[Sherie A]

I’m as confused as you and would also like other’s perspectives. I feed my Siberian Husky Blue Buffalo Wilderness puppy formula based on the Dog Food Advisor recommendations.

[Diane J]

Help. I need concrete information from someone experienced with switching 8 week old kibble-weaned puppies to raw feeding successfully.

I’m an experienced raw feeder, having fed 7 dogs raw over the past 16 years, but I’ve only switched adult rescues to raw feeding. On Sunday, my husband and I bought a purebred GSD puppy and on Monday we switched him to raw following my choices of all of the recommendations for doing so I’d read, some of which were very contradictory of each other.

He has not done well with chewing up the bones. I initially tried a chicken back cut into small pieces and mashing the bones with a meat tenderizer a little to attempt to soften them. Then I switched to chicken necks, but he swallowed some of those whole, and does that a bit with smaller pieces of it too, after minimal chewing.

He had diarrhea followed by constipation and developing a temporary anorexia. He’s been eating softer cooked food today, but didn’t eat much when I tried again with raw. My husband and I are lost and confused and need help from someone experienced in switching 8 week old kibble-weaned puppies to raw food.

Thank you in advance,
~Diane

[Theresa O]

I just put my 15 year old Llasa down this year. He was very ill with congestive heart disease. I had been feeding him Rachael Rays grain free because of his allergies for years. I just discovered this may have been the cause or contributed to his disease. Stay away from this food. I know he was old but he was still a puppy to the day I had to put him down.
So sad food like this is allowed on the market.

[Dennis M]

Hello. We are on our third Shih Tzu, Dory a female now 9 years old. None of our previous girls made it past 10 years old. We previously fed our dogs Nutro brand dog food. We’ve been feeding Dory Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula since she was a puppy, and hoping she’ll be with us way past the age of ten. She’s now on Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Senior for Small Breeds. She has always tolerated Blue Buffalo foods and treats very well. Our concern now is the FDA report on possible dangers of feeding grain-free diets. We realize the Blue Buffalo formula Dory is eating is NOT entirely grain-free, just doesn’t have any corn or wheat included. But the FDA warned of dog foods containing large amounts of legumes such as peas or lentils, other legume seeds, potatoes (including sweet potatoes), pea protein, pea starch, pea fiber, chickpeas, or beans. The ingredients of the Life Protection Formula Dory is now eating has several of these questionably high up in the ingredient list. We’re really at a quandary here. We’ve had great luck feeding Blue Buffalo products for nearly ten years, but concerned we might possibly be damaging our dog’s heart (DCM). Could you provide us a little guidance here? With the FDA concerns, is the Life Protection Formula we’re feeding the safest product line Blue Buffalo provides for this situation, or should we be considering another brand completely? I’m concerned and my wife is more than concerned. Please provide us with some sort of insight and direction to help us decide what may be best for Dory.

[dana k]

i lost my baby Harley last night after giving him this food for the 1st time. took him to our vet right away and even that couldn’t help save him. I’m lost as to why this happened…… and in my small town, no one knows how to check this bag of food.. is there somewhere I can try? plz i need answers.. if anyone can point me in the right direction… i have a little Ginger, she’s a Maltese and i was able to get the food blows up before she ate any of it. shes sad too but she’s fine. THANK GOD! if you lost a furbaby too, i’d like to hear from you .maybe if we put enough heads together we’ll find some answers. if we don’t find answers its always good to know YOUR NOT ALONE… AND I AM NOT LOOKING TO START ANY LAWSUIT. LOL

• This topic was modified 6 years, 5 months ago by dana k. Reason: NEEDED to add 1 thing

[John S]

I’ve fed every puppy I’ve had in my life all stages food and they’ve all lived long healthy lives. I cant comment on puppy food but in my experience I see no need. I feed all life stages with around 21-22% protein along with probiotics and fish oil and all my dogs have been very healthy with no real medical issues. That’s feeding everything from a standard dachshund to a pitbull and a Belgian malinois. I also switch proteins with every bag I buy and have zero issues. Switching proteins is something people dont do enough. Not only does it reduce the boredom with what they eat but it gives them more nutrients and aminos from the different types of protein. Just stay within the same formula and the proteins dont cause any gastrointestinal upsets. I think what’s more important than the type of food is just feeding quality food. Get the best food you can afford and your dogs will be good

[hamish]

@crazy4cats

But the big 3 have grain free SKUs with the exact same ingredients everyone is worried about in them. Purina has no less than 14 SKUs loaded with legumes and potatoes in place of grains. Even some of their prescription vet formulated kibble does and they’re still being sold. This is before you branch out to the other brands they own outside of the Purina name. A lot of good the years of canine nutrition and PHD veterinarian nutritionists did. By your logic the fact that Purina puts out those products should be a green light for everyone to purchase grain free dog food. The truth is no company saw this coming or even knows what the exact problem is.

You’re also not considering any other factors. Here’s one. Grain free foods, especially of the boutique variety, cost a hell of a lot more than a bag of kibbles and bits. Who’s more likely to have pet insurance for their dog? Who’s more likely to spare no expense going down the rabbit hole of their dogs illness when the pup is on death’s door. Who’s more likely to say do whatever you need to do to save my dogs life? Who’s more likely to take their dog to a specialist when a problem arises instead of the town vet? Who’s more likely to say keep going than putting their dog down when the vet says what the problem is and the costs are? Who’s more likely to do each of those things between a person who spends $20 on a 50 pound bag of Kibbles n Bits or someone who spends $130 on a bag of Orijen Tundra half the size.

We just don’t know yet. Years ago no one had autism now 1 in 60 kids in the USA is on the spectrum. You know why? Not vaccines. It’s because we test for it now and are much more sophisticated in our awareness of it. This could be peas. This could be potatoes. Or it could be that people that buy boutique foods are more likely to have more disposable income resulting in them more likely to have pet insurance or more likely to spend any amount necessary to save their dog. Which would result in bringing the dog to a place that’s going to go down the rabbit hole and ultimately report the issue. How many dogs do you think die of DCM but we don’t know because the owner takes them to the vet, vet has a listen, and says, “I know it’s heart failure but if you wanna find out exactly what’s wrong it’s gonna cost a lot of money. Best to just put the dog down.”

This is all before we look at who the owner’s got the dog from. Did they get it from a responsible breeder or did they get it from a puppy mill breeder that put on a good show and is pumping out dogs whose parents showed signs of heart failure or was over-breeding dogs from the same line? What else do these people feed their dogs? Are the dogs exercised and taken care of? That’s why this is going to take so long to figure out. There are so many other factors to isolate before we get to the food.

We just don’t know.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 7 months ago by hamish.

[Susan]

Hi Matt,
Good thing you’ve done taken on a rescue dog, just remember a dogs behaviour is human taught…. 🙁
He has run free & has been the boss for 8yrs, now there’s all these new rules, he’ll get use to it, the lady let him be the boss & do what he wanted, Patch was sorta the same when I rescued him but he had IBD & would eat everything, your dog needs to be re trained & you “can’ teach an older dog new tricks, but some breeds are very stubborn…
My Patch was 4 when I rescued him within 2 weeks he pretty much picked up on all the house rules I used food for training but I didn’t know he had IBD in the beginning so lots of diarrhea…
My vet asked the Animal Behaviourist vet to pop in & see us when we learnt he has IBD, we lived in communal unit/villas & Patch would go down stars to go toilet & on his way he sniff out the neighbour cats poo, on our morning walks he would eat everything, he was a walking vacuum cleaner, we lived in town near beach, after Friday & Saturday nights there would be pizza, chinese, vomit, everything on the streets from the night before, I had to wait till streets were cleaned & hosed down before going on our morning walks…
The Animal Behaviourist taught me “Leave It” she said put food/treat on floor in between your toes/feet show him but don’t let him get it & say “Leave it” then when he leaves the food under your foot alone reward him with a better treat from “your” hand… here’s link

Teach Your Dog to Leave It: It Could Save His Life

Always praise him when he does do something good…Tell him “YOUR A GOOOOOD BOY” & pat him reward all good behaviour..
The rescue vet told me to go to Puppy School even though he was 4 yrs old, Puppy School is good it teaches the human what to do & NOT do, or do research online there’s a few good f/b groups that are run by Animal behaviourist, if I find the group I’ll post it, cause your dog loves food he’ll be very easy to train, carry some kibble/treats in your pocket so when he goes to eat something on floor say “Leave It” “Leave It” sit then he gets reward for leaving food on floor, he can ONLY have food/treats kibble you give him…

When visitors come Patch is VERY friendly & gets over excited & when people talk in high pitch squeaky voice this makes Patch more excited & he starts to jump up to kiss their face & head butts their head & nose, he loved our gas lady one day she bend down the same time he was jumping up to kiss her & he head butted her nose, it started bleeding, cause he gets sooooo excited I put away his STRONG rubber toys in kitchen cupboard & as soon as someone comes to front door he cries & whinges at the front door then as soon ashe sees me he runs into kitchen & sits in front of the kitchen cupboard for 1 of his rubber toys, I think he has a rubber fetish he loves the strong smelling rubber toys, I just order another rubber toy you can put kibble in the rubber slots & wet food in middle so while visitors are over he’s busy in the back loungeroom chewing on his rubber toy & he’s leaving my visitors alone, no sloppy kisses & no more head butts..

While everyone is eating dinner you could also put his dinner dry kibble meal in one of those interactive game toys & he’s eating as well on his own mat in a corner away from the dinner table
Chewy has treat toys under $20….
https://www.chewy.com/b/treat-toys-dispensers-2336?rh=c%3A288%2Cc%3A315%2Cc%3A319
the dog works to get their food out & he’s slowly eating, don’t get a puzzle toy that looks too easy, Patch learnt if he pushes the whole game with his big nose the kibble falls out of the turning ball while the ball is in the maize but it still keeps him busy trying to get his food, he just works out how to get his kibble quicker….
https://www.chewy.com/b/treat-toys-dispensers-2336?rh=c%3A288%2Cc%3A315%2Cc%3A319
I think the new rubber egg shape toy I’ve just order is a good treat toy it looks like it will hold the kibble pieces. http://www.allforpawspet.com/Product?idvariant=1293
I can put his kibble in side rubber slots & add some boiled sweet potato in middle….

It’s good to give your dog healthy fresh foods, tin salmon, sardines, mussels, meaty bones, egg, Vegetables – sweet potato, broccoli, cooked carrot, frozen beans are good to help lose weight & keep a dog feeling full longer etc. Fruit- apple pieces NO seeds, blueberries, watermelon, & remember to reduce his kibble amount & feed partly boiled vegetables & feed 3 meals a day instead of 2 larger meals a day, he’ll feel fuller longer & might break his circle looking for food, or feed his 2 meals a day & make up a treat toy with veggies, fruit, some yogurt & freeze, then give around lunch time or for his breakfast or his dinner give healthy treat toy when its a boring time for him he can lick & lick the toy that’s full of healthy low calories ingredients… stick to feeding him the same times every day so he gets into a routine…
also find a few other brands he likes & eats so you can rotate between kibbles & freeze dried foods so he isn’t getting bored eating the same dry kibble 24/7 then he’s looking for something else to eat also rotating kibbles/freeze dried foods is good just in case the brand he’s eating is high in toxins, heavy metals, lead & contaminates….
Pet Shops all have money back guarantee for palatability..

Have you tried “Buckley Liberty” freeze dried, Buckley Liberty uses clean meats & has done very well when tested every 3months for high toxins, heavy metals & contaminates it has come 1st over 1 year now…
https://buckleypet.com/collections/all

Good-Luck

[JACQUELINE]

As an owner of 3 deep chested German Shepherds, Bloat is always a concern. I researched and learned as much was I could about it. While shopping at the pet store I came across a table that had a bunch of literature available and included was a 2 sided page about Bloat that was provided by G.S.R.N.E. = German Shepherd Rescue of N.E. It lists common symptoms and a few simple measures that may help prevent Bloat. # 4 on the list is to soak all dry foods with warm water prior to feeding because these foods expand when they absorb water, OR don’t let your dog drink water for a while after eating. # 5 – don’t let your dog drink large quantities of water at one time. I understood # 4 as being that if the food is dry it could make your dog extra thirsty after eating and cause them to drink more water than needed and that would increase the volume in their stomach (along with the added air intake). For that reason I have always added warm water to their kibble but also because my dogs don’t always crunch up every kibble it would be going down dry and sometimes I would see them trying to swallow it again and again. That doesn’t happen when I add water. I add the water right before I give it to them so it’s wet not mushy. Since their puppyhood (since 2007 when I got the info page) I’ve strictly followed the guidelines on the entire info page provided and feel very confident in their advice. And of course It does say ..”This info is not provided to replace advice or guidance from Vet’s or other pet care pro’s it’s simply an aid to assist with your own research on this very serious problem” It also includes info from a Purdue University study that includes “Raising your dogs food bowl may actually increase your dogs chance of getting Bloat by as much as 110%. ” Although the info I got was from 2007, I still believe in it and I hope this post may help anyone that isn’t yet familiar with Bloat. I had given this advice to someone I know with a Lab mix that would allow her dog to heavily exercise (running around yard) , give him treats and Drink large amounts of water during all the exercise, each day. At 5 yrs old her dog developed Bloat. Luckily she got him to the Vet in time and he survived. I don’t know what caused his Bloat but I couldn’t help but wonder about his drinking so much water while he was running around. That experience changed their lives forever.

[Jaimie K]

My dog has commonly had loose stool for a large portion of her life. She is a 3yo female (spayed) yellow Labrador Retriever. To make a long story short – we finally switched to Blue Buffalo (Life Protection Formula, Adult Large Breed, Chicken) because it had more fiber and I thought that might help. She has had solid stools on this food, but has had 2 incidences (two months apart) of severe, bloody diarrhea and vomiting. We went to the vet and all tests came back negative/normal both times (parasites, bacteria, full blood panel, x-rays for foreign body). The 2nd time the vet recommended switching dog food (he does not know what we feed).

Does anyone have suggesstions for a dog food I can look into? I don’t even know where to start.
In the past she has been on Royal Canin (prescription GI puppy formula, regular puppy large breed formula, and regular adult large breed formula), Purina ProPlan (can’t remember the formula) and Nature’s Recipe grain free variety (salmon and sweet potato). The vomiting and diarrhea are her only health concerns.

[Lacey L]

I have a 7 year old golden retriever, Tucker, who is picky and has acid reflux. He’s always been very sensitive to foods ever since he was a puppy. I tried literally 20 different foods, all of which gave him very loose stools, until he finally did well on Kirklands signature and he has been on that ever since. I tried switching proteins within the brand because I read that is healthier for them but he didn’t like it.

I work at a Pet store and decided to try him on Activa because it is a customizable food I could had probiotics and glucosamine to as well as salmon oil for his coat. It was then I discovered he is Very allergic to salmon. So I put him back on Kirkland. Throughout the years his regurgitating food at night happened pretty frequently at times. Then he started the gulping, freaking out, drinking tons of water, pacing and wanting to eat grass. So I started giving him tums until it wasn’t enough and the vet suggested prilosec which helps 70% of the time but the other 30% it doesn’t help at all. He never gets table scraps and rarely gets treats but when I started him on the prilosec I would give him a tiny bit of peanut butter to put the pill in. My fiancé said the peanut butter might do it so I’ve switched to cheese instead and I’ve switched him to Pepcid AC complete. It’s only his second day on that but it seems to be helping.

His latest bout of acid reflux was pretty severe so I put him on small meals of chicken and rice throughout the day which helped but as soon as I put him back on his kibble he got the acid reflux back so he’s back on the chicken and rice.

I work and can’t cook for him forever and he’s a 90 lb dog (not overweight.. He’s actually thin) so I can’t afford raw or canned so I want to find a dry kibble for him to try that would prevent acid reflux. I’ve researched alot and was excited to try the nature’s Select lamb but I gave him a few kibble but he didn’t like it!! So I’m thinking of trying taste of the wild lamb next and if he won’t eat that then try the chicken flavors. I also read soaking in bone broth is good?

Any other food suggestions in case he doesn’t like the totw? Also as I said I work, so would having him grave all day be a bad thing? He is not an over eater at all. When I feed him breakfast alot of times he’ll just snack on it here or there anyways.

[Hilary L]

I have been feeding this dog food to my 8 month old & 10 month old puppy. After trying to find a dog food that wouldn’t give them loose stool, I found Pinto Canyon and my life got much easier. No more messy stools or upset stomachs. My puppies are very healthy and happy with this food. I have had dogs my whole life and have tried to feed many different dog foods but no more searching for me. This food is an excellent match for my Border Collie and Boston Terrier. What a relief.

[Sanne]

Schedule is honestly usually just based on what is convenient for the person. I see nothing wrong with three times a day.

I feed add ons with my dogs food daily and I started when they were pups (anything from raw meat, veggies, tinned sardines, boiled eggs). The only advice I have is to make sure no more than 25% of her daily calories come from added food, that is the guideline my vet set for me. Otherwise you have to make sure your add ons are also complete and balanced. I also would not try adding all kinds of foods at once. Add one thing for a few days and see how she takes to it. If you start adding all kinds of stuff at once and her stomach does not agree with something, you won’t know which food she is reacting to.

We do not have that kibble brand here so I cannot comment on whether it is good or not as I am not familiar with it. For puppy food, I do like Farmina puppy, Annamaet puppy, and Victor puppy

[anonymous]

Gosbi sounds like a boutique food.

“Spoke to my vet the other day and his advice was to stay away from small companies, boutique, grain free. They are more inclined not to hire veterinary nutritionists or do feeding trials and testing as they should”.

PS: Adorable puppy

[anonymous]

Again, I defer to the veterinarian that has examined your pet, he can give you the best estimate of age and nutritional requirements for your dog.
Did you read the article (link) I sent you?
That’s the best advice you will get from a veterinarian that has NOT examined your dog.

I for one don’t bother with “puppy food” and go straight to adult.
The large breeds puppies needing this and that is a new thing. Discuss with your vet.
Good luck

PS: “The shelter told us that we could switch him to adult food after he finished the mix of adult and puppy that they sent him home with”.
Sounds like sage advice.
Fromm Classic Adult is a good food (my vet agrees) https://www.gofromm.com/fromm-family-classic-adult-dog-food
Add a topper ( a tablespoon of canned food or cooked chicken or scrambled egg) and a splash of water and you’re good to go!
Always have fresh water available 24/7

Oh, and please do not free feed (leave food down all day) that would explain the rapid weight gain, not good. Two meals per day, measured amounts, and an occasional snack is enough.
Exercise, start walking every day! Start brushing the teeth once a day, check YouTube for how to videos.

[Dereck B]

Hello all! well Tofuu is officially 3 months now and is growing so fast. but I DO NOT like the food that my bf family has been feeding him. (done some research). cause i’ve noticed that he has been scratching alot and biting at his fur. so i am switching his food as soon as i can and as soon i get some opinions as well! (for reassurance. ).

Well these are the brands that i am looking to buy, Orijen Puppy, Solid Gold, Wellness for Puppies, Blue Buffalo Puppy, Innova Puppy, or Acana. and another question i really want to ask you fellow shiba parents. Do you feed you puppy straight up dry food (high quality kibbles) or do you mix the kibbles with some wet food? and if so what combinations did you feed your shiba pup this early in puppyhood?

sorry to sounds so antsy!, but i just HATE the food he’s been eating this past week . Tofuu’s health and growth is what’s important. THANKSSSS for all your help and advice in advance.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Midama-
Congratulations on your new pup. Definitely make sure that you choose a puppy food formulated especially for a large breed puppy. They need certain calcium percentages. It’s very important for their joints. Keep the puppy as lean as possible and limit the exercise. I would get rid of the Taste of the Wild and feed either Purina, Royal Canin, Hill’s, Eukanuba, or Iams. They all meet the WSAVA guidelines for choosing a good dog food.

Currently, I feed my dogs Purina kibble with mostly Purina canned. But also mix in either eggs, fresh chicken or sardines a few days a week as well. The unbalanced toppers and treats should be no more than 10 to 15 percent of their total diet. I feed mostly weight management kibble that is 350 calories or less per cup. My dogs are also chubby lab mixes!

My cats get Royal Canin because they are the royalty of the house! 😊❤️

Hope this helps. Good luck!

[Christie B]

Hi madima,

I have a 120 lb. 10 year old American Bulldog mix and 4 year old 45-50 lb. Catahoula mix. Like your two dogs, they have different nutritional needs. I’ve tried to find a food that both can eat (since they literally will investigate each other’s food bowls during feeding time).

My senior dog had had issues with chicken and it’s really hard to find a Large breed Senior formula that doesn’t use chicken. And the ones that do are grain free and tend to use lentils or chickpeas in the first 5 ingredients and my dog winds up with stomach issues when he eats food with those ingredients. He did okay on CANIDAE Grain-Free PURE Meadow Senior Formula for a while.

I haven’t had a puppy in a while so I can’t recommend any large breed puppy formulas.

As for toppers, I rotate between canned salmon or sardines, eggs, boiled boneless chicken thighs or sometimes canned dog food [type that’s 96% *insert protein form*] when it’s on sale… not too much of it because I’m trying get these guys to lose some lbs. I used to buy Stella & Chewy’a meal mixers or Instinct Rawboost mixers, but they were just too expensive in the long run.

[madima]

Hello! I have a 7-8 year old Golden mix (he could be older, but they said he was 3 or 4 when we got him) who is around 75lbs, but needs to lose some weight. I also recently adopted a Great Pyrenees/hound or pointer mix large breed puppy. He is 3 1/2 months old and 35lbs.
I have been feeding my older dog Taste of The Wild for a year or two now, and recently found out the things going on with the brand. I also currently have the puppy on the puppy formula, though I’m looking to change them both to something else.
I’m sort of looking for full suggestions about feeding both of them, whether that be brands, supplements or toppers. I’m willing to top with natural things (vegetables, fruit, some meat, oil, etc.) or canned food, which I top my older dog’s food with for dinner. I have a feeling he has so orthopedic issues, which we’re going to the vet for tomorrow.
I know the puppy needs a certain amount of calcium; not too much, not too little. I’m also aware my senior needs extra protein. I’m planning on asking about his diet when I go to the vet, but I wanted some advice on some dry food, wet food and toppers/supplements for both dogs. I’m not very educated when it comes to dog nutrition. I would appreciate any suggestions or advice. Thanks in advance! 🙂

[Amir H]

Hi all,
I have a standard Poodle puppy (7 months old). She’s about 32 pounds know. I’m not sure if she’s gonna be above 50 lbs. To be safe I’m feeding her large breed puppy food. She’s been on Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy for a few months now and she’s doing good (I have to add some freeze dried toppers to her food to keep her interested).

I’m thinking of rotating her food to something else just to make sure she’s getting all the necessary the necessary nutrition. I’m thinking of switching her to Stella and Chewy Raw Coated Kibble for Puppies: https://www.stellaandchewys.com/dog-food/raw-coated-kibble/puppy-chicken-recipe
I know that Stella and Chewy kibble is higher price, but it’s within my budget.

I wanted to know if this is a good decision or not? Should I just stay on Fromm or for the next 3 months switch her to something else for the sake of rotation.

[joanne l]

Update on Vonn’s food: I am still using the Holistic Select lamb and he is fine, I just bought another bag and the kibble is so small, like puppy food. So chewy sent me out another bag to replace it. I feed it until I got the replacement one. In the past I experience issues with inconsistent food and every time the dog got sloppy poop. Now here we go again with different kibble, but so far his stools are not bad, but I only gave it to him 2 days. My question is does anyone experience inconsistent food?? If so believe me get another bag. I think every company has this problem. But anyway, I am thinking that they put puppy food in the bag by mistake when they were making it. Other wise I don’t know what happens.

[Pat W]

I just wanted to post an update on my issues with TOTW. After feeding this product for 2 years I started having issues with refusal to eat and vomiting. It began when I started switching my adult dogs from TOTW High Prairie puppy to TOTW High Prairie adult formula. (I feed everyone the puppy formula during breeding cycles so I don’t have to worry about who is supposed to get what food.) As I switched our adult dogs over to the adult formula they started having issues. It started with one dog, then 2, and by the second or third day I had 3 vomiting immediately after eating and several others refusing their food. I immediately switched all of them back to the puppy formula and the issues resolved. But as soon as I started a new bag of TOTW puppy everyone was getting sick again. Desperate, after getting recommendations from other breeders, I did an abrupt switch to Merrick. Gastric issues in most of my dogs immediately resolved, however, we had one older dog who continued to have problems, refusing to eat and experiencing gastric discomfort. I treated her with charcoal, turmeric/curcumin, and symethicone. She appeared to be improving and I fed her some boiled chicken and organic grown rice in chicken broth. She appeared to rally for a day or so- even took her for a walk, and then she stopped eating and went rapidly downhill. One of my other dogs had taken a little over two days to begin eating again after I switched her to Merrick, so I figured she would come around after a couple of days. Today, the third day of her not eating, I was planning on bringing her to the vet to see if there was something else they could do for her, but before we could get ready to go she passed away.
I don’t know what is going on with TOTW, but something must have happened. I was very happy with them for 2 years, now I have 3 large bags of TOTW I will not feed and a dead dog.

[Susan]

Hi
I prefer to feed diet for age of my dog, a pup eats puppy formula, an adult 1-7 eats an adult formula & a senior dog eats a senior food, senior food have all the supplements for aging dogs joint, bones etc & have lower fat, higher protein, well it depends which brand you feed, I like “Canidae Pure Meadow” Senior formula, its high in Omega 3 fatty acid, has Glucosamine but its not as high as the Wellness Core Large breed Adult formula, Ive found the the Large Breed formula’s are higher in Glucosamine & Chondroitin then most senior foods.. I was going to try Wellness Core Senior but it has Lentils Patch gets diarrhea from lentils & bad wind pain, gas farts..
https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products/canidae-grain-free-pure-meadow-dry-formula

I dont know if your 10 year old American Bulldog Pit mix has Arthritis, he probably does??
Have you tried “Wellness Core” Large Breed Adult Grain Free dry kibble?
it’s low Kcals-346kcals per cup, high Protein-34%min, low/med fat -13%max
Carbs-30% scroll down to “Nutrient Profiles”
then click on the “GET THE PDF” link it will give you all the max “Dry Matter Basis %”
https://www.wellnesspetfood.com/natural-dog-food/product-catalog/core-large-breed-large-breed

My boy 10yr old Staffy – 40lbs suffers with IBD, Food & Environment Allergies & he has this 3-4cm bone thing growing out of his left hip bone, vets said they have never seen anything like it, the vet said he was probably born with it…
anyway around age 9 he started running on 3 legs, letting his left back leg to hang while running, then last year in December – January he went down hill with his IBD then in March he was really sick with his stomach he had bad acid reflux, I started introducing Wellness Core Large Breed adult formula, it had the right fat%, Low Kcals, low carbs & high protein % also was high in Glucosamine was not less than 750 mg/kg
Chondroitin Sulfate was not less than 250 mg/kg…
After 3weeks of eating the Wellness Core everythng got better his stomach his acid reflux stopped 🙂 his back leg, he stop running on 3 legs, he ran on all 4 legs & started acting like a young pup again… His vet, the Pet Shop man, everyone couldnt believe what a big difference after eating the Wellness Core Large Breed Adult formula had made.

Now I rotate his dry foods, between Canidae Pure Meadow Senior, Wellness Simple Turkey & Potato formula & an Australian made brand Frontier Pets Freeze Dried for lunch,
cause Patch became so unwell in Dec -2017-Jan-2018 after eating TOTW & Nutro, I’ve kept feeding Patch his Wellness Core Large breed formula for 8-9 months never rotated with any other dry kibbles except at lunch time he gets a small wet meal, then Summer came & so did Patches environment allergies bad so I thought I’ll rotate & change his dry food to Wellness Simple Turkey & potato formula cause he did so well on the Wellness Core also the Wellness Simple is formulated for Skin problems & is high in Omega 3 fatty acids…
About 2-3 weeks after I stopped feeding his Wellness Core Large Breed formula & was feeding him just the Wellness Simple Turkey & Potato formula, his IBD = firm poos & his Skin & coat was beautiful & shinney, he stopped alot of his scratching & being itchy from allergies, I also bath him twice a week or weekly depends on how itchy he gets, baths wash off all the allergens off his skin & paws, BUT he started running on 3 legs again 🙁

The Wellness Core Large Breed is higher Glucosamine & Chondroitin Sulfate it must of really helped with his arthritis in his lower back pain….So I bought the Glucosamine Chrondroitin, Vitamin C & Maganese Powder to add to his dry meal, I couldnt workout teh dose as it wasnt like the tablets dose + it taste AWFUL yuk I couldnt drink it, it says to add to fruit juice, its yuk no way Patch will take it.. so I quickly put him back to 1/2 Wellness Core Large Breed kibble & Wellness Simple kibble, now he’s getting “Cartrophen Vet Injections” he gets 1 weekly injection for 1 month then you stop, today was his last injection, Cartrophen Vet has really helped his lower back pain the thing is he’s a nut & he jumps up to say hello to visitors & this is when he hurts his lower back more..

You need a diet HIGH in Omega 3 fatty acid not high in Omega 6 fatty acid, Omega 3 is anti-inflammatory & tooo much Omega 6 is no good for inflammatory problems, Omega 6 is an inflammatory….
The body needs a healthy balance of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Excess consumption of omega-6s can trigger the body to produce pro-inflammatory chemicals.

When a dog diet is not balanced properly & is too low in Omega 3 & way to high in Omega 6 alot of dry/wet can foods aren’t balanced properly, this can cause skin problems with dogs…. Omega 3 should be nilly 1/2 of what the Omega 6% says..
Wellness Simple is excellent for dogs who have Skin/Stomach problems
Omega 3 Fatty Acids-1.13%, the Omega 6 Fatty Acids-2.30% max %.
Click on the PDF page
https://www.wellnesspetfood.com/natural-dog-food/product-catalog/simple-limited-ingredient-turkey-potato-recipe

Instead of adding 2 tble spoons of wet can food start adding some Tin Salmon in spring water, drain the spring water, put salmon in small air tight container put in fridge..
Omega-3 fatty acids are found in salmon, sardines, eggs, almonds, and other anti-inflammatory foods. Add 1-2 spoons of tin Salmon or Sardines to each meal..
Sardines can be a bit rich for some dogs I have to feed the Salmon + swet potat instead with Patch..

What I do when changing to a new dry formula same formula, first I check is it the same Use By Date, same Batch?? then I put 1/2 new kibble & 1/2 old kibble in an air tight container & mix thru, my boy use to be very sensitive but now since rotating between a few different brands he does really well, his immune system has become heaps stronger..

Boil Sweet Potato pieces & freeze them in those clip lock sandwich bags, Sweet Potato freezes & thaws really well, I put 1 frozen piece Sweet Potato in the micro wave 15-25sec etc then I mash teh Sweeet potato piece on a plate & let Patch lick it off..
Sweet Potato & Potato firm poo up & is excellent when dog has upset stomach/bowel, start adding 2 spoons of Sweet Potato & Salmon with dry kibble, its healthier & cheaper then wet can foods..

[Patricia A]

Yes..they do have feeding trials. They can’t put for All Life Stages on their label without feeding trials. Unfortunately feeding trials are also flawed.
How do you reconcile that feeding trials are the best way, imperfect as they are, to determine if a food is nutritionally sound, with the fact that hardly anyone (or their foods) does AAFCO feeding trials? My favorite dog food companies (aka the ones I learned about through your yearly reviews, like Merrick) don’t seem to have any AAFCO feeding trials under their belt.

I’m not trying to question your knowledge or recommendations (because I love both), more just hoping I’m not the only one out there thinking about this stuff so much.

Thanks for your question! I’ve discussed feeding trials in a lot of different articles over the years, and I’m happy there are others “thinking about this stuff” as avidly as I am.

It’s true that in the article you mentioned in your note, I said that the “nutrient levels” method for establishing the nutritional adequacy of a food was flawed:

“Feeding trials are considered by most veterinary nutrition experts [emphasis added] to be the ‘gold standard’ for proving nutritional adequacy claims – superior to the ‘nutrient levels’ method of proof. That’s because it’s quite possible for a laboratory analysis to confirm that a food contains the amounts of various nutrients judged to be necessary for maintaining a dog, but for the product, in practice, to fail at that very job.

This is possible because not all nutrients may be in a digestible (‘bioavailable’) form. Most nutritionists agree that feeding trials offer the most reliable confirmation of a food’s ability to deliver nutrients in a form that will benefit the target species.”

However, as I’ve mentioned in many of my other articles on commercial diets, the feeding trial method of establishing nutritional adequacy is flawed, too.

The above-referenced article didn’t assert that feeding trials are the best way to prove the nutritional adequacy of a food. Its purpose was to clarify what feeding trials are, and describe conditions for dogs used in the studies.

In that article, I did call feeding trials “important” – and I still think they are. It absolutely is important to know whether a food that may well be fed to a dog every day for years on end is, in actuality, capable of sustaining dogs over time, without causing gross deficits leading to illness, weight loss, or abnormal blood chemistry.

I’m not going to go so far as to regard them as requisite, however, because they aren’t perfect. For one thing, they really aren’t long enough. Just because a diet can sustain a dog in a laboratory environment for about six months without causing illness or abnormal blood values doesn’t mean it will perform the same way for dogs who may lead a much more active and stressful life, and for years on end.

Also, as I explained in my 2007 dry food review (/issues/10_2/features/Dry-Dog-Food-Review_15897-1.html), foods that acquire the right to use a nutritional adequacy claim based on feeding trials need not be formulated to meet the other standard for nutritional adequacy: the “nutrient levels” criteria. Here is an excerpt from the 2007 article – but I’m going to boldface and correct a big mistake I made there:

“Foods that pass feeding trials are not required to contain minimum or maximum levels of any particular nutrients. Therefore, it’s possible for a food to sustain dogs long enough to ‘pass’ the trial, but fail to demonstrate an ability (in real-world, long-term use) to promote optimum health. As one example, mineral excesses may take a year or more to cause noticeable health problems, but a food that claims to provide complete and balanced nutrition for adult dogs (a ‘maintenance’ claim) may have passed only a 26-week test.

“There is also an AAFCO feeding trial (at least 13 weeks long) for products intended for dogs during gestation and lactation and another that tests puppy diets (10 weeks). To earn the right to claim nutritional adequacy for dogs of ‘all life stages,’ a food must undergo all three trials sequentially, for a total of 49 (or more) weeks. [Actually, to earn the ‘all life stages’ claim, the food must pass the ‘gestation and lactation’ and then the ‘growth’ (puppy) trials, sequentially, for a total of about 23 weeks. The ‘maintenance’ trial is not actually included.] If it passes, its label can state, ‘Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that (name of product) provides complete and balanced nutrition for all life stages.’

“Many experts regard the ‘all life stages’ feeding trial as the best proof we have of a food’s ability to perform. But again: Even a year-long [nope, only six-month!] feeding trial may fail to reveal faults that can cause serious health problems if fed as a sole diet for a long period.”

However, as I said in the 2007 article, the “nutrient levels” claim is flawed, too:

“Foods that meet the ‘AAFCO nutritional profiles’ qualification can lack palatability and/or digestibility. If dogs don’t like the smell or taste of the food, they won’t eat enough of it to gain its nutritional benefits. Also, the nutrients contained in a product may not be present in a form that the dog can digest. The AAFCO nutrient profiles themselves contain a problem: Not many lay people are aware that the profiles allow for a wide range of values. Far from being some sort of industry ‘standard,’ or offering suggestions for optimum nutrition, they actually offer only broad guidance.”

The fact is, both methods that a company can use to “prove” the nutritional adequacy of a product are flawed. Here’s an excerpt from a 2012 article I wrote about the research conducted by pet food companies (/issues/15_6/features/Pet-Food-Company-Research_20546-1.html):

“Many people consider AAFCO feeding trials as the ‘gold standard’ for confirming the nutritional adequacy of a canine or feline diet. However, because the products that met the ‘feeding trial’ test of nutritional adequacy do not have to meet the ‘nutrient levels’ criteria, there is the possibility that these products may contain excessive, deficient, or unbalanced nutrient levels that may contribute to the development of health problems if fed as a sole diet for periods that are in excess of the testing period. An ideal test would encompass both a feeding trial and meeting the AAFCO nutrient profiles, but no such standard currently exists [emphasis added].”

Veterinarians are taught in vet school (with texts underwritten by pet food companies) that only foods qualified by feeding trials should be fed, ever. And the vast majority of veterinarians believe this. Maybe it’s because of all the blood tests a dog in a feeding trial is subjected to . . . But six months! It’s not enough to base a lifetime of feeding on, in my opinion.

That’s why I don’t say in our pet food reviews that one ought to use the type of nutritional adequacy claim as a selection criteria. I do think, however, that this information is worth knowing –that dog owners should always keep in mind which test was used to prove the adequacy of their dogs’ food as they monitor their dogs’ health and condition closely. If it’s a “feeding trial” product – ask the maker (or better yet, look for yourself) to find out if it DOES meet the “nutrient levels” standards, or do some nutrient values deviate from the AAFCO Canine Nutrient Profiles? If it’s a “nutrient levels” product, ask the maker what sort of informal feeding trials they use, how long the diet is fed to its test dogs, and what sort of tools are used to monitor or evaluate the dogs used in the trials. Some companies use their employees’ dogs or the dogs in a shelter close to the company headquarters as informal test dogs, but don’t follow up with any sort of health tests. These informal tests really only give the company information about the palatability and digestibility of the product; they don’t address long-term health consequences. But then, neither do the AAFCO-protocol feeding trials, unless you consider six months to be “long term.”

• This reply was modified 6 years, 11 months ago by Patricia A.

[Kyle D]

I ended up feeding the puppy farmina pumpkin lamb and blueberry. They say that Maximus when I call them. I just hope everything will be ok feeding my Alaskan malamute this food.

[K F]

Please- try Halo brand kibble, if you are giving kibble. No recalls EVER; USA-sourced, no GMO’s, no meat sourced from inhumane factory farms, profits go to help other animals in need.
When I adopted my Husky 12 yrs ago, she had all sorts of GI issues…diarrhea, right and left. She had Giardia, which we treated….(make sure that your pup does not have this..) but, she would still react to the foods that I bought her- All organic, with high quality ingredients.
She FINALLY stopped having GI ‘events’ when I switched her to the Halo Spot’s Stew (it used to be called) kibble. Not grain-free…either the Chicken or the Salmon basic kibble. NO ISSUES at all, in the 10 years following.
I ALSO give my Husky a daily serving of human grade, cooked protein- either a can of wild caught salmon, sardines, or tuna in water. Occasionally some roasted turkey slices. I also feed her plenty of veggies, which she loves (frozen broccoli and green beans, and raw carrots..)
I agree with Kimberly, that raw food diets are very risky in that there are recalls every other day for e-coli or salmonella or listeria outbreaks… Why go through that? Particularly with a vulnerable puppy…. Dogs have been bred, over thousands and thousands of years, to be omnivores. They are not still wolves out in the wild, and don’t have the protective antibodies for spoiled or rotted meat anymore. Can people be real, here?
Anyway- best of luck to your baby! 🙂
If in doubt, just ask…”Would I want to eat this?”.. (If its not on the list of human foods that are toxic to dogs…its a great way to gage safely for your dog. 🙂 )

[George D]

I have been feeding my two working cocker spaniel for the last 7 years on a UK brand of Holistic muesli style dog food which you add hot water. It was recommended by a Crufts best in beard winner and could not ignore. My female cocker was only 3 years old at the time and suffered from bad breath and painful anal glands problems. Within days of changing to the recommended dog food, the bad breath disappeared and she has never suffered from anal glands issue she is now 10 years old. My other male cocker has the shiniest coat and pure white teeth beside being 12 years old now some people pass him off as a puppy LOL but its true.
Just a few months back the small dog food manufacturer was placed on the market for sale and could not resist making an inquiry which lead to my purchasing the business just a few weeks back.
I am now looking to grow the business and establish worldwide distributors in Europe, America, and Canada we have distributors in place in Japan and Ireland. If you are interested please contact me or find more information online at https://landofholisticpets.co.uk/

• This topic was modified 6 years, 11 months ago by George D.
• This topic was modified 6 years, 11 months ago by George D.

[christine v]

I plan on feeding my 13mth old small Jack Russell Orijen puppy food (smaller kibble) when it finally becomes available here in Australia next month. I emailed Orijen and they said the puppy dry food is fine for Adults and is an ALS food. I compared the ingredients and GA to the Adult formula and i can barely see any differences.

[mah4angel]

I spent a lot of time on these forums when I first got my dog Louie. Everyone was so immensely helpful in transitioning him from the Predigree puppy food his former family was feeding him (at the age of three, no less), and then on to a raw diet and then into a homemade raw diet. Louie and my cat Bocce were both killed when my house burned down in July. He was 8 and she was 1 year old. I hadn’t been to the forums in a while but I went to look up dog foods that I thought to transition him to on the regular site often. Louie was still in spectacular health when he passed away, thanks to everyone here and good genes, probably. It’s been very difficult but I’ve just adopted a new pup named Bolo (he was already named that, but I kept it when I realized it was made up of the first two letters of Bocce and Louie’s names). Rest In Peace and happiness, Louie and Bocce. Miss your furry little faces more and more each passing day <3

[Susan]

I tried Holistic Select Senior back 2014 then again 2016 I tried the Puppy/Adult Salmon & Sardine Grain Free formula Patches poos were good, skin was good but after 2 months he wasn’t really interested in it probably cause of the Fish causing acid reflux??…
The Holistic Select Senior had grains a few years ago but Patches mouth licking & swollowing started again & poos were sloppy & yellow so I returned to pet shop probably cause of the Barley now Holistic Select Senior is Grain Free now & has Chickpeas, Peas, Lentils,…
I prefer Canidae or Wellness Patch seemed to do better.
I prefer meat 1st 2nd & 3rd ingredients less carbs, less reactions, less fiber, less problems for Patches IBD & skin…

It will all depend on “your” dog, you have to take the plunge, I did the same after I found out Patch has IBD, I was stressing out what foods too feed him cause I didnt know 100% what he was sensitive too 🙁
For 1 yr back 2013 Patch was on a Vet Diet Eukanuba Intestinal his poos were small & OK but he had bad yeasty itchy smelly skin, paws & itchy bum probably from the grains & beet pulp?? the vet said we’ll let his bowel heal first then deal with his skin problems, I was soooooo scared to try another dog food, then vet said do you want to try Vet diet Eukanuba Fish & Potato FP formula, a few of my IBD dog patients who have skin problems do really well on teh Eukanuba FP but Patch had bad diarhea & all I had introduced was about 20 kibbles to 1 cup of Eukanuba Intesinal kibble the first day he seemed OK, 2nd day OK, I was still only giving 20 new dry FP kibbles mixed with his Intestinal kibble, then on the 3rd day he had BAD diarhea water as soon as he ate he had to poo badly, Ive never seen him this bad, so took back the big bag of Eukanuba FP to vet practice he was put back on Metronidazole cause after going back on his Eukanuba Intestinal the diarrhea would stop, we had to fast him for 48hrs & was put on Royal Canine Intestinal wet can food, his vet said it was probably the potatoes so for 2 years I was SSSSSSOOOOOOO scared to try a grain free kibble that had Potatoes but now I’ve realised it was probably bad Fish meal in the Eukanuba FP formula not the potatoes unless they were green & rotten?…

Look for a dry kibble that doesnt have tooo many ingredients has at least 2-3 meat proteins as 1st 2nd & 3rd ingredients as protein meat is easier to digest, a dogs digestive tract is short, made to digest meat diet..

Have you looked at “Victor” Select range the Lamb Meal & Brown Rice formula or I like the Chicken Meal Brown Rice with Lamb Meal formula,
it has Lamb Meal Patch would do really well on the Victor Select Formula’s they have no barley, the Victor formula also have Montmorillonite clay, Id find a store that sells Victor & give the Chicken Meal Brown Rice & Lamb meal a go or the Lamb Meal & Brown Rice these are the ingredients to the Select Chicken Meal formula

Chicken, Chicken Meal, Whole Grain Brown Rice, Whole Grain Millet, Lamb Meal, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols), Grain Sorghum, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Flax Seed (source of Omega 3 Fatty Acid), Feeding Oat Meal, Yeast Culture, Natural Chicken Flavor, Dried Kelp, Montmorillonite,

https://victorpetfood.com/products/lamb-meal-brown-rice-formula

[Jordan C]

Hello everyone,

I have an almost 5 month old Golden Retriever puppy. He is displaying signs of what might be a poultry intolerance, so my vet and I decided to remove poultry from his diet and see if he improves. I’m having a hard time finding a food that is appropriate for large breed puppies that doesn’t have chicken as an ingredient somewhere on the list.

I have found a couple of foods without chicken designated for “All life stages” with the AFFCO statement “[Pet Food Name] is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for growth/all life stages including growth of large-size dogs (70 lbs or more as an adult)”. However, the bag itself does not say “large breed puppy”. (ex: Zignature lamb)

Similarly, I have found some food without chicken that is designated “large breed puppy” that does not have an AAFCO statement that includes the above statement. (ex: Fromm Heartland Gold LBP)

Basically my question is this: Would you be comfortable feeding a large breed puppy a food that is not labeled for large breed puppies but has the AAFCO statement to support it, or would you be more comfortable feeding a food labeled for LBP without the associated AAFCO statement.

Any and all suggestions/feedback would be appreciated!

[Susan]

Hi,
How many pounds should Minnie be when she is fully grown, what breed is she??
My boy is an English Staffordshire Bull Terrier he is 18kgs = 40lbs, I only feed him around 2 & 1/2 cups when its his “Wellness Core” Large Breed Adult formula – 346Kcals per cup kibble a day + cooked lunch + 1-2 Freeze dried Mussels or when he eats “Canidae Pure Wild” 454Kcals per cup I feed 1 & 1/2 cups kibble a day + cooked lunch or “Canidae Pure Meadow” – 409Kcals per cup, he gets around 1 & 1/2 – 2 cups kibble a day + something different for lunch + Green Lipped Mussels 1-2 a day.

Read the Kcals per cupthe kibble formula you’re feeding it’s probably on bag of kibble or online on the 4Health site or email 4Health for any information & work out how many Kcals a day she should be eating & add cooked food on top, I know Patch should be eating around 1000Kcals a day but I feed a bit under now cause he’s a senior & yes add fresh ingredents to her kibble or separate as a meal, this will help put on weight..
kibble swells up in the stomach makes you feel fuller so best to feed 3-4 smaller meals a day 7am, 12pm, 5pm 8pm so if you have a large breed dog best to feed a large breed kibble, they are formulated for large breed puppy or Adult large dog intestinal tract, (Bloat)
My dog has IBD & does really well on a large breed kibble, the Kcals are lower 346kcals, the higher the Kcals the more dense is the kibble & they dont need to eat as much kibble…

So maybe look for a higher Kcal per cup kibble? “Canidae” is higher in Kcals over 400Kcals so she only needs about 3-4 cups a day depending on formula?.
https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products

The “Canidae All Life Stages Multi-protein” Formula is 468Kcals per cup your dog would only need 2-4 cups a day when a Puppy then when she’s a Adult she’s needs less around 2 cups per day depending on her breed??
https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products/canidae-all-life-stages-dry-formula/

Cook – boiled potato or boil sweet potato pieces cool then freeze Sweet Potato freezes really well & thaws good & quickly or I put in micro wave 15sec to thaw, today for lunch I feed Patch 2 pieces of Sweet Potato mixed/mashed with cooked 2 scrambled eggs, I cooked egg in a non stick frying pan, I buy tin Salmon in spring water drain the water & add sweet potato, I feed 4-5 smaller meals a day you can buy a kibble machine that lets out the kibble amount you want thru the day, I give 1/2 a cup at certain times thru the day…
Raw meaty bone would be excellent & gives her something to do all day chewing on a meaty bone from a butcher…
Here’s 2 different Canine Calculator links it gives you a ruff idea how much dry kibble you should be feeding..

https://petsci.co.uk/canine-calorie-calculator/ or

http://www.german-shepherd-lore.com/dog-food-calculator.html

[anonymous]

Don’t free feed (leave food down all day). Monitor meals. Feed on opposite sides of the room in separate dishes.

In fact separate the pups with a gate, different rooms at mealtime if you have to.

Most adult dogs do best with 2 meals per day and an occasional snack. At 5 months old the pup should be able to go to 2 meals per day soon if not now.

You are in charge. Do not allow the dog to eat the puppy’s food!

If the dog or puppy refuses to eat, pick up the food after 10 minutes, store covered in the fridg and offer at the next mealtime. Eventually they will eat, as long as they are drinking water it’s okay to skip a meal or two unless there is a medical condition that contradicts this.

Just my opinion, consult your vet if you continue to have concerns.

[aimee]

Hi Amber,

I too would advise against mixing coconut oil into food and then storing it. And as your feeding a puppy be aware of how many calories you are adding. Guidelines from veterinary nutritionists are that no more then 10% of calories should come from unbalanced sources and meeting your dogs nutrient needs is most important during growth. Personally I wouldn’t be adding coconut oil to my dog’s diet but in small amounts it shouldn’t hurt anything.

The skeptvet article is really well balanced and well written.
Perhaps the best to judge skeptvet are his peers, other veterinarians, and in that respect he is highly regarded. He’s served as peer reviewer for multiple journals including the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association and served as president of the Evidence Based Veterinary Medical Association. His own papers have been accepted for publication in peer reviewed journals. He has also been an invited speaker at veterinary conferences both in the states and the U.K. All in all he’s what I’d call a Rock Star. You don’t get those types of positions if you are not credible and reliable and as unbiased as one can be.

[Susan]

Hi Sandra,
you in the UK?
CHANGE food
these are the ingredients
“Wainwright’s Salmon & potato puppy”

Composition: Salmon Fish Meal (26%), Potato Starch (21%), Barley (14%), Red Sourghum (13%), Rapseed Oil (7%), Whole Linseed (5%), Potato Protein (5%), Beet Pulp (4%), Alfalfa (2%), Dicalphosphorus (1.5%), Minerals, Seaweed (0.4%), Chicory (0.05%), Extract of Yucca Schidigera (0.02%), Marigold Meal (0.005%), Rosemary Oil Extract

1 or 2 of these ingredient isnt agreeing with him.
My boy can not eat Barley he farts, bad wind & sloppy poos..

A dog should fart but my vet said it “shouldn’t smell” & clear a room, this means he’s making bad gasses, methane combine with hydrogen sulfide makes the fart smell bad….
Vet made me change Patches food, he said look for a kibble that has Potato or Sweet Potato, then finally I found a few different brands of dry foods that agreed with him & I rotate them… best to rotate his foods so his immune system builds up & he gets use to different ingredients, once you find a few different brands that agree with him then rotate these dry dog foods, what I do when the kibble bag has only 1/4 of the kibble left I start adding the new food with the old kibble, more old formula & less new formula untill he’s on 1/2 old & 1/2 new, then I feed that for 3-5 days then I add more new kibble less old kibble…

Look for another puppy food that has NO Potato Starch, Barley, Red Sourghum, Rapeseed oil & “No Salmon or Fish Meal” Fish dog foods are VERY high in Heavy Metals, Toxins & Contamines so I would avoid all fish wet & dry dog foods……

Look for a puppy formula that has either Lamb, Duck, Chicken, Turkey, Venison with Sweet Potato, Brown Rice, Oats, Potato, Vegetables, Fruit, healthy ingredients…
Picture all the ingredients on a plate

I’ve been looking thru the UK ingredients in dog foods & most brands are adding fish, this is telling me the UK pet food companies are getting very cheap byproduct fish ingredients, heads, guts, tails etc so I’d try & avoid dog foods that have fish ingredients if you can, if the fish is further down the ingredient list then OK but no fish meal/ocean meal in the first 5-6 ingredients…

Chicken & Turkey are cleaner meats when used in dog foods..
If you want to feed fish then buy & add tin Salmon in spring water, Sardines in spring water added 1-2 spoon to 1 of his daily meals, add healthy fresh ingredients to his meal once you find a dry food that agrees with him.

With Probiotics they are best given on empty stomach, so either first thing of a morning when he wakes up then feed 1 hour later or give probiotic drink inbetween meals when stomach acids are low,
if you’re using a probiotic powder then add 10ml-15ml cool water in a bowl with probiotic & swirl around to dissolve the probiotic powder & then let him drink the probiotic drink, my boy use to love his probiotic drink at 10am, I’d give it as a treat..
He needs his food change then he wont need to take the probiotic, something isnt agreeing with him..
Make sure you keep a diary & write everything down you have tried & first 10 ingredients as Frenchies are known for Food sensitivities & Skin Allergies…
Just remember the vet isn’t a vet nutritionist….

Barking Head & Forthglade dog food looks really good, take back the Wainwright’s Salmon & potato puppy food you’re feeding now, tell pet shop or online pet store Wainwright’s Salmon isnt agreeing with your pup & now he wont eat it, dog foods are normally guaranteed for palability, money back or exchange & they will exchange for another food Look for new food with not too many ingredients, you can add your own healthy fresh ingredients..

Have a look at
* Barking Heads- https://barkingheads.co.uk/collections/dog-food

* Forthglade – https://forthglade.com/shop-dog/dry-dog-food/turkey-brown-rice-cold-pressed-natural-dry-dog-food

* Simpsons – https://www.simpsonspremium.com/dogs/puppy

* Eden – https://edenpetfoods.com/products/dog-food/eden-80-20-dried-food/eden-80-20-country-cuisine.html

* Millies Wolfheart – https://www.millieswolfheart.co.uk/

[SANDRA K]

I have the above puppy who literally farts a good deal. It really stinks. Spoke to my vet, told him what food I was feeding – Wainwright’s Salmon & potato puppy. Said perfect diet for pup. Asked about probiotics to see if this would help with the gas. Said yes no problem. I have been giving this once per day now for a week but no improvement. All suggestions greatly appreciated

[HoundMusic]

I’ve been breeding dogs since 2005, and YES, I learned through trial and error that food does indeed affect heat cycles, fertility, litter size and thriftiness of the pups. I have fed brands that, without a single doubt in my mind, caused dangerously early delivery, lack of milk production, even what closely resembled a temporary fading puppy syndrome. I had pups only a day or two old that developed weeping, metallic smelling sores which disappeared entirely almost immediately after a food switch. I have older adult bitches raised on foods that caused heat cycle irregularities and low fertility rates in my kennel who to this day are infertile or have only come into heat a handful of times. I have pups with hitching issues that were weaned onto puppy foods that were too high protein, but had levels of calcium lower than adult food levels in a sorry bid to prevent growth issues (this was Eukanuba, btw).

On that note, if I want a bitch to come into heat, I feed Purina ONE adult 26/16. I use that until 2-3 weeks before the due date, then switch to either ONE puppy or Puppy Chow. Quite honestly, at this point, I don’t trust anything but Purina when it comes to the husbandry of a breeding kennel. Just personally had too many problems with the fancier foods, all of which were fixed by Purina in one form or another…

[LINDA F]

Here I am again! I stand corrected on my initial opinion of whether or not feeding a puppy a raw diet is good. I have gotten so much valuable info from Spy Car! He easily broke it down so that even this old lady can manage the raw diet. I trust this man completely. I think the only thing I could add to this is, if you are going to go to a raw diet for a puppy, you would need to be vigilant in a weighing your pup every week! Since puppies can and will have growth spurts, it would be absolutely necessary to keep adjusting the amount of food in order to ensure that the pup would be getting all the required meat, bone and organ meat so that his body has the necessary building blocks to nourish a healthy growing body. I am still searching for a market that sells beef hearts or kidneys! The existence of Spleens or the other secreting organs seem to myths so far! LOL!! I do not want to go to a packing house because I do not trust that those organs are handled properly and that they might be tainted. I checked out the Monster Mash from Raw Feeding Miami. This seems to be a perfect solution for me. They say that the mix is complete as far as the 10% organ requirement. They also advised that the mix arrives cold and can be divided into smaller portions and refrozen safely. As Spy Car advised, I am adding the meat, bone and organ requirements for one meal in a zip lock baggy and freezing them. Then all I have to do is place tomorrow’s meal in the refrigerate to defrost over night! I will pick out one day a month to prepare meals for the entire month! At that point, raw feeding will be almost as easy as opening a can or pouring a bowl of kibble! I am not experienced enough yet to know exactly how much of the Monster Mash I will need for a month but since they have a 15 lb minimum shipping charge, I will just order 15 lbs to see how many zip locks it makes! I know if my math skills were better and my mind were as sharp as it once was, I could figure this out but, alas, it is what it is! Again, kudos to Spy Car, who has been beyond helpful in untangling this sometimes very confusing raw diet that my old girl just loves!
Linda

[LINDA F]

To Patty,
I am a novice at this. From what I understand, a lot of people are feeding their puppies on a raw diet, However a puppy’s dietary needs are different from adult dogs and the ratio of meat to bone to organ meats is different. I have an old pit bull and she had almost stopped eating her kibble and any wet food that I used to entice her to eat. I tried some raw chicken drumsticks with bones, raw chicken wings with bones, raw chicken thighs with bones and an occasional raw chicken liver and she perked up immediately. However, I was told that I was feeding her way too much bone and enough meat or organ meats. I was not feeding the proper ratio but Spy Car’s post really helped me understand how to do it correctly. By the time I memorize all the ratios and I get the hang of feeding the proper ratio to my old girl, my Morkie puppy will have reached her first birthday. If my old girl is still thriving on the raw diet, I may introduce the Morkie to the raw diet and see if she does as well. However, and this is strictly my own opinion and I am in no way qualified to give you professional advice, but I am going to wait for my Morkie reach one year before I begin introducing her to the raw diet. Just be aware that feeding a raw diet is more trouble than just pouring some kibble in a bowl or opening a can of dog food. Good luck!
Linda

[heytsu l]

Hi,

My dog has been having loose stool issue for a few months now. He has been on Orijen since he was a puppy, which was fine but after his surgery and switch to the adult formula things have not got back to normal. I’ve tried feeing him a raw diet but he kept regurgitating and then refused to touch anything raw all together, switched back to dry food this time Belcando lamb and rice formula ,which improved the situation a bit but the stool still wasn’t great. After that I’ve been feeding him Terra Canis grain free cans ,which he loved and things were similar as on the lamb & rice dry food; I still had to clean his butt multiple times a week because of soft or runny stool.

The vet suggested Royal Canin Sensitivity Control, which made things better the first week or so but after that things kept getting worse. His stool went back to loose and he kept licking the floor ,which he has never done before. They tested his stool for parasites and it came out clear. Now the vet told me to feed him Royal Canin Hypoallergenic formula for six weeks exclusively. And then if that doesn’t work, we will look further.

He has been on this formula only two days and he has woken me up at five in the morning both days, desperate to potty with full blown diarrhea. He also shakes his head, and scratches his ear a lot. He has been farting all evening yesterday. The smell was horrendous. Could he just be adapting to the new food or is it already showing that this is not the right type of food for him? I’m a little lost as far as what the best thing to do is right now. I want to listen to my vet but it’s been going on for so long with little to no testing done that I’m starting to get a little impatient. How long before I can safely say the food is making things worse/ or at least not helping? What can I request from the vet other than a blood test (she didn’t want to do it until we try this food)?

[harry k]

I have a 1 year old Tamaskan Husky and he is fairly large. I typically feed him NutroMax puppy dog food, but lately my brother has been talking up the raw diet he has been feeding his new Doberman. I was about to switch my dog over to Nutro Wild frontier adult dog food since I’ve been giving him puppy food still, but now I’m considering a raw dog food diet. I looked up some articles online and the opinion on it is pretty split both ways. Anyone who is alot more informed on this please share your knowledge!

[pitlove]

Rose B-

Breeders are not doctors or researchers and only can do what they believe works for them. A regular puppy formula is not meant for a giant breed puppy. This is probably what was being fed to the dog with H/D. Or it was genetic. 30-40 years ago (when your breeder started breeding) there were no appropriate puppy foods designed for large and giant breeds like Mastiffs. Now there are more than enough. Even my teacher (who graduated vet school over 30 years ago) used to tell her clients to feed adult food to giant breed pups. Now she said, she absolutely does not. Too much research to prove the harm in doing so and with all the great large and giant breed puppy foods on the market, she does not agree with that anymore.

[Susan]

Hi Rose,
sorry about the long post i started it around 10am then kept adding to it then finally posted it 2pm lol
“Holistic Select” has change all their formula’s & have added lentils chickpeas, these Legumes up the protein % so the pet food companies add less meat proteins in their food, that’s why I always make sure there’s 2-3 meat proteins as 1st, 2nd & 3rd ingredient, so my boy is getting meat proteins & not a heap of plant proteins, Legumes also up the fiber % in a dry kibble, make sure if you feed a dry dog kibble there isn’t anymore then 20% in Legumes, No Lentils/Chickpeas in the first 5 ingredients..
These are the first 5 ingredients of Holistic Select® large & giant breed dry kibble..
Lamb Meal, Chicken Meal, Potatoes, Chickpeas, Lentils, Peas, Chicken Fat,
when Patch eats Lentils he gets instant diarrhea & chickpeas cause bad wind/farts for 1 week then he’s OK. He does best on Sweet Potatoes & Potatoes kibbles & chickpeas have to be 5-6 ingredient… The Wellness Core Large Puppy formula has Potatoes, it has Lentils as 6th ingredient, your boy might be OK with Lentils?
https://www.wellnesspetfood.com/natural-dog-food/product-catalog/core-puppy-large-breed-puppy
you could always try it then take it back to Pet Barn if he gets diarrhea they have a money back guarantee & say he won’t eat it now cause he had diarrhea & get the Wellness Complete Health Large breed Puppy formula, it’s Monday so Wellness is on special $109 at the moment till Wednesday midnight, you click on “Click & Collect” & pick up from a Pet Barn closest to you.
https://www.petbarn.com.au/dogs/dog-food-dry/wellness-core-large-breed-dog-food
Or Wellness Complete Health Large Breed Puppy Food – 13.6kg – $99.00
https://www.petbarn.com.au/dogs/dog-food-dry/wellness-large-breed-puppy-food-13-6kg,

I’ve been thinking of getting te Wellness Complete Health Adult formula next, it has 3 meat proteins as 1st 2nd & 3rd ingredient then Oatmeal then peas so there’s less then 20% in Legumes…Pet Barn also has offers, when you join their “Friends For Life” Loyalty program, I just got a $20 free voucher free & a free bath & a free nail clip.. so I got a 2.5kg bag of dry kibble for $2..

I just looked up Holistic Select Australia as some US pet brands ingredient list are changed to come into our country, so when you look up an American brand kibble look up their brand name & put Australia after the brand name, so your getting the Australian Ingredient list…. also when you look at pet foods online pet store some of their ingredients list are the old ingredient list & the new ingredients haven’t been updated yet…

The FDA in America has put out an warning as few large breed dogs in the US that were eating high legume dry kibble diet have ended up with DCM – heart disease..
https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/FDAInBrief/ucm613355.htm

Some dogs have died, they were very young 1-2 yrs old, they have noticed the dry diets were high in Legumes, Legumes are blocking the Taurine & the dogs aren’t absorbing any Taurine, they still dont know 100% what has gone wrong, a healthy 30 month old Rotti just died 8th August, an 1-2yr GSH has died he was given 6-8months to live & that was 2015….Maybe your better off feeding healthy grain formula until the FDA works out what went wrong, or a grain free formula that doesn’t have no more then 20% Legumes (peas), dogs didnt have these heart problems when grain free diets first came out & had Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes & Peas……
You’ll have to do research & make your own decision….
We haven’t been warned about DCM in dogs in Australia. But then again we’ve had toxic pet foods dogs have died & we still dont have any recalls, so I dont know what to think anymore.. I’ve msg our Pet Food Review man on his f/b page & he doesnt seem to think there’s a problems until we get more info, my vet said the same thing….
Golden Retrievers & Labrodors are known to get DMC not rottweilers & German Shepherd & the other large breed who are on the list… there’s a f/b page called “Taurine-Deficient Dilated Cardiomyopathy” look in their “files” for “2018-09-07 Copy of Diet and Taurine.pdf” it has the list of foods & dogs that became sick & died….. The cases that are in a light Orange = DCM or CHF w/o low Taurine; diet related, dogs heart problems were diet related, where the cases in yellow aren’t diet related taht they know off??We dont have these brands dry formula’s in Australia that were involved.

Here’s the proper ingredient list to the “Eagle Pack” Giant/breed puppy formula, Phosphorus 1.00%min, Calcium 1.50%min,
http://www.eaglepack.com/product-orignal-dog.aspx?product=82#.W58JIPZuI5t

Here’s “Wellness Complete” Health Large Breed Puppy link,
Phosphorus is 0.90% so it’s under 100%, Calcium Not Less Than 1.30%min
https://www.wellnesspetfood.com/natural-dog-food/product-catalog/complete-health-large-breed-puppy

“Stay Loyal” Large Breed Puppy
Phosphorus is 0.70-0.90% Calcium 1.10-1.30%
https://stayloyal.com.au/large-breed-puppy-grain-free-dog-food.html

To meet the more rigid safety guidelines for large breed puppies, a dog food must contain

1.2 to 1.8% calcium

1.0 to 1.6% phosphorus

Calcium-to-phosphorus ratio 1:1 to 1.8:1

Here’s the DFA Link info above & a list of Large Breed Puppy Brands DFA recommend Eagle Pack, Wellness Core, Science Diet, Eukanuba, Iams & Holistic Select Giant breed formula but this list was written before the DMC scare.. Maybe the Holistic Select giant pup breed is OK or NOT OK cause the formula has been changed now, I dont know
/best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/

They recomend to feed a large growing puppy a balanced dry large/giant breed puppy kibble till he is fully grown 18-24mnths then if you want to feed raw then start him on a raw balanced diet but there must be people who fed their large/giant breed pups a raw balanced diet, I know most Australian either feed a raw diet or they feed both raw meat, raw meaty bones & a dry kibble..

Stay Loyal is Australian if you join they send out monthly emails, they recommend to fed raw meat + raw meaty bones with their dry kibble & to fast dog 1 day a week Sunday, as it re sets the immune system, Robert & David are up to speed raising healthy large breed pups, I’ve emailed Robert Belobrajdic about Patch & his IBD & Robert emailed me back within 12hrs, Robert breeds South African Boerboels, Boerboels are very large dogs. Im pretty saw they’re raw feed aswell as their Large Breed Puppy dry food……..

[Rose B]

Hi there!
My puppy Caesar is a English Mastiff.
He’s currently 37lbs really fit for a puppy
He’s got show dog lineage, and a healthy background.
I brought him home at 10 weeks, but he has been experiencing soft stools to diarrhoea
And He did have blood/mucus in it once (gone thankgod)

Anyways so at 10 weeks (he’s now 12)
he’s symptoms began, brought him to the vets 3 times, since then.
every single time, vitals are all good, no lethargy or temperament issues.
he acts like a completely normal healthy pup.
The vets didn’t want me changing his diet, because that might make the issue worse.
But they prescribed antibiotics; for me to sprinkle on his food.
low and behold (stools harden) soft to hard.
But the second I lower the dosage of antibiotics in his food, the runnier/softer his stools get.
But i really don’t want him staying on antibiotics because I’ve been hearing that it can further trash the dogs immune system. no thanks

– I never changed his diet (eating the same food his breeder was feeding him)
– He’s vitals are all swell
– Only thing is he was wormed, a week late; but when i went to the vet, (11 weeks) he’s stools did harden for a day or two. (Thats when the blood disappeared)
so i’m assuming its worms/or some bacteria in his gut…
– He has no other symptoms besides diarrhoea and soft stools.
– Btw we have a backyard and Ive caught him eating more sticks then I’d like to admit.

So my questions are:
– He’s being treated for worms, how long until they’d actually leave his system.
– Would a diet change help (he eats BlackHawk lamb and rice ‘adult’) now no matter what anyone says im not feeding him any puppy food of any kind ‘giant/large breed’ or not.
– whats a possible replacement for antibiotics/ and or how long should I continue on it.
– Anyone experience similar experience; please calm my anxiety.
All in All he’s a puppy, and he’s putting everything in his mouth, whether I like it on not.
I’ll keep updating my vet, and praying for it stop!

[Susan]

Hi Doodlemom,
Sounds like your doodle is suffering from Stomach/Bowel problems = IBS….
later on as he ages may turn into IBD if he isnt treated when he is young…
When you were at the vets did the vet recommend to feed one of their Digestive Health vet diet??
I have a rescued dog who I rescued age 4yrs old he suffers with IBD now, I’d say when he was a pup he suffered with similar health problems like your Doodle has, then as he aged it turned to IBD….If you have the money I’d see a vet who specializes in IBD, there’s a good f/b group called “Dogs with Inflammatory Bowel Disease IBD – Raw Feeding & Holistic Support” https://www.facebook.com/groups/292537937935806/
I would change his diet, the Farmina Puppy food with lamb diet might be too rich for him or an ingredient isnt agreeing with him??
Have a look at “Wellness Core” Large Breed Adult, very easy to digest, high protein-34% low/med fat-13%, low in Kcals-345per cup, formulated for large breeds digestive tract, my boy has “FINALLY” gain weight, after years of struggling to keep his weight on, he does firm poos every day, stopped his vomiting…. It’s worth a try then if your Doodle doesn’t gain weight I’d see a vet that knows alot about Intestinal problems & take it from there..
Im wondering does he suffer with food sensitivities?? My boy does this is when the Hypoallergenic vet diets are really good to work out what your dog might be sensitive too & do a food elimintion diet…
Patch did a vet diet elimination diet, then we did a raw diet elimination diet a few years later when Patch saw a Nutritionist 2015….
Patch ended up having Endoscope + Biopsies 2013 & again Jan 2018 to work out what was wrong again?? the Biopsies tell the vet so much information that cant been seen thru Ultra Scan, Xrays & blood test..

[Susan]

Hi Doodlemom,
Sounds like your doodle is suffering from Stomach/Bowel problems = IBS….
later on as he ages may turn into IBD if he isnt treated when he is young…
When you were at the vets did the vet recommend to feed one of their Digestive Health vet diet??
I have a rescued dog who I rescued age 4yrs old he suffers with IBD now, I’d say when he was a pup he suffered with similar health problems like your Doodle has, then as he aged it turned to IBD….If you have the money I’d see a vet who specializes in IBD, theer’s a good f/b group called “Dogs with Inflammatory Bowel Disease IBD – Raw Feeding & Holistic Support” https://www.facebook.com/groups/292537937935806/

I would change his diet, the Farmina Puppy food with lamb diet might be too rich for him or an ingredient isnt agreeing with him??
Have a look at “Wellness Core” Large Breed Adult, very easy to digest, high protein-34% low/med fat-13%, low in Kcals-345per cup, formulated for large breeds digestive tract, my boy has “FINALLY” gain weight, after years of struggling to keep his weight on, he does firm poos every day, stopped his vomiting…. It’s worth a try then if your Doodle doesn’t gain weight I’d see a vet that knows alot about Intestinal problems & take it from there..
Im wondering does he suffer with food sensitivities?? My boy does this is when the Hypoallergenic vet diets are really good to work out what your dog might be sensitive too & do a food elimintion diet…
Patch did a vet diet elimination diet, then we did a raw diet elimination diet a few years later when Patch saw a Nutritionist 2015….
Patch ended up having Endoscope + Biopsies 2013 & again Jan 2018 to work out what was wrong again?? the Biopsies tell the vet so much information that cant been seen thru Ultra Scan, Xrays & blood test..
Something is wrong with your boy..

[Susan]

Hi Cynthia,

Here’s a link that Lynne D posted today in the “Grain Free Diets & Heart Disease” research & studies done on Golden Retriever, Newhounds, Portuguese water dogs & Beagal adult dogs of varying genetic backgrounds.
Common findings in affected dogs are large body size, very low blood taurine concentration and diets containing whole-grain rice, rice bran or barley, and lamb meal…

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zpqq66i3w2twy7e/AADcuRPcpOOBkewPtXf7SAdSa?dl=0

If you’re feeding a dry kibble you want a dry kibble that has at least 2-3 meat proteins & meat meals as 1st, 2nd & 3rd ingredients then a carb, you want higher the meat proteins & less plant proteins less legumes, less rice, less barley & corn etc..
Best to rotate your kibble between a few different brands so your dog is getting variety of dry foods & isnt eating the same dry dog food 24/7 also start adding fresh whole natural sources of taurine to diet, raw beef heart, dark chicken meat, eggs, seaweed, krill and brewer’s yeast. Raw meat is fairly rich in taurine, comparable to fish, but cooked meat typically have only 10 milligrams of taurine per ounce, you can buy tin Sardines in spring water & add 2 spoons to 1 of your dog daily meal…

Here’s a little insert from study done on “Golden Retrievers”

The contribution of diet merits further investigation, since three of five dogs in this study were eating commercial diets that included lamb or lamb meal and rice as the primary ingredients. Historically, dietary causes of taurine-deficient
DCM in dogs have been ignored, because taurine is not recognized as an essential amino acid in dogs.
6
However, recent studies by Delaney et al, have prompted new insights into the
possible relation between taurine deficiency in dogs and diets containing whole-grain rice, rice bran or barley, and lamb meal.
38
It has been reported that dietary bran rice decreases plasma and whole-blood taurine concentrations in cats by accelerating the excretion of bile acids.
39
The role of lamb meal in taurine deficiency remains obscure, but lamb
meal may limit the bioavailability of sulfur amino acids.
40
Recently, low blood taurine concentrations have been identified in a cohort of Newfoundland dogs fed lamb meal and rice.
29
In an extensive genetic study performed by Alroyetal. on Portuguese water dogs, two litters were obtained following a breeding of presumptive carriers of DCM. Two
(29%) of seven puppies in the first litter developed DCM while they were fed a commercial growth formula that included ground corn and poultry byproduct meal as primary ingredients.
19
The second litter was fed a lamb meal and rice puppy diet, and eight (89%) of nine puppies developed signs of taurine-deficient DCM.
19
The role of diet was not investigated in that study, but it could be hypothesized that the heritable predisposition to taurine-deficient DCM in juvenile Portuguese water dogs was precipitated by feeding a lamb meal and rice diet.
Torres et al showed that feeding lamb meal and rice to young beagles for 8 months significantly decreased their plasma taurine concentrations during the first month, but no change occurred thereafter, and the depletion was insufficient to cause DCM in these dogs.
41
On the other hand, a decreased urinary taurine excretion was observed
despite a lack of change in plasma taurine concentrations, indicating a certain physiological adaptation to conserve taurine in the face of depletion.
41
The main limitation of the study reported here was its retrospective nature and the availability of echocardiographic data. Other echocardiographic measurements would have been useful to examine the systolic dysfunction and to follow the response to therapy. It has been reported that concurrent whole-blood taurine and plasma taurine deficiencies correlate better with myocardial taurine deficiency in dogs
than either whole-blood taurine or plasma taurine concen-
tration alone.
42
Nonetheless, all subjects included in this study had very low plasma taurine concentrations, which implied a clinically significant taurine deficiency.

[Jeremy K]

My 14 year old Chinese Crested was losing weight rapidly. Vet said it was age related and normal. He lost a pound and a half between February and August (12.5 down to 11 lbs). I began feeding him soft food exclusively to encourage him to eat more. After a month there was no change.

Last week I began feeding him soft puppy food and he already feels less bony and frail. I haven’t weighed him yet, but he definitely feels and looks less gaunt. Also, it seems like he has a bit more energy. The last week has been very encouraging and I’m looking forward to seeing him continue to improve.

[Stephanie S]

For anyone who has their dog on (or is considering putting their dog on) Taste of the Wild dog food, beware! There is an active Diamond Taste of the Wild Class Action Lawsuit!

Due to food allergies, my two dogs have (had) been on TOTW Pacific Stream for years. In June, 2018, my dogs became extremely ill (vomiting, bloody diarrhea) following two feedings from a newly opened bag. Three months and over $4,000 in vet bills later, my dogs are still trying to recover after eating TOTW’s poison. And, it is poison! You may already be aware, but on August 28, 2018, a class action lawsuit was filed against Diamond Taste of the Wild dog food (http://truthaboutpetfood.com/taste-of-the-wild-pet-food-class-action-lawsuit/). TOTW’s Pacific Stream, Roasted Bison & Venison and the Puppy formulas have tested positive for arsenic, bpa, cadmum, mercury, lead, total pesticide and acrylamide. Many people have been posting complaints on ConsumerAffairs.com, Amazon.com, Chewy.com reporting symptoms similar to what my dogs are experiencing. Others are posting complaints regarding their dogs suddenly developing itching problems. A couple of people have even posted about their dogs dying after they began vomiting and having bloody diarrhea.

Stay away from TOTW dog food!!

[Stephanie S]

Jessica – if you still have your puppy on Taste of the Wild dog food, please stop immediately! There is an active Diamond Taste of the Wild Class Action Lawsuit!

Due to food allergies, my two dogs have (had) been on TOTW Pacific Stream for years. In June, 2018, my dogs became extremely ill (vomiting, bloody diarrhea) following two feedings from a newly opened bag. Three months and over $4,000 in vet bills later, my dogs are still trying to recover after eating TOTW’s poison. And, it is poison! On August 28, 2018, a class action lawsuit was filed against Diamond Taste of the Wild dog food (http://truthaboutpetfood.com/taste-of-the-wild-pet-food-class-action-lawsuit/). TOTW’s Pacific Stream, Roasted Bison & Venison and the Puppy formulas have tested positive for arsenic, bpa, cadmum, mercury, lead, total pesticide and acrylamide. Many people have been posting complaints on ConsumerAffairs.com, Amazon.com, Chewy.com reporting symptoms similar to what my dogs are experiencing. Others are posting complaints regarding their dogs suddenly developing itching problems. A couple of people have even posted about their dogs dying after they began vomiting and having bloody diarrhea.

If your puppy has experienced vomiting and/or having bloody diarrhea since starting TOTW, please file a Pet Food Report via the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine Safety Reporting Portal at http://www.safetyreporting.hhs.gov. You also need to contact your state’s Bureau Chief with the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) and report your dog’s illness. You can find the contact information of your state’s Bureau Chief at http://www.aafco.org/Regulatory/State-Information. The Bureau Chiefs are also reporting issues to and working with the FDA Complaint Coordinators and both organizations need as much information as possible.