[m r]

Our 5 pound, 10 year old Papillon had 3 bladder stones removed last month. The analysis showed that they were Calcium Phosphate Carbonate. I was only able to find limited research matching the specificity of her condition, and have lots of questions. I would love guidance from someone who has experience with this specific type of stone? What have you done that’s worked? Our Vet told us there’s a 50/50 chance of recurrence, and even after surgery, there is still blood in her urine.

She goes on a wee wee pad – so can urinate freely, which she does, . . . frequently! The blood in her urine appears pinkish/red. She was on Carprofen immediately following surgery – but bloody urine persisted, so Vet switched her to a different anti-inflammatory – Meloxidyl. This seemed to work because we weren’t noticing blood in her urine 10 days after we started Meloxidyl, so we were told to stop. But shortly after stopping Meloxidyl, we noticed the blood in her urine resumed. The Vet took some additional X-Rays and did a Sonogram, and told us that she still has some clotting and debris from either the surgery or from ongoing cystitis (bladder inflammation); and that while she still may be creating some sediment, thankfully stones have not developed over the last 3+/- weeks since surgery. How long does it take for the sediment to form? Is it possible for sediment to form merely weeks after surgery?

Our Vet prescribed Hill’s C/D (stating she needs a diet lower in protein, phosphorus, and calcium). She was on a diet of Natural Balance – variety of flavors since we got her (only weeks old). We’ve been feeding her the Hill’s C/D food for one week now (she wouldn’t eat the canned, so we feed dry soaked in water . . . soupy consistency). Vet did a unrinalysis yesterday, which showed pH of 8.5. How long should it take for the food to alter her pH? He suggested we use a dipstick (which he said we can purchase online and touch it to the urine on the wee wee pad) to test her urine daily. But, if we determine that her pH is not where is should be, what else are we supposed to feed her to help manage the pH to around 6.5/7 (where the Vet would like it to be)?

Urine culture results are not yet back, but last time they didn’t show anything out of the ordinary.

In addition to suggesting Hill’s C/D prescription diet, and monitoring the urine pH at home daily, the Vet also recommends diagnostic testing at his office including urinalysis ( every 3 months), urine culture( every 3 months), radiographs/x-rays (every 6 months). We still aren’t clear what to do if pH doesn’t go down? i.e. how do we get it to decrease? I read somewhere that we’re supposed to be feeding a diet rich in animal-based protein to help increase acidic pH vs. alkaline, but based on the type of stones she had (CALCIUM PHOSPHATE CARBONATE UROLITHS), we’re supposed to feed her a diet low in animal protein. So what to do?

Also, how do we get her to drink more water? We already soak the dry kibble in hot water an hour +/- before serving. We also refresh her water throughout the day and night. I don’t want to add sodium to her diet, because I read somewhere that dogs with her type of stones are also supposed to stay away from salt.

Thank you in advance for any guidance you can provide!

[Susan]

Hi Susie, yes Patch was also licking & licking his front paws after eating, I forgot about that, when I first got him he had skin problems, food sensitivities & environment allergies & was put on vet diet Royal Canin HP, the fat was really high at 19% & only 18% protein, then he got real bad acid reflux but I didn’t know back then what was wrong with him, his first vet was an idiot, Patch started wrecking his toys, shaking, chewing & ripping them, then a new vet said sounds like he’s in pain & Patch ended up with Pancreatitis from the vet diet R/C was too high in fat, 1 yr later we thought he had stomach ulcers he was still having acid reflux, chewing, ripping toys & whining while lying on his stomach & hungry 24/7, so I had an Endoscope & Biopsies done, when I picked Patch up from vets, vet said stomach looked really good & there’s no ulcers, I said but we still have the 2 biopsies, when will the results be back, I bet it’s Helicobacter-Pylori, I’ve had the Helicobacter-Pylori bacteria a few times & you feel so hungry 24/7 when the acid gnaws at your stomach, so you keep wanting to eat to take away the burning pain but 20mins after eating your in pain again with bad acid burning & gnawing in your stomach….& I was soaking Patches vet diet for IBD in water cause he’s a gulper with food & was gulping his kibble in 5-10 seconds, vet said just add water to his kibble, again I didn’t know until I read an article a few years ago around the same time those new stop gulping food bowls started coming out, the article said, why adding water with kibble can be a bad thing, especially if the kibble hasn’t soften yet, the dog gulps up the water & gulps air trying to get to his dry kibbles….years ago they were saying add water to your dogs kibble it was suppose to slow dogs eating down that gulped their food….then I was softening all his kibbles & draining all the water out as much as I could & making it like wet tin food with his dry vet diet.. I just knew something wasn’t right after Patch ate the kibble with water, he was burping, farting whinging after eating, he got worse….Those go slow food bowls didn’t work either for Patch he couldn’t get the small kibbles out cause of his big fat snout, then he was gulping air again trying to lick up the little kibbles, so now I just add a few kibbles at a time to his normal stainless steel bowl & tell him to chew, then when he’s has chewed all the kibbles I add more kibbles to his bowl & his bowl is on a stand level with his stomach…
It’s taken me 3-4 yrs to finally find foods that work, stop him itching, licking, whinging & have no acid reflux, that Helicobacter is very hard to kill, high fiber diets are no good, you need low carb, low fiber diets & no sugar diets, the fat can be around 15%max & no fish/salmon oil in food but all dogs are different it all depends on your dog…..

[Kay W]

I have never written on any of these, but ALWAYS have read and researched dog foods and topics etc. I am so grateful for this site and finding ALL the information. My girl will be 3 on Feb 14th. She has been sick since Christmas day. I found it odd that she had calcium oxylate crystals and a UTI after a vet visit. True I read that with Orijen, they need to drink more BUT….she acted so different too and less energetic and alert. After I read a guy’s article about his dog getting crystals on the Orijen, I called the distributor and asked about the Acana……after all “Orijen is the best as I thought”. I had fed my 75 lb baby Orijen the last 2 years. First year, I fed her the supposed “best” new Blue Wilderness until she got lethargic and hair started shedding……then learned/read how they sold the co. at that time and went with cheaper products. So then went with Orijen Regional Red the past 2 years. Crystals went away and normal PH thank God. I didn’t realize at the time that it might be connected to the food. Had just bought a NEW huge bag of Regional Red….along with the Acana for lower protein. This past week, she got 3 bumps on her rear that then turned to larger bumpy rashes. She started chewing on her tail obsessively and scratching, ate to the bloody skin on all three places, and scratched ALL over. I didn’t know if it was a yeast infection from the antibiotics which it was NOT. I then started giving her the Acana food, bought at the same time, just about 2 weeks ago. OMG…..very lethargic, less alert than before, red eyes and insane itching….even after the new organic “itchless” shampoo. Was scratching her face and sides of her mouth yesterday and today this evening after her “supper” of Acana, which she has NEVER done. She woke up throwing up at 4:00 am yesterday. I found this info and site tonight and now I know FOR SURE that it is this food, and from that new plant. I had called the distributor to ask “where” the food came from…they said KY, not Canada anymore. I had read that on another site also. I “had” felt so assured and happy that she had Orijen and I had found a great food. I’m just praying hard on her to feel better, and throwing away BOTH huge bags tomorrow, the Acana and Orijen! Forget about “transitioning” to a new food…I’ll risk the diarrhea and clogged anal glands instead of giving her this nasty food. I have read hours and hours trying to find a good SAFE Grain Free for her. Will do chicken and rice, but NOW getting the Grain Free Candidae Duck. They have NOT had a recall since 2012, and it was the company that made the decision just for precautions. I pray this food will work and hope the potatoes don’t cause an issue relative to starch/sugar/yeast etc. My heart goes out to anyone and everyone that has had any heartache with their pets/loving part of the family, that has suffered in any way. It TRULY is horrible that more people and companies don’t care more about our pets. These are like our “children” to most of us! For me I know! Thank you truly for sharing your stories and experiences to educate and spare other people and their 4 legged babies etc. I’m praying hard on my baby girl to get back to her old self SOON! Take care, God bless!

[Tracy D]

Hi there, I am new to this forum. My dog Patchy has just been diagnosed (sort of) with pancreatitis and my vet told me I would have to take her off her raw beef mince diet. She advised a canned dog food with minimum fat as it is the only way they can monitor her as they “know” how much fat is on the food. Fair enough I can see the wisdom in that but…all I have read is that a raw food diet is the answer to sickness and she been raised on that. I really do not care for canned food and nor does Patchy. Naturally if at the end of the day the vet’s advice is the only answer then i will have to do that but I don’t feel this is good enough. So I have a few questions for the group if you could be good enough to help me with this:
Would raw kangaroo with low fat content be a good choice?
If so and as they are not farmed but eat wild, then how would I know how clean the meat is from parasites and toxoplasmosis, not to mention any other scary things that I don’t know about?
Could a high quality Cod Liver Oil help her general health? Not that she is otherwise unhealthy but quite the opposite.
I read here that animal sourced digestive enzymes can help, does anyone know a good one?
Many thanks to you all

[Danielle B]

Hello, I am new to this forum and am hoping to find answers. We recently brought home our new puppy. The breeder was feeding Blue Buffalo fish and oatmeal “adult breed” with royal can in puppy mousse. After coming home we stuck with the exact same regimen and changed nothing. Our puppy developed horrible diarrhea for about 3 weeks. After putting him on a prescription diet, vet recommended along with a digestive supplement, cooking for him and adding pumpkin, it seems that his gut has normalized. It is now time to slowly get him off of the prescription diet however I am still overwhelmed by the choices here. I am looking for a dry kibble in the medium price range. I went into this thinking Blue Buffalo was a decent brand but after reading this website it doesn’t seem to be the best choice. Any suggestions on where to start my bulldog. Being a breed prone to health issues, skin irritations, joint issues, etc,, I would like to get a jump on feeding him properly now before things get out of control. I am looking for any and all suggestions on food, suggested supplements, additives, routines, etc… I also am not clear as to why the breeder feeds his puppies adult food instead of puppy food, any thoughts on this. Also, are english bulldogs considered large breed or medium breed on this website? Thank you for any and all help.

[Susan W]

Hi!
I have a 12 y-o Golden w/no issues, and an 8 y-o mutt who has a very sensitive tummy. I have also been caring for my mom’s 11 y-o schnauzer mix who doesn’t seem to have digestive issues but she does have allergies. About 2 years ago I got a bag of 4Health that was moldy. The vendor exchanged the bag but I didn’t trust the food anymore and started making my own. THEN I got to where I didn’t have time to make my own anymore so I started doing research. I found a list of 15 companies who had never had a recall on BarkPost. It’s a list from 2014 (I think) but by the time I read it, 2 of those on the list had recalls. I contacted 7 of the companies from the list, never heard from one, got email coupons for up to $2 off from 5 companies, and got a nice email from VeRUS Pet Foods asking if I had any concerns about my dogs’ health, etc. so they could send me samples of their recommended dog food. They sent me free samples, they answered questions for me, and they won my undying devotion. My dogs are HEALTHY and they love this food.
I can be more specific about my mom’s dog because it has been more recent. She’s a little old lady dog for a little old lady. When she came to me, Greta pooped 4 to 6 times a day and they were occasionally just little pellet poops. After switching her to VeRUS, she poops twice a day, and they are good, solid, productive poops that have good color & aren’t soft or runny. Watching Greta’s poops for evidence of improvement on her new food has kind of turned me into a poop aficionado – gross, but… She has also become more energetic and bouncy.
I started feeding VeRUS about 2 years ago and they STILL haven’t had a recall. They’re an American company, kind of small, but they’re smart and they care. They even have a non-profit that benefits veterans & rescue dogs.

[olivia s]

I have two 9-year-old chihuahua-poodle mix dogs (Joy and Faith) who I want to switch to a raw diet. I’ve heard that raw bones can be great for a dog’s teeth, but both of them have pretty bad teeth already. Joy, however, has worse teeth than Faith. One of her back teeth is severely decaying and much of her teeth has visible plaque. Her breath (before taking recent measures) was foul and much more noticeable than Faith’s.

Currently, they are eating Freshpet refrigerated dog food and no kibble. About a week ago, I started adding a product called ProDen Plaque Off to their food and I rub ozonated olive oil on Joy’s teeth, which seems to be helping with her plaque and bad breath. Time will tell if the Plaque Off product works. I’m also thinking about brushing their teeth. When my mom took the dogs to the vet, the vet said that they need dental work. If that can’t be avoided, I would at least like to minimize the problem.

I am weary about feeding bones to my dogs, particularly Joy. Is it safe to give a dog with tooth decay raw bones? Meaning, is there a risk of cracking the tooth? I’m not even sure if they would chew them because of the condition of their teeth.

If I get dental work done on them, would it be better to give them raw bones after they get that done? Or does anyone have experience healing dog teeth with a raw diet or with any other remedy?

Thanks

[Jeannine M]

I would have no idea which is why I have been reading everything I can. I copied this information from an article on dog food advisor not in the forums. So if you hit home and down the left hand column where it has latest article it’s under the heading
“How to Choose the Best Large Breed Puppy Food and Lower Your Dog’s Risk”

So that article is wrong? This is why I am having such a hard time deciding what food to feed my dogs. There is so much conflicting information!😟
Thanks for the information I appreciate all the help I can get!

[Cassie P]

Acroyali you are correct also, see the point I was trying to make above is we as pet owners need to find what works best for our own dogs. My experience was my dog started gulping and swallowing, she looked freaked out Wanted outside to swallow any leaves and grass she could find. I knew that meant her belly was upset and her instinct was to eat grass so she could vomit. I stayed up with her for hours all night with this happening. We were stationed in Virginia with no vet clinic for miles. I just had to pat her belly to help her pass gas and try to sooth her best I could. She went to the vet after the episode because it NEVER happens at the vet office anyways. She was perfectly healthy. I changed her food to dye free 4health and it lessened those episodes tremendously. But she still has her moments when it starts again I’d say maybe once every 3-4 months. Out of nowhere that swallowing gulping so I gave her half a tums 1/4th gas x (she’s 90lb lab) and within ten minutes she wasn’t freaked out anymore and started tooting. I never give her any Gasx/tums unless has these episodes so I know she has plenty of the good acids and gut bacteria. It’s what works best for my dog just like you both above have found what works best for your dogs. That’s what makes this thread so helpful to frantic pups and owners alike. We can share our experiences and be here for moral support. 🙂 and just maybe help a pup in the future. There’s no guidelines to follow at 2am when your dog wakes you up basically having a panic attack gulping air. It freaks us all out and we just want to help our babies. I’m not a RN or a doctor but I do love animals with all my heart, have rescued rehabbed and raised many dif species so I have a general understanding of what I need to do. So yall with that said, don’t give your dog a Tylenol(it’s toxic) but if your human best friend starts her period or has a headache give that girl a Tylenol without worrying about getting permission first lol!

• This reply was modified 8 years, 11 months ago by Cassie P.

[Whitney L]

Hi,
You’re so good at all this, you have the luckiest dogs in the world! I just wish the dog food bags would read for dummies so I could have an easier time and not have to involve anything mathematical. I’m awful at it… my husband is the engineer, so I’ll have to turn that over to him. I’m going to have him review the sodium contents and variables because he’s usually the one stopping for food.

It sounds like the Fromm we’re feeding may be okay for my Crested, and I’ll have to get a canned version for the foster girl. Or maybe soak hers in water and see if she’ll eat it that way. She has quite the underbite and the wretched teeth, so the soft food gets stuck all in her teeth and mouth. When we were giving her canned food we would wipe it off her as best we could, but she would still proceed to rub her face all over the living room rug. We also can’t get in her mouth to wipe it out from in there. We’re due to have a baby in three days, so we are trying our darndest to keep stuff like that off the rug. The joys of doggies, haha! At least it builds immunity in kids, my 10yo son never gets sick.

Anyway, the vet that the foster girl initially saw was one that the rescue uses. As far as I know, he didn’t give food suggestions, and I know he did not prescribe Vetmedin since none came with her. I got her several weeks after she came into the rescue. I ended up taking her to another vet, also part of the rescue but a different vet’s office and location, and specifically asked for the Vetmedin. I also asked for the incurin and recurring clindomyacin to help her mouth from possible inflammation. That vet ended up giving her a shot of the lasix and enalapril to boost it up in her system, and upped the lasix. She’s peeing a lot more, and coughing a lot less, so I think things are helping! They did do xrays of the little foster when we were at the vet this past weekend, but they didn’t show us and I wouldn’t know what I was looking at anyway. Her prognosis was still not good, but she wants to see her back in two weeks to do bloodwork and make sure the difference in meds aren’t inadvertently interfering with anything.

I’ll have to look up the Vetri Cardio Canine you mentioned, as it sounds like good stuff.

So on top of just trying to be a good doggy mom for my little medical babes, and the fact that we have a baby due in three days, my Crested is now not feeling well. I took him to his vet on Tuesday, and the poor little guy had to suffer through getting his temp taken, a fecal, a blood draw, an x-ray (thankfully one scan gets all of him), a dosage of fluid injected under the skin, and then a shot for anti nausea/diarrhea. The good news from all that is that his heart and lungs are looking wonderful compared to a year ago, and the vet was happy that the meds are doing their job on him and his lasix doesn’t need increasing. Bad news was that they couldn’t really find anything going on. His bloodwork was mostly good except a few things creeping the wrong way due to him being a little dehydrated, and the vet wasn’t concerned so long as he stays hydrated.

He seemed to feel better Tuesday night, and now we’re back to him moping around, refusing even canned food, watermelon, etc., and today he threw up the little bit of watermelon he did eat about 10 hours ago. He did take a small poop yesterday, and I was hoping that would make him feel better. It looks like he’ll be going back if he’s not better by the morning, and he’ll likely be getting a Barium test to see if there’s a blockage somewhere. More not fun stuff because he HATES x-rays. I have to go in the back with them when he gets them because he will freak out and half kill himself from setting himself into a breathing episode, then he gets placed on oxygen. I nearly cried on Tuesday because I can’t stand next to the x-ray machine being pregnant, and he was so scared and crying so loud. I stood off to the side where I hoped he could see me and talked to him. I hate it. Fingers crossed he starts feeling better today. 🙁

I really appreciate all your knowledge and for taking the time to fill me in on everything since you’re way more experienced at this than I am. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[Whitney L]

Hi Laurie F.,
Thank you for the link. I see Fromm is listed, but the sodium contents still seem higher than some others. Currently, all of my dogs but one eat Fromm (including one CHF dog). My other dog, who is a recent permanent foster, is the other CHF dog and she’s on really crappy food. She got a 3 month prognosis a month ago when she came into rescue, so we just picked up cheap Moist and Meaty. I know, it’s awful. I feel guilty about it, and despite the vet saying she didn’t have long, I’d still like to give her better food. We also saw a different vet (within the rescue) this past weekend because I wanted to get her meds adjusted, and this vet said the same thing about her health. Said she’s super sweet and friendly, but a hot mess. 🙁

My two dogs with CHF: the new foster is a chi/corgi mix, approximately 11lbs and between 12-15years old. It’s really hard to tell because of her health and her teeth are WRETCHED. I mean, just downright awful. This weekend her Lasix was upped to 5mg, she’s on Enalapril already, and I had the vet add Vetmedin. I also got another round of clindomyacin, and we’ll make that recurring monthly to help keep down any gum infection. She’s also now on incurin because she’s a leaker. It’s not a big deal because we diaper her inside, but it can make a mess on our lanai if she’s not diapered right away after piddling.

My other CHF dog is a 9-10yro Chinese Crested (hairless). He is the one w/pulmonary edema, and he’s currently on the same medications as the chi mix, and he’s been on them since I began fostering him 1.5yrs ago (I failed and adopted). He overall does great, just has the occasional breathing episode. Usually they’re slight, but every now and then there is one that is so bad that he can’t even stand up from the oxygen deprivation. It’s awful to see, and his vet is actually surprised he keeps on living. When he gets like that, there’s nothing we can do but sit with him and stroke his head hair. If we tried to put him in a car at that time, it’d likely kill him. It’d be nice if I had an oxygen tank at the house for those times. 🙁

Sidenote: I give my dogs zero treats. My crested thinks his medication is a treat, and he happily devours the pills twice a day without us having to stuff them in a treat haha. He also eats poop sometimes, so his taste buds must be wonky.

[Susan]

Hi, my boy has a IBD, has food sensitivities, in the beginning vet said he had Colitis, Patch starts farting, sloppy poos & itchy skin, depends on what ingredient he’s sensitive too, carrots make his ears itch & he starts shaking head & scratches his ears, with chicken he gets red paws, sloppy poos, itchy skin & vomited his raw chicken, there’s a list of foods that I finally know he cant eat…
Your best to feed a Elimination Diet, start with just 1 novel protein & 1 carb feed for 6 weeks, if she is OK you have found 2 ingredients that she isn’t sensitive too, then you add another new ingredient & feed for 6 weeks….
Food sensitivities can take from 1 day to 6 weeks to show any symptoms or look at a very limited ingredient kibble or wet tin food “California Natural” has their Lamb & Brown rice has just 3 ingredients or they have a Puppy formula with 4 ingredients but its chicken choose a different protein to the one she’s eating at the moment..
or try a Vet Diet like “Royal Canin” Potato & Venison or Potato & Salmon or the Potato & Rabbit wet tin is better to feed then a kibble, then when you find she is doing best on the say the potato & Venison after 6 weeks cause the vet diet is balanced you can start adding 1 new ingredient say boiled rice 2 table spoons is she OK with the boiled rice my boy cant have boiled rice it irritates his bowel but he can have the ground rice in a kibble…
In the end the best kibble for Patch was “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roast Lamb it’s grain free, the Protein-25% fat-15% & fiber-4% it has purified water as well.
Try & find a kibble with the same percentages don’t go too high with fat & protein….

There’s also “Canidae” Pure Formulas but the protein & fat is higher in some formulas so read them…
California Natural- http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products
Canidae- http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
Taste Of The Wild (TOTW)- http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/

[Shelby J]

Hi All!

I’m very new to the raw diet. I have 2 10 week old Golden Retrievers and now that we know they can tolerate the food (we’ve been mainly feeding them chicken and an egg (1) daily) I’m ready to move on to new protein sources and menus to make sure they get a balanced meal. I’ve seen some of the menu’s posted on here and it all seems really confusing and complicated. We aren’t overloaded with extra time but I want to make sure they get what they need. Anyone have simple, sample menus for puppies? Kilo is about 20 pounds and Murph is about 17.

Thanks!!

[Jean R]

I have the same story as Kelly: 6 lb Parti Pom with collapsing trachea (taking Lomotil), hypothyroid (.1mg bid), seizures (Keppra 0.6 TID), knee issues, hair issues and she is diabetic getting 0.5U of N TID. She is on raw diet of meat, I mix in blender: 2 eggs with crushed shell, 1 can of green beans, 1 can pumpkin, 1 can of spinach, 1 banana, 10 blueberries, 1 tsp concentrated OJ, 1/2 Quinoa (Just added for fiber/protein). Garlic And anything else I have like broccoli/low cal high fiber, little or no sugar foods. Once a smoothe, she eats anything mixed in her meat. Her Frutosamines have been low and she went from 2U N to 0.5u but she still went into DKA with over 10000.00 ICU bill. We are not looking at frutosamine any more. I check her urine daily and if she has ketones, I add o.5u to her regimen. She is on it now after high ketone and high glucose reads last week. Her curve was done and she was in the 300s dropping to below 200 at noon and then back up to almost 400 at 5p. Her norm goal is to be under 250. We started her on the extra 0.5u and she is now maintaining 250-500 glucose and no ketones. I am told that she will always have 250 glucose but I get her to negative a lot. The good thing is that we avoided the ICU, the bad thing is that she has lost from 6lbs to 5.2lbs. I try and keep her just under 6lbs. Today she is 5.5lbs. She had been in the 8-9lb area when I started looking at her reasons and found all the above. (her seizures are from a fall down 22 steps, running out the door when a friend opened it to leave). I now feed her 1/4 raw (duck, rabbit, venison, quail-she is allergic to beef) at 6-7 am with insulin (her choice, definitely not mine), either goat milk (a tablespoon) or cottage cheese (a dab) with insulin at 1-2pm since she falls low then and again at 6-7 1/4 cup raw and at 9pm another snack and 0.5U of insulin…so today she is 250 glucose and no ketone urine dip. and has been relatively there for 3 days. I came here to see if there is anything else I can do for this little angel of 10.5 years. I think I will give her pumpkin for snacks, she is on a probiotic, 1/2 canine health and 1/4 tsp mangosteen as well as a small amount of milk thistle. She gets no rabies and her titer is high coverage (that is a total vet racket and kills off their internal organs and give seizures) and no other shots. I have pet protector which seems like voodoo but no one has had fleas the last 3 years so it works, I stopped fostering because she has become so protective of me, I can not work with the dogs in a healthy manner, she has a yorkie sibling that is on thyroid meds and stopped seizures after I fostered him and stopped all the shots/flea stuff. Any suggestions you have for weight gain (and anything else) I would be thankful,

• This reply was modified 8 years, 11 months ago by Jean R.

[Karen D]

Thank you pitluv, I will find out today whether there is an alternative or if maybe I can give one a day to stretch it out till the supply is back.

P.S. Wish I could edit title to this thread to read Shortage??

[Susan]

Hi Jan D,
I was looking thru my book for something else, I always write things down in a scrap book cause when I save important links later I don’t know what name it was saved under or where I saved it…
I read your post about the Purina Fortifora has only 1 strain Enterococcus, I think that’s for a reason, I came across this, it was written when Patch had his Helicobacter & S.I.B.O & he wasn’t getting better no matter what I did, it says…
Various strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus Salivarius inhabit the growth of Helicobacter bacteria in mice probably thru the production of Lactic acid…. so that’s probably why the Purina Fortiflora has only the 1 strain so these bad bacteria’s don’t double & take over making matter worse…….
I remember Patches Gastrointestinal vet telling me, make sure you give Patch Prebiotics as well as the Probiotics…I never asked him why??
I just read this, “Prebiotics support the growth of Probiotics which help keep bad bacteria under control in a dogs gut. By supporting the good Bacteria, Prebiotics help to prevent disease, improve digestion and nutrient absorption (especially minerals) and enhance the immune system”.. “…
So these vet diets for Intestinal Health have these prebiotics in them to help fix the dogs intestinal tract, I wondered why when Patch ate the Hills I/d Digestive Care vet diet, he was all back to normal within 3 days, like it says on the vet diet bag BUT then after 6 days Patches Poos when down hill again, yellow & soft, I don’t know why this happened.. maybe food sensitivities??
If your boy is still doing heaps of poos something isn’t right, just ring & ask the vet can you please try the Hills Vet Diet I/d Digestive care, the link is above… this way he’s getting the prebiotics as well as the Fortiflora probiotics…
also read on the ingredient list for TOTW kibble bag that he’s eating at the moment or go on the TOTW web page mite be easier to read & read what “probiotics” are added to the kibble?? are they the Probiotics I wrote above??…. your boy poos should be getting smaller & less, not bigger & more, I remember when Patch was on the Eukanuba Intestinal, then a few years later the Hills I/d Digestive Care, Patches poos got smaller & smaller as the days pasted until they were just 2 small poos a day…..
remember it’s not forever feeding a vet diet, like I said before maybe 6 months for his gut/bowel to heal & be healthy again…
Gee this Giardia is a awful parasite…strips the bowel..

[Acroyali]

Another thought–

Even if you have already, have you considered enrolling her in a basic obedience class? Not because it sounds like your dog doesn’t know the basics of sit, down, come, etc, but when the excitement level hits it’s like she loses what she knows (it happens to a LOT of dogs at that teenager age.) A class situation is good with a dog who already understands the basic words, as the challenge comes with teaching her to respond even when something more interesting catches her attention. If you run into a snag, you’ll have a trainer right there to help you, in person.

I liken it to taking a kid to Disney World, sitting them down, and expecting them to do math homework. It’s probably not going to happen right away; there’s too much to see, do, hear, and way too much excitement. Now take a kid who has parents who work at Disney World, and the kid has spent a ton of time there and it’s boring and familiar. They’ll more than likely be able to do homework in the middle of the Magic Kingdom without batting an eye.

Please steer clear of medicating this dog to keep her “down.” In 10 years, you’ll miss the antics (or at least some of them.) Frustrating sometimes, but don’t give up and simply keep her drugged. It can be worked through, honest. And when she matures and calms on her own, you’ll have a very well trained companion to be your best friend for many, many years. It pays off!

You might even consider getting her into some kind of competitive venue to channel that energy into something positive. Most dogs really like things like flyball, agility, or rally obedience. You could try tracking or any kind of nosework games. Teach her silly parlor tricks to impress your friends. Dobermans weren’t bred to be couch potatoes, but are some of the most loyal dogs on the planet. DO something with her, and enjoy every minute of it!

[Acroyali]

“Because, it is clear to most medical professionals that a lot of the things some homeopathic vets recommend clearly have potential to harm animals.”

Ah, but there are indeed two sides to this coin.
Some things that conventional veterinarians recommend can harm animals, too. Monthly steroid shots, yearly vaccines, and poor food can have their downfalls. Ignoring the fact that quacks are quacks no matter HOW they practice is ignorant.
I had a very sick dog. After 4 grand spent at a local animal hospital, my dog was no better. I started exploring other treatment methods, as it was getting ridiculously expensive and, more importantly, my dog was not getting better. A very pragmatic holistic vet worked with me. He recommended medication (not “holistic” medication, but “medication”) to get my poor dog some relief…WHILE we worked on what was causing the problems in the first place. For my other dog, he strongly recommended heart medications–3 separate kinds–but we devised a few other things in the form of supplements that seemed to add length and vigor to his life. He outlived everyone’s expectations.
There is no magic treatment that fits every animal. THAT is what holistic medicine should be all about–sizing up the patient. It really has little to nothing to do with scorning the usage of life-saving drugs. Take into account a dog or cats over all health, diet, activity level, exercise tolerance, age, past health problems, right down to their emotional state (are they high strung and anxious, or easy going?) That’s the kind of practice I respect. Any vet who completely ignores the patient’s progress and only pumps more medications into them is wrong, as is the holistic vet who scorns the use of ANY medication and lets an animal suffer in the name of “holistic healing.” The two ways CAN work together, and work very well.
I recently read of a homeopath who “fired” a client because her dog became very ill, spiking a fever in the middle of the night, so the dog was rushed to the ER and placed on antibiotics. Because of placing the dog on these life saving medications, the homeopath fired the client, stating that she refused to work with someone who wasn’t holistically minded. Absolutely RIDICULOUS and I would have fired the homeopath because he or she could have fired me.
Quacks and quacks. They’re not limited to one form of practice. And it completely sucks that there are so many holistic vets (and doctors) who feel antibiotics are bad when your pet spikes a 105 degree fever and scorn the use of life-saving drugs in an elderly pet to give them more time, and better quality of life. And it completely sucks that there are many allopathic and conventional vets who roll their eyes the minute someone mentions a supplement or herb that seemed to help their animal. I refuse to patronize either kind.
Just my opinion.

[Jan D]

Hello everyone. My puppy had Giardia at 9 weeks old, and I think it has really messed up his gut. He was treated with 10 days of Metronidazole and Panacur. He’s had several fecals run since, and they have all come back negative for it. He is 6 months old now and we are still dealing with loose stools off and on.

We have been to the vet several times to try and resolve this, and it usually results in them just doing another round of Panacur. I can’t imagine he has any parasites at this point with all the dewormer he has gotten. My new vet currently has him on 2 weeks of Metronidazole at the recommendation of an internist, who thinks there may be some type of bacterial infection. He is also taking a pancreatic type enzyme to help him digest his food along with FortiFlora probiotics.

He used to eat raw food (first NW Naturals, and then Vital Essentials Freeze Dried), but the two vets I have seen didn’t want him on raw, and said it might be too rich for his system at this point. My current vet wanted to put him on Royal Canin Gastrointestinal Kibble. I refuse to feed this food because I think the ingredients are junk. I thought there must be another food with better ingredients that I could try. I decided to try him on TOTW Sierra Mountain Kibble. He has only been on it for a week now (still transitioning over). His stools are now huge in size, very frequent (6 times yesterday!), and are formed, but very soft. He would usually only go 3 times a day on the raw and they were very small and firm.

I am so confused at this point. I am not sure if I should stick with the TOTW, or switch to another food? After doing some reading, I have read several posts from people stating that TOTW made their dogs have large frequent stools as well. Do you think I should just give him a few months on it hoping that his stools will get better? I am just worried that 6 bowel movements a day is a sign that it isn’t agreeing with him and that he isn’t absorbing nutrients. The fiber content is only 4%, so I am not sure why his stools are so large. He is underweight, so one of my main concerns is getting some weight on him.

Has anyone had a dog with Giardia and found a food that is easy to digest and produces good stools?

[goldenstar]

This topic is a sore spot for me having lost my Golden last February. I do believe in science and my traditional Vet. I respect the Vets that misdiagnosed my dog’s cancer. This type of cancer can be appear like a fatty tumor. We even did a needle aspiration. I know now that a biopsy should have been done sooner. But I trusted their guidence. It really was already too late. At best if we knew sooner, it would have given her a little more time
The skeptvet is a very intelligent person who is very passionate and devotes time to help pets. I just wish that that passion would not be so angry and negative. I know people have their reasons to not trust any healer that is not traditional. I choose to believe in all healing.
Something is happening and dogs do seem to have shorter lives. I do believe there is a study going on now with Golden’s on this subject.
I came to Dog Food Advisor as one source to learn how to provide the best that I can for my new Golden. I think a lot of people do this with minds open and really want help. Then I see the link to the Skeptvet in the topic. I see it all over this forum. In so many topics. It seems more like a form of advertising. I am wondering if this person posting the skeptvet link is the skeptvet. When someone else recommends a company or product over and over in this forum, people have asked if they have a vested interest in that company. I am wondering the same.
It is knowledge, but it not the only answer. I hope new people coming here know this. The skeptvet can be so intimidating and harsh.
I wish that there was not this division between holistic and traditional medicine.

[Susan]

Hi Paul,
as we get older we don’t make as much hydrochloric acid to digest our food & its harder to digest food so the food sits in our stomach, Google “Hypochlorhydria” is low stomach acid
it may just be a coincidence the glucosamine has cause this, I prefer to give my 8yrs old Omega 3 supplements or feed foods high in omega 3 fatty acid for his joints, skin etc, I’ve been very lucky with Patch he doesn’t have any joint problems yet, he is walked 3 times a day cause I live in a unit & he’s kept lean…but my boy does have IBD mainly stomach problems & skin allergies & was vomiting undigested food a year ago, I had to make his gut strong & healthy. Dog probiotic like Purina Fortiflora is good, they tested 10 dog probiotics & found only 3 of them had live cultures & Purina Fortiflora was voted number 1, I give Yukalt it’s a probiotic drink in the fridge section at supermarket, I drink 1/2 & Patch gets the other 1/2 there’s 5 small pink drinks, he has stoped his vomiting & eating grass every morning, so the Yakult drinks have probably fixed his bacteria in his gut & bowel & made it healthy again..
https://www.chewy.com/purina-pro-plan-veterinary-diets/dp/50000
I feed lean white meats, I buy lean pork grounded mince 1kg (2lb), add 1 whisk egg, a few chopped up small broccoli heads broken off the broccoli, 1 teaspoon chopped up parsley, some kale chopped up just 1 leaf, or you can use 1 spinach leaf or another veggie, I was grating 1 small carrot, I suppose start with less is best then the next batch of rissoles add another finally chopped up veggie….. mix all together & make 1 cup size rissole, (it makes about 8-9 x 1 cup size rissoles) & bake in oven on a foiled covered baking tray, when they’re 1/2 cooked take out tray of rissole & drain any excess water & fat there’s normally hardly any fat, then turn over the rissoles & bake, don’t over cook the rissoles as soon as there’s no blood they’re ready, I also peel & cut up sweet potato & boil, I do not boil rice, rice ferments in the stomach, it’s no good, the new thing is to cook either potato or sweet potato…. Hamburger mince is very high in fat it’s not recommended anymore…. I also boil some pumkin & freeze you can also freeze the rissoles, I only add about 1/3 to 1/2 a cup of sweet potatoes or potatoes & a small piece of pumkin to 1 rissole, mix altogether & cut up rissole finally so it’s easier to digest…
Do not give a raw feed dog any dry kibble, kibble is harder to digest even when water is added, vet hasn’t prescribe any kibble, fed a wet tin food if vet advises a vet prescription diet…but a cooked diet is heaps better then any vet diets….cook foods that are easy to digest & white lean meats for now, beef is a stronger more rich meat like Kangaroo, I didn’t know this lol poor Patch he loved his beef & kangaroo rissole but his stomach didn’t it came back up undigested…
also cook some home made healthy doggy treat biscuits there’s a few recipes online… I have a few if needed.. he may need a 10 day course of Metronidazole it’s an antibiotic for stomach & bowel.. also feed 3-4 smaller meals a day.

[Susan]

Do you know back in December 2013 I remember reading on a Royal Canine vet prescription kibble bag “This diet is not recommended for long time use” also said the same on the Eukanuba Vet diet kibble bag as well…. I don’t have any vet diet kibble bags to read & see if it still say’s “not recommended for long time use” don’t know if these vet diets have changed since 2013 & if people can feed these vet diets long term to their dogs the ingredients are still the same …. Vet diets were made to get your dog stable with their health problem then you found a suitable more heathier diet for your pet, that’s what Vet Diets were originally made for….
When your paying $4.30 for 1x tin of wet food that’s only weights 3.70g a tin (Hills have made their 400g tin smaller now once they were 400g wet tin) plus with the crappy ingredients your heart aches & the guilt starts to set in every time you open a tin or bag of expensive kibble, you know this isn’t right what your feeding your poor pet, so that’s why people post, a post on DFA asking for help if there’s a food similar to the vet diet they’re feeding that has worked for their dogs, the vet doesn’t have a clue what the ingredients even are in the vet diets, the vet probably wouldn’t even care what you feed your dog as long as it doesn’t have diarrhea or whatever health problem it had to begin with, most vets are fine with you feeding something else besides the vet diet, vet diets are for temporary use..
1 tin cost $4.20 or $46 for a box of 12 tins online, my boy would need 4 tins a day depending which formula it was, a box of 12 would only last for 4 days for a 20kg dog, its cheaper & heathier to cook their meals or buy a premium pet food online….

[Mary N]

What is your opinion on this subject? I heard many of my pet owners friends are not pleased with the ingredients found in what they call “So-called Veterinarian approved dog food”, while on another hand I know many of them who swear in their Vets recommended dog food.

A friend of mine went far with me today on this subject that it got me thinking and I started researching this. Many sources claim that it is just another dog food myth and that these recommended dog food brands are not so healthy for our four legged companions.
http://mysweetpuppy.net/dog-food-myths/
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/holistic-healthcare-library/food-diet—general/147/top-10-myths-about-pet-food-and-nutrition.aspx
They, for example, claim that veterinarians are recommending dog food which is filled with bad ingredients.
OnlyNaturalPet states in their article:
“While large brands sold in veterinarian’s offices may be marketed as premium, top of the line foods, one look at the ingredients tells a different story.”

But lets not just look at dog related websites. Here is a really heartbreaking story I read today while researching this problem and it is featured on dailymail a media news website who is powerful enough not to have any reason to publish this but they did. I am pretty sure they got nothing for writing a piece about how the vets recommended food killed a beloved cat named Jaggers 🙁

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1244595/Is-food-youre-feeding-pet-killing–making-vet-rich.html

The article dailymail wrote is really long but I advise you to read it, they went with some stone hard facts as to why this problem persist. And they weren’t just talking about that one cat, that’s just the intro of the article.

Still, I can’t map my mind about all of this. I am writing this topic to fill you in on what I know so that you could give me your opinion. How do you go about this? Do you or do you not trust your vets recommended food brand?

After all of this, I don’t know who or what to trust anymore. I have two dogs, I love them both. I feed them home made and dry kibble dog food, most of the time it is the one my veterinarian recommends. Please give me your opinion on this.

[David F]

Hello,
I want to get some other opinions on dog food with chicken bones left in it. The one I am referring to is Merrick Classic Smothered Comfort All Breeds canned dog food. This is the first time I have fed this brand and I did not read the label closely enough. I was dishing up this morning for my Bouvier (1 yr, 73 lbs.), Molly, and found the knuckle from a thigh bone and then the rest of the bone. I went straight to the label and now see that they say the bone is cooked to softness and can be chewed. The way my dogs, Molly and all the Corgi’s I have raised, eat like pigs. They wouldn’t stop to chew a bone, they would swallow it. I’m not happy with this and I am wondering what others think of this approach to making canned dog food,

[anonymous]

Here is the disclaimer on that saliva/hair kit mentioned in previous posts in this thread:
“The information provided by this scan is intended for educational and nutritional purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. It is not intended as conventional veterinary medical advice or to replace the advice or attention of your existing veterinarian. You may wish to consult with a holistic veterinarian before making changes to your pets’ diet, nutritional supplements, or exercise program. The statements on or about this scan have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. To find a holistic veterinarian in your area, visit http://www.ahvma.org.”

[Susan]

Hi, stop feeding the Pedigree, it sounds like its up setting his stomach & he’s reacting badly to ingredients, having bad skin & his stomach problems, he cant eat it.. He probably has food sensitivities they have stomach/bowel problems & their skin itches, smells yeasty, red paws, itchy ears, some will rub bum on carpet, floor & grass… My boy has IBD (stomach) & food sensitivities & skin Allergies, look at foods that have limited ingredients & NO LENTILS OR CHICKPEAS these are harder to digest… Can you cook a lean meal boiled potatoes & a lean white meat or afford wet tin food or a raw diet?? When I rescued my boy I think he wasn’t feed kibble & was feed either a cooked diet, wet tin food or a raw diet, cause he would just look at the bowl of kibble & wouldn’t eat it, he preferred the wet & cooked food, then my nightmare began with his IBD (food sensitivities), vomiting, acid reflux, sloppy poos, up early hours of the morning with his bowel making loud noises, itchy skin, rubbing bum on my carpet, red paws that he licked & licked…all this just cause he was sensitive to something he was eating, I couldn’t believe it, I have never owned a dog like this all my pets could eat anything & were feed Pedigree & Purina until I learnt they’re are awful foods with bad ingredients….The Vet put him on Royal Canine Hypoallergenic HP till I worked out what I was going to do, the Royal Canine helped his skin stop itching but not his sloppy poo & vet gave me “Malaseb” medicated shampoo said to bath daily if needed or do the weekly baths…..you might need something stronger then the oatmeal shampoo your using & do weekly baths. Look for shampoos that are Anti Fungal shampoos like the Malaseb medicated shampoo, I’m pretty sure I read that Walmart sells a Anti-Fungal shampoo that’s like Malaseb…. Can you afford to feed a lean raw balanced diet or feed raw for breakfast & a kibble with limited ingredients for dinner? A Balanced Raw Diet is the best to feed a dog with food & skin sensitivities..
Finally I found *”Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb, 30lb bag for $49 thru Chewy, it worked the best for my boy, it’s Lamb, sweet potatoes & peas & it has limited ingredients..
* “Sportmix Wholesome” Grain free or grain a 40lb bag $$29-$34
*”California Natural” Lamb Meal & Rice it has just 3 ingredients.
*”Pro Pac Ultimates” there’s their grain free or grain a 28lb bag is around $29-$35
*”Holistic Select” Adult/Puppy Salmon, Anchovy & Sardines Grain Free it’s Fish & Potato $54 & its for Digestive health & their skin as well, Holistic Select is high in Omega 3 fatty acids what’s needed for the skin..
Look for kibbles with Lamb & Rice or Fish & rice, or Lamb & Sweet Potatoes or Fish & Sweet Potato NO chicken for now till you work out what he can eat, theres also
*”Canidae” Pure Formulas that’s are limited ingredient the Pure Sea or Pure Wild or look at the Canidae Life Stages formulas the All Life Stages has their 44lb bag for $54….
make sure you read ingredient list, most kibbles are money back guaranteed that’s why I like going to Pet Shops so I can take back the kibble & I say he wont eat it, when I say he scratches or vomits it becomes too complicated. Holistic Select covers every health problem & refunds money but it depends on the Pet Shop, so I always send the kibble company an email telling them what’s happening with my boy & is your kibble refundable then when I go to the Pet Shop or online Pet Shop & I show them the email or say they said it’s money back, I’ve tried nilly every kibble in Australia & taken back so many kibbles…
Look at the Fat% look for around 10-15% max in fat & 24% to 29% Protein he probably wont do well on a high fat over 15% & a high protein diets over 30%….. then later after he’s doing good look for another kibble & rotate between them..

[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/

[Jeanne M]

I was dealing with a similar situation with my Sheltie. Food allergies was the culprit. I was already feeding raw freeze dried but it had alot of fruits/veggies in it. I purchased a test from http://www.glacierpeakholistics.com and they did a complete scan of my dog from her fur and saliva samples I sent them. They told me everything she was reactive/allergic to. It allowed me to build her diet from there whether it was something i made myself or purchased. The test was about $80 and worth every penny. Hope this helps!

[Jeannine M]

I was looking to change from Fromm LBP gold as my dog has light rashy ears and the vet said possible allergy and sometimes his stools have mucous. Had his stools checked several times and no worms, parasites or anything else. Can’t say I care for the ingredients in a lot of the dog foods put I did like the Nulo. A little high on the protein side but thought I’d give it a try. I wrote them and asked about LBP and the requirements-calcium, phos. and ratios and was wondering what others think, is this too much for my puppy? He just turned five months old this week and he is half mastiff half Rottweiler. This was her reply-
Hi Jeannine,

Thanks for reaching out, and for your interest in our products for your Mastiff/Rottweiler puppy!

We don’t offer a formula that’s exclusively for Large Breed puppies, however our FreeStyle and MedalSeries recipes for puppies are formulated to contain nutrient levels that are intended for puppies of ALL breed sizes. This means that the calcium and phosphorus levels within the range for the development of large breed bones and joints. For your review, I’ve listed the calories, calcium and phosphorus levels for our recipes for puppies:

FreeStyle Salmon & Peas Recipe for Puppies:
Calories: 3,627 kcals/kg; 428 kcal/cup
Calcium: 1.48%
Phosphorus: 1.04%
Ca:P Ratio: 1.4:1

FreeStyle Turkey & Sweet Potato Recipe for Puppies:
Calories: 3.742 kcals/kg; 441 kcals/cup
Calcium: 1.49%
Phosphorus: 1.06%
Ca:P Ratio: 1.4:1

MedalSeries Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe for Puppies:
Calories: 3,652 kcals/kg; 431 kcals/cup
Calcium: 1.43%
Phosphorus: 0.93%
Ca:P Ratio: 1.54:1

Both our FreeStyle and MedalSeries lines are designed to meet the same nutritional standard for healthy pets, are grain-free, and contain our patented probiotics. The key difference between the FreeStyle and MedalSeries puppy formulas is the variety of recipes within each line, and where you can purchase them. All FreeStyle dry food recipes are exclusively sold through independent retailers and are formulated without chicken, which may be a benefit for your puppy’s allergy symptoms. These include our FreeStyle Salmon & Peas and our FreeStyle Turkey & Sweet Potato Recipes for puppies. Our MedalSeries recipes are exclusively sold through PetSmart, and do feature chicken as a primary protein source; this includes our MedalSeries Chicken & Sweet Potato recipe for puppies.

If you have any additional questions as you consider our products, please reach out to me and I’d be glad to help. Have a great day!

Sincerely,

Heather Acuff, M.S.
Nulo Customer Care Manager
512.476.6856 Ext. 111
Description: Macintosh HD:Users:heather.acuff:Desktop:Customer Care:Nulo Logos:nulo_logo_healthier_rbg.jpg

On 1/5/17, 2:19 PM, “Jeannine Moore” <[email protected]> wrote:

I am trying to find a food for my mastiff/Rottweiler puppy. He is on Fromms LBP gold right now but inside his ears are light pink and the vet said he might have some allergy issues. I’m super paranoid about food as my 8 year old love of my love mastiff/Rottweiler recently passed from osteosarcoma. I got him back in 2008 when they just started recommending not to feed large breed dogs puppy food and to feed them low protein adult food. At 2 he had tplo surgery and like I said he later developed osteosarcoma when he was 7 1/2 years old and was dead 7 months later. I need a dog food that has the right calcium/phos. ratio along with the calcium ratio to calorie. I don’t know how to factor in the ash and everything else as it’s all too overwhelming! I read you have a vet nutritional specialist develop your food and on staff so I am asking you. Please give me your recommendations on all your dry food that is within the requirements that I have listed so I can start tracking down the food.
Thanks so much,
Jeannine Moore
McMinnville, Oregon

Sent from my iPad

[Susan]

Hi, I feed “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb, the Australian TOTW formula has no Fish meal or Fish Oil it has Canola oil instead, Protein is 25%, fat-15% ..
My boy cant have any kibbles with Salmon Oil or Fish Oils he gets bad acid reflux, you’d have to look thru all the TOTW formulas ingredient list …
I think the American TOTW Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb formula has Canola Oil & Salmon Oil.. have a look at ingredient list. http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/#dog-formulas

Also have a look at “Canidae” Formulas there’s their Pure range or their Life Stages range http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products

“Holistic Select” make single protein formulas, the Duck Meal & Rice & the Lamb Meal & Rice, both have no fish meal or fish oil..
Holistic Select have just brought out their Large Giant breed formula Chicken Meal & it has NO FISH or fish Oil…. low in protein around 26% fat-14%.
You have to read all the formulas ingredients list cause they are all a bit different which is a good thing, nothing like finding a brand & all the formulas have the same ingredients except the main proteins are different..
http://www.holisticselect.com/

[projectleda]

I own, likely one of the pickiest GSDs I have ever known in my entire life, having known a great many of them throughout my childhood. Leda (2 as of Dec 2016) has never particularly been a great eater, with her interest in a certain line of food waning even as quickly as a month. So we’ve adopted the habit of switching out her flavors and even rotating through a variety of brands. However, she’s also pretty allergy prone, and cannot tolerate any fish.

I’ve always had her on grain free – since I picked her up at 8 weeks we started on Wellness puppy. However, her pickiness and allergies (even for fish oils which are mega common and sadly one of her favorites) have always made trying new foods (especially the really nice quality ones) difficult because I can’t afford to constantly sample different brands, and a 4 lb sample bag doesn’t even feed the dogs for one day. (2 others in the house)

Recently however after a move I took her to a new local vet who suggested some of the dreaded 2 star foods because in her words ‘ grain free diets are too high protein ‘ sometimes. At the end of my sad little rope, I got her a bag of Purina One SmartBlend, which is 2 stars and still 40+ dollars for a month which makes me cringe-y and sad.

And Leda is SO much better. Her coat is better, her stool is better, she’s SO much less itchy and generally a lot happier now that her skin issues are clear for an extended period of time.

But MY main stumbling block is that I’m feeding her something that I’d rather not support the production of, for the same cost as some really really dog foods.

So, I seek your help here; Can anyone recommend me some approximately four star, (40-55$ for approx. 33-40lbs) foods that have flavors completely free of fish products, but also wouldn’t be too high in protein to upset her? They don’t necessarily have to be grain exclusive, or grain inclusive, really the protein content is what appears to be important.

Thanks in advance from Leda, Frodo, Samwise and Athena <3

[Bea K]

Where have I been?? Just opened the new bag of “Original” I get through Chewy. I immediately called them trying to get some old stock and was out so I went with Red Formula until I find a replacement. They were nice enough to refund and say to give to my local shelter but after reading the reviews of sick pets I can’t in good conscience even do that. I’m thinking the FDA should be informed. Last year they pulled pretty much all the treats coming from China off the shelf and that’s what needs to happen with Orijen. right now I’m thinking Champion didn’t do due diligence at the Kentucky plant of testing the quality before releasing to the public. Having our pets determine by sacrificing them to sickness and even possibly death is reprehensible and they need to be held accountable. To really make a statement, the distributors need to stop selling the product until Champion fixes the problems. When enough of them refuse then Champion has no choice. Thes small local pet stores are the ones to suffer. So I’ll be making a ton of calls to Champion, FDA, Chewy again and local stores. This reminds me so much of the Pharmaceutical company’s, to have the patients be the R&D and when patients start dying then they take it off the market. I’m a hardliner on this stuff. It’s not about just switching to a new food, it’s about keeping new, unknowing consumers informed so they don’t sacrifice their pet. Chewy needs to remove the reviews asap because it’s no longer the same product as before. It’s all new so the reviews aren’t reflecting the true quality that is was before. It’s deceiving imho. We all want the same, to have happy healthy and safe pet kids. That’s our job to protect them. Yes, a soap box, but I’m incredibly upset for Champion for being completely irresponsible on this. My heart goes out to all who’ve suffered…

[C C]

And so it continues with the Kentucky plant’s inferior way of producing both Acana and Origen pet food. I am thankful to hear that Champion is better to deal for some than my experience, but the important thing is that they take this seriously enough to return to however the Canadian production process was for the best of all of our pets. If not, to me it lowers this company’s quality right back down there with those using “road kill” and other inferior and artificial or useless ingredients. It has all made us extremely vigilant in our family regarding ALL dog matters and since we now have a new puppy, for those interested, we have also been learning more about new standards for vaccinations. Over vaccinating can also be toxic (even deadly) to pets, just as dangerous as toxic food. Dogs Naturally has some excellent articles on this, which I pray will be beneficial for all reading this. http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com helped us regarding anesthesia and meds when we had our puppy recently spayed as well. Blessings and Happy New Year to everyone. And thank you to Dog Food Advisor for making this blog available for those of us who really care about being quality pet parents!

[Cannoli]

Hi Molly,

There is no science out there yet that I have read that feeding your dog fresh fish can cause a vitamin deficiency. I guess maybe if all you did was just feed them fish than I can see the concern. Molly is that what you are asking? That only feeding them fish will cause a vitamin deficiency?

Although one interesting article I read was regarding the Alaskan Eskimos and that they solely fed their sled dogs frozen fish and seals. Most lived to a fine ripe age. So who the heck knows dogs can thrive on anything. Ha

[Susan]

Hi Robert,
Why he tolerates the Hills W/D is it’s very high in Insoluble Fiber & Crude Fiber.
Crude Fiber-16.8%
Insoluble Fiber-28.8%
Soluble Fiber-1.5%
Protein is low at 18.9%
Fat is low at 9.1%
Carbs are 50.7%,
there is NO WAY you will find any dog dry kibble sold online or at a pet shop with those high fiber percentages, pet shop kibbles are for healthy dogs without any health problems……
Start looking at other vet diets like Purina contact or email Purina & other prescription vet diet companies & ask do they make a formula like the Hills W/D for diabetes/weight loss & write all the Insoluble, soluble & crude fiber percentages down, they normally ring you back to talk to you & you get free vet nutrition advice, then later look up their formulas online & see if ingredients are a bit better & see if it’s a bit cheaper..
If your vet ask why do you want to try another vet diet kibble (cause you need a prescription in America, we don’t need script in Australia, we can buy all vet diets on line) just say he’s getting sick of eating the Hills W/d & it’s getting too expensive for a large breed & I’d like to try such & such kibble it’s cheaper something like that, the Purina vet diets are very similar to the Hills vet diets & Purina is cheaper, also the protein % may be higher then the Hills W/D formula is.. then you introduce the new vet diet if he does well then start rotating between the vet diets making your boys gut stronger, 70% of our immune system is in the intestinal tract also are you giving the Purina FortiFlora Probiotic?? I know Purina has a bad name but their FortiFlora was tested with 10 other dog probiotics & Purina was one of the best of 3 that had active good bacteria the rest of probiotics were a waste of money.. I know you want cheaper kibble but all next year 2017 your going to make your boys gut healthy & strong again & the only way to do this is slowly introduce healthy whole foods that are high in omega 3 fatty acids, vitamins etc veggies high in insoluble fibers & introduce a new vet diet & look at introducing a weight management kibbles, I’ve written about weight management kibbles the 2nd last paragraph.
My boy has IBD & skin allergies, all I’ve done is research, join IBD groups trying to make him better & fix his stomach & bowel, looking for kibbles that work, introducing healthy foods in his diet that are high in Omega 3 very slowly, you start off just giving say 2-3 small pieces of peeled apple as a treat & some almonds, I bite 1/2 the almond & make Patch chew the other 1/2 of the almond he loves them & his coat has become so shinny but they can only have about 3 whole almonds a day, almonds can cause sloppy poos when given too many, when you introduce a fresh healthy food, do it same time every day, this way you know when he poos what poos are firm or a bit sloppy was that when he ate the new fresh foods ??

I started feeding a small cooked meal it was just turkey mince made into little balls baked in oven & I added some sweet potatoes, a very small meal for breakfast 7am & he still ate his vet diet at 8-9am, if your boy is thin then don’t take away any of the vet kibble if he is prefect weight then take away about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the vet diet when adding fresh foods..

Google, vegetables that are high in Insoluble fiber & lower in soluble fiber, soluble fiber veggies ferment in the stomach, Insoluble fiber bulks up the stool, 1 serving of Sweet Potato contains 2.2 grams of insoluble fiber, I just got that online when I googled “Is Sweet Potatoes a soluble fiber” it takes time but in 1-2yrs I bet you’ll have a list of foods he can eat & be added to his kibble to make it more healthy..

Weight management kibbles are high in fiber look for weight management kibbles that are the highest in the crude fiber, you’ll find only crude fiber % on kibble bag or their internet site, you won’t find a kibble with 16% crude fiber but maybe you’ll find 10-12% crude fiber then contact that kibble company & I always send an email & write, something like, My boy has IBD & I want to try your name of kibble, my boy needs a high insoluble & low soluble diet can I please have the percentages to the soluble, insoluble & crude fiber please, get a book & start writing this all down cause later on as he gets better & older what didn’t work a few yrs ago might work later & you try again & I always go to pet shops so I can take back the kibbles when they’re money back guaranteed if they cause diarrhea…
Have you tried the Diamond Naturals Light kibble? its a weight management kibble over the yrs I’ve read a few people who have dogs with diarrhea problems do really well on the Diamond Naturals Light, I know its made by Diamond & they have a bad name but after paying triple price for a Hills vet diet what could be worse? if you find a kibble that you could even mix 1/2 vet diet & 1/2 normal kibble & poos are good who cares what brand name it is, like Taste Of The Wild, people on this site say this & that about TOTW kibbles but when I see my boy doing nice firm poos & he’s happy that’s all that matters, Contact Diamond & ask for the insoluble fiber % & the Soluble fiber % it may be close to the Hills W/d formula & this way your adding another protein to his diet which is lamb meal & this will strengthen the stomach & bowel, my boy needs a lower fiber diet he gets bad acid reflux & stomach problems when fiber is high…

Start google & find out which grains & veggies have more insoluble fiber with less soluble fiber.. Lentils are higher in insoluble fibers so look for weight management kibbles highest in the crude fibers then email the companies if he doesn’t do well on the Diamond Natural Light kibble.
It takes time but when you do find that kibble that works its like winning the lottery & when you get them OFF a vet diet its feels excellent but you still know that that vet diet will fix any diarrhea problems just for a while until you find that right kibble.

Look at Purina EN Gastroenteric Fiber Balance Canine Formula
https://www.proplanveterinarydiets.com/products/#for-dogs

Here’s the Diamond Light Naturals
http://www.diamondpet.com/our-brands/diamond-naturals/light-adult-dog/

List of high fiber foods soluble & insoluble
http://www.healthhype.com/list-of-high-fiber-foods-soluble-and-insoluble-fiber-chart.htmlesn

[Kathy]

I’ve been reading reviews for the past hour on chewy and also the german shepherd forums. This Zignature stuff looks really good and I have a couple of sample packs here, so I will see what she thinks. Nutrisca also looks like a good food. I did feed her some of the First Mate a little bit ago and she gobbled it up. I don’t like the fact that the stuff is so calorie laden though. It has less protein and more calories per cup (> 500 kcal/cup). Nutrisca has the highest amount of protein (32%) which is similar to Acana. It’s also the closest in terms of kcal per cup, although it’s more than Acana. Zignature seems to be somewhere in the middle there. So I think I have some good options to try. Sorry you’re having such a rough time with your pup, Kristen. I hope you can find a solution soon.

[tides]

A couple of links about the dangers of bone obstruction and/or general dangers of raw meat/dietary guidelines actually doesn’t help very much. I want to supplement my dog’s food, rather than replace the kibble entirely, and I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t already discussed the option with her vet AND done a fair amount of research myself. I’m looking for guidelines when the vast majority of raw diet/raw supplements discusses chicken and turkey as primary food sources and my pup can’t have them.

[Acroyali]

Glad he’s doing better! I’ve never used tums, but as Susan pointed out a sluggish digestive system can be the breeding grounds for nasty breath as the food basically sits there and ferments. Hopefully you all can find some long term relief.

As Anon pointed out though, a home scale job isn’t the same as a professional cleaning if there are problems (it’s virtually impossible to get under the gum line, even on the worlds most patient dog). However, if there are no problems and the bones and an occasional scraping is doing the job and your vet is satisfied with how things are going, I say if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

I was in a bind a few years back when one of my oldest dogs developed heart failure at a ripe age, and his teeth were in need of some help. The dogs vet(s) and I discussed it at length, and all were in agreement that a home scale job, done slowly (as to not bombard the dog’s bloodstream with icky crap, as some plaque DOES get swallowed) was the way to go for this dog, given his situation. The vet checked his teeth monthly. In about 3 months time, about 85% of the plaque was gone. (To loosen up some of the really bad stuff on the back teeth, we tried using Fragaria Vesca 6x daily to soften the plaque. By God, it worked.) He lived well beyond the vet and I’s expectations, and while he was on a few medications and heart supplements, we feel that cleaning his teeth up helped extend his life expectancy, too.

So now, we brush teeth, as I learned the hard way that prevention makes more sense than a cure. Any dogs with poor bites, poor root structure, or problem teeth in general get brushed 4-5 times a week. The dogs with good bites and no problems are once a week or so. Everyone gets recreational bones.

If this doesn’t apply to you, be grateful as it’s a difficult situation to be in when your dog’s teeth aren’t in the best shape, but health problems put them as a high risk case for being put under to get those teeth taken care of, yet NOT having the teeth cleaned creates the risk of worsening the organ failure. Hopefully this helps someone who’s reading!

[anonymous]

“I had cleaned them with my great little $12 Amazon dental kit!”
Umm, that item is no comparison to a professional cleaning. Brushing the dog’s teeth once a day may help though, see YouTube for how to videos.

Tums? I would go to another vet and get a second opinion. Also, be very careful about taking advice from well meaning posters on the internet. A lot of false information out there. And, I would never give a pet over the counter meds or supplements unless recommended by a veterinarian that has examined the pet. You can make things worse.

Excerpt from:
https://www.reference.com/pets-animals/tums-safe-dogs-bf44a10fade507c#
“The active ingredient in TUMS and many other antacids is a chemical called calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate is not only a medication, it also occurs widely in nature as one of the main substances that make up limestone.
Calcium carbonate treats an upset stomach because of the effects it has on stomach acid. Calcium carbonate is a basic substance. This means it has a high pH, which is the opposite of stomach acid, a substance with a very low pH. When a person or animal is given calcium carbonate it goes to work by neutralizing stomach acid. This happens due to a chemical reaction that takes place between calcium carbonate and hydrochloric acid, the main constituent of stomach acid. When this reaction happens, calcium carbonate and hydrochloric acid switch their chemical partners, forming calcium chloride and water. Calcium chloride is insoluble and passes through the digestive tract, while the water formed by the reaction results in a healthier pH level.
Unfortunately, dogs digest foods much more quickly than humans do, so the chemical reaction between calcium carbonate and stomach acid does not occur fast enough to treat the animal’s upset stomach. By the time calcium carbonate treats the symptom, the dog has typically already digested and passed whatever food was causing the problem in the first place, making this a harmless but relatively ineffective treatment for the animal’s ailment”.

PS: I would call your vet and leave a message for her to call you back, I would question the Tums and ask why she didn’t suggest Pepcid? Not that it is a miracle drug, but, it might be slightly more effective in reducing symptoms (based on my experience and what I have observed). Anyway, I would communicate with your vet and ask questions.

[Mary N]

This is probably the worst thing I read on the internet in a long long time…
Many bad things happen to people and our beloved pets.. But this.. Losing your companion because of some pill that’s made to chase away the fleas.. And in a such a painful way.. Seven weeks of torture, that is beyond horrifying.

I will never feed my dogs any pills for fleas again. After reading this forum post I went ahead and researched this and there are so many things that ca go wrong with such a “regular” pill. Most of us will not even wonder how dangerous can an oral flea medication be.

Maybe you should read about some grief after losing a dog tips:
http://www.petlosshelp.org/10commonquestions.html

Most important thing is not to blame yourself.. After all, you just wanted to help your poor dog 🙁

[D S]

D Mannose treats and cures mine, a lot of women say the same thing in the reviews- there’s several thousand human reviews on there, and a lot for the dog one too. This is the first time I’ve used it for a dog though I don’t see why it would be much different. I use the test strips, same ones the dr uses, to check before and after. So far this corgi loves the doggie ones listed above, the first day she wouldn’t eat it without it being in food. The next day on she has snatched it out of my hand and crunched them up like a cookie begging for more. I’m amazed because she is picky. Even raw meaty beef bones (totally organic from a steer we raised and butchered) she takes in her igloo to hoard and takes a few bites now and then. I think it depends on the bacteria and how you treat them. Once a day would not cure a UTI. But several throughout the day, possibly 2 days if it is very severe would in many cases. You can tape a baggie to the dog’s hind end and take her for a leash walk to collect urine and test it with a pregnancy test or test strip. D Mannose only works on UTIs caused by bacteria(about 80% of UTIs are from E coli bacteria). If the UTI is from something else (about 20% of them are) then D Mannose would not work. If you read the Amazon reviews for human D Mannose there is a lot of info about treating both types

[Kerrin S]

Thank you pugmomsandy, I’ll check those out.

Suzanne – from what I’ve been reading about Orijen made in Canada vs KY, it seems as though the quality of the ingredients has changed for the worse and many people are switching because their dogs won’t even eat it. There is a discussion about it listed in the ‘dog food ingredients’ section. You may want to read what some others have been saying.

[Ann C]

I still have some of my Arnica food left that my dog will not touch. If the reader above that wanted to have it tested knows where I can have this done, I will gladly pay and send mine in and give her the results so she knows. Just tell me where to send it and give me the website address or phone # and I can figure the rest out and update when I know the answers from the lab.

[Ann C]

I rescued an Australian Cattle Dog back in early August. She had some issues with her digestive track and acid reflux (puppy mill rescue), I researched all the dog foods out there and found Orijen Regional Red. She thrived on this food, no acid reflux, great stools, and she loved it! Then my last bag she would not touch, this is a rescue dog that wolves down anything snowballs, rabbit poop etc. I have to say no all the time don’t eat that. This is not a picky dog it has been a week now and she will not eat it. I tried switching to the Origen Tundra and she got sick off it. I am so disapointed in Origen. Words cannot say. That was before reading about the reader above who lost their pet to this food!

My pet food store recomended a dog food called N&D from Italy, it is non GMO no grain 60% protein, 40% veggies and food. My dog hasn’t tried it yet, I am going to switch her to chicken and rice for a few days first after reading about this. NO MORE ORIGEN!

Again, I can’t stress enough to those of you with sick pets how sorry I am to hear that! Take care.

[Acroyali]

Hi Rob:

I’ve been a raw feeder for decades and, like pitlove stated, it’s not for every dog. I have two animals now that can’t do 100% raw, and one that gets violently ill from ingesting bones of any description. They get cooked diets, which might be something you’d be interested in researching and trying if you’re not happy feeding kibble. Mary Strauss at the dog aware website has a ton of information on balancing a cooked diet correctly (it’s more of a science than raw when it comes to balance and supplementation, but can be done.)

If he was happily eating raw, got sick, and now refuses it, I agree that he’s trying to tell you that the food just isn’t agreeing with him. It might be temporary, it might be life long, who knows. While his gut is healing, I would steer clear of raw (think of raw as cleansing, and cooked as nourishing). You can boil down bones in a crock pot and feed the stock; mineral rich and very healing to the GI tract.

If, down the road, the time comes where you feel he’s ready to try raw again I would go easy on the bone content (it’s not uncommon for small breeds and cats to do better with less bone than larger breeds), or forgo the bones all together and use a calcium supplement. But for right now, I agree with the other posters, please consider trying something else if your dog is telling you raw food isn’t working for him right now. Best of luck.

[Susan]

Hi Natalie, here’s a link about “Vitamin C” & you make your own mind up, also my other post the bottom link was about Vitamin C doses, ingredients etc you can email the Naturopath Jacqueline Rudan on the bottom link on my other post & ask her any questions you may have & also ask about Giardia & your dog has no symptoms but is positive can they carry it?? she’ll know more then any of us, the only bad thing vitamin C can do is cause diarrhea when not slowly introduced & given too much…
I strongly believe in feeding a healthy natural diet & natural supplements, you’ve already on the right track, feeding a healthy diet as you’ve posted, Penelope has already started a healthy life, I would do as Crazy4cats has suggested, she has had a few dogs with Giardia. give another round of Panacur & Metronidazole tablet 21 day course… I think you need to do the 2 drugs to kill this rotten parasite .. Why I posted about vitamin C is its an excellent immune booster when pets are sick & a lot of people don’t realise vitamin C can be given to their pets as long as it’s slowly introduced & it’s the right vitamin C….

Here’s the beginning of the link below about Vitamin C,
*Is it necessary to supplement vitamin C since dogs produce the vitamin C in their own bodies. True-but if a dog is stressed or sick their bodies output of vitamin C can quickly be depleted…It has been found that stress both physical (eg fever & infections etc) and emotional (eg stress caused by the change in the environment) is the best known cause of vitamin C depletion in dogs…In addition it has been found that dogs supplemented with vitamin C have stronger immune systems & show greater resistance to DISEASE & better ability to recover from illness or injuries, to read further click on link…
http://www.natural-dog-health-remedies.com/vitamin-c-for-dogs.html

* Anon101, it’s nilly 2017 not 1980, if vitamin C is so bad then how come in Australia it’s sold for dogs & cats & used as a supplement to strengthen the immune system, skin allergies, natural anti-histamine, IBD, ear infections, teeth & gums, upper respiratory problems, bladder & urinary tract infections, arthritis & other health problems…
We all know you don’t believe or use any natural health products, you prefer to give hard drugs, that fix one health problem & end up causing other health problems …Just cause you believe in medications it doesn’t mean we all have to go down that track… You mustn’t of had a real sick pet or been ill yourself cause you’d know not all medication work & sometimes it’s the natural supplements that have worked the best and helped humans, animals have less side effects & aren’t hard on the body like the hard medications can be…. The drugs for Giardia are hard awful drugs that can make you feel very ill, nausea & diarrhea, with this all happening the immune system needs to be strong….

[Nick B]

Hello,

Margo’s dad here again with another food question. We asked our vet what kind of food he recommended for Margo (11 month old Golden Retriever) and he said that he only recommends Hill Science Diet. Margo likes the food and we have had no issues and the large breed puppy formula seems to be in line with the calculator at 3.3/1000 for calcium and 1.2:1 for phosphorus and 30.1% protein. When we met with a dog trainer they told us that we should not be feeding Science Diet and the only reason the vet recommended is because they get a significant kick back…

I am at a bit of a loss. We are on a budget with her food and Science diet works within that budget, but I do not want to be feeding her something that is not good in the long-run for her. Is Science diet bad? Is there something else similar in price and readily available in most big pet stores for an almost 1 year old golden pup that weighs about 50 lbs.? I have looked up Pro Plan large breed puppy and is has slightly less protein at 28% and there is Blue buffalo wilderness large breed puppy and it is 35% protein but a little more expensive and Nutro Max large breed puppy and it is lower in protein at 26% and 4/1000 in calcium. Both seem in line with calcium and phosphorus. Help!?

Thanks! Nick

• This reply was modified 9 years ago by Nick B.

[Susan]

Hi Natalie, instead of feeding the Royal Canin Chihuahua, have a look for another kibble with better ingredients, Royal Canine use Beet Pulp, Beet Pulp is an stool firmer, people seem to think their dogs are healthy when their dogs are doing firm poos, so kibble companies like Royal Canine, Hills, Eukanuba all add Beet Pulp to their kibbles so poos are smaller & firm….
Have a look at “Canidae” Pure or Life Stages kibbles, Canidae uses human grade ingredients & the kibble size is very small, Canidae is also money back guaranteed, Canidae have just release their new “Petite Small Breed” formulas…. http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
“Wellness” also make their Toy breed & Small Breed range…. kibble size is small & there’s no beet pulp in both brands…
https://www.wellnesspetfood.com/index.aspx
Have a look into “Vitamin C powder”….My boy has IBD & Skin Allergies, I was told start adding Vitamin C powder to his diet but I haven’t brought it yet…. I can buy the “Natural Animal Solutions” Skin Pack that has Omega 3,6 & 9 Oil, + Vitamin C powder + DigestaVite Plus Powder.. or just buy the Vitamin C Powder… I’m still deciding which one to get, have a read what Vitamin C does, it’s a mega complex supplement, it strengthens the immune system, skin allergies, joints, respiratory, bowel, anti-oxidant support… http://naturalanimalsolutions.com.au/Shop/product/high-potency-vitamin-c/

[Natalie C]

Hi everyone!

I have a super small 4.5month old long hair Chihuahua (3lbs) named Penelope. We found out she had giardia from the moment we brought her home. Our vet prescribed her Panacur for 5 days, we had to wait approximately 4 weeks before retesting her and she still came out positive. I’m unable to go pick up the medication as of yet because we live so far from our vet and my work schedule doesn’t work out. Her poops are good, she eats well, plays well, acts and behaves like any crazy pup would.

I’ve read online that some puppies are Giardia carriers and i’m starting to think that this is Penelope’s case. Because of the whole giardia scare again and my concerns of commercial dog food, I’ve switched her over to a 50kibble and 50home made feed. She’s currently on RC Chihuahua because her teeth are so small that she’s unable to eat anything bigger. (She tries to steal her brother’s solid gold kibble, but 1 takes her like 3 mins to eat). And her home made food consists of ground turkey, kale, carrots and egg shells. She gets turmeric with coconut oil and salmon oil everyday. And she does get a little bit of kefir as well as a probiotic. And she gets some sardines in her food once a week.

She’s doing good, gaining weight, but she seems to be pooping significantly less than usual. Is this normal? Am I doing something wrong? And is there ANYTHING else suggested to get rid of her Giardia?

Please let me know! Any help would be useful! I’m all ready to sponge up any new information! Thanks again!!!

[SummerRainAussies]

I am a mainly raw feeder for my very active competitive Aussie clan. I however would like to have a kibble on hand that I can use for connivance. I am having a hard time with which one. I really like that all the ingredients in the Now food are fresh and I LOVE the company and their ethics but I don’t love the lower protein. After talking with their nutritionist most of the protein in that food comes from eggs which I am unsure is a good or bad thing. I do think my dogs need a few carbs for accessible energy but there is of course a limit. I dont like the super high protein of Origin. I am looking for a happy medium. I am not looking to rotate between kibbles since my dogs get so much variety already.
Please any thoughts or experiences would be greatly appreciated.