]

I have learned that you feed 2-3% of the dogs body weight. Closer to 2% for less active dogs and closer to 3% for more active dogs. I’m not sure though about growing puppies. Hopefully someone else that knows can chime in and give you a better answer. I feed my dog closer to 2% now because she was getting a bit on the pudgy side, so I feed her a bit less.

Awesome that you found a website that sells green tripe. That’s the kind of place Hare Today is. They raise rabbits and chickens and goats & stuff just to sell to raw feeders.

Freezing and defrosting foods is something just about all us raw feeders do. Most of us buy in bulk and freeze until needed. For instance, I’ll get frozen goat pieces. I thaw them out just enough to break them up into individual servings, then refreeze until I feed them. Then I’ll thaw them in the refrigerator overnight and feed it the next day. I do the same with raw ground meat. I’ll thaw it, portion it out and refreeze. As long as you’re not freezing it for over a year, it should be fine. The sooner you use it the better I believe.

Here is just one article I was able to find quickly…
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/starting-puppy-on-raw-diet/

• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by Cyndi.

[Cyndi]

Dori, I did think 6-7% sounded kind of high, but for a puppy, I wasn’t sure. I thought it would be different for a puppy than for an adult dog. Charles you may want to research this a bit more and make sure that isn’t too much.

I would also keep her on a twice a day feeding if I were you. It is better for them. I’ve been feeding my dog raw for about a year and a half and let me tell you, it sure was hard at first when I fasted her for the day. I still feel guilty, so I don’t eat in front of her on those days. She gets a good breakfast in the morning and then around dinner time that day that I fast her, I’ll take her for a walk or to a park or something. She’s used to it now and doesn’t bother me too much. She’ll go out and lay on the deck or something.

Also, with the tripe, make sure it’s raw green tripe. I didn’t realize you live in the UK, but it is very easy for me to get it. I order from a place called Hare Today-Gone Tomorrow. I get most of my raw food from there, including the tripe. Hopefully you can find it somewhere locally. They do also make canned tripe. Not sure what is available to you though. Good Luck!

[Jessica S]

Hi there, I have two dogs, and one is a 10 month old labrador mix weighing about 70 pounds, and one is a cattle dog mix, with a very sensitive stomach, weighing 25 pounds. My question is, are there any good foods I can feed to both of them? I rotate every few months because of my cattle dog, and I have had on them Taste of the Wild and other foods that say all life stages and sizes. However, if I feed them the same thing, is the large breed puppy version safe for my adult cattle dog? Would it simply be better for them to feed two different foods?

[Daria S]

Hello, I hope you don’t mean me as a critic, there was nothing critial meant by my post. I read all 75 pages and found no info for First Mate which is also included on thr list, so I contacted the company myself and found that the Ca:P ratios are not suitable for LBP. That’s only a fact and fyi, without any offense or other intention. I highly appreciate the work and effort HDM did and wanted to contribute with my findings 🙂 I hope there is nothing wrong with exchanging the information.

More importantly I’d need advice regarding Orijen Puppy Large (as per my question in prev post) and another thing which comes to my mind is how much the protein influences the growth hormone production and such high protein food as Orijen is really safe to feed with..

• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by Daria S.

[aimee]

Hi Liz,

If all you are reading is that Science diet is so horrible then you are not reading everything:). For example when Dr. Remillard, a board certified veterinary nutritionist was asked which dog food she would feed she replied “It’s kind of a race to the top between Royal Canin, Purina and Hill’s for me….” petdietsdotcom/Ask-the-Nutritionist. Dr Wynn, also a board certified veterinary nutritionist gave a nod to Science Diet in her article on large breed puppy nutrition.

Good guide rates Science Diet Adult Toy and Small breed dog food 9.2/10 in the health category.

When zoos choose to use a commercial dog/cat food for the valuable animals in their care you will find Science Diet on the menu.

If open to the idea that veterinary and PhD nutritionists use different criteria to evaluate food vs many internet posters you will find that Science Diet is held in high regard by professionals in nutrition.

I have fed Science Diet products in the past and currently am using one of their products. I’m confident in my choice and in the nutrition it provides.

[arwyru24]

Bobby’s Mom- That is so funny about Bobby successfully hamming it up. My sensitive tummy cat Aaron, is really really good at the pathetic Oliver Twist routine. He is kind of a nervous nelly, and is shy (he doesn’t come out for the most part if there are any visitors) and that only adds to the effect. If I happen to be home all day he will run to his food dish area meowing every time I stand up or walk from one place to another. He really loves to eat. Rudi my parents standard puppy is such a chow hound that we had to get slow feed bowls for him to slow him down a bit, and they work really well. Fortunately he doesn’t really beg. Thank you so much for the link to that list, I’ve never seen this page before, so I am really excited to go through it!

Its a good thing rotational diets are encouraged because I am always changing up my cats diets and trying out new foods with them. C4C I hear ya on the budget issue, expense is one of the reasons I hadn’t tried it yet. I did the math though, and I have been buying Nature’s Variety, and just to get 24 cans of the Chicken is about $46 but then I really like to feed a protein source that doesn’t have chicken in it, and isn’t fish, turkey is OK but they get a lot of turkey too. Duck foods are usually more expensive but Nature’s Variety is outrageous at almost $30 for a case of 12 5.5oz cans, so when I saw this, and saw that it doesn’t have Carraggeean, chicken, or fish in for under $40 for 24 5.5oz cans I decided to go for it. I am currently feeding 2 cats and 0 dogs so its easier to try out pricier foods then if I was feeding more animals. If I had even 1 more cat there is no way I could do it. I will let you guys know how it goes, and I am going to do a little research on Petcurean (would have been smart to do before ordering, I know)

[Melissa L]

Hi Jeffrey,

I have been feeding my dog the Annamaet Grain Free Salcha Formula for about 4 months now. I rescued him at 5 months and he was very malnourished and had a lot of poop issues. I spent months changing foods, going to a chicken and rice diet, etc. I tried adding pumpkin, a lamb based food since lamb is supposed to be very digestable, nothing worked. I thought maybe the foods I was trying was too rich for him and searched for a single protein food to simplify his diet since he had never had a good diet prior to being rescued. Finding a single protein food was not easy! Most foods have a little chicken or fish in them. I ended up finding the Castor and Pollux Puppy formula. The only meat was chicken and after the first week we had firm poop consistently for the first time since I got him. The Castor and Pollux worked great for him but once he hit 10 months old and he could come off puppy food, I wanted to get him on a grain free, holistic, GMO free food and slowly transitioned over to the Annamaet Salcha formula. The transition was without problems, he never had any soft or runny poop issues. He is a very high energy Lab mix who runs and plays fetch for 2 to 4 hours a day, and gets a walk or 2, weather permitting. He has thrived on this food as he is very lean and fit with a beautiful shiny coat. Not only that but he gets so excited for meal time because he loves this food! I also make him homemade frosty paws using organic plain yogurt, organic natural peanut butter and banana which I blend and freeze in 4 ounce cups. He gets 1 or 2 of these a week for the beneficial probiotics. Since we have been in this routine my boy is happy, healthy and has perfect poop! I think the Annamaet is definitely worth a shot!

Good Luck!!

Melissa

[Case]

On June 30th, I contacted Earthborn Holistics with the following inquiry:

On Jun 30, 2014, at 5:48 PM, Case and Nicky Lofton wrote:

Hi,

I see other brands that list the % of meat and plant ingredients that are used in their products. I use your food and I’d like this information on your grain free dog foods.

Thanks,
Case

I received the following reply:

Case,

Thank you for your interest in Earthborn Holistic Natural Food for Pets. I do not have this information. I can see if our nutritionist has it available. Some parts of our formula info is proprietary; we don’t want others to figure out how we make our great food. I’ll check to see if this is available.

Cindy Montgomery
VP, Marketing
Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc.
9634 Hedden Road
Evansville, IN 47725
p 812-867-4504, ext. 107
f 812-867-0424
[email protected]

To which I replied:

Cindy,

The info that I’m seeking is in no way detailed. Many manufacturers print it on their bags. Orijen puppy
food for example is 80% meat ingredients, 20% plant ingredients. There are many other companies that share this info. It doesn’t offer any real insight on the formula.

Thanks for your time,
Case

I never heard anything back so I wrote Cindy again yesterday:

Hi Cindy,

Any word on the percentages?

Here’s a photo of the food that I’m currently feeding to demonstrate that I am an actual customer with a simple inquiry. The Primitive Naturals is for my nine month old APBT, I’d love to feed it to my six month old Great Dane as well, but from what I understand the calcium content is too high, so she gets Meadow Feast.

Thanks again,
Case

I also made the same inquiry on their Facebook page, where my question was basically ignored and then deleted.

Are any of you guys aware of these %s? Is it unreasonable to ask Earthborn for this information?

[Naturella]

Wow, there are quite a few threads of mostly Shasta220 and I venting about Beneful and the like and Science Diet, lol, so I was not sure where to post, but here it is – I have a success story, y’all!!! (I get Southern-like when excited apparently, lol)

Anywho, I babysit these kids, and the family dog is a shitzu mix, 4 years old, unknown weight, but probably around 15-ish lbs. She is on Kibbles ‘N’ (PUKE)… I mean Bits. Kibbles ‘N’ Bits. She STANK!!! Like, BAD!!!

So I talked to the mom and tossed the idea to her that it may be the food and she was quite open to suggestions on what to feed her! I first warned her to steer clear of Kibbles N Puke, Beneful (Crappyful), Pedigree, Iams, and the like, and she goes “That’s all that we’ve been feeding her!”. And I was like “Well… Don’t anymore, please!”. So I asked where she usually shops for food, and she said Walmart. So I immediately recommended Pure Balance Grain Free and Rachael Ray Zero Grain. Also some other foods like Blue Buffalo Wilderness and some of the ones I’ve fed.

So the lady takes a note, but with a full-time job, 3 kids, a husband, and a household to run, I am sure doggie food is not a top 10 priority, so I look at my stash and see some gifts from a friend, who had given me about a lb or so each of Nutro Max, Simply Nourish, and Whole Earth Farms. So I scoop them up (after keeping a cup of each for Bruno) and pour some of the current Earthborn he is on, and I brought them to the family today, along with a sample pack of THK perfect form, for the puppy’s tummy. I asked for permission to transition the dog (named Snowy) to better food with the ones I have brought. Permission granted. I’m ecstatic! I mixed 1/3 of Nutro Max with 2/3 of Kibbles N Crap (luckily, the last in the bag!) and served her a scoop. Poor pup was picking out the Nutro like crazy! I was so touched for some reason. She has enough Kibbles N Yuck mixed with Nutro to last her the end of the week, maybe more, and once/day, while I’m there, I will be giving her some Perfect Form so that her tummy doesn’t get upset. After that she will be on some Simply Nourish, then Whole Earth Farms will join in, and, finally, Earthborn! 🙂

Also, I told my mom about the good deals I get often, so she said I can get her a big bag of a good food (up to $20) and she would pay me. Oh, will I!? Of course! I am thinking TOTW with alternating Pure Balance Grain Free, Earthborn Holisitic Grain Free, and Rachael Ray Zero Grain (those I can either get for real cheap or with coupons), and if I catch deals on Victor or something from the local pet boutique, I will get her some from there too. I am so excited, so as long as I’m babysitting the kids, I will be able to transition this poor dog to something better. It is so necessary as she has 3 bumps on her smallest ribs and I don’t know what they are… The lady didn’t either, but she said she’ll check them out when she takes her to the vet next. Also, even if I don’t work for her anymore, I have left her a list with foods to use, so I hope she adheres to them. I just can’t wait to see results from the transition – no more stink at least, and hopefully the bumps will just kind of be ok.

But yeah. I’m excited. Success story. Yay! 🙂

P.S. This website was on the top of each page on the list. Hope she looks at it! 🙂

[Stephanie S]

I’m trying to find a good food for my 11 week old male rough collie. He is currently eating Blue Wilderness Large Breed Puppy but I’m concerned that it might have too much calcium in it which I know isn’t good for large breed puppies. Also, he doesn’t seem to really like it. I have read many articles on the internet and I am more confused than ever because they all seem to have conflicting information. Some say to feed grain free and some say that grain free isn’t good for large breed puppies. Some say that a large breed puppy needs to be on large breed food, which is what I was always told, and some say that they don’t. I just really want to find a food that will be good for his joints and bones and also good for his skin because collies sometimes have sensitive skin. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Mar E]

I have two female Pitbulls and Lucy is about 6 yrs old and the other just barely a year old. I have fed the puppy Authority dog food since I had her and she was 4 months old. The last bag of puppy food I bought was Authority but I got “grain free” puppy food. I thought grain free was better for the dogs? My point being it seems like since I made the change, the puppy has a rash on her chest and arms and I’m noticing little dry flaky bald spots here and there, could the food be doing this to her? Heres the kicker, Lucy also has a rash but Lucy has had it longer and I think hers is more severe than the puppys. Lucy has white fur so I know her skin is alot more sensitive as opposed to the puppys brindle fur however, I feed Lucy Iams Healthy Naturals. Im wondering if this isnt a skin condition Lucy somehow got and infected the puppy as well? They are not excessively scratching or anything but I noticed the puppy has what almost looks like dandruff on her fur. Please help I cannot afford another vet bill and any and all suggestions or input would be greatly appreciated 😉 Thanks so much have a wonderful evening!

[DogFoodie]

For your puppy, have you tried adding digestive enzymes to her food? That might help. That said, I’d also recommend changing her food. Poor puppy, can you imagine how miserable she must feel.

When my Golden has gas its because he’s eating something that he’s intolerant of, such as chickpeas or lentils. Look and see if your food includes those. If it does, you might want to look for something without a lot of legumes.

Free feeding isn’t a good idea for a variety of reasons. It contributes to weight gain and isn’t particularly safe as fats in dry dog food go rancid quickly once exposed to air. Everyone should have their place to eat and their own bowls. Give them 15 minutes to eat and then remove what’s left.

Some brands with tiny kibble are Nature’s Logic, Wellness and Amicus. Wellness Core Small Breed is a great product and the kibble are a small, thin, triangular diet of shape. My Cavalier does great on Wellness Core products.

[WestCoastGSD]

First I think your puppy is chewing carpet because he’s a puppy, that’s just what they do, they eat carpet, dirt, pretty much anything they can get to like a toddler, everything gets tested in their mouth. That being said, I am a breeder, I do recommend NuVet to my clients, however unlike a lot of breeders that force clients to buy it, I actually feed it to all of my dogs, whereas a lot of them don’t even feed it to their own dogs. I only recommend my clients buy it, I don’t require them too, I think it’s crazy to force someone to feed something you choose for their dogs. However I have seen it benefit my dogs, some others I couldn’t tell you if it’s done anything, but it hasn’t harmed, and I have seen it help one dog that arrived from Germany and got hot spots, started her on the NuVet and she has never gotten another four years later. My son’s older dog with severe arthritis has also benefited greatly from the NuJoint Plus. For the cost of a couple of fast food trips a month, for one dog at $15-$20 a month, and knowing you’ll probably buy a vitamin from the pet store for the same price of I don’t think you can go wrong with the NuVet, it’s produced in a USDA approved facility with human grade ingredients and there are a lot of good testimonials out there about it. Just because something is part of a network marketing plan doesn’t mean it’s a bad product or a scam, Mary Kay Cosmetics works the same way, and Mary Kay Cosmetics has a wonderful and very old reputation, same with Avon. What it is, is a great way to market your product through word of mouth on a much more personal level than television ads. Tell me have you ever seen a TV ad for Mary Kay Cosmetics, or an ad in Vogue or Cosmopolitan magazine for Mary Kay? No, because they put their money into their employees and sales reps instead of into the pockets of the big guys at network television and the magazines.