[Juliette J]

I am not pleased that Orijen has changed their manufacturing to the USA. One of the things My first question is this: Where are they sourcing the ingredients? Canada or Kentucky? Ingredients are different from place to place. Naturally the company is going to applaud this change in different ways, but I want to know the answer on this sourcing issue. I just bought the last two bags of Canadian Red off the shelf of my pet store. I am going to do quite a bit of research before I buy any of the new product. I have already heard quite a few complaints locally.

[Susan]

Hi, you need to read the ingredients & make your own mind up if it’s the right food for your dog, only you know what your dog does the best on, not the Dog Food Advisor, what works for 1 dog with a sensitive stomach may not work for your dog or my dog….
Has your vet done test on his stool (Poo) to rule out parasites? or a Endoscope & Biopsies on your dog stomach & small bowel to have a proper diagnoses what’s wrong with your poor boy so you know what is wrong with your dog, he can’t keep doing sloppy poo’s he’ll end up with thickening of the bowel as he gets older…
The Hills Science Diet Sensitive stomach formula is just a pet shop kibble made for all types of dogs with a sensitive stomach & it has chicken in it, is your dog sensitive to chicken? my boy wouldn’t eat it when I first rescued him, the pet shop man recommended it, it may work & he’ll do firm poo’s cause it has Beet Pulp in it, Beet Pulp is in most vet diets & it firms up poo’s, so does dried chicory root what is used in grain free kibbles more natural….
Have you tried any of the Hills prescription vet diets or the Royal Canine vet diets for IBD?? this way if one of the vet diets does work then you’ll know yes he can do firm poo’s what are the ingredient’s, what was the fiber % was it high was it low in fiber was the fat low or high same as protein normally lower protein is better for these problems around 25% & start looking for a cheaper premium kibble like the vet diet that worked…
My boy has IBD & finally I found “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb, it has limited ingredients & has only ONE protein, Lamb, when a dogs has diarrhea/vomiting it’s best to feed a diet with just 1 protein & a protein your dog hasn’t eaten before or hasn’t had much of it & ONE carb like Sweet Potato.. Bad gas can be a food sensitivities, my boy get’s real bad farts when he’s sensitive to an ingredient in a kibble or when he had Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth S.I.B.O he needed Metronidazole (Flagyl) for 30 days… I did an food elimination diet to work out what Patch reacted too, this is only true why to know 100% what foods they’re sensitive too….. If the TOTW is too expensive, Costco sell the Kirkland Signature Salmon & Sweet Potato kibble, it’s made by TOTW & it’s the TOTW Pacific Stream Smoked Salmon formula but cheaper then TOTW.
When your feeding meals are you feeding 3 smaller meals a day? this puts less stress on the stomach & bowel, they don’t have to work as hard & there will be less gas happening in the bowel, a dog farts shouldn’t smell now when Patch farts I hear them but I don’t smell them thank-God…. normally cow pattie poos is the Large Bowel problem, yellow sloppy poos are the small Bowel, small bowel needs less fiber, large bowel diet need more fiber…the TOTW Pacific Stream Smoked Salmon has only 3% fiber that’s why dogs with EPI do really well on it…
Another kibble that worked for Patch excellent firm poo’s & is a good price was “Pro Pac Ultimates” Bayside Select Whitefish & the Meadow Prime Lamb, made by the same people that make Earthborn Holistic kibbles…they also make SportMix Wholesome kibbles Lamb & Rice 40lb bags sells for $30, Pro Pac Ultimates 28lb bag of grain free Meadow Prime Lamb kibble is around $35 a bag try & stick with a grain free with no chicken.. http://www.propacultimates.com/dog-food
Fish kibbles are also good for dogs with sensitive stomach, fish is easier to digest & the kibble will be higher in omega 3 fatty acid which helps heal any inflammation in the stomach & bowel…. I’d try one of the TOTW formulas I have recommended, either Salmon or the Lamb, a lot of dogs with EPI, IBD IBS & SIBO do very well on the 2 TOTW formulas I mentioned, has your dog been tested for EPI?? http://www.tasteofthewild.com.au/

[Millicent m]

I know this post is a few years old but I wanted to add my experience. As we all search for answers, maybe a pattern will emerge! I have an 12 year old wheaten who has had seizures for the past 18 months. We have been giving her phenobarb with moderate success. She never goes longer than a month without seizures but generally only has one every 3-4 weeks. Mostly, but as the budget allows, she now eats a commercial frozen raw brand with occasional dry as a substitute/supplement or for convenience when we travel. A month ago, I replaced her raw food with a new dry food. After two days on the new food, she had a three days full of seizures every 10-12 hours. Disclaimer-this was two days past her 4 week mark of being seizure free so ONE seizure at this time wasn’t unexpected. I quit that food immediately. But neither the vet nor I really believed it could affect her seizures so much. Fast forward three weeks of continuing on the raw frozen again and no more seizures. I hadn’t thawed out enough for this past Saturday’s complete meal so I supplemented with a SMALL portion of the dry food (yes, the previously mentioned new dry food). Six hours later, she had two seizures within 15 min of each other, then a third two hours later. At this point, I took her to the ER, fearing the speed at which this was escalating. Within four hours, she’d had two more, one of which was violent enough to scare the vet tech. After 5 seizure free hours, they gave her some food -one of the Hills prescription canned-. She had a seizure within an hour. After a few more hours, they fed her. She had a seizure within an hour. After a few more hours, they fed her……She had a seizure within an hour. And yes, this trend wasn’t noticed until the third round, even though I noted it after the First feeding. But that’s another story. So……..I am firmly convinced that yes, food can be a GIANT seizure trigger. Like another reply said, probably not a whole cause (but really, who knows?), but most definitely something that can put them over that seizure threshold. I’m trying to determine why said foods are doing that. The two foods don’t share any main ingredients. The dry food is supposedly a high quality food. However, I’m discovering that pea proteins are fast taking over the “high quality”, grain free world of dog food. And even though meat is the main ingredient, we can’t discount how much of the protein content is coming from sources other than the meat. Dogtor J has a theory on food and seizures I’m interested in. Hindsight being 20/20, I’d also like to add that a couple of months prior to her very first seizure, we’d been trying new dog foods because a)she was suddenly hungrier than she had been….after years of eating the same amount and being satisfied and b) her skin issues were no longer being held at bay. Perhaps our dog food’s formula had changed? It was a chicken/chickpea formula I settled on to aid with her skin flareups. Or maybe that formula didn’t change, but instead her body just couldn’t process it anymore. Or maybe the hunger obsession is indicative of a brain lesion/tumor, although that doesn’t explain the seizures that immediately followed certain meals. My gut tells me her seizures are related to her gut…..not necessarily as easy as eating better food (we haven’t found a magic answer there yet) but even due to some disorder or malfunction that’s keeping her body from processing correctly……but I believe her ongoing interest(read obsession) in food (she’s been known to eat her own poop during some of her hunger phases) is related to the seizure puzzle. For what it’s worth, we’ve returned home and had a few meals of her raw food with no additional seizures.

[Susan]

Hi Melodie,
you need to see a proper IBD vet, one that specializes in IBD, also have biopsies done to see WHY this is happening with your boy?? I can fully understand what your going thru, I have a IBD Staffy with skin allergies & food sensitivities.. have you joined any Canine or dog IBD groups on Face Book?? you’ll get a lot of help or there’s a UK IBD group as well…
After trying most of the vet diets that fixed the sloppy poos but caused skin problems or bad acid reflux & vomiting & bloating some vet diet kibbles just sat in his stomach & he’d vomit it back up 7 hours later & these are vet diets that don’t digest???..
I finally found “Taste Of The Wild’ Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb kibble for my boy last year thru the EPI f/b group, you need to work out does your dog do better on LESS fiber or a diet with MORE fiber, my boy does better on low fiber diet & a low carb diet, normally dogs with IBD do better with less fiber especially if they are bloating & low carb diets, get a small bag of “Holistic Select” Adult/Puppy, Salmon, Anchovy & Sardine Meal Grain Free kibble its low in carbs 28% fat is 13-14% & just has fish as the protein or try the TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb kibble it has the matching wet tin food as well & the TOTW Roasted Lamb kibble is a single protein kibble, it just has Lamb no other proteins, don’t feed any kibbles that have more then 1 protein or too many ingredients, wet tin food is better but watch the fat% as the fat% is different to the dry kibble fat% stay around 4% fat & under for wet tin foods, that’s around 14-16% fat if it was a dry kibble.. but only feed 1 thing at a time wet or dry till you work out if it agrees with your poor boy..
I rotate Patches kibbles now he can’t stay on the same kibble for too long, 1-2 months he starts reacting with pain & starts whinging, & now he cant eat his cooked lean pork rissoles anymore, vet said it’s his IBD & he gets put back on Metronidazole (Flagyl) for 10-21 days, so now I’m trying the Hills vet diet I/d Digestive Care wet tin food, Ijust feed it for 2 of his meals, I feed 5 small meals a day, he can NOT eat more then 1/2 a cup of kibble at 1 time he does the same & bloats & gets PAIN & whinges for me to rub his stomach pancreas area, so he gets either TOTW Lamb, Canidae Pure Wild Boar, or Holistic Select Salmon, kibble 1/2 a cup at 7am then at 9am 1/2 cup same brand kibble again then 12pm 1/2 a small tin of the Hills I/d wet food, we are trying the Hills wet tin Vet Diet & the vet just ordered today the Royal Canine Hypoallergenic wet tin food to see if he does better on the Royal Canine cause with the Hills I/d wet tin Patch gets his red paws from the chicken, corn starch & I have to take out all the carrots cause carrot makes his ears itchy but he doesn’t get his pain on the Hills I/d Digestive Care & at 5pm he gets another 1/2 cup kibble & 8pm the other 1/2 Hills I/d wet tin food heated up in micro wave, feeding 5 smaller meals a day & daily walks as well Patches pain seems heaps better, soaking his kibble in water cause bad acid reflux for Patch, then I read it’s no good soaking kibble & leaving any water in the kibble bowl, so I stopped doing it… have you tried the Vet Diet “Eukanuba Intestinal” Low Residue kibble?? its very very low in low residue fiber & the kibble breaks down real easy like the TOTW, Canidae & Holistic Select kibbles do….
I do my kibble test, get a glass of very warm water now put 2 kibbles in glass of warm water, a good kibble will float to top of water & a good kibble will only take about 15mins – 40mins to soften all the way thru do not feed any kibbles that take longer then 50mins to go soft all the way thru take the bag of kibble back & say ur dog wont eat it, most kibbles have a Palatability money back…I’m always asking for sample emailing kibble companies for sample so I can test the kibbles & see if they go soft within 40mins..
I asked one of Patches vets could he do a Endoscope & biopsies 3 yrs ago with Patch to see what was wrong, they put camera down the throat into stomach, it’s painless I just had it done yesterday & they get biopsies from stomach & sometimes the vet can go into the small bowel & get a biopsies as well if the flap isn’t shut, if you can afford this do it, biopsies tell you so much, you will get some answers what’s happening, why hasn’t your vet tried more vets diets you have just tried Hills & Purina HA which is like the Hills Z/d formula, Royal Canine has a better range of vet diets & has their Hypoallergenic wet tin & dry kibble, Hypoallergenic kibbles break down easy & the stomach doesn’t have to work as hard, You might have to do what I do by the end of the month, I have to start a new kibble formula, TOTW has been the only kibble he does real well on no itchy skin, firm poos & NO stomach pain, maybe give the TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb a try, it has the least ingredients or TOTW Pacific Stream, Smoked Salmon kibble or TOTW wet tin food, but I’m pretty sure the America TOTW Pacific Stream has Garbanzo beans (Chick Peas) these can cause gas, wind & bloating, I try & stay away from Lentils, Chickpeas….. Costco has their Kirkland Signature, Salmon & Sweet Potatoes it’s made by TOTW & heaps cheaper then TOTW, you know the Purina HA works so there’s 1 kibble to rotate with when he’s going down hill again & seems unwell, you just need to find 2 more kibbles, I use the kibbles mentioned above, Spring/Summer I feed the Holistic Select Salmon/sardine kibble cause of Patches skin allergies the extra Omega 3 is good for their skin & stomach/bowel… I’m leaving the Purina HA till last it’s the only vet diet Patch hasn’t tried yet, we have just gotten the Purina HA here in Australia…
Keep us up dated, I’ll post the links to the dog IBD f/b groups tomorrow, I have to go to bed it’s late….

[Carey C]

Consumer Labs checked out the Probiotic Miracle by Nusentia and said it was fine. I have been using it for 3 months now and my dog’s condition has improved quite a bit. Wish I had known about this stuff quite awhile back. I just today ordered their enzyme supplement also. I was a long time checking it all out before I finally paid for a report from Consumer Labs to verify my conclusions about their product.

I looked at the Mercola products and quite a few others but most of the research I came across said that dogs typically have around 6 to 8 strains of beneficial flora and more than that was superfluous and could actually be dangerous. There was one strain in particular that theirs contained and some of the others on the market also, Enterococcus faecium, that could easily convert into a strain that is dangerous and could be lethal and you will no longer find it in any human probiotics at all; it is all over the web about it now. At least I haven’t been able to find it in any of the human kind and I’ve run across others that have said the same.

The best thing you can do is spend some time researching the products and their ingredients to make a good decision. I’m not talking about 30 minutes or so either. I have spent hours, many hours doing just that before I settle on anything I’m going to put into me or my dog when it is something I can’t cook up myself at home without a full scale laboratory and supplies and scientific know how to come up with what I want. I’m not one to just gone on someone’s say so. I tend to read the ingredient list on everything I buy and if there is something listed I’m not sure of I pass it by until I can learn more about it.

Most manufacturers will word or say just about anything to make a sale and it always makes me think of the proverbial used car salesman.

[anonymous]

@ Robert J, and others faced with these issues.

You could try one of those dome in the middle dishes that are designed to slow down her eating…….wet her kibble with water prior to serving.

But, honestly, something is wrong, and I would ask your veterinarian what further diagnostic tests are needed or to refer you to a specialist.
The sooner you get a correct diagnosis the better, and you can begin treatment. Read the previous posts in this thread, there may be more to it than gastrointestinal upset.
Her behavior is not normal and obviously the dog is in distress.

I would refrain from trying over the counter meds and such or making drastic changes to her diet, unless instructed to do so by a veterinarian that has examined your dog.

[anonymous]

@ Robert J, and others faced with these issues.

You could try one of those dome in the middle dishes that are designed to slow down her eating…….wet her kibble with water prior to serving.

But, honestly, something is wrong, and I would ask your veterinarian what further diagnostic tests are needed or to refer you to a specialist.
The sooner you get a correct diagnosis the better, and you can begin treatment. Read the previous posts in this thread, there may be more to it than gastrointestinal upset.
Her behavior is not normal and obviously the dog is in distress.

I would refrain from trying over the counter meds and such or making drastic changes to her diet, unless instructed to do so by a veterinarian that has examined your dog..

[anonymous]

@ Robert J, and others faced with these issues.

You could try one of those dome in the middle dishes that are designed to slow down her eating…….wet her kibble with water prior to serving.

But, honestly, something is wrong, and I would ask your veterinarian what further diagnostic tests are needed or to refer you to a specialist.
The sooner you get a correct diagnosis the better, and you can begin treatment. Read the previous posts in this thread, there may be more to it than gastrointestinal upset.
Her behavior is not normal and obviously the dog is in distress.
I would refrain from trying over the counter meds and such or making drastic changes to her diet, unless instructed to do so by a veterinarian that has examined your dog..

[pitlove]

Susan-

Can you please post where you read that Champion in the US has new owners?

[Susan]

Hi, you have to look at the ingredients, there may be 1 ingredient your dog is very sensitive tooo where your other dogs are OK, when my boy eats, Chicken, Turkey & cooked beef carrots, oats & barley he starts to smell & gets itchy & starts scratching & when he gets his environment allergies in Spring & Summer he gets the hive like lumps all over his body, I bath him in Medicated Malaseb Shampoo weekly or twice a week when he’s real bad…With the Malasab you can bath daily if needed it’s a mild shampoo…. Start keeping a diary for this dog & you’ll start seeing a pattern if it’s Seasonal Environment Allergies & start reading ingredient list & see if there’s an ingredient that keeps being in the kibble when this happens…….
Acana make a Pork & Squash formula maybe try that formula for him or get the “Canidae” Pure Sea, its limited ingredients & the protein Salmon & is high in omega 3 fatty acid what is needed for skin problems….

[crazy4cats]

Hi Acroyali-
Yes, as the owner of a female hyperthyroid cat, I can’t help but wonder if it isn’t due to feeding a lot of fish flavored can food to her during her lifetime. I’ve read many articles and studies on the risk factors of feline hyperthyroidism and most somehow link pop top canned food as a common denominator, especially fish flavored. I don’t think they know exactly what it is about the canned food that is a risk factor, however. If is is actually the food or the can itself.

It is quite a dilema for me though as I also have a male cat that has suffered a life threatening urinary blockage and requires a lot of moisture in his diet. I’m trying to find a happy medium as I do not want any of the other cats to have either issue. They are both, obviously, very hard on the cats.

I do remember reading in a previous conversation on this topic that there are foods that block the absorption of iodine as the above poster mentioned. I forgot all about that issue!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Krista-
I’ve read that you can have anywhere from 15 to 25 percent can be unbalanced. There is a download on dogwise.com written by Steve Brown that is only $2.95 that might be of some interest to you. It’s called something like See Spot Live Longer the ABC way, I believe. It gives some great ideas for healthy additions to kibble with suggested amounts. It was helpful to me. Check it out!

[Jenn H]

Re: Vaccinations
Years ago when my dog was going through treatments for cancer the vet suggested we do titers instead of straight up vaccinating for everything since he had a compromised immune system.
Ever since once then we have been doing titers and giving only the necessary vaccinations.
I also spread out vaccinations. I don’t give them combo shots when possible (there’s 1 that’s unavoidable). This way if there is a reaction we’ll know what caused it.

I’m not an anti-vaxxer, but I am anti- overvaccinating.

Re: Acana
It is very disappointing that the high quality of their products has gone down the drain. It was the best food for my big guy and I didn’t have to feed him a ton of it. Now he’s getting hot spots. I’ve tried every formula and the fish has been causing him the most trouble. I thought the oils may have helped. I would only buy the small bags knowing that it was very oily and people were complaining. I keep it in its original bag too so it doesn’t make the bin rancid. And shake the bag to hopefully disperse the oils.
We’re looking into other brands now. Too bad. I really loved Champion.

[Krista B]

Hi,

What toppers do you guys use to too dry kibble? Right now I’m using some canned dog food as a topper. I like that it’s complete and balanced and I don’t need to worry about unbalancing the diet. Are there any other toppers I could use that wouldn’t unbalance the diet too much? I was thinking of using some sardines a few times a week. Here’s the thing 15% of her diet is currently already compromised of treats, veggies, and supplements. If added the sardines it would bring the percentage up to 25% coming from extras other than kibble/canned. Is this ok to do.. or is this unlamced? I read 15% should be the maximum Amount you should have as extras…I like the idea of sardines thought because it already has calcium in it plus EPA and DHA.

Thanks!

[HoundMusic]

Somewhere around 2003 – 2004, I purchased Frontline Plus from my Vet after a rescue we took in spread fleas to my other dogs. Literally, the instant I applied it to my youngest Beagle, she actually screamed – and her underside had turned bright red, like it had given her a first degree burn. Not only that, but it did nothing to rid the other dogs of fleas. We went to Bio Spot after that and have never had an adverse reaction, even when I was forced to use it on a dog with cancer being inundated with fleas and a few dogs who either had epilepsy or were prone to seizures.

[anonymous]

Mail-in hair and saliva tests are not diagnostic tools (just read the fine print).
See the blog below:

Glacier Peak Holistics Pet Wellness Life Scan Stress Test or How Much BS Can Fit on One Web Page?

Excerpt from the link above:
Bottom Line
“The Glacier Peak Holistics Pet Wellness Life Stress Scan (formerly “Healthy Dog and Cat Alternative Sensitivity Assessment”) is a completely implausible test based on vague, mystical nonsense and pseudoscientific theories that contradict the legitimate scientific evidence regarding the cause and management of allergies. The general concept that hair and saliva testing can identify the causes of allergies is false. The marketing of this test is misleading and contains many of the hallmarks of quack advertising. Dog owners struggling with allergies would be far better spending their time and money consulting a veterinary dermatologist for a science-based approach to helping their canine”.
Also, per the search engine here: /forums/topic/desperate-food-recomendations-for-lab/

Review of Dr. Jean Dodds’ book Canine Nutrigenomics
An excerpt from the above review by The Skeptvet:
“A fair bit of effort in the book goes to promoting a test called Nutriscan, which uses saliva to identify dietary sensitivities in dogs. Unsurprisingly, Dr. Dodds’ company owns Nutriscan, and equally unsurprisingly the mainstream community of veterinary nutritionists and dermatologists do not accept the legitimacy of her test because she has not provided any controlled evidence to show it is an accurate and useful test. She does provide a lot of citations to support her claims for this method, but if one takes the trouble to investigate them, they do not actually turn out to be compelling evidence”.: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2015/06/canine-nutrigenomics-by-dr-jean-dodds-science-as-windowdressing/

Mail-in saliva and hair tests are not helpful from what I have read. By the way, they are not cheap. I have read a lot of complaints that the test comes back positive for nearly everything. Then what? Plus, it is not an allergy test, it’s a food sensitivity test?
I would consider seeing a veterinary dermatologist for accurate testing and the best treatment options.

[Acroyali]

Where do you usually source your beef from? The grocery store or supermarket can be an expensive way to do it sometimes. If you haven’t already, could you talk to a local butcher about saving some quality scraps? Many will, or if you have freezer space, buying in bulk can help tremendously.
If she does well with beef, have you considered substituting beef heart? It’s usually cheaper, VERY high in taurine and a very nutritious additive. It’s considered a muscle meat, not an organ, and while some beef heart is fatty, many are pretty lean. Does she need 90%FF or is this just what you’re able to locate the easiest?
Another option is going right to the source and finding a local farmer that raises beef. You might be able to get scraps and meat for cheaper, especially if you’re able to buy in bulk and store in the freezer.
Another somewhat inexpensive thing to consider would be beef tripe, if you can handle the smell! I’m not sure if it can or should be cooked, but I know fed raw it’s great for digestion and teeth and has a good cal/phos ratio. Some people swear by it and say it’s the perfect food for dogs and (if fed alone) is a complete diet, but I’m not as 100% convinced that they need nothing else. I’m not sure if you’re into that idea or not, but if so it’s something you could definitely consider sourcing as it’s very inexpensive compared to “real” muscle meat!
You could also bulk the meals out with these things (heart or tripe), as well as kidney, liver, or tongue. I can feed tripe, livers, gizzards and all sorts of weird stuff but for some reason beef tongue really grosses me out so I don’t use it 😛
Assuming that she would do well on any “relation” to beef, I wonder if any hunters (or, again, butchers) would be willing to share venison, or if the butcher would have any leftover venison from last season…sometimes hunters have deer processed and then (for some reason) never come to pick the meat up. If she does well on beef, she MIGHT do well on venison, so this might be another option to keep in mind. It would probably be too expensive to purchase on it’s own, but if you can get a freebie…
Hope this is (somewhat) helpful!

[S P]

I also just purchased (today) a 25lb. bag of ‘Acana Heritage Meats Formula’ (expiration date of May, 2018). I experienced the same horrible surprise – The kibble was full of white, brown and black hairs, just as pictured in a prior review!!! There was almost more hair than food product itself in each piece! The bag will be returned immediately! I had previously read some negative product reviews after Champion’s move to processing in the USA, but dismissed the bad reviews as probably being related to a transition into a new production facility. I guess I was totally wrong. At this point in time, Champion’s move to the USA is no longer “new”, and a transition period should no longer exist. There is absolutely no excuse for what I discovered in the food I purchased. I have always been a huge advocate for Champion Dog Food’s products, but no more. I can’t possibly continue to trust the quality control methods for either Acana or Orijen.

[Christie]

My vet wants me to give my dog 20mg of Pepcid 2x Day. According to the box, you can either take the pills 10-60 minutes before eating to prevent symptoms or after eating to treat symptoms. I’m assuming that he wants to prevent the symptoms in the first place, however in the mornings, the dogs are whining to eat as soon as I get up. I read online elsewhere that ten minutes isn’t long enough before a meal for Pepid to be effective (that you should wait at least 30 min) and I can’t foresee getting up early just to give him the pill and attempt to go back to sleep, because once they’re awake they stay awake. I also know that you shouldn’t give the pill with food because it can lower the effectiveness. Any suggestions? I was going to give the morning pill 30 minutes or so after eating in the morning and 30 minutes before the evening meal. Or should I do it differently?

[Eran L]

Hello,
I would like to recommend / nominate Perfoamatrin.
http://www.performatrin.com/products/performatrin-ultra-grain-free-recipe-dog-food/

I have a puppy Doberman (9.5m) and he is on his 6 or 7 27 pund bag.

We had a lot of issues in the beginning with diarrhea and loos stool. Brands we tried were Acana,Orijecn, GO, Fresh, Royal canine. Eventually we used the Digestive care from RC, until,

My dog just loves this food! whenever I getting ready to feed him he starts drooling and dripping 🙂
The food is easy on his tummy, no more loos poop and no more gassss!
Poop comes out always the same in density and shape lol, and there is less to pick up then other foods I tries.

Food had lots of protein (37) and is grain free.

Price is reasonable too.

Cheers
Eran

[Corsomomma21]

Hey guys!

New soon to be LBP mom here.. I pick up my 8wk old pure bred cane corso pup this week. After reading about every post on here and doing tons of research I’ve chosen Fromm heartland gold LBP food. What I’m having a hard time finding is an appropriate treat for training and good praise? I’ve heard a lot of negative about green tea extract and I need something that’s grain free. Just not sure if I should also be worried about the Ca, Calories and Protien with the treats as well??? I don’t plan on giving them to her too frequently but at least in the beginning while training! Any advice on a good brand??

[Lindsey C]

THANK YOU for this incredibly productive discussion thread! My 3 year old, female dog has been having vomiting episodes (initially diagnosed as GERD) once or twice the past few months. I’d noticed that she had been gulping a lot when she was in the throes of one which is how I found this thread. I also was curious about the few individuals who mentioned concurrent UTIs with this gulping and GI issue as my dog has had a lot of UTIs/incontinence and GI problems (usually at the same time). My dog just had three episodes in one week (with only two “stable” days of not vomiting) so we have been in and out of three different vets. I stuck to my intuition that something was seriously wrong with her and, sure enough, it looks like she has Addison’s Disease. I just wanted to post this as a possibility in case it matches anyone else’s experience out there. If dogs are in an Addisonian Episode, it requires immediate medical attention to stabilize them. You can read more about it here: http://www.addisondogs.com/addisons/ . Thank you again for all the comments and good luck to everyone – it it so stressful when your dog is mysteriously ill but it is so nice to see others helping each other out with their own experiences!

[Christie]

I’ve pretty much concluded that all of the itching/licking/ear issues aren’t food based. I’ve done elimination tests. During the last bout of issues, I switched immediately to Zignature based on a suggestion in this forum. Neither dog ‘loves; the kibble and I have to add apples and sardines just to get them to eat it. The itching seems better, but I’ve also been treating my dog’s paws with OTC meds that appear to be working, so I don’t know if the food helped or not. I’ve tried a dozen different food brands, mixing up the main proteins, and there doesn’t appear to be a big difference between them. The itching/ear issues just seem to pop up at random.

My dog is American Bulldog/pit mix and I’ve read that they’re just predisposed to itching and ear issues. As long as I catch flareups early in the game, I can usually treat the symptoms.

I read that you can give a dog benedryl for environmental allergies, but I’m always wary of giving them anything made for humans. Is it really safe? My vet always just wants to prescribe general antibiotics to clear the ears but the OTC drops work just as well for a fraction of the cost.

[anonymous]

Just read the ingredients, what do you think? Supplements are not medication. They are not intended to diagnose, cure, or treat anything….read the fine print.
I would talk to the vet about other options if your dog is anxious.
There are prescription meds that are effective that your vet can order if indicated.
Have you tried increasing the dog’s activity level? Hour long walks? A game of fetch? Swimming? Running? I have found that exercise has a calming effect on dogs.
You may find some helpful information here: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2017/01/pet-remedy-a-natural-herbal-product-to-reduce-stress-and-anxiety/
Nothing is being sold at the above site, no membership fees, no books, no t-shirts, no supplements. Just science based veterinary medicine.

[InkedMarie]

Ashleigh: if you’re still reading, go to Hare Today (google for the website). It’s a raw food supplier. I’m not sending you there to buy but to look at the raw food education link. Also, Tracey who owns it, is very helpful. She has very large dogs and can help you. I buy my raw from her but it’s not the cheap way as we feed grinds.

Good luck!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Judith-
I am so very sorry for your loss. How unbelievably tragic. I have two large lab mix dogs and worry about bloat daily. One of them is more narrow and deep chested than the other. This is the classic build that I hear are quite vulnerable. But, wow, a basset mix doesn’t fit the mold at all. Poor baby. I’m glad you were able to at least make him somewhat comfortable.

I read conflicting info on this subject also. I’ve read you should elevate the bowls, then you read you should absolutely NOT elevate them. I am careful not to exercise them for at least an hour after they eat and try not to let them drink much after exercise either. I’ve read that adding canned to their kibble meal does help prevent bloat. And recently, I also read that larger kibble is better too. Which is differnet than what I’ve read before. And, like you mentioned, feeding at least twice per day seems to be important. I, too, wish there were more definitive preventive measures.

I hope your heart can heal. It’s so hard to not beat ourselves up when these things happen. RIP Poldy :'(

[anonymous]

Has your dog with the “sensitive tummy” been diagnosed by a veterinarian? Has he had an annual exam that included lab work (the best diagnostic tool) to rule out medical issues?
I hope you will consult with a veterinary health care professional before proceeding. If my post offends you, don’t read it, maybe someone else will benefit from it.

BTW: There is no cheap way to do raw that is safe.

Some science based veterinary medicine here: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=raw+food

And: https://www.mspca.org/angell_services/choosing-the-right-diet-for-your-pet/
excerpt below:
Raw diets are another popular option on the market today. Studies have shown that 20-35% of raw poultry and 80% of raw food dog diets tested contained Salmonella. This poses a health risk for your pet, but also for humans. This is especially true for children or immunocompromised adults, whether exposed to the raw food directly, or the feces of the pet eating the raw food. Additionally, there is increased risk of other bacterial infections and parasitic diseases when feeding raw diets. And the bottom line is there is no reason to believe raw food is healthier than cooked food.
The numerous dietary choices for your pet can be daunting but if you pick an AAFCO approved food made by a manufacturer with a long track record, odds are good that you will find a suitable food for your pet. Most of the large pet food companies employ full time veterinary nutritionists and have very high quality control standards. That is not to say that a small company cannot produce nutritious and high quality food, but you should check out their website if it’s a company that is not familiar to you. Take the time to research, and ask your veterinarian if you have specific questions or concerns.
Please understand that this article is meant to provide basic dietary guidelines for healthy pets. If your pet has specific health issues, then your veterinarian may make specific food recommendations, which may include special prescription diets.

[samlab]

First let me begin, this website that Mike Sagman has set up is superb. As you read my experience please don’t get caught in minutia of thought..just read this and hopefully this can and will help others. I love dogs, all dogs…cats too. I have been showing and breeding top Labrador Champions for over 30 years. So with to this I will assume that my input will be really about the large breed dogs and yes you may consider all dogs for that matter. I have tried all of these foods. Many work, some results are ok and others well just didn’t go well. Many dog foods since their really are just a few manufacturers, some are private branded under that specific companies ingredients, for their specific brand. I read many posts about this or that, and raw versus X.Y.Z, form of foods. Every time I try to go to the “other side”, well I end up, rather baffled at the terrible results. Therefore, I will let all of you know, grains, corn, etc. are not the cause of your dogs allergy’s, its all about the genetics. It you have a dog that has allergies, its about, the breeding. Same for cancer in dogs, it could be environmental, but less than 1%. It is indeed genetic. The longest lived dogs in the US have been on the following foods, this is research fact direct from the Doctors that did the research: Purina, Science Diet and Eukanuba Brands. To those that profess to Raw diets and rotating foods I will mention frozen or fresh raw foods (frozen still has salmonella once defrosted and eaten) is well your on your own. Rotating foods is not good either as it completely screws up the stomach and intestinal flora in a dogs digestive tract. No your not going to get good advice from the local specialty food store as these people have no idea about the foods they sell. Zero. Every dog is different and you will need to find out what works best for your dog…I will now share what typically works for Large Breeds and especially Labradors Retrievers and many others. But beforehand I will explain. I just went with another brand of puppy food T.O.T.W. over time it did not go well..at five months old and recently the same bag, the last 1.5 weeks, it reared its ugly head. Not Giardia either. I switched that 47lb boy straight onto Eukanuba Puppy Large breed yesterday, problem over best stool in his life so far. As I write this 1X more this morning per wife, that one perfect too. Grain free is not always the best way to go…..its really marketing b.s. and has always been. Even I get lectured by the top show Veterinarians! This is not knocking you or any other brand that works for you…but the finest show stock in the US are all on those three major brands above…blue buffalo duck and potato limited ingredient, grain free may be your best bet for skin allergy issue dogs. Also chopped or baby carrots, blueberry’s, strawberries, cantaloupe and even watermelon are fat free treats that dogs love too. Will add for those following: Especially Labs and watch their weight…for older dogs drop to 28% or then even lower 26%.. the in their prime Eukanuba 30/20 add 1/2 tablespoon each of Nupro Gold Label Supplement/ and then both of each the Silver Label Container for older dogs for arthritis with 1 tablet both meals of Cosequin tablets (250 count Bottles) its the a show/wellbeing secret obviously now for all of you. Also for my older dogs they get Dumor white 5 lb container with red lid a 1/2 teaspoon of MSM at Tractor supply or online (this brand only, measuring cup is inside, use the lower line mark on the measuring cup) some warm water mixed in morning meal only and boom in two weeks your going to be very happy indeed. Also for those that have a dog with surgery the MSM will heal them in two weeks and fur already growing back. The Vet will give you a strange look on the follow up…I assure you they will give you a weird look and be thinking boy this dog heals fast. Then you say its the MSM and he/she will laugh of course and say “I shoulda known”. Then they will know your in touch with the knowing. All the best always to everyone here and I hope this helps anyone that can use this information.

• This topic was modified 8 years, 9 months ago by samlab.
• This topic was modified 8 years, 9 months ago by samlab.
• This topic was modified 8 years, 9 months ago by samlab.

[FrankiesDoggie]

Hi all,

I’ve been searching the forums for info on how we can calculate the ratio of dry to wet food (or other mixers) for those who like to mix it up. I want to make sure I can calculate correctly so the meals remain complete/balanced without adding too many calories. Do people just rely on the caloric number to determine the ratio, or do you calculate other percentages as well?

I looked online for a calculator online that can do this and only found one by Merrick. They have a very clever calculator that can help you figure out the proper ratios of their dry/wet/mixers in order to ensure a balanced meal. BUT, given they’re owned by Purina now (AFAIK), I’m unlikely to use their dog food any time soon. I would likely use Acana for dry food and whatever 5 star brand for wet (and 5 star brand for raw mixers), so there’s no doubt I’ll be using various brands to put a proper diet together.

P.S. I read the editor’s quick suggestion on how he adds 1/4 of a can of a singular meat wet food to dry food, but didn’t indicate how much he reduces dry food to compensate for calories, or if he does that at all.

Thanks for any advice or suggestions!

[Mike Sagman]

Stan C,

Thanks for your suggestion. Like every nomination we get here and by way of our special “Suggest a Dog Food” form found in the footer of every page on this website, we consider every suggestion that QUALIFIES for our ultra-select Editor’s Choice recommendation.

In addition, the company must also (at the very least) meet our minimal requirements to be reviewed on our website.

Please check the 2 links I have included in this particular comment. And you should be able to see why the brand you suggested doesn’t meet minimal criteria to even be reviewed on our website.

For example, we’re unable to find a single food product anywhere on the Soul’y website that shares critical and standardized FDA-compliant label information. Most notably, there appear to be no Statements of Nutritional Adequacy Statements. And no other assurances from the company that any of these foods are “complete and balanced” for a specific AAFCO nutrient profile.

By the way, in general, raw dog foods are notorious for not providing full and complete FDA compliant label information — or making any effort to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles. In fact, many of these foods are simply not complete and balanced.

In addition, like many other raw dog foods, the Soul’y products have only limited regional distribution. So, they would only be available to very few of our readers and members.

Lastly, because we receive more than 100 review suggestions in an average week, our small team does not allow us enough resources to reply to every recommendation.

With our Editor’s Choice nominations, each suggestion could have its own reasons that it fails to meet our guidelines (as detailed in the links above). With over 1,000 suggestions in this thread alone, it would be impossible for us to provide a detailed reply to each comment we get.

In any case, even though we do not have the resources to provide a detailed response, please be assured we frequently scan these suggestions for new ideas.

Thanks for taking the time to make this suggestion.

[elaine c]

Hi, don’t feed Merrick it was bought by purina and they are already messing up what once was respectable. The BEST food you can buy for your dogs, bar none, what I feed, is Answers Pet food. go to the web site and look it up. It is miraculous and I do not use that word lightly. I have always bought what I considered the best for my guys, I am a pro trainer. I have two rescue pits. Since my other pro friends have turned me on to this stuff my dogs have not looked back. For example my female, Lucy throw up and pooped blood, I started on this stuff and WOW what a difference! Also she had terrible terrible gas. there is no gas now. Now I understand that gas means that the gut is not digesting the food well. I could go on and on! I advise all my clients and I will do the same for you . this is REAL food. processed food can not be good. No kibble can really be good. canned food is cooked in the cans and it leaches metal.. buy raw buy this raw. And the dog love it. My make, CLEVe carries his bowl around with him after he eats it now!!

1

[pitlove]

If a dental has already been suggested it is likely that beginning stages of dental disease are starting to set in and the vet is trying to be proactive, not greedy. Now if there are no signs of early stages of dental disease then a combination of brushing and other oral hygiene methods can be started to prevent.

Do not forget there is still high risk in feeding raw bones, especially to a large breed if she is an aggressive chewer. Perforated intestines and esophagus would be my first concern.

[LovelyBear]

Hi pitluv! I agree it is important to clean your dogs teeth and everything. My thought process is set on prevention. I’d rather feed my dog raw and have the good bones clean her teeth and not spend over $300 on getting her teeth cleaned. But trust me if anything happened and it was completely necessary for my girl to get work done i’d spend the money!

Hello Susan! Thank you for your input 🙂 I wouldn’t deprive her of meat either. I just shake my head when I see or hear of people feeding their dogs vegan. I won’t force my views on her, when she is designed to consume meat. But I am reading every website I can and educating myself on feeding raw before I begin. I do rotate kibbles and stay within a brand. She has eaten every flavor of TOTW and is currently on the Pacific Stream. A few months ago she was on the Southwest Canyon one and got a weird rash on her cheek. I think that is the only one with Beef in it and that was the first time feeding to her, so she might be allergic to beef. But i’m not 100% sure that was the cause. I won’t 100% know till I feed her raw beef. These past 2 weeks I have given her bully sticks from beef and she is doing okay though. They cleaned her teeth pretty good. It’s crazy how expensive it can get to clean some teeth when a proper raw bone will do the trick!

Thank for the advice on boarding kennels. The vet office we take her to has a boarding facility and I hope my vet will be okay with my girl being raw. I don’t want to board her and they undermine me and feed her kibble while she is there. I find out haha!

[Allison M]

Hey guys, have any of you guys ever looked into the possibility of sialadenosis in your dogs? It’s a salivary gland issue that causes gulping, excessive salivation, and vomiting. You can read about it here: http://www.vets.co.il/sialadenosis-in-a-dog—case-report
And here: http://vet.uga.edu/archives/sevpac/archive/sevpac2012/38-Boone.pdf

[DragonflyRed]

I created an account just so I could post this. I haven’t found this anywhere else, so I felt it was important to share, and this is the dog forum I come to most to read.

About six months ago, my Chihuahua began yawning more frequently than normal. I really didn’t think much of it, especially because he seemed to be using it as his new signal for wanting to go outside — he has seizures and sometimes suddenly changes how he communicates things right after a big one.

I wish I could say that’s all it was, but he soon started having other symptoms as well. He developed anxiety, which he’s never had in his life, not even when he was doing public access as my service dog before his seizures began. He got weird about his food, asking for it and then not wanting to eat it. He had a couple accidents in the house because he didn’t want to get up to go outside. He stopped wanting to play or do as much in general, although he still have small burts of energy, running around with the other dog in the house, and then he would stop suddenly and act like he was in pain.

Again, he has seizures, so I thought that was the explanation, especially since his three trips (two emergency, one regular) to the vet didn’t really showing anything. We changed his food since that’s caused problems with him in the past. We added a neuropathic painkiller, gabapentin, because the vet thought he was having pain due to seizures. We added distilled aloe Vera alongside his water, which he drank with enthusiasm. We restarted his antacid on the theory that he was having stomach upset, causing him to refuse his food. While I can’t say that these didn’t help at all, they didn’t help the yawning or his energy levels.

About two months ago, he started snoring worse than normal and shortly after that, he added randomly opening his mouth like he was going to yawn and then not actually yawning. A few days ago, he started having bouts of profuse panting. This is a dog that has never really panted, even in the middle of summer when we lived in the Deep South. He might pant for two or three breaths, drink some water, and then go back to whatever he was doing. This was not that. This was a raspy pant that didn’t get better after he drank or even sat doing nothing for a few minutes. He lips were pulled back, and it looked like he was in distress. The first time it happened, I thought it was anxiety because I had left him with my mother for a few minutes while I went into the store. This has never caused significant anxiety before, but my mother sometimes teases him about my leaving him. Two days ago, however, he didn’t stop panting when I came back, and he continued for at least half an hour more. He was not overheating but he did pace around and not want to lie down. We were getting ready to take him to the emergency vet when he finally stopped, and I took him to his vet first thing in the morning.

My vet immediately suspected heart problems. She did some bloodwork and an X-ray, and she found fluid in his lungs. We talked at length about his symptoms and I found out that him standing/lying in funny positions was probably the first sign of a problem. I also learned that his yawning was an indicator of heart problems. Nowhere in all my googling had ever mentioned that yawning could be anything other than a behavioral or stomach problem. For my Chi, it was a sign that he wasn’t getting enough oxygen and that his heart was beginning to press on his esophagus.

Right now, my little guy’s prognosis isn’t the worst, but it could’ve been a lot better if we had caught it earlier. My Chi is not very old either, only four years old, which I hadn’t realized something like this could affect such a young dog. So if your dog is suddenly yawning more than normal, take him/her into the vet and get his/her heart checked; or at the very least, be on the outlook for more signs that could be because of heart failure.

[Acroyali]

https://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/cardiovascular-diet/

https://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/heart-healthy-diet/

Also, it might be worth checking with your vet about making sure his potassium isn’t being depleted by his medications. Ask to have his levels checked if you haven’t already. (This isn’t to say the medications are bad–heart disease is nothing to sneeze at and medications can, and are, life savers and life-extenders and helps give the dogs much better quality of life.)

When I had a dog with heart disease, he fainted once and it scared me badly. I’d never seen a dog faint like that but he came to in a few moments and seemed unshaken. My vet highly recommended adding fish or salmon oil and vitamin E for heart support (I use wholistic pet organics brand, as it contains both!) I also added COQ10 (liquid).

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/06/02/the-silent-pet-killer-that-you-can-now-avoid.aspx

While it’s not applicable for every person and every dog, I did opt to feed my dog a raw diet. For a time, he went “off” his raw food so I fed him cooked and canned and he gobbled it up. He was around Gizmo’s age; while I feel raw is best if a dog who (formerly) ate a certain diet for years and enjoyed it then abruptly stops, there’s a reason. The goal was to keep food in him so we fed him what he wanted. During the time(s) he was happily eating raw, we fed him a lot of pastured beef, chicken, and turkey hearts for the naturally occurring taurine (crucial for heart function, and I feel food sources are better than synthetic but that’s simply my preference.)

One other thing. If you live in a cold weather climate, or live somewhere where you experience very cold months out of the year, keep Gizmo inside at all times unless you take him out to potty. My dog had a horrible fainting episode when I took him out to pee when it was extremely cold (sub-zero; we were outside for less than 30 seconds when it happened.)

I know, emotionally, it’s difficult for you. I hope some of the links and suggestions help. I wish you the very best of luck.

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

[Sharon D]

Hi! I’m a retired scientist (biology/ecology) and I’m interested in this topic because my 8 year old Chihuahua, Poncho, has been diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis and we’ve started him on a low-fat diet, Royal Canin Gastrointestinal, low fat canned and kibble, the only brand my vet carries for this. Like some of you, I was also not happy with the ingredients with “animal bi-products” high on the list, but was going to use the product until I could find a better one. Then I saw comments by some of you about increased urination and I cancelled the order I placed today for monthly repeat delivery of a a 24-can case from Pet360.com (great prices!) so I could research this a little more. Even in the two days I’ve had Poncho and his brother, Tank, on this food, I think I’ve noticed them peeing more, too. Then, in thinking about the issue a bit I have this question for you:

Have you noticed an increase in water INTAKE?

It occurred to me that the explanation may be as simple as “this food makes them more thirsty than other, “regular” foods”. This makes sense to me when I think about the thick, gummy consistency of the canned food. With less protein and fat than regular foods, this food is like eating a dry piece of very dense bread. It’s a thought! It would be a nice benign explanation that could put our minds at rest about it. Maybe we can all watch water intake and see if there’s a noticeable increase… Anyway, there is still the food quality issue with its ingredients, so I think I’ll continue to look for an alternative. I’ll be keeping an eye on this thread for your ideas and suggestions about this dog food, too. Thanks for being here! 🙂

[Emily P]

Hello everyone I am new to this site and really looking for help as in I have a 15 year old shitzu poodle mix named gizmo who is my life my baby my everything, well recently I had a really really bad scare he collapsed on a walk literally swayed and fell over had to give him CPR and everything. I never ever want to experience that again. Well come to find out he has degenerative valve diseases, heart murmur. I have had my dog since I was 10 and I’m now 23 he literally is my world, well he needs a low salt food and I know a lot of it is pretty pricey I would like a decent priced one as well. I do see a lot of you well reading on here saying all this mathematics stuff that I don’t quite get so if you could put it in simple termoilgy, I don’t want to forget to mention that my dog gizmo is actually on 3 meds as well he takes morning and night, he had fluid in his lungs coughing and really loud snoring so he isn’t in the best shape the vet did say all his other organs seem to be fine besides heart which is a real hard one for me to wrap around because now I’m always so worried after seeing him collapse. So please help with anything u can tell me I would greatly appreciate?

[S A]

Hi Jenn H,

Let’s drop beliefs altogether and instead consider facts. It seems my last post didn’t make it through to this thread… I’m guessing it was the links, so let’s try it without references/links and see how it goes. You can always google them.

You said it well here: “there really isn’t a way to not cause harm to other living creatures when growing crops”

I totally agree with that, but disagree with pretty much everything else.

Your thought process about pesticides might make sense if the animals we eat, didn’t eat plants. However, to get an animal to slaughter size/age, it has to be fed–daily. What do most animals that we eat consume for food? Feed that comes from plants… lots and lots of plants. (Some also are fed other animals, that ate plants… further amplifying the cost… but for simplification, we can pretend that doesn’t happen.) Plants grown for livestock feed, typically grown as monocultures, are of course prone to massive infestations and diseases. This is why there is massive pesticide (and herbicide and fungicide) use involved in producing livestock. When we consider the food that livestock consumes as part of the equation, which is only fair as it’s a part of the environmental cost of rearing the animals we eat, it paints a very different picture.

*Land required to feed 1 person for 1 year:
Vegan: 1/6th acre
Vegetarian: 3x as much as a vegan
Meat Eater: 18x as much as a vegan

*1.5 acres can produce 37,000 pounds of plant-based food.
1.5 acres can produce 375 pounds of meat.

Just think how much less land would be needed to produce so much more food if people would even just reduce their meat consumption. Instead of using all of the land that currently goes towards producing livestock feed for human consumption of meat, we could use a fraction of it to produce plants for human consumption.

Veganism and animal cruelty/suffering doesn’t have to be an all or nothing attempt. Any reduction in animal abuse/farming is beneficial for our planet.

Btw, the manure used on crops, needn’t be from animals that aren’t consumed for food. We have no shortage of manure due to livestock that are used for food. More facts:

*Every minute, 7 million pounds of excrement are produced by animals raised for food in the US. This doesn’t include the animals raised outside of USDA jurisdiction or in backyards, or the billions of fish raised in aquaculture settings in the US.

*130 times more animal waste than human waste is produced in the US – 1.4 billion tons from the meat industry annually. 5 tons of animal waste is produced per person in the US.

*In the U.S. livestock produce 116,000 lbs of waste per second:
-Dairy Cows, 120lbs of waste per day x 9 million cows.
-Cattle, 63lbs of waste per day, x 90 million cattle.
-Pigs, 14lbs. of waste per day, x 67 million pigs.
-Sheep/Goats. 5lbs of waste per day, x 9 million sheep/goats.
-Poultry, .25-1lbs of waste per day, x 9 billion birds.
Dairy cows and cattle-1.08 billion pounds per day (from 9 million dairy cows, 120 pounds waste per cow per day) + 5.67 billion pounds per day (90 million cattle, 63 pounds waste per one cattle per day) = 6.75 billion pounds per day waste or 2.464 trillion pounds waste per year (manure+urine)
** 3.745 trillion pounds waste per year(this is the equivalent of over 7 million pounds of excrement per MINUTE produced by animals raised for food in the U.S. excluding those animals raised outside of USDA jurisdiction, backyards, and billions of fish raised in aquaculture settings in the U.S.)

Some more interesting bits:

*Livestock or livestock feed occupies 1/3 of the earth’s ice-free land.

*Agriculture is responsible for 80-90% of US water consumption.

*Growing feed crops for livestock consumes 56% of water in the US.

Just some food for thought… or thoughts on food…

[Susan]

Hi Dee, its a really good thing your doing taking on an 2 elderly dogs & they are getting a 2nd chance in life…. You can cut up the chucks of meat in the chucky foods & put thru a blender maybe try & see if he’s OK on a thicker wet food, I found the thicker wet tins were better then the pate wet tin foods, stayed down better….
Just be careful with the fat %, 5%min fat in wet tin food or raw food when converted to dry matter(kibble) is around 20-25% fat, if it were a kibble…..
When I rescued my boy he was regurgitating raw, cooked & wet tin foods back up into his mouth, onto the floor or ground while walking or playing I had to keep him still for 20-30mins, this seem to happen more when the wet tin or raw was too grounded like a wet mince consistency, very sloppy & not chunky…. over the years Patch has gotten better & now can hold any wet tin or cooked food down, nothing comes back up no more & he was put on a acid reducer (Losec) to stop the acid reflux that comes with it, the vet seem to think he had Hernia the diaphragm where the food pipe joins the stomach flap wasn’t closing when it was suppose to close…lower fat diets with no grains, no rice, no oats, no barley etc, are best, add some boiled sweet potato or potato & pumkin added to the wet tin or cooked meals also helped the food stay down with Patch…..
I was soaking a kibble that was easy to digest “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb in warm water, (Not boiling hot water), as soon as the kibble was soft all the way thru swollen (a good easy to digest kibble should only take about 20-40mins to become soft all the way thru) then you drain all water out of the kibble bowl, I was putting about 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of the soft wet kibble on the side of a bowl & cuffing my hand & squeezing out all the water from the kibble, then adding the squeezed kibble to the blender then I’d just squeezing another 1/4 to 1/2 cup wet kibble after squeezed adding to a blender & you just pulse blend for a few seconds & the kibble becomes real light & fluffy when kibble isn’t squeezed properly, it is like slop but that might work for your boy you’ll work it out, I was feeding about 1/2 a cup per meal, for a 40lb dog, your dog is bigger so he’d probably eat under 1 cup of the blended wet kibble per meal, I divided meals into 5 small meals a day, 7am, 9am, 12pm, 5pm & 8pm…..blending the wet drain kibble works out cheaper then buying the wet tin foods & his dad can eat the dry kibble or have some of the wet soaked drain kibble as well…
Taste Of The Wild has wet tin grain free food & the fat % starts at 3% fat which is 11% -13% fat when converted to dry matter, http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/#our-brand
You can email the company & ask any questions you may have…..
Just don’t feed any wet tin food that is higher then 5%max in fat, it may be tooo much fat & may cause bad acid reflux…you’ll know when he starts eating grass or my boy grinds his teeth & swollows & swollows & licks his mouth when he has acid reflux…. I’d stick around 2-4%max fat in wet tin foods, if he’s on a vet diet like Hills wet tin food the Hills wet formulas have already been converted to dry matter, I think that’s what confuses people coming from a Hills vet diet…

[mommy0f3pigs]

Thank you for your reply! I Will be sure to get large breed food, he is a muscular boy already with huge paws. Everyone who sees him thinks he’s a Pitt/lab mix. I did not even think about the environmental factor. He went from AL to WV so temperature and everything is different here!
I’m not totally against science diet,they also had 4 star rating. Wellness large puppy looks very good. Thank you for all the information, it really helps! I truly appreciate it. Want to do the best I can no to prevent future issues!

[pitlove]

Hi mommy0f3pigs-

If your pittie is already 30lbs at 14 weeks, he will most certainly need a large breed puppy food. Mind you, just because a food claims to be for “all life stages” does NOT always mean it is suitable for large breed puppies.

The two brands your vet recommend are actually the two best brands for large breed puppy foods on the market because both companies are the worlds leaders in research of large and giant breed puppy growth and development. If you truly do not want to use one of their LBP formulas, I would look at Dr.Tims Kinesis, Wellness, NutriSource or Fromm.

He is likely itchy from the environment change from one state to the next. When I brought my pit home from north of my state to south east he devloped a staph infection from the change in environment. It went away with antibiotics and never came back. He may need more time to adjust. Unfortunately feeding him exotic proteins and grain free etc now can’t prevent allergies. I did that too on the recommendation of well meaning but uneducated people I worked with and on here and my pittie developed food sensitivities to duck, beef, lamb and peas. Duck is considered exotic and peas are in almost every grain free food. Unfortunately he is just prone to allergies due to poor breeding. Sometimes these things can’t be helped, especially in pitbulls because of the over breeding problem.

[mommy0f3pigs]

I just rescued a 14 week Pitt/mix. He currently weighs 30# and I bought the Natures Domain puppy chicken & pea food as is stated it was a 4 star food on here. After reading all the reviews I am nervous. He seems to gulp the small pieces down (he will steal adult food from my other dog and actually chew the large pieces) can I give a Pitt mix large breed puppy food? Does anyone have a recommendation for a puppy food for a bully breed. I want the least chance for skin allergies etc. my vet always recommends science diet or purina so I have been researching my own brands on here. I give my adult dog Kirkland chicken because this site also gives that a 4 star but once again the reviews have me nervous! So, I’m willing to hear recommendations was thinking of switching to TOTW, Merrick, wellness, or something else large breed if it is okay to give Pitt mixes that.
Thanks for suggestions!
Also- I rescued him from A different state so the food they were feeding I cannot get here and they switched since he was in foster. So I have just been mixing rice and pumpkin with food. Have only had him 3 days so I want to switch now rather than later!

[Kevin Davies]

There are various types of dog and puppy foods out here. You can choose to feed your dog dry dog food, canned dog food or natural food. It all depends on your discretion as a puppy owner and also your dog’s needs.

Like humans, dogs are all different. So what works for one puppy might not work for another and what tastes good to one puppy may not taste good to another. Luckily, there are enough choices on the market for you to chop and change your dog food, until you find the right one.

It is also vitally important that you do research on the breed of your puppy and give him dog food accordingly. Each breed has its own unique genetic makeup and some breeds are pre-disposed to certain diseases and medical conditions.

So if you know that your Lab has more body fat than muscle and is prone to obesity, you will invest in puppy food that is low in fats and carbs but high in calcium and fiber. This ensures that your puppy’s diet is complete, balanced and nutritious enough to keep him happy and healthy.

Read more at https://petloverguy.com/best-puppy-food-for-labs/

[anonymous]

Mail-in hair and saliva tests are not diagnostic tools (just read the fine print).
Please read the blog below, nothing is being sold at that site, no t-shirts, no supplements, no kits, no books….nothing.

Glacier Peak Holistics Pet Wellness Life Scan Stress Test or How Much BS Can Fit on One Web Page?

Excerpt from the link above:
Bottom Line
“The Glacier Peak Holistics Pet Wellness Life Stress Scan (formerly “Healthy Dog and Cat Alternative Sensitivity Assessment”) is a completely implausible test based on vague, mystical nonsense and pseudoscientific theories that contradict the legitimate scientific evidence regarding the cause and management of allergies. The general concept that hair and saliva testing can identify the causes of allergies is false. The marketing of this test is misleading and contains many of the hallmarks of quack advertising. Dog owners struggling with allergies would be far better spending their time and money consulting a veterinary dermatologist for a science-based approach to helping their canine”.
Also, per the search engine here: /forums/topic/desperate-food-recomendations-for-lab/

[Susan]

Hi, yes I have a dog with Seasonal Environment allergies & food sensitivities causing IBD & itchy, yeasty smelly skin, red paws, itchy ears & hive like lumps + IBD symptoms sloppy poos, gas/farts etc…
It has taken me 3yrs to finally work Patch out, in the beginning my vet said to keep a diary & you’ll start to see a pattern as the years go by & yes we did….
It’s best too see a Dermatologist they’re a but more expensive but in the long run you’ll save money, Dermatologist specialize in the skin….
Baths, twice a week or weekly baths or as soon as dog is uncomfortable & is scratching real bad then bath to relieve their skin…..I use Malaseb medicated shampoo, baths wash off any allergens, dirt, pollens & yeast if dog has yeast problems, Malaseb kills any bacteria yeast on the skin & keeps the skin nice & moist leaving the dog feeling so soft, Malaseb can be used daily if needed…..
I like using creams on my boy instead of medications he doesn’t do well on meds…I use “Sudocrem” sold in supermarket in baby section, I apply the Sudocrem on Patches red paws, around mouth, above his eye where he has white fur he seems to have all the problems, some nights when he’s real red around his mouth from eating I used Hydrocortisone 1% cream & on his paws & other parts of his body as well, I check patches body out as he’s sleeping at night before I go to bed & apply the creams, now I’ve removed the foods in his diet that he’s sensitive too his ear problem has all clear up, I did an elimination diet the best thing for food sensitivities & found when he eats carrots & beef he started shaking his head & scratching his ears, chicken causes his paws to go red 20mins after eating chicken, raw chicken was worse, also kibbles with grains made his poos sloppy, now he eats grain free kibbles that are Whitefish/Salmon or Lamb….if you don’t want to do the elimination diet & cook or do raw then it’s best to get a vet diet like Royal Canine PV- Potato & Venison or PS-Potato & Salmon or PR- Potato & Rabbit kibble or wet tin… then when dog isn’t scratching ears & is stable not itching you start & add 1 new ingredient with the vet diet every 6 weeks, no treats nothing else, it can take 1 day to 6 weeks for a dog to show symptoms for a food sensitivities…Once you find out what foods your dog is sensitive too you can stop the vet diet & start a diet without the foods he’s sensitive too.
I live Australia & I saw a Naturopath cause of Patches IBD, I wanted him on a raw diet.. Vitamin C is a natural antihistamine, we have a skin pack made by the Naturopath called Natural Animal Solutions, Skin Pack & it has DigestaVite Plus which balances the diet & fixes the gut, then it has Omega 3,6 & 9 Oil you add high dose for the first 2 months to diet & Vitamin C to work as a natural antihistamine…..
Here’s Jacquelines site there’s a lot of good reading & what natural products to use…on your left scroll down a bit & click on “Skin System” then click on “Skin Allergies” & she explains all about the skin & what causes what. She also has a F/B site & will answer any questions.. called “Natural Animal Solutions” NAS
http://www.naturalanimalsolutions.com.au/education.php

[Acroyali]

There’s been great advice on this thread so all I can do is say I’m awfully sorry about your dog, but I’m very glad it was her leg that couldn’t be saved and not her life. So scary.
We have a very small dog (we think Chihuahua mix, or long haired Chi) who broke her leg and the leg was saved. It was in a cast and all that, but due to her tiny bone structure the leg healed improperly and it’s a constant worry that it will rebreak. It seems to move around a lot more than it should. The vets that worked on her after the break said it healed well, but her age (she’s 10-11 years old) we think made it more difficult for it to heal well.

Keeping her lean helps. This particular dog has (in the vets words), “Not the greatest kneecaps”, so that’s kind of a double slam on her. As tempting as it is to carry her everywhere, she walks on her own to (hopefully) keep the muscles and ligaments surrounding the joints strong. I’d make sure she gets a moderate amount of exercise so she retains good muscle mass. If you’re really ambitious, teach her how to back up. This is great for rear muscles and could hopefully help the breakdown of her rear end while she learns to go on 3 legs vs. 4.

Hope this helps and again–very sorry for the scare!

[Salz]

Hi all! I am a frequent lurker of this forum, and wanted to ask for some input. I am a pretty knowledgable raw feeder, especially for large breeds, but am adding a new member to my family next week and wanted to ask a few questions.

My partner and I will be picking up an 8 week old Dane puppy next weekend, so I’m doing all I can to prepare for her arrival. I currently have a 1 year old Dobie/Rottie mix who has been on raw since I rescued him at 6 weeks. I did extensive research about Ca/P ratios, fat content, protein levels, etc, and have always had all of that on point with his diet. I kept him very lean at a young age and his growth has been spectacular. He’s still filling out a little and will continue to grow slightly, for the next six months I anticipate, but since we’re almost there I’ve allowed him to bulk up a little over the past few weeks.

I follow the BARF model and feed meat grinds, a veggie mixture, and added supplements a few times per week, but I have kept it pretty simple for him in his first year to ensure proper growth. With the new puppy, I want to start her off the same. My concerns lie in the fact that she is a GIANT breed. I’ve read a lot of articles on Dane forums about not starting a Dane puppy on raw until they are a little older because of their nutritional needs, and this has stumped me and caused some worry. I’m looking for anyone with Dane puppy nutrition experience, especially with raw feeding. Or, if anyone could point me in the direction of any helpful articles or websites, that would be great too. Thank you all for your knowledge!

[Susan]

Hi Donna, read the ingredients to the Hills I/d formula then start looking for better quality brands with similar ingredients & fat %, one problem Hills have already converted their wet tin foods fat% & protein% to dry matter (Kibble) normal wet tin foods & raw haven’t been converted to dry matter (kibble) yet…. Which I/d formula is she eating?? there’s a few Hills I/d formulas, there’s I/d Low Fat Restore, fat is around 8%max, converted, then there’s their normal Hills I/d wet tin formulas where fat is around 14%-15%max, converted, so when you look for a wet tin food it can’t be over 3-4%max-fat, if you see a wet tin with 5%-fat when you converted 5%min fat it’s around 20-25% fat if it were a kibble & can cause pancreatitis if your dog is prone to Pancreatitis…. you might be best using the Hills wet tin food as a base & cook lean white meats like turkey, chicken & pork grounded mince or tin tuna in spring water & add some boiled pumkin, carrot make a batch & freeze small meal sizes & add 1/2 Hills wet tin & 1/2 cooked mix together, it will work out cheaper cooking, if just a hassle…

[FrostHollow]

To give some background on myself, I’ve been a breeder/handler of show champion English Cocker Spaniels for about 17 years, and have owned the breed since the mid 90’s. Currently, I’m retired from the show ring, with no aspirations of getting back into it. We are left with seven dogs now, after spending the past 18 months losing the older ones left, right and sideways, mostly to various forms of cancer. The most recent death was Sandy, a 13 year old champion bitch who passed away last week.

After about 23 years in the breed, she was the oldest Cocker Spaniel I’ve ever had.

Average age of death for my dogs has been 10-12 years, which is below the breed average, while several breeder friends have dogs in their kennels that routinely live to be 14-16+ years. Insult to injury, they normally feed Pro Plan, or something along those lines. Whereas I am <i>very</i> conscientious about proper diet (I feed raw), husbandry and vaccinating minimally; but considering that most of my dogs have died below the breed’s average lifespan, I begin to wonder if I am somehow doing something wrong.

Only days after Sandy’s death, I’ve already had several dog park and local encounters with dog owners of very old dogs, only to learn they were being fed a steady diet of the worst the grocery store has to offer. At first I began to think there might be little to no correlation between diet & longevity, but that refutes much of what I’ve seen in regards to dogs in poor grade health recovering on a better quality, especially homemade, diets. Then I began to formulate a few theories, two in particular, that might explain why those other dogs were so long lived while mine tend to die earlier – and neither theory has anything to do with the actual brand of feed.

While it’s not very scientific, I’d like to test those theories by asking other dog owners how old were your longest AND shortest lived dogs, and what was the main diet of those dogs? Working on a spreadsheet, and if I get enough replies, I’ll share my theories as to what might contribute to longevity in dogs (which, upon research, seems to have some credibility) and the final results of my polling.

I’ll start off the thread by answering my own question:

Youngest dog: 3yo Corgi bitch euthanized due to genetic disc problems. Fed generic Dog Chow type feed before I purchased her, lived with me for 6 months and ate mostly home cooked, some raw.

Oldest Dog: 13yo Am. Cocker Spaniel bitch. Fed Science Diet for several years, raw fed since 2014. Died of systemic cancer.