[anonymously]

Where are you getting your information? From well meaning folks on the internet and Doctor Google?
Consult a professional, some of your comments don’t make any sense. Only a veterinarian that has examined your dog and reviewed it’s history can make specific recommendations regarding diet. Just my opinion. It appears that you have already decided what you want to do and are just looking for posters to support your opinions.
Best of luck.

[Caryn B]

Thank you for your responses. I decided on the Acana product after reading here and in the pet supply store, I felt I could trust the person helping me. He really seemed to know his stuff and confirmed what I have read here. Dimples seems to LOVE it. So happy. Thank you so much!

[Courtney R]

To whomever the anonymous person is: I see these Skeptvet articles linked in a lot of the raw threads. I’m not in the least opposed to home cooking for my dogs. In fact that was the first thing I looked into after deciding to get them off kibble. I imagine a lot of people do the same. Feeding raweat to my pets is, quite frankly, a little scary.

However, I can’t find much useful information on formulating a home cooked diet. Recipes, sure, but I want something that gives me numbers/formulas/percentages. Maybe I’m weird but I want to just Google recipes and start trying random things. I like that prey model operates on an 80/10/10 and I can sit down and calcute how much meat, bone and organs to feed them. I also like that there’s no starches (potatoes, rice, etc) involved as I am trying to avoid those in their diet.

What I’m getting at is if you know any good sites, books, articles etc that will teach me how to formulate a diet that meets all their nutritional requirements I would love to read it. Im just not finding either of the links you posted particularly informative.

To inkedmarie: So glad I’m not the only one who feels overwhelmed! 😊

[Susan]

Hi Caryn, you have to realise vets aren’t nutritionist & some vets know stuff all about nutrition for dogs & cats….. a good vet would be telling you to feed a balanced raw or cooked diet to your dog & cat, not a kibble….
You should always rotate between a few different brand kibbles & different proteins when feeding a kibble, never just feed the one brand & same protein their whole lives like some people do….also add fresh whole foods to the kibble…. They have found by adding 1 tablespoon of cooked veggies/fruit or a protein to the dogs kibble just 3 times a week can reduce the chances of them getting cancer.. …follow “Rodney Habib” the Pet nutrition blogger on Face Book he’s excellent & it’s so easy to make your dog healthier, happier & live longer…since dogs have been eating just kibble they aren’t living as long as when they were fed table scraps & cooked meals..

When picking a good kibble, look at the ingredients, a good kibble should have at least 3-5 proteins as the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th ingredient, then should have a carb like sweet potatoes as the next ingredient….. also when the ingredients are written, the ingredients are raw, not cooked yet except if it says meal eg, chicken meal, lamb meal, duck meal etc also the ingredient list is written on weight, so when ingredients are cooked the ingredients shrink, especially proteins/meats, a good kibble should read Lamb, then Lamb Meal, chicken meal, or turkey, turkey meal, chicken meal etc when it says meal there’s more meat cause the meal is cooked meats dried & made into powder form (meal) but when it just say chicken or lamb or duck, it’s raw & hasn’t been cooked yet it needs the meal to follow, duck then duck meal or chicken then chicken meal etc… also if it say’s fish or ocean fish you want to know what type of fish it is?? it should say salmon, salmon meal or Whitefish, Sardines or Anchovy …..
Have a look at “Canidae” Pure formulas grain free & their Life Stages formulas, their Life Stages, All Life Stages formula is a good kibble, it has 4 high quality meat meals, chicken, turkey, lamb & fish & is a pretty good price when you buy a 20kg bag, then look for another premium kibble & I rotate in the same day some times, I give Patch his “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain for breakfast then he has Canidae Life Stages formula for dinner when I forget to take out his cooked meal out of freezer…. Some people rotate when the bag of kibble is down too 1/4 of the bag left then start adding & mixing in the next new kibble your going to feed, after you have rotated a few different kibbles you don’t really need to slowly introduce anymore……You will see a difference when your dog is feed a better quality kibble that agrees with him, they have more energy, their coat shines, their poos are firm & smaller…. then pick about 3 different kibbles with different proteins & fed them but still keep your eye out for another kibble to try that’s on special or new..
Go onto the “Review” section & start looking at 3-5 star kibbles, I prefer a kibble with less ingredients, limited ingredient kibbles & I add fresh cooked food to the kibble, tin sardines in oil/spring water are excellent, I add tin Salmon in spring water, you ban add the salmon bones, you give about 3 small sardines or 1/4 of the small tin, also veggies broccoli, berries, apple, I fed pieces of peeled seeded apple, watermelon, rock melon as treats also yogurt Patch gets 1 heap spoon yogurt at 11 am every day now….3-4 years ago if I gave Patch anything different in his diet he’d have diarrhea, gas/farts, bad wind pain, rumbling, grumbling bowel noises, he’s a rescue that was feed a very poor diet & now has IBD & Skin & Food sensitivities…. Good Luck
*Canidae- http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
*Sport Dog Elite Series- http://www.sportdogfood.com/dog-food/active-sporting/performance/
*Taste Of The Wild- http://www.tasteofthewild.com.au
*California Natural- http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products

[Courtney R]

So, I’m considering switching my dogs to a raw diet and I’m inwhat I’d call a “researching” phase. Did anyone else feel totally overwhelmed when starting this process or is that just me? Lol

Short background: I have a 60 lb ACD mix that is roughly 7 (Burke) and a 12 lb Pomchi that is 5 (Miles). They’ve been on Orijen for the past couple of years and so far as stools go it seems to agree with them. However, Burke has started getting lick granulomas roughly 2x per year, Miles chronically seems “yeasty”, they’ve both had UTIs this year and we got fleas for the first time ever this summer which has been an utter nightmare. My vet of course gave antibiotics for the UTIs but seems to not be concerned about the other stuff. But to me it seems their immune systems aren’t up to snuff and diets the easiest way at it.

Currently I have 3 questions which might seem totally unrelated:
#1. Should I have a blood panel done prior to starting raw just to be certain there isn’t any reason why it’d be unhealthy to switch them to raw? Seeing as they’re both having issues I’m doubting that would be the case, but I’m a worrier 😉

#2 Admittedly the bone business freaks me out. I’m sure I’ll get over it as I get more comfortable but I’ve been looking at the (chicken) grinds from Hare Today to start with. However, I wasn’t sure about the organ. From what I’ve read you should stick to muscle and bone in the beginning and work in organs preferably after you’ve transitioned through meat sources. Should I order the ground chicken feet and just supplement with some breast or thigh meat? Or maybe someone has another simple suggestion to avoid actual bones for a bit?

#3. They already get coconut oil, yogurt or kefir, salmon oil and digestive enzymes. Could I continue these through the transition or should I hold off and give their stomachs time to adjust to raw food? Also, any supplements that they absolutely NEED to have or is this kind of just up to me?

Sorry this wasn’t as short as I’d hoped but thanks so much for any help. This forum has already been a big assistance and I can’t wait to learn more from you guys!

[Ritchy]

Thank you both for the input!

Just thought I’d respond with the path we have decided on for now.

We are going with a mix using nature’s variety. We are doing 25% raw/75% kibble currently and eventually moving to a 50/50 mix. (I am so new to this, I’m not ready to jump into managing nutrient content on my own…probably too lazy/busy to ever get there 🙂 )

This will give us some raw in the diet from what seems to be a really good company.

I REALLY like their feeding guidelines calculator on their website. I was able to enter the weight of each of our dogs and if they needed to maintain or lose a few pounds, the mix and food selections and get an exact feeding guideline.

We are almost a week in now and I can already report a couple of good indicators:
– The dogs love it; they eat way too fast now.
– Their hair is already noticeably softer!

[aimee]

Hi Joseph,

I’m glad to hear that you are willing to continue to learn. When you posted that you thought the authors of the link I referred you to were spewing garbage it didn’t seem to me that you were willing to consider what they had said could be true.

I don’t disagree that by researching a focused topic you can become well educated on that subject. The key is to make sure that the sources you are using are credible. It is easy to get lead astray. I use Pub med and google scholar when I first start researching a new topic.

I’d encourage you to spend some of your hours researching Malassezia reading clinical microbiology journals. Through reading those I learned that this isn’t a sugar loving yeast, as is say Candida, it is a fat loving yeast (lipophilic). For the most part it is a fat dependent yeast, meaning that it requires fat to grow. Most strains of Malassezia pachydermatis, the yeast type most often found on dogs, are not lipid dependent but some are and other lipid dependent Malassezia species have been found on dogs. The organism thrives on fats not carbs.

Houndmusic: Besides the fact that Malassezia is a fat loving yeast. The other big hole in the “carbohydrates feed yeast” mantra is that the skin is a long way away from the gut. A high carb diet will directly provide substrate for intestinal yeast to munch on if one suffers from intestinal yeast overgrowth, but on the skin???… I don’t think so.

To get carb from the gut to the skin it has to travel and the means of transport is blood. Glucose levels in the blood are tightly regulated, unless you are a diabetic. Remove all carbs from the diet and your blood glucose isn’t going to be that different from that found when eating a carb inclusive diet. In other words, a similar amount of glucose is transported to the skin on a daily basis regardless of diet.

The final problem for me is how would glucose even get to the outermost surface of the skin on a dog which is where the yeast resides? N/P in people as glucose is a component of sweat… but dogs don’t sweat, except for paw pads and nose and sebum doesn’t have any appreciable glucose in it. Hmmm Housten we have a problem…

See how this whole idea that dietary carbs feed yeast falls apart? The organism prefers and thrives with fats not carbs and I can’t come up with a mechanism that puts carbs on the outermost surface of the skin of a dog much less one in which a high carb diet would deposit higher levels of carb on the skin than a low carb diet.

But I’m open to hearing the other side. Explain to me how eating a high carb diet results in a high level of carbs on the surface of the skin leading to an overgrowth of yeast. I don’t see it. What I do see is a lipid loving organism feeding on the sebum of skin altered from a primary cause.

[HoundMusic]

I’m a newbie to these forums, but am no novice to raw feeding – been doing raw in some form, either 100% or as a supplement for about 15yrs now. Since 2014, its been an all raw, prey model type diet consisting mostly of chicken quarters pork meat and neck bones, a variety of organ meats (but mostly beef liver), ground beef, egg yolks, turkey necks and occasional meats like lamb ribs, fish or ground turkey. They also get “extras” and leftovers that amount to a small portion of the diet.

That aside, I’ve been noticing all summer that Toby, an intact male Beagle who will be 11yrs in October, hasn’t seemed in the greatest health, but there was nothing specific I could point my finger at, so I chalked it up to age. Fleas have been plaguing him, which made me further suspect something was wrong, especially after treatment did very little to help.

Over the past few days, the fleas have been back with a vengeance untold, and this morning, out of the blue, Toby came back in from the yard, lay down in a corner, and wouldn’t get up. There were no other symptoms, just a sudden lameness that seemed to pass in a few minutes. But it was very worrying, and he seems to have lost some weight in the past few days, so I decided it was Vet time. That, and in May, he had a partial obstruction from a pork neck bone, and the Vet told me then the only abnormality of the blood test results was “elevated liver enzymes”. So of course, my first thought is possible liver failure going on here :/

It was no fun finding a Vet on Labor Day, let me tell you, but we seemed to get a competent one, for once. I did NOT mention Toby is raw fed, btw. Another CBC was done, and like before, everything came back smack in the middle of normal – except, his ALP levels (alkaline phosphatase) were once again high (@ 228). But with no other signs of liver abnormalities in the blood results, this Vet was as stumped as the first one was as to why it should be elevated, unless it was osteomalacia, which he said was odd in a dog Toby’s age.

When I asked what precisely that was, the Vet told me I already knew it by a more common name. Rickets. Or rather, it’s technically called rickets before the growth plates close, and osteomalacia is the adult version.

I may have emitted an expletive, because how else can a dog get rickets, save for a home made diet that has been lacking in Vitamin D? I haven’t had the greatest luck with Vets in my life, but I was grateful that when I did mention raw feeding, all I got was the Knowing Look, an admonition that Toby would not be the first raw fed dog he’d seen with rickets (!!!), and a prescription for Vitamin D tablets for dogs. He did not try to push kibble on me or say another word about raw… he didn’t need to 🙁

Don’t have the faintest idea where we’re going from here, but Toby is on his Vit D and does not seem to be holding the incident against me. I’ve had my stumbling blocks with raw in the past, which is why I usually limited it to supplementation, but this has to be the worst problem I’ve ever had diagnosed. And honestly, if not for the strain put on his health with the fleas, I would never have noticed anything out of the ordinary with this dog. He seemed perfectly healthy otherwise.

So. Just blowing off some steam at the day’s events, my own stupidity, and thought this might be interesting fodder for other raw feeders. And btw, I am told that bad teeth can be a dead giveaway symptom of rickets, as well, and yet, Toby has the best teeth out of everybody…

• This topic was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by HoundMusic.

[Joseph w]

Let me give u a couple examples why an article from a board certified veterinary dermatologists means absolutely nothing g to me when Uve talks to let owners who have been dealing with their dig for years and found these cures to work. Recently I went to a urologist, I got a referal from my primary because I needed a specialist. I had done probably my 3 days of research on the matter and when I was examined it was obvious I knew much much .it’s about my disease than this so called specialist who had gone to med school for 8 years. Not because he wasn’t smart but because it was my body, and I had Adamantly pursued what was wrong, what medicine I needed and what should be done from all types of sources. I then found the best specialist in the state and after speaking g with him I got another referal. Example 2- I am a computer networker I recently ran into a complex problem with my personal computer that I dint know how to fix right away. Someone who had researched this exact problem from multiple sources for 2 days could have figured out the problem- does this mean they know more than me after years of school? Example 3- The last couple months we’ve been thinking bodger had a thyroid issue and took him in to get a blood test. It turned out negative and the vet thought it was cushings disease which I’d never heard of. Before his LDDS test iiterally research for prob 6 a day for a week- forums, fb groups, Yahoo groups- (the majority of these people are pet owners who are extremely knowledgeable on the subject and have been dealing with this stuff for over a decade and probably more knowledgeable than most vets.) I read articles of all shapes and sizes, punished reports and journals, called the o my place in the country that does a pituitary tumor operation and talked to one of the best IMS on my side of the state. Anyway needless to say after a week I knew much .ore on the subject than my vet when we had his test and it came back negative she just said “ohp he’s all better nothing wrong with him” I believe it was a unique type of Cushing’s and have an appt with a ISP. Point is because your knowlegable In A subject and do it for a living In No way means your right or even have the faintest I would in a heartbeat give pet owners who have lived this day In and day out for years with their loved one just like I did when I spoke with people whos own body it was. But like I said I whole heardjust disagree but will continue ue to research what you said. I’m going g to call my IMS and the u iveristy who does the operation and a very good dermatoligist in a nearby city who I’ve already spoken with on Monday and I will post here what they say. We are also doing a skin allergy test next month and I have no knowledge of those but I was told by one person a forum they can be unreliable and when I was checking out different pet foods around town today I went to local co-op and talked to a lady who worked there who has had terrible yeast problems with her dog for years. She told me she’s spent thousands and different vets and IMS and nothing worked and she has tried dozens of foods doing tests trying g to find out what he was allergic to and the test they did to find out what he was allergic to turned out to be garbage. I kinda had 2 points there- I talked to 2 people who said the allergy tests didn’t work and 1 person who said the test of Ingredients trial and error didn’t work-study this by no means means anything though- just one person’s experience. Anyway after everything she tried she stu k with avaderm for the last couple years, a. Couple months ago she bought pre/pro biotics supplement to add to the food and within 2weeks there was a noticeable difference and within 6weeks he was perfect. Nothing changed except the addition of the final enzymes. In Case ur wondering she wasn’t trying to sell me anything – they didn’t sell the supplement there she was just telling g me her story. Anyway Im done rangting, I. Exhausted and I hope u can read this as my auto correct is going nuts. Have a good evening and I will report back.

[aimee]

Hi Joseph,

I have no doubt that you could post link after link claiming that the carbohydrate level in the diet influences yeast growth on the skin, but none of your links would be to articles authored by board certified veterinary dermatologists, human dermatologists or be from published peer reviewed journals. The reason for that is because there is no link between dietary carbohydrate levels and yeast infection on the skin in people or dogs. There is a lot of misinformation on the web and unfortunately some of it is spread by people who should know better.

I understand that testimonials are compelling, bloodletting used to be the cutting edge of medicine based on the observation that “it worked”. But things that appear to work, when tested can be found not only not “to work” but to cause harm.

You came here asking for help because what you have been doing isn’t working. Be open to new information that takes you in a different direction. Malassezia is secondary to things like environmental allergies, adverse food reactions (allergy), hormonal disorders, immune suppression, parasites… focus on finding and treating the primary cause. In the mean time bathing with an effective shampoo can help your pet immensely.

Best Wishes

[Bag of Opals]

US Susan: I appreciate the suggestion on what looks like a nice product range, but it’s a bit difficult to obtain something only sold on the opposite side of the world to which one lives.

AU Susan: Stay Loyal looks like an excellent food, but as a single, unemployed, mentally ill and neurologically disabled person, it costs more than I really want to pay. Meals for Mutts looks like it could work, though. I’d passed up that brand earlier, I think because I’d misread the protein amount. Their other products are certainly worth considering.

Ziwipeak definitely isn’t something I can afford to buy regularly, so it doesn’t really feel right to ask for samples. I’m glad your pack is doing well, though! I love cats, but decided a dog better suited what I’m looking for-a companion to share company and love with.

EDIT: How do I post pictures here? It’s been a long time since I’ve fiddled directly with html.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by Bag of Opals.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by Bag of Opals.

[Theodore L]

I wrote to ZiwiPeaks about their food since we have a dog with IBD. The following is their email to me: Hi Theodore:
Thank you for your inquiry. We are thrilled that you are looking into feeding ZiwiPeak. We are passionate about pets, and strive to produce the best foods available for our furry friends! Many pet parents with dogs (and cats) suffering from IBS / IBD have found ZiwiPeak to be the perfect diet for their fur babies, due to the lack of fillers, preservatives, grains and other ingredients completely unsuitable to a carnivore’s digestive system. One of the ingredients that is included in ALL ZiwiPeak recipes is cold-washed green tripe. Green tripe is a powerhouse of nutrients, is extremely digestible and palatable and contains probiotics/prebiotics and digestive enzymes which help establish a healthy gut. I will be asking our Office Assistant to mail you a sample packet, and I’ve attached a guide for transitioning your dog. Please refer to the feeding calculator on our website’s homepage for the recommended daily serving. http://www.ziwipeak.com

Here’s some basic information about ZiwiPeak:

All ZiwiPeak recipes and formulas are complete and balanced as a daily diet for ALL breeds, and for ALL life stages. To determine your pet’s recommended feeding amount, please use the feeding calculator on our website’s homepage: http://www.ziwipeak.com

ZiwiPeak gives your pet the equivalent of a raw, wild prey diet and is made from over 95% raw meat and organs, including natural fat and bone. Our food contains no rendered meats or meat by-products. We add no artificial colors or flavors, no carrageenan, no chemical preservatives, no grains or potatoes, and no added salts, sugars, gelatin or glycerines or cheap filler ingredients. These ingredients cannot be efficiently utilized by a carnivore’s digestive system and can contribute to various health issues, including skin & coat problems, itchy skin and ears, yeast infections, allergies, obesity, kidney disease, IBD/IBS and diabetes. ZiwiPeak cuisine is over 95% digestible and extremely palatable to even the most finicky dogs and cats.

ZiwiPeak uses free-range, grass-fed meat raised on traceable, approved New Zealand farms, and seafood caught using ecologically-sustainable practices under New Zealand’s stringent, government-controlled, fish-management system. All meat and seafood we use must be free from added hormones, antibiotics, growth promotants and GMOs. Our added vitamins and minerals are sourced from reputable, traceable suppliers in the USA, Europe and New Zealand and Japan. We do not source any ingredients from China.

We add New Zealand Green-Lipped Mussel to all ZiwiPeak formulas to provide high levels of natural glucosamine, chondroitin, and omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids, and cold-washed green tripe, which provides important vitamins & minerals, digestive enzymes and probiotics needed for healthy digestion. We are relentless in our commitment to quality and care, operating under the most stringent health and safety standards. Every batch of ZiwiPeak must meet both our own in-house specifications and the highest international benchmarks. All ZiwiPeak products meet or exceed industry standards.

Please let me know if I can be of additional assistance,
Regards,
I did not write her name since I don’t have her permission. I have been transitioning one healthy guy to this food. I am not ready to do the IBD guy yet since he just had a setback and the Vet (Internist does not want any changes). I received a very fast response – I liked it!

[Mandee Y]

Susan Ihave been reading up on how many eggs and if to give or not give to our dogs.. Very interesting to read up on so much information can’t wait to go in and start my Max on some eggs he sure will love.. Susan, I was reading on how you not only feed your dog, dog food but other things like banana bread, potatoes.. My question is do you cook like you are cooking for yourself or is there a different way to cook it? Also is there a site that you would know of with recipes for dogs food?

[HoundMusic]

I’ve been breeding Beagles for about eleven years now, and never had good results with “holistic” food. Sometimes, there can be simply too many ingredients that have no use for the dog, but are on the label more to make the owner feel like Brand A is so superior to brand B. A great deal of the ingredient bashing came from rival dog food companies, and spread across the internet like wildfire.

Personally, I don’t feel comfortable giving my dogs a food that has zero research & development behind it, with nothing more to recommend it than a fancy ingredient label. Merrick, Wellness, Canidae, Timberwolf Organics (etc. ad infinitum) were disasters on steroids. I caused a plethora of problems with these top dollar, supposedly high end diets, that it’s just unimaginable.

JMHO, but forget grain free altogether. It’s a marketing gimmick if I ever saw one. Some grains, like brown rice and oats, are extremely well tolerated by dogs and have the added benefits of high nutritional value and blood sugar regulation. The potatoes or other starchy foods used in grain free often *increase* the carbohydrate level in a dog food, and many spike the blood sugar, which will inevitably lead to a crash. Enough of that can cause real health problems. I have seen this. Firsthand.

I might also humbly suggest finding a “mid-grade” feed with a more limited ingredient list. You can always supplement a small portion of the diet with fresh meats if you want variety, but a dog food shouldn’t have the kitchen sink thrown in. Those types are VERY rough on the digestive system. And after feeding holistic foods to probably somewhere around 30 adult dogs in just under two decades, I can’t say I was impressed with how any of those dogs did on designer brands.

BTW; you mentioned your pup was doing well on SD. While far from my favorite brand, if he was doing better on that then Acana, then which one, for that dog, was the garbage food?

• This reply was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by HoundMusic.

[Peter V]

Hi Everyone,

I apologize if this has already been posted.

I have a 10-month old, 15lb Shih Poo (Half Shitzu/Half Poodle) named Paco. He’s a ton of fun, an has a lot of energy.

It was time for me to switch him from his puppy food to an adult food. The vet perscribed Hills T/D Care, which after doing some research, I found was absolute garbage.

I then discovered this site, and switched him to Acana Small Breed Formula. He loved the food, but the amount of poop that came with it was pretty insane… 4 – 5 poops/day.

I went to the pet store where they convinced my that I should go with CaniSource, Grand Cru Red Meat Formula… it is not grain-free. His poops were dramatically reduced with this food to the point where he was at 2-poops/day, but I got the feeling that he didn’t really like what I was giving him. It would take him almost the entire day to eat 3/4 cup – 1 cup of the food, and often he wouldn’t finish it.

I then switched him to Acana Heritage Grasslands, and again… the multiple poops/day have come back. He’s been on this food for approximately 3-weeks now, and he’s pooping 3-4 times/day.

I’m not trying to transition him onto Fromm 4-Stars Grain-Free Game Bird…

Do you have any suggestions for me as to what I should be giving him? I’m starting to go nuts reading all of the reviews on this site in regards to different foods…

Thanks for all of your help in advance.

[Anna O]

Hi everyone!
I confess: I have not read every post here, but I wanted to chime in on 2 things.
1) Verus has a great food for coat and skin conditions. It’s called Advanced Opticoat. I have Verus foods for years and would recommend it to anyone. The Opticoat helped a rescue who had a pitiful coat.
2) On the skin rash thing: You can mix equal parts of food grade DE powder, Neem powder, and powdered yarrow, put the mixture in a sock, and pat it onto your dog’s coat (EVERYWHERE!) to help with the skin rashes. It will literally work within an hour if the issue is caused by little bugs (like mites).

[crazy4cats]

Hi Diana-

Yes, it I think it would be fine to make your dog a simple bland homemade diet for now to help heal his tummy. Such as boiled chicken or Turkey and sweet potato or pumpkin. However, I would not start adding a bunch of supplements to it all at once. You will not know what is helping or hindering your dog’s condition.

How I understand it is, the Giardia is causing the yucky stools. And trust me, I know exactly how yucky they can be. I have two big dogs and they both have had it at the same time on a couple of occasions. You need to concentrate on getting rid of the parasite at this time. Both Panacur and Drontal Plus are dewormers that have been fairly successful at ridding it. Also a probiotic with large amounts of enterococcus faecium have proved to be helpful also. I also am a believer in high fiber and garlic as a dewormer as well. But, you can clear that with your vet.

I’ve also read not to give them any diarrhea remedies per say as their bodies need to get rid of the parasites, not keep them trapped in their tummies.

And definitely follow the advice above on keeping everything clean. Pour very hot water and bleach on the spots where he goes potty. Giardia thrives in colder temps, not hot.

I hope skept vet answers your questions. I’ll be curious as to what he has to say.

Good luck!

Edit: BTW, have you had him re-tested yet?

• This reply was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by crazy4cats.

[anonymously]

Giardia is a protozoan parasite that can infect the gastrointestinal tract of dogs and is capable of causing diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss and lethargy — although many infected animals show no signs at all. It is common throughout the United States and can cause infections at almost any time of year. Unlike many other infectious organisms, giardia persists longer in the environment when conditions are cool and moist.

Most dogs become infected by drinking water contaminated with feces. Giardia then infects the small intestine, and infected dogs pass microscopic cysts in their stool. These cysts can then infect another animal or person if ingested. Giardia cysts are very resistant in the environment, and can live for many months under the correct circumstances. These cysts are a threat to pet health, and giardia is a very common cause of pet diarrhea in the United States.

• All dogs — even those on year-round parasite preventives and those without diarrhea — should have at least one to two fecal samples performed annually as part of their wellness exam to screen for gastrointestinal parasites, including giardia.
• All dogs with symptoms of vomiting or diarrhea should be tested for giardia and other gastrointestinal parasites.
• All newly adopted dogs should be tested for these parasites before they are introduced to a new home, and all dogs returning from high-risk environments (e.g., kennels, dog shows, boarding facilities, etc.) should be tested.

Testing for Giardia

There is no perfect test for giardia. Giardia is an elusive parasite, and cysts are shed only intermittently from the gastrointestinal tract of an infected dog. A single fecal sample has only a 70 percent chance of detecting an infection. Performing three fecal samples within five consecutive days increases the chance of detection to greater than 90 percent. There are other tests such as the giardia ELISA that can be used with a routine fecal sample to increase the likelihood of a diagnosis to about 95 percent.

Treating Giardia

If your dog is diagnosed with giardia, he will likely be prescribed medication, and your veterinarian will recommend a follow-up fecal sample two weeks after treatment.

A dog should be bathed on his last day of treatment to eliminate all giardia cysts from his hair coat. Wearing gloves, you should bathe and rinse his whole body as normal and then focus last on his hind end. Do not touch the rest of his body after you have bathed and rinsed around the anus. This will eliminate spreading any remaining giardia cysts around his hair coat. Pet bowls, toys, etc., should be disinfected in either boiling water or in a high-temperature dishwasher. Upholstery and carpeting should be steam-cleaned and allowed to dry. Hard surfaces can be disinfected with a dilute bleach solution (3/4 cup of bleach mixed with 1 gallon of water) or a disinfecting household cleaning product.
http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/be-on-guard-against-giardia

[Bag of Opals]

I’m calling her Opal, and will be bringing her home this weekend. She’s a toy breed mix and the cutest little thing. Opal is going to be fed raw during the day and some Ivory Coat (an Australian dry food) at night. I’ve read about rotation feeding and agree this is a good idea. However, there’s already going to be a lot of variety in the food, so should I leave everything as is or still try to find something new to swap in every now and then? This is what I am seeking suggestions on. I’ve lived with pups, but not actually raised one myself.

The raw food is possible thanks to my parents. They make it for their Sheltie and Irish Wolfhound (the latter managed to steal a chicken wing last night!) with some extra to give to me, so I’m not exactly in a position to dictate what ingredients go into the mix. It’s ground up and contains:

-Lamb mince, liver and heart
-Pork tongue
-Sardines
-Chicken wings
-Crushed eggshell
-Peas and carrots

Very nice, but is there still a risk of developing food sensitivities because these proteins are all being fed at once? I’ve considered purchasing something like the Ziwipeak beef and venison canned formulas, but they’re not cheap and I’d like to avoid that expense if it’s not necessary.

As for Ivory Coat, their puppy formula is chicken-based. I plan to rotate among the other formulas in the brand when Opal’s grown up. I know a lot of folks here advocate rotating between brands as well as flavours, but I want to support an Aussie company, plus this seems to be the only dry food here with a protein % in the 30s. That’s not to say we don’t have good imported choices, but they just don’t compare.

Reactions to chicken are probably as common as they are because so many puppy foods use it… The only non-chicken food specifically for puppies that I know of and is available over here is TOTW Pacific Stream. Diamond, gah. Opal should be fine with just Ivory Coat, but I’m a paranoid lady and want the best for her.

[Jo C]

Hi everyone,

I’m having trouble with my baby girl food, she is 7 months old and weights 3 pounds, all her life she ate ROYAL CANIN XSMALL BREED FOR PUPPY, she loves this, literally LOVE she gets cray over this food and finished in 2 minutes… BUT.. sadly this food makes her itch the vet told me it is probably the chicken in the RC, So I researched, read reviews and I look here in the community and I decided to give my baby ACANA SINGLES, Im making the transition of RC giving now 25% RC 75% ACANA lamb apple flavor, and now she is miserable 🙁 she won’t eat it she looks at her plate and choose the RC and leave the ACANA I left the food out there and thought she will get hangry, and no… She is hangry but she wants her RC food,is really sad for me, seeing this. When she used to enjoy her meals so much… Please girls I need your advice…

Please can you recommend me and brand that your yorkies like??? With no chicken on it.? And that’s recommended for puppy?

[Jenny C]

I’ve been Googling this and can’t find any research, but wondering if anyone here has any information on histamine intolerance in dogs? Not food allergies, but histamine intolerance. I, myself, have histamine intolerance and have to be very, very careful about the meat I eat. It has to be as fresh as possible, and quickly thawed (either in microwave or water), cooked and eaten immediately. No leftovers- the reason for which is that bacteria release histamine (and other amines) as the flesh decomposes. So the longer it’s been since meat was butchered, the higher the histamine content.

My 2 yr old shih tzu has been having very bad itching this entire summer. I’ve tried adding ACV to his food, fish oil, quercitin/bromelain, and switching to “cool” foods via TCM/Yin-Yang theories. So far, no success. I read somewhere that histamines in dogs are released mainly into their skin (whereas in humans, it can affect SO many different parts of the body). I’m wondering if he has seasonal allergies due to pollens, trees, grasses, etc and it’s been exacerbated by the raw food I feed him. I get my food from a local raw food processor, it’s mostly ground meat/bone/organ- and just the act of being ground at the butcher and sitting out in their deli case or freezer means that it’s not as fresh as a cut of meat would be, therefore the histamine content is already higher. Then I take it home, thaw it, portion it out, refreeze, then thaw again the day of feeding, adding more to the histamine content. So even though it’s fresh, local meat- it’s not actually “fresh” in the sense that it’s probably been at least a few weeks since it’s been butchered, and probably has higher histamine content by the time I feed it.

If you’re not familiar with histamine intolerance, they often talk about a “histamine bucket” whereby every little bit of histamine put into the body (food, stress, pollen, etc) builds, until it spills over into a reaction. So that is why I’m wondering if summer pollen plus the “not the most fresh” raw food I’m feeding could possibly be causing his severe itching. Start googling “histamine intolerance”- it’s really interesting and it was the answer to a lot of my own chronic illness issues.

Has anyone here experimented with feeding their dogs the absolutely freshest meat possible with the lowest histamine content and had any success with cutting down on allergy symptoms?

I’m wondering if there’s really a good way to feed raw and extremely fresh at the same time- I’m not really into the idea of buying huge parts of animals from local farmers and butchering them myself! I might try feeding my dog the fresh/cooked meat that I eat for a few days and see if I notice any difference in his itching.

In this sense, there’s probably no kibble or prepared raw food out there that would be considered “low histamine” then, right?

[Kristi G]

I am having a problem with my 12-year-old Yorkie, we have a weight problem.

She should be at 7-7.5 pounds but we are pushing 8.5-9 pounds. I was feeding her Wellness Core and that nipped the problem in the bud. Her weight was down, she loved the food, and felt healthier than ever. Then, the vet said her kidney levels were a little high and advised me to not feed her a high protein food and feed her a senior food instead. I then used the site again and started using Blue Wilderness Senior Grain Free, she was back up in weight in no time. We don’t do treats or bones so no culprit there. Pet Smart recommended Wellness Complete Health Senior, but she won’t eat the food so I can’t tell if it will work or not. We are still in the process of switching. She’s not typically a fickle eater and is usually quite the opposite-always ready to eat. But she turns her nose up to Wellness Complete Health Senior.

I want a dry (teeth are good), 5 Star Senior Food that won’t make her fat and will keep her at a Healthy Weight. Anyone have any recommendations? I’ve been trying to find something right for her for almost 2 years now and am desperate to find the right thing for my baby.

[Michael F]

Hi, Thanks for your reply, yes I agree with your thought on Vaccines, when my last dogs were 8 and 9 years old, we had titers done and there vaccine levels were way higher than the required amount that they needed to have in there system, in some cases 200000, times higher, anyone, those guys never were vaccinated again and lived to be 17 and 18 years of age, both were medium sized breeds, one a border collie and the other an Icelandic sheepdog mix, I did do titers more than once to make sure their levels were holding and they were fine.
Yes, for some of these diseases I really don’t think they know what causes them, hopefully veterinary medicine will keep improving over the years as it has been. I read an article the other day that certain areas of the country are really lacking in Veterinarians, Phoenix Arizona being one of them, not enough vets per capita for the number of sick animals. I think that can make getting good care more difficult.
Anyway, thanks for responding!

[Logan W]

For those new or novice to homemade dog food, it does take some research and a little bit of trial and error to see what your dog will eat. I’ve been doing homemade 100% for about 7 or 8 years now and I would highly recommend it. It does require some initial time and research but it’s all well worth it. I first started with several dogs and wasn’t convinced, like many here, that anything available on the market was as nutritionally dense as homemade. I started when I first adopted several dogs and they loved eating anything I bought, but the food certainly never agreed with them and they were sick all around my house. I think the last food, both dry and soft, they ever ate from the pet store was Blue Buffalo way back when. I would give them rice and chicken till they got better then slowly start working commercial food back into their diet. Every time… they got sick. That’s when I started out on the quest for something that I could rest assured was wholesome and nutritional… from my own hands.

People are right here when they warn you of feeding your dog homemade food without understanding your dogs nutritional needs. We all know our dogs will eat just about anything and you’d hate to learn the hard way that you are malnourishing your dog. I started by searching the web for a canine version of a daily nutritional requirements list that includes not only the macro nutrients (proteins, fiber, fat, carbohydrates, etc.) but also details all the micro nutrients (different amino acids, minerals, vitamins, etc.). The lists are out there if you search. It will be a long, long list of about 30-40 nutrients.

Once I found this list, I did some calculations based on my dogs activity level and size, multiples really. Then I created an Excel spreadsheet of all the target daily nutritional requirements. From there I started searching the web for natural sources of each nutrient and cross referencing them again sites to make sure they weren’t toxic to dogs. You’d be surprised to find that much of the normal fresh meats and vegetables at the store have just what your dog needs. I created a list of ideal food ingredients and Googled each ingredient’s full nutritional profile and built a tab for each ingredient in Excel listing out its nutrients per 1 gram or other serving size. Then I would build other worksheets modeling possible combinations of natural ingredients and seeing how the resulting nutrional profile compares to the target. You’ll find, just like with any animal, that you’ll never get it perfect. You may figure out that adding sweet potatoes helps you fill one nutrient you were targeting only to provide an exceeding amount of another. This is inevitable but just make sure that you aren’t creating a recipe that has far too little of one nutrient that is very important, or even far too much of another that can cause problems if ingested in large quantities like Vitamin A, etc. Its really a process or trial and error modeling a recipe that is really close. I got a few recipes and then went for it. But I do give my dog a multivitamin once a day too just to be a little safer.

The recipes I’ve been using for some time is muscle meat and some organ meat like ground beef and beef livers or kidneys, or chicken breasts and chicken livers. Organ meat is very nutritionally dense and its what dogs go for first when they find a animal in the wild. Muscle meat is a thing we humans prioritize for some reason so remember that you dog IS NOT BEST SERVED WITH FILET MIGNONS OR CHICKEN TENDERS. For veggies, I use about 3-5 different vegetables and switch them up every once in a while. My favorites are sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, squash and zucchini. For fiber and carbohydrates, I pick between a rice (white or brown) or beans (dry pinto or black beans). There’s other things I do too, like I use quite a few eggs and I boil the eggshells to sterilize them. Then I grind the dried shells into a powder for their high calcium needs. I also add some ground flax seed and olive oil to every batch. That’s really it about ingredients… now the PREPARATION METHOD becomes vitally important.

If your dog is like any of mine, they probably don’t care to eat vegetables raw or their own flavor. Also, how you cook the vegetables and beans/grains can either retain most of the nutrients or deplete most of them. Dogs have very short digestive tracts compared to humans and that means that just because they can eat a raw carrot…. it doesn’t mean there digestive tract can break it all down fast enough before it passes. Pressure cookers are great for dog food vegetables. Pressure cookers apply high heat for a very short period of time that not only softens the vegetables so they are more digestible, but it helps retain the nutrients in the vegetables much better than, let’s say, boiling them. One could simply use a steamer, but the trick I use is adding some chicken broth to the pressure cooker so that it injects a tasty flavor in all the vegetables. I chop all my vegetables and pile them into the pressure cooker and add a couple cups of real chicken broth and set it for 10 minutes, done. I pull out the finished veggies and set aside. Then I do the same flavor-injection with the beans or rice by using the pressure cooker too. I take out the beans or rice when finished and mix it into the cooked vegetables I set aside.

Next I chop up a cook the meats/organs either in a large pan or also in the pressure cooker (depends on the meat). I add a generous amount of olive oil and pour in the eggs and ground eggshells + ground flax seed. When this is all done I mix it all together with the already completed parts I set aside. A little salt and its done. I divide the food up into glass, airtight containers that hold enough for no more than 5 days of food. I keep one in the fridge and the others in the freezer. After the first container is nearing empty, I start thawing the second container. I give me 20-30 lbs guys about 1 cup of the food nuked for about a minute, morning and night.

How’s it working? Wonderful coats, plenty of energy, no skin problems EVER, all vet checkups clear and I’ve had their blood tested drawn at different times of their metabolic cycles to test for nutrients in their bloodstream (a whole lot of expensive testing just to reassure me that what I was doing was good) and not a single thing ever wrong with them. Since their food is not very hard or dry, you do need to brush their teeth or make sure they get plenty of dental chews. Their stool should be nice and loose, but not huge and frequent. Once or twice a day is normal. Their digestives tracts are using more of the food mass than was being used when feeding commercial food filled with corn and other grains. So their stool gets smaller. You can go online and find paid recipes backed by vets, but I’ve yet to see one that is truly all homemade. They typically create recipes that require using some overly priced supplement powder they distribute or co-advertise for. Don’t waste your time on them.

You may find that your dog devours the food right away or plays the hold-put game for something better. Mine play both games depending on their mood. They usually don’t eat the food right away cause it’s just been reheated and they know not to try. So they usually meander around for a while before eating it later. But when they finally eat… they eat it all… every last piece of vegetable, bean and rice, etc.

So there’s my experience and I hope it inspires you to give it a go and stick with it. I have an electric pressure cooker only for the dog food… best investment ever. It costs me about 50 cents to feed 1 lbs dog for a week. So that’s $10 a week for one 20 lbs dog. I consider that a much better ROI than commercial dog food. Since I only have one freezer, I only make food every 2 weeks and spend about 2 hours when I do. But you get used to it and you learn the process inside and out. I’d never go back. Now if only I would eat as good as these damned dogs do!! 😉

[irene w]

Hi
Thanks for your response.
Maybe you can answer another question for me. I read on this blog somewhere that it’s good to change the food you give your dog.

How many brands do you keep? or are they just different flavors?

I thought someone told me to be very careful not to upset your dogs eating by changing off to different flavors
Thanks

[pugmomsandy]

There might be over 100 suggestions for new reviews already so it could be quite some time. Or you can suggest it again.

/contact-us/suggest-dog-food-review/

[Mark A]

I first heard of NuVet when I thought my 13 year old long-haired Chihuahua was blind. She fell into our swimming pool. Luckily, I was right there to pull her out. My first thought, she’s blind. She hates the water. The vet told me that she had cataracts. I researched “cataracts in dogs” on the internet. I found this website and read the raving reviews here and other reviews site like:
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.nuvet.com
http://www.viewpoints.com/NuVet-Plus-Canine-Supplements-reviews

After that I bought the first bottle. A couple of weeks later, I took my dog to the specialist and he couldn’t find any cataracts. Now, my dog’s vision is better than ever, and her coat is shiny and fluffy. I just signed up for automatic refills.

[Robyn O]

We lost our beloved chihuahua Piper almost 6 weeks ago and I’m still torn up about it. She was just the best dog and she is so missed.

We got her from a family friend who had to go to a nursing home. Piper was 10 years old at the time and lost the only home she’d ever known. I knew she’d need extra care and to be spoiled and that’s what we did. I was battling cancer at the time and I think she knew I needed extra care too. We became immediate, fast friends. I loved learning that even though she was a senior dog, she loved to play. She was silly and goofy and loved people. She could be a little shy at first but once you were her friend, you were her friend for life.

She became my comfort during my treatment and the pain that followed. She would comfort me when I cried and made me laugh every single day. Some days, she was the only thing that kept me going. I didn’t give up because of her and I owe her my life to her!

She was diagnosed with congestive heart failure at 13. We nursed her back to health and she was doing so well on her medication!! The doctors thought she could live for several years, she responded so well. But In late June, everything changed. She was fine on Tuesday. On Wednesday, she was running into walls. By Wednesday afternoon, she’d lost the use of her front left leg. We rushed her to the vet and they kept her overnight to monitor her. They told us she’d gone completely blind and that they hoped it was a stroke. She could recover from that. She continued to go downhill and they advised us that it was probably a brain tumor. We (and the vets) couldn’t believe it!! Her condition was grave but she was stable so we decided to bring her home. We had the most wonderful weekend with her. She rallied for us and even began to walk again. She was blind but knew we were there for her. We didn’t leave her side all weekend. We honestly thought the vet had made a mistake. That she’d recover. But by Monday morning she wasn’t eating. That evening, she began to have uncontrollable seizures. We couldn’t watch her suffer anymore.

The second seizure had made her scared but when we brought her to the vet I just think she knew it was time and calmed down immediately. That wasn’t normal for her. She was ready. I wasn’t. But I tried to be calm and I held my best friend through the whole thing. It was a peaceful end for her. I’m grateful for that.

I’ve been devastated ever since. She gave me so much more than I could ever have given her. She was kind, funny and sweet. She knew my heart and I knew hers. She was my companion almost 24/7 and I love her more than words can ever say. I do believe that dogs go to Heaven and that I’ll see her again. Until then, I cry tears for her every day. I’ll see you again, sweet Piper, my little love!!!!

[Stephanie M]

My husband and I just adopted the sweetest 8 year old doberman mix from the SPCA. She is our first dog together and she is heart worm positive (stage II). We live in Texas and half of the dogs at the shelter were HW +. We didn’t really know much about heart worms so we talked to the shelter employee. They seemed very knowledgeable and said that they pay for the HW treatment if we go to one of their partnered vets. They made it sound like an easy treatment and the biggest thing was restricting activity for one month after the first injection.

We saw the vet today and here is the treatment:
-3 months of heart guard doses prior to the first injection.
-1 month doxycycline before the first injection
-first injection of imiticide. She would be sedated and spend the night at the vets. They’d also give a steroid injection.
-She’d come home and need to be on “bedrest” for 30 days. Only going out of her crate to the rest room on a leash.
-After 30 days she’d go back to the vet and stay a few days where she’d get the final 2 injections. Then its complete. No other mention of an additional 30 days bedrest.

A few things concern me now. First, the vet said that our dog would be the oldest dog he has done the treatment for. He doesn’t anticipate any issues but things can always happen unexpectedly. Secondly, after looking more into the imiticide it looks like quite the potent drug and I’m frightened by it.

Currently she had one dose of heart guard at the shelter so she has at least a two month waiting period before her first injection. She is on the doxycycline now due to her biting at her stomach. The vet suspects a possible UTI and this should clear it up. I asked if she would need a second 30 day antibiotic the month before the injection and they said no.

This is our first dog so I wanted to ask people who have more experience with them what they would do. Our dog is already 8 and is a large breed girl. We knew by adopting her we’d probably only have a few years with her. If it were your dog, would you put her through these treatments? I don’t want the time she spends with us to be spent in pain.

Thanks for any insight!

[Susan]

Hi, I always read the Kcals per cup, you can find Kcals on the kibbles web page under “feeding guidelines”…….I always read the Kcals per cup & work out how many calories my dog should be eating a day, here’s a link so you can work out how many Kcals per cup ur dog should eat, my boy needs about 1000 calories a day, also if your dog is looking thin then add another 1/2 cup a day…..try rotating a few different brands with a different protein…. Wellpet makes Wellness, Holistic Select & Eagle Pack…. normally premium kibble you need to feed less & always add some fresh meat to diet, like tin sardines in spring water add a couple or mussels…
http://www.german-shepherd-lore.com/dog-food-calculator.html

[Raava]

Hi all, just joined b/c I have an unusual question…

I just started my dog on a full raw diet again. He’s a 30lb, 10yo husky mix. Tried it before but couldn’t keep up the expense, and he’s eaten raw on and off throughout his life.

This time I’m a little bit “OCD” about making sure he’s not lacking in any nutrients. lol I give him a pretty balanced diet: Mostly red meat like beef and pork, pork bones, chicken quarters, gizzards, eggs, chicken and beef liver, beef kidney, canned mackerel, salmon, and sardines, kefir sometimes, and salmon oil (b/c I’m paranoid about the mercury in even small fish). I’m swapping the chicken out for turkey now though (both ground and bone-in) b/c I kind of suspect a chicken allergy, but I’m not sure. He even gets oysters for the extra zinc, and a liquid vitamin E supplement.

I recently noticed that iron seems low though, and I got him some baby clams to supplement it since those are super high in iron, but then I read about cadmium in them and other heavy metals that can accumulate (might be the same with oysters, I don’t know anymore). -_- It’s always something. I discovered that spleen is high in iron too, but I can’t get my hands on that.

So I was thinking about how wolves in the wild eat… they kill their prey and eat/drink some of the blood as well while they’re gnawing on their meat, right? Well blood has plenty of iron in it… but I can’t buy fresh blood. I’ve even read it’s illegal to sell (not sure on location). So the next best thing is blood meal.

Would adding blood meal be a good idea as an iron supplement? (I’ve calculated the amount of iron in it and know how much he would need, roughly 2g, give or take.) Or do I sound like a lunatic? xD I’m just slightly paranoid about him getting ALL the right amounts of nutrients he needs. I know they say “balance over time”, but even then, the raw diet seems low in a lot of things. Particularly, zinc, iron, magnesium, potassium, vitamin e, and manganese.

Since I added more red meat and the oysters to his diet, his coat is getting a lot better. It was unusually dry-ish before, and not soft and shiny like you typically see with a raw diet.

And to add another thing: I really wish I knew the nutrient content of bones! I read there’s some magnesium, potassium, zinc and other things in them, but there’s no info to say how much. So there’s no telling what he’s getting from the bone content too.

As I mentioned in the beginning, he’s 10 years old already and I want him to live forever, basically…. lmao So that’s why I’m a little paranoid about him getting everything he needs. Sorry for being long-winded, and thanks to anyone who reads this. lol

• This topic was modified 9 years, 4 months ago by Raava.

[Robin F]

Hello Everyone,
My Natasha is almost 10 years old and weighs 125 pounds. She has arthritis and has a fatty tumor which I was told should shrink when she looses weight. I finally trained the husband not to give table food or cook chopped beef to mix in food! She is eating Wellness Cores Reduced Fat dog food. She hardly never eats all of what she is given (2 cups once a day) which I do top with half a can of one of the stews from Blue since the chopped beef is gone! Does anyone know if there are supplements to help the weight loss, but without her getting diarrhea or having to go potty all the time? She is limping quite a bit and is already on pain meds (Tramadol and Rimadyl).
Thank you, Robin

[Kristy O]

I’ve been reading (through online research sites and here) good things about the Fromm weight loss dog food (Gold, Gold Coast, and Four Star Weight Management) but I haven’t yet tried one of them…I’m leaning toward one of the 2 Gold choices right now. I have a female, spayed German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP), about 9 years old who is tremendously overweight. I volunteer for the Illinois Shorthair Rescues and she came to us as a foster dog from a kill shelter. She was with us for one day and became ours forever. 🙂 She’s so sweet, but I’m thinking she was likely a puppy mill dog – at the very least a backyard breeder/breeder dog. It’s obvious she has had several litters of pups. She should weigh between 50-60 pounds and definitely not over 70, but she’s over 80 lbs. 🙁 In all fairness, she came to us overweight, with heartworm and multiple other problems, so it’s been difficult to work too much on her weight loss; however, she’s now heartworm free and we’re working diligently to get the weight off. We run her every morning on a nearby farm (as far as she can tolerate – also has hip problems) and have cut back on her food to approx. 2 cups/day and a couple treats in between. We currently feed Exclusive, which works well for our other GSP (she has Addison’s Disease). As a matter of fact, I believe that food really helped to save her life when she was diagnosed years ago. I digress. Sorry. I’m thinking about trying the Fromm for both of them now. Has anybody else tried their products? Would be happy to hear if you have. The weight management products ARE on the list of Editor’s Choice at 4 Stars, so it must be pretty good. Please let me know what you all think. Thanks!

[crazy4cats]

Hi weezerweeks, my fellow crazy cat lady friend!!! I’m so glad to hear that you still have so many that stuck around. I’m sorry about the ones that didn’t make it. I agree with Acroyali! I think you have a shot at making it work. Especially since it sounds like they are not totally feral.

You definitely need to keep them contained for a while so they do learn where their food is coming from. Can you bring the beds and condo home and put them somewhere that you can keep them contained? I’d try to keep them in for a couple of weeks. I also have a small cat enclosure set up off a down stairs door with a pet door in it for mine to go in and out as they wish. It’s basically just a covered kennel with a few perches for them to climb on and get some sun and fresh air. I do not let any of my cats roam free outside anymore due to losing one to a coyote a few years back and couldn’t deal with that again.

If you google, pinterest or youtube catios and/or cat enclosures, you will see some very creative and clever ideas to keep cats safe. I have bought a lot of my kennels and crates and such off of Craig’s list at very good prices.

One of my current cats who recently turned 17 was feral when I trapped her. It took her a very long time to warm up to us. But we were patient and didn’t push it. She still is very shy, but not mean or aggressive and very cute!!

We have moved a couple of times and have never lost a cat due to it trying to return to its home. Albeit, they were already used to being inside/outside at the time which probably makes it a little easier.

Keep us updated on what you decide Good luck!

[Acroyali]

For years, one of our dogs fought this problem, and we kept him on Pepcid as a maintenance and would switch to Cerenia if things got bad. Surprise, after so long the pepcid stopped working at the recommended dosage and we needed to switch to a higher potency. Endoscopy showed inflammation. The symptoms got worse. As much as I love my vet in general, the diagnosis “IBD” and being offered z/d and cerenia for life was just plain not good enough for us.
Like Jenni M, we decided long term, drugs weren’t a good option for us, and we did the Apple Cider Vinegar as she suggested and it worked. While the flare ups still happened, things got better. We worked closely with a homeopath who was able to pinpoint the rest of the symptoms and select a remedy that knocked it out for good. Upon reading about GERD (Dr. Becker has excellent articles on this, as does the ottawa valley dog whisperer), it was mentioned that high stomach acid has the same symptoms as LOW stomach acid (just like it does in humans). Our dog was actually experiencing low acid, and we were treating his stomach as if it were highly acidic and we were giving him MORE things to reduce his stomach acid which he didn’t even have. That itself led to mild pica and vomiting as, without any stomach acid left, he was unable to break down his food and it had nowhere to go but up. (It also makes me think twice before popping a pepcid, myself.) I’m extremely grateful for conventional veterinary medicine, as it truly does save lives (you can’t fix a broken leg with coconut oil and herbs.) But when something, conventional or not, isn’t working, it’s time to look elsewhere and try something else. JMO.

[InkedMarie]

Vets get very little nutritional education. You need to be careful what you feed a large breed puppy; go to the Diet & Health issues forum here and read the stickie on top, highlighted in yellow, on what is appropriate foods for large breed puppies. I’m not sure if it’s “too late” or not.

I would not feed anything by Blue Buffalo; they’ve had their share of problems.

You can try a spoonful of canned pumpkin (the one without the spices) while you transition. Also, over feeding can be a cause.

[Greg D]

Hi,
I’m new to this forum and have come
across this site as I’m researching. Im going crazy with my dogs yeast infections. I’ve read all the comments, and as everywhere on the net you always find conflicting comments, statements, opinions etc regarding causes and prevention, so I am going to simply provide some of my findings and also hope people can advise any further.
My dog, Digi, a Maltese cross has a yeast problem. Started out in the ears and the paws. This has been going on for 12 months. I started off by changing her diet to a grain free and mostly meat based diet feeding her Wellness core . She loved it at the start but the problem didn’t stop. We then changed to K9 natural freeze dried. Again, she loved it but soon stopped wanting it. The problem didn’t stop. I then started feeding her a raw diet with. I grains or carbs. The problem got worse until she actually had an allergic reaction and ended up at the vets when her face swelled up and she got a red, raised rash all over her body. This happened instantly one night after she finished eating. The vet recommended a fish based diet which against my better judgement contains brown rice, but I was desperate so we tried it. Her ears cleared up miraculously and almost instantly but she still licks her feet. She is washed in anti fungal shampoo regularly but it will not disappear. Her ears are beautiful and clean and no other part of her body seems to be affected anymore. The vet has suggested she may have an allergy to grass as well but how can I keep her inside 24/7? She would go crazy with cabin fever!
I’ve tried soaking them in hydrogen peroxide and water and tried different sprays but she continues to lick them almost constantly and they are that rusty colour. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Willing to try anything. Thank you.

[pitlove]

Hi Kenneth-

Welcome to the forums. Hound Dog Mom hasn’t been able to post on here in quite some time due to school, so I don’t know that you’ll ever hear back from her. I can however, try to help.

Here is 2 articles from DFA that may help you understand large breed puppies and choosing a dog food a little better:

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

/choosing-dog-food/brand-guidelines/

It is interesting that when you read through the second link the rating that Pro Plan recieves does not reflect those criteria that Mike has outlined. In fact Pro Plan makes a excellent choice when using those 9 tips. Another thing to be mentioned is that Purina is one of 2 companies that are the leaders in research for large breed puppy nutrition and growth. While some may choose other brands or diets other than kibble, many show dogs are fed Pro Plan as well. Personally, I see no reason to switch simply because this website rates it 2.5 stars, especially since you’ve noted your dog is doing quite well on it.

However, if you are insistant, I would highly recommend looking at Dr. Tim’s Kinesis (not the grain free one). It is formulated by both a vet and a nutritionist and has gone through AAFCO feeding trials and if star rating is of that much concern, it is rated 4 stars.

[Denise R]

I had a Brittany that passed away two weeks ago at age 15. She too was allergic to legumes plus peanuts and potatoes. We struggled for years trying to find good foods without any of these and as soon as we settled on one, they’d change the formula. You had to read the ingredients on the bag. Ev.er.y. time! (On an aside, I did read that a lot of dog food manufacturers were buying their peas from China where they were treated with toxic chemicals in their pesticides.). Sometimes we had to use the cheapest dog foods because they had the right ingredients or should I say they lacked the wrong ones. Now…so sorry, back to your question, in the end we were having really good luck with the PetSmart brand “Authority”. I don’t know if they made “the list” but you can check the ingredients online. I think I saw at least one that may work for your dog. The crude protein runs 29% on the ones I checked. Our dogs did well on it. No more itchy spots, nice shiny healthy fur, etc. And right now all dog food is 30% off with free shipping if you buy it online. Good luck!

[Jennifer R]

Does anyone know of a dry dog food that has absolutely no form of legumes or poultry but that has a rating of 4 or 5? I’m probably looking right at it, but I can’t for the life of me find one.

I have a senior Akita who has liver and gallbladder issues and food intolerances. He’s refusing homecooked food and canned food (refusing as in not eating for days). He will eat kibble right now, but I’m having a hard time finding a quality kibble without legumes and poultry. He’s also sensitive to corn, soy, and goat, but he really can’t tolerate any form of legumes or poultry.

His vet recommends Royal Canin, which has chicken fat and causes gas. I was ready to try Natural Balance LID or California Natural but then I saw the ratings. At this point I realize grain free foods are out because they replace grains with legumes, but isn’t there a quality meat-based kibble that uses grain not legumes? Are all kibble with grains plant-based?

Any ideas would help! It’d be great if the kibble were also low fat while still being high in protein, but I’ll settle for meat-based, above 4 stars with no legumes or poultry of any form.

Thanks!

[Karigan P]

Hello all, I have a 12 week old Great Dane puppy who has been through it all in his short time (parvo & severe demodex) He is well now and we are focusing on nutrition for him. It has been about a month post parvo. My issue is he is now knuckling over or, bowing at the leg on his front.
It is so bad he can’t walk very well. It seemed to start healing and then I took him out for a long walk and it worsened. Should I just keep him on bed rest? I thought exercise would help.

Here is the food he has been on so far: Orijen Puppy (1 1/2 weeks) then switched to Zignature Zssential formula (2 days – this is when he started losing his hair), Then Orijen Large Breed Puppy (only 1/2 a week). When I noticed his knuckling over I did some research and he is now on the Precise Holistic large and giant breed puppy.

I have unfortunately switched foods TOO many times b/c I thought the demodex was a food allergy and I’m scared to switch again but he is having runny diarrhea on this food – he has been on it for 4 days now. I can possibly wait it out but I have read that this is a common issue on this brand and I don’t want him to lose any more weight than he has already.

Any suggestions?

[Susan]

Hi my boy suffers with Food Sensitivities & Environment allergies.. your best of doing an elimination food diet to make sure she is sensitive to chicken?? My boy is sensitive to chicken he gets red paws, itchy ears, itchy skin & sloppy poos, as soon as I feed cooked or raw chicken his paws went red & hot within 20mins, also when he eats a kibble with
barley, corn, maize, gluten meal….
“Taste Of The Wild” puppy formulas both are chicken free & no chicken fat….one is Pacific Stream puppy with Smoked Salmon the other one is High Prairie Puppy with Roasted Bison & Roasted Venison….your better off feeding the Salmon kibble. Fish is a cooling meat where beef isn’t my boy itches when I made him Beef rissoles now I feed pork rissole with sweet potato for dinner & the Taste Of The Wild Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb kibble for breakfast, the TOTW Sierra Mountain is an all life stages kibble & can be feed to a puppy & is chicken free. send TOTW an email ask for some puppy samples & All Life Stages kibbles for a large breed puppy & their booklet so you can read ingredients & which kibbles are All Life Stages kibbles…their samples are pretty big..

also BATHS are the best when your dog has environment allergies, I bath weekly sometimes twice a week depends if Patch is itchy & scratching after a walk…Baths wash off any pollen & allergen that are on their fur & skin & relieve any itch when you wash in the right shampoo I bath Patch in Malaseb medicated shampoo. I also wipe him down with Huggie baby Cucumber & Aloe wipes after going on our daily walks… http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/
Another chicken free kibble is “Holistic Select” Salmon & Anchovy & Sardine Meal Adult & Puppy Health is suppose to be really good for itchy dogs…
http://www.holisticselect.com/
If after changing kibble to an all fish kibble & your dog is still itchy red eyes then book an appointment to see an Dermatologist they are better then a vet, dearer but a Dermatologist knows all about allergies & the skin you’ll end up saving money vets just put the dog on a vet diet & give antibiotics & steroids….Have you tried an antihistamine?? especially her eyes are you sure its not a turned in eye lash?? that can cause irritation & infection, I’d see a new vet for her eye…
besides the red eyes is she itchy all over her body & scratching, red paws or itchy ears?? she may just need the eye drops & be put on a premium kibble..

[pitlove]

Hi Tonya

Welcome to the forums!

Tripett is a canned variety of green beef tripe that is a great topper for kibble because it has a perfect 1:1 ca/phos ratio.

Basically as I’m sure you have learned, excessive calcium and excess weight gain are the two major causes of bone growth disorders in growing large breeds. Some of these diseases don’t manifest until later in life, some manifest early on and then clear up. Either way it is important to feed a food appropriate for a growing large breed. The calcium to phos ratio should not exceed 1:5:1 and the calcium to calorie ratio should not exceed 3g/1000kcals.

Here is the issue….some foods make the claim “All Life Stages” which does mean it can be fed to a puppy or an adult. However, that does not always mean a LBP. Natural Balance makes the claim “All Stages, All Breeds” however that may or may not be true depending on what their nutritional philosophy regarding LBP’s is. Some companies are running on the old tired myth that protein is the main cause of bone growth disorders, dispite this theory being debunked some 20 years ago. They put so much emphasis on low protein that they ignore the calcium content.

Some companies list their “nutrient analysis” right there on their website, which I love! Some do not and you have to email the company and ask for it. Reason this is important is because there is a great tool on DFA here in that thread we orginally were talking on that lets you put in the MAX calcium, MAX phos and the calories/kg of the food and it tells you the calcium/phos ratio and the calcium/calorie ratio. However, you can not use the MIN numbers found on the bag. It does not tell you the true amount of calcium contained in the food. When using the MIN numbers, just about every food on the market would look LBP safe lol.

When it comes to feeding guidelines on the bag, they are simply a guideline. NB is a lower calorie food, so in order to meet the dogs daily caloric requirements, more food needs to be fed. Higher calorie foods would require less. One issue with feeding SO much less than the guidelines is the dog becoming nutrient deficient over time.

A lot of factors come in to play in keeping a dog lean. Being spayed/neutered will decrease metabolism, being less active, consuming too many calories in ratio to what is being burned. Personally, I would reward with something like green beans instead of the Zuke’s treats you are using if you are doing a lot of training with her and she is getting a lot of treats. We don’t use a lot of treats in my house because I’m very careful with my dogs weight. I have 3 kinds of treats right now, each with different kcals/treat and I use them based on how much excersize I feel they have done that day. Many days they don’t get a treat at all because I’m also incorporating raw into their kibble, so that takes up the calories of the treats. Praise is also a good training reward vs a treat.

[Maniza D]

Sorry .. I did not read that your dog maybe allergic to fish. My research revealed that dogs with digestive issues are best treated with having a higher protein than fats and carbs. Dogs do not have the intestines needed for digesting complex carbs … hence diarreahh, stinky stools, big stools etc. There is a PHD pet nutritionist in Canada who has a cookbook for dogs as wells totally balanced vitamin supplement. Her name is Hilary Watson and her website is http://www.hilarywatson.com/. I spoke with her today. She was very helpful. She is the one who suggested to me that my Toby may not have an allergies to food but food intolerances. Her recommendation was to feed him food with lower fat content than I had been. The recipe I created above certainly provides less fat than what he was accustomed to with Acana. I also think the addition of slippery elm, the small amount of garlic, ginger and some greens has helped tremendously. Dr. Watson suggested that once his digestive system has settled down, I might want to reintroduce him to other low fat proteins such as turkey, venison, bison and goat. But please note that almost every kibble has higher fat percentage than protein. The fat is added back in to make the food palatable to dogs. Natural Balance is a good food per my breeder .. but it’s nutrient values are (for fish and sweet potatoe .. limited ingredients) Protein 22%, Fat 20% and the remainder is carbs.

[C4D]

Hi RobbW,

I have several dogs of my own and foster dogs, and they are mostly large dogs, so there is a lot of urine going in my grass! What you read about giving the dogs more water (think adding fresher, higher moisture food to their diet) and watering the lawn more often is the way to go. Urine is essentially fertilizer in liquid form and is a free, all natural one at that. But too much and too strong will burn the lawn in a heartbeat. I’ve done that in the past when the spreader fell over. 🙁

In spite of having a lot of dogs in a relatively small area, I have very few, if any “burn spots” and I don’t feed any “grass saver” type additives. I also don’t fertilize the dog area of the yard. I do feed all of the dogs canned food when I feed kibble and add a good amount of warm water to the mix, so it’s pretty wet to begin with. I also have fresh water on hand throughout the day. I feed a fresh dinner to most of the dogs, all of my own. All this moisture means a more diluted urine. The results are healthier dogs that aren’t slightly chronically dehydrated and a lawn that doesn’t have many, if any, burn spots. I will spray the lawn area down on a fairly regular basis, maybe every few days, or run the sprinkler if it’s been very hot and dry. I do have a REALLY GREEN lawn in the dog area. LOL! 😉

Here’s a university link that you might find interesting:

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/553.html

• This reply was modified 9 years, 5 months ago by C4D.

[Jen T]

Thanks anonymous. I had read what you have posted here in other people’s posts and it’s very helpful. I wanted to know how I could help my dog unrelated to drugs to maintain allergies as best as possible. I will take her to a dermatologist but in the mean time, instead of using Cortisone cream is there another natural anti-itch cream that can be used? Do people supplement with probiotics and salmon oil? Do people use those spot on treatments to help with the skin barrier? I’m hoping to find some natural alternatives to help her while we find a dermatologist and get to the bottom of this.

[pitlove]

Hi Jennifer-

To answer your first question, those numbers are the recommendation from the NRC (National Research Council) which in conjuntion with AAFCO, sets the minimums for the nutrient profiles in all dog foods. As far as I know there is no legal obligation to NRC for companies unlike AAFCO, however they influence AAFCO greatly and are a good rule of thumb. These are nutrient guidelines you would want to consider in preparing homemade and raw diets as well.

For number 2, my best advice is what you already know. Keep them lean, all throughout life. I find that I can still feed my older large breed (8 year old 75lb Lab) high calorie foods, but still keep him at a good weight, so long as I consider his activity level and any extras that he gets. I also do prefer leaner meats like chicken, turkey and fish. The other thing that certainly helps their metabolism is them being intact. It’s going to be much different with neutered/spayed dogs, as their energy requirements change. It’s said now, with some of the new research, that senior dogs require more of a high quality protein because of their inability to metabolize protein as efficently as their adult counterparts. Some still argue that high protein damages the kidneys etc. Others argue that processing excess protein is a passive process of the kidneys and has no effect on a healthy dog.

[Elizabeth A]

Thank you for all the posts regarding the allergies. I will definitely look over the links and do some reading. The rescue had recommends feeding grain free for skin issues. Most of his skin issues have cleared up. He had a severe yeast infection and lost a lot of hair and was severely matted and had to be shaved down. His hair is growing back now and we’re giving him some fish oil supplements as well. He has been on occasion chewing or licking his feet/paws. I think that might be our grass and we’ve had another dog who was allergic to the grass and I can attest that it is very itchy for me to walk in it (I have grass allergies).

Regarding the allergy testing. I don’t think the rescue is going to do that at this point unless it’s recommended by the vet. His allergies are not severe I would say (not like our late dog who had terrible allergies). We just notice a bit of paw chewing/licking.

Also, we brought the Limited Ingredient back and got the Merrick Lil’ Plates for him since it was 5 stars and the other was 3.5. I started feeding him 5/8 twice a day plus a spoonful of can food just to mix it for him. The can food he’d need 1.25-1.5 cans a day if we fed him entirely canned food so I’m not too worried about the calories in one spoon or two.

I’m just confused should I feed him to his ultimate goal weight of 15 lbs or should I feed him to 20lbs and when he reaches 20lbs feed him the 15lb guide? And thank you for pointing out the guides are too much on a lot of dog foods. We definitely noticed this with our other dog’s food (Nutro Ultra). We have one that’s overweight by about 1 – 1.5 lbs (small dog–12-13lbs) and we were feeding the guidelines too! I wish they would just put Calories/kcals on the serving size on the bag of food. It’s much easier for me to relate to and then I could find out exactly how many calories she should be eating.

We’re trying to exercise our foster as much as possible but it’s a little hard with the heat here. Today’s heat index was about 110! He is so overweight and had a lot of breathing trouble (recovering from kennel cough) so we didn’t want to walk him too much. He does like to walk he just can’t go too far. We’ve gone down a few houses each way and he’s huffing and puffing when it’s over.

[pitlove]

Hi Rikki and welcome-

I can appreciate your desire for science based medicine. To touch on a the points you hit on, no protein is not a factor in terms of correct growth for large and giant breeds. However, Dr. Rebecca Remillard ACVN states on her website petdiets.com, that growing puppies do not require a food with more than 25% protein.

Absolutely, by no means, should you feed your mastiff an adult maintenance diet. This is a tired old myth still thought to be true because it “worked” 30 years ago. Companies are now producing large breed puppy diets designed specificially for slow growth.

The safe upper limit for your calcium and phos ratio is 1.5:1. However, you also need to pay attention to the calcium to calorie ratio as well to keep the pup lean during growth. Overfeeding is a huge factor in devlopmental orthopedic disorders.

As for the choice of food….the two companies that have done the most research on large and giant breed puppy growth and nutrition are Hill’s and Purina. Selecting a large breed puppy diet from either of those companies would be fine. I do understand that some are opposed to using a food from either of those two companies. Dr. Tim’s Kinesis which you mentioned earlier, is safe for a growing giant breed, is formulated by a vet and a nutritionist and has been feed trialed. All qualities that are excellent to have in a food. Not to mention it comes in a 44lb bag on chewy.com. This would probably be my first choice for a budget friendly, good large breed puppy food, not from Hill’s or Purina.

Here is a good article to read that is posted on DFA here:

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

and this is another from the persepctive of a veterinary nutritionist, that outlines DOD’s and large breed puppy nutrition fairly well:

https://msu.edu/~silvar/hips.htm

[Rikki W]

Eeeeeekkk!! Information overload!! I am so confused as to what I should be doing. We just got an English Mastiff puppy. He is 7 weeks old and I have no idea what to feed him. Right now we have him on the food the breeder was using. It is a super cheap supermarket brand that I am desperate to get him off of, but I cant seem to find any steadfast solid scientific backed information. I have been trying to research for over 3 days.

Some sites say protein needs to be LESS than 28%, some say that it doesn’t matter. I notice that the editors choice picks for puppy food have some listed with protein as high as 40%….. sooooo is higher protein really okay then??

It seems that the biggest consistent concern with Mastiff puppies and other giant breeds is their calcium intake. Calcium should be less than 1.5% with a 1:1 ratio to phosphorus. Is this accurate??

A different breeder than the one we actually got the puppy from suggested we just go straight to an adult food however that kicks the protein down and the calcium up.

I need science and studies to help me out here. I work in the medical field and am used to using evidence based medicine. I feel my dogs/furry kids deserve the same standards.

I also have two labs at home. One is 11 years old with the perfect current weight and health. The other lab is 2 years old and he could stand to lose a few pounds. I would love to find a food to just use for ALL three while keeping them all healthy. There is an editors choice for Dr. Tim’s life stages but man I am going to go through food quick with my three beasts and its expensive stuff. I will buy it though if I need to.

Can I just get some thoughts??

Thanks in advance 🙂

And now that I have at least gotten a post in, I will go read back through this thread of 1900+ posts for additional information 🙂

• This reply was modified 9 years, 5 months ago by Rikki W.