[Denise R]

Our dog had blood tests that determined that she was allergic to peanuts, potatoes, & soybeans as well as environmental allergies such as grass & pollen. For a while we took her for regular allergy shots but gave up when we felt we had just as good control through close monitoring of her diet & she really didn’t like to spend time outside anyway (& she’s a Brittany😧). Throughout the years we have found that the dog food companies will change their formulas and not inform the consumer even by stating “new formula” on the bag. You can read the ingredients list 50x’s & the 1st time you buy it without reading the label there are changes. With recent changes we found ourselves looking for again another dog food. We did notice that a lot have peas in them now too. Our dog DID NOT do well on anything with peas. Whenever she gets something she is allergic to she will lick patches of her skin raw or her mouth will turn bright red & her eyes water. So my words of advice are that you need to read the ingredients every time. With this new shift to add peas we are again searching for a new dog food. But fortunately we have found that one of the more reputable dog foods on the market (that our dog could never eat) has changed its formula and our dogs are doing well on it. Our Brittany’s skin is healing nicely & they all seem to be doing well again. PS for years the only food that suited our dog was one of the cheapest ones on the market. While it kept her allergy free we did notice an absence of the benefits of a good dog food, nice fur, reduced stool/waste, etc.

[Keira L]

Hi Shawna,
Thank you so much for your reply! Your story is honestly what keeps me from breaking down after any vet visit! So thank you for sharing!
Like I said this is all very over whelming so I’m so appreciative of your response .

Creatinine 5.6
protein 71 mg/L
BUN 9.60mmol/L

She drinks a lot of water, but we live in a hot climate and I watch what she drinks and her energy compared to my other boxer and there’s not a lot of difference between them. She has a big drink before and during sleep so that’s why I think she has little accidents I try to get up in the night and take her out for a wee.
She has a BIG appetite! Never feels like she has eaten enough, I had started given her 3 meals rather 2, they’re small to medium in portion because she just seems to want to eat all the time! Even tries to eat my other dog , Muddys food 😂

I read what you said about Audrey , “you would never know she had kidney failure apart from her levels” That’s Lola too! I was sure they had made a mistake?!
We have been feeding her sweet potatoe boiled, carrots ,celery, and lean raw mince- only just started her on egg yolk ( our 4th day)
still giving her HILLS wet food in the morning for breakfast as we re weening her off it.
I bought standard process canine support because of you! 😀 Starting her on that, this week😀
I have enzymes , and a mix pre and pro biotic powder- would love advice on how much to give her with these enzymes and pre and pro? I also heard parsley was good but it’s also a diuretic?
She gets a 150mg Q10 ,
she gets an osteo pill for bone strength ( vet recommendation)
fish oil ( was giving everyday but just 3 times a week now- as I didn’t want to give too much, still researching and tweaking amounts)
Also vitamin b complex
We give her little pieces of watermelon through the day sometimes for a treat

Would you recommend vitamin c as well since she isn’t getting enough in her food then?
I was giving human vitamins as I heard they’re better quality (fish oil, vitaminB )
Thanks again Shawna, and sorry to hear about Audrey, what a lucky girl she was to have you as her mum and a great life she would have had ❤️
Keira :))

[Shawna]

I foster/fostered puppies for Boston Terrier, Papillon and an all breed rescue. None of mine are now puppies but I’ve had some 20 or more ranging in age from 4 days old (with his mommy of course), five weeks, many that were in the 8 to 12 week range and on up. All puppies already weaned have started right on the same rotational diet that the adult dogs ate. I’ve found puppies actually tolerate the change in diet MUCH BETTER than do adult dogs. I’ve only had one that ever had a problem and he was reacting to a specific protein I was rotating in. In my experience, there’s no need to wait till a specific age to start rotating (or adding high quality canned, cooked or raw toppers).

I rotate kibble brands/proteins about every week, rotate the canned topper every three to four days and rotate the raw I’m using as a topper every other day. Half the diet is raw, teaspoon of canned and the rest is kibble.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by Shawna.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by Shawna.

[Shawna]

Hi Keira,

So sorry to hear about your baby!!

Diagnosed as stage 4 but has no symptoms other than urinating inappropriately? That’s odd. It would be really helpful to know the results of the original blood panel (before starting the prescription diet) when discussing foods and supplements. As the BUN and creatinine get more elevated you need to start limiting phosphorus (as it can build up in the system and damage the kidneys) and protein (as it contributes to symptoms – but NOT to damaging the kidneys)). Example – in the later stages of the disease egg yolks should be increasingly limited because of the higher phosphorus content in them. Ask you vet for a copy of your pup’s blood work if you don’t already have it and then let us know the values.

Nitrogen trapping is helpful at any stage of renal failure but becomes the most noticeably beneficial when you start seeing symptoms – vomiting, inappetance, possibly lethargy or depression etc. In order to create a nitrogen trap you absolutely need a probiotic (however I’m not sure which bacteria is involved in nitrogen trapping so I recommend using one with a WIDE variety of beneficial microbes – one like Garden of Life Primal Defense (human product)). When my Audrey was diagnosed with KD at age one (she was also given a year to live but lived to just shy of age nine) I tried multiple different fiber sources (which are also considered prebiotics – feed the microbes in the gut). Some of the prebiotics (such as apple and grapefruit pectin or the fiber in the grain barley) had a negative impact – the pectins made her symptoms worse and she had a food sensitivity to the barley. I ended up using acacia fiber for her from age one and half(ish) to when she passed. Garden of Life has an acacia fiber product as well but NOW brand makes one and there are a few others.

“Standard Process Renal Support” is the one supplement that my girl NEVER did without. It helps in many many many ways including giving the kidneys the nourishment they need to preventing inflammation from damaging the kidneys further. The Standard Process brand have specific products (called protomorphogens) that help with inflammation. There are other things I used for Audrey or would recommend – such as turmeric bombs / balls, Evian bottle water (lower in sodium then some others and a type of calcium very easily used by the body), activated charcoal, spirulina, chlorella and so on.

Your current diet doesn’t have a source of calcium listed which is VERY important.. If you can give us her actual info from the blood panel we can more easily recommend the right diet for you.

[Shirley B]

I own several dogs, all of the same breed, parents are screen genetically prior to mating, all of which are not known to have kidney disorders. All had perfect blood work ups prior to using Bravecto. My youngest (under 3 yrs of age) became ill two months after taking Bravecto. Kidney failure. I am watching her undergo dialysis for the second week now. The other two, have also been tested for blood. A second one, also under age 3, has elevated BUN levels, indicative of potential for Kidney complications. The third one came up clean, thank heavens I may not lose him. I just sobbed as I wrote that, and he looked over at me.

I didn’t want to come on the message boards, but I owe it to others who could lose their sweet precious babies.

What happened is this: I wanted to switch to what was a gentler flea application. A vet told me yes this was it. Fool that I am, I didn’t research side effects. They are posted all over the web. How dare this company not pull the product, to prevent death to our sweet dogs. However, once I gave them these tablets, I did research, for one threw up in 30 mins. I felt sick to my stomach reading the reports. My husband said relax, most likely nothing. Two months later we were looking healthy and enjoying life, balls, playing, and all of a sudden my sweet girl becomes ill. Looked like UTI, kidney failure mimicks that. If you have already given Bravecto, RUN A BLOOD WORKUP FOR KIDNEY FUNCTION IMMEDIATELY.

Another (dog of mine) didn’t look so great, but oddly enough he is the one who is coming up good blood work up. I was so upset as I read the incidents of kidney and liver failure, but my dogs seemed to clear up and look wonderful, but ah kidney failure is sneaky. You don’t see the signs until there is so much damage.

I hope I can help my second sweet heart. I hope that it is not too late. But literally I have a sick feeling about my sweet girl who is undergoing dialysis. She is not looking good and the Vet (not the one that recommended Bravecto) looks so sad about her illness, and so shocked at how athletic and healthy her heart and body is otherwise. He said this he hasn’t seen before, and cannot imagine what caused it.

So I write this as one is real bad, and the worst is heading our way. A second hopeful, but ah I see how horrid this is, this damage. The third will not understand why his younger pack mates would vanish. Such pain, so avoidable, as is using Bravecto. Avoid Bravecto. Shame on the manufacturer of this product… My heart is with them and part of me will leave with them if they die prematurely at such a young age.

I had to be responsible and post this. I do not want more blood on my hands. It is bad enough i held out the Bravecto and told them good dog as they ate it.

[Jeff A]

Hello,

I’m looking for opinions on how to proceed. Sorry for the long post!

History :

For a couple years my Great Danes have been on a diet of Blue Buffalo Wilderness kibble. They get fed twice a day with each meal consisting of two cups of dry kibble and about 1/4 can of Blue Buffalo basics canned food mixed in. I’ve had zero issues with them on this food. Recently, I decided to transition them over to Fromm. I bought a bag of Fromm Gold kibble, and a case of Fromm gold chicken and duck pate soft food.

I’ve been mixing kibble for quite awhile, and they went through a case of the Fromm soft food with no issues.

Then..

1/4 – Ella went in for a dental at the vet. Pretty groggy from anesthesia.
1/5 – Ella getting back to normal. Received new case of Fromm soft food. Ella and Sydnee have food from new case in evening.
1/6 – Ella back to hungry self. For breakfast they have food from second can in the new case for breakfast. All appears normal. 3 pm in the afternoon my wife comes home to a house full of vomit. Ella wants no food, but Sydnee eats dinner. We assume Ella still isn’t feeling right from anesthesia. 6 pm Sydnee vomits all her dinner.

The next six days are spent dealing with pretty sick girls. They were lethargic, occasional vomiting, bloody diarrhea. Both visited the vet twice over that period of time. Fecal test was negative, blood test showed normal, and temperatures were in the normal (101-103) range. They were both put on antibiotics. After doing some reading this sounds a lot like hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. It usually hits small dogs and requires IV fluids, but I think because my girls are so large (140lb each) they didn’t become overly dehydrated.

I’ve been feeding them boiled hamburger and rice for a few days now, but I’m getting to the point where I need to think about transitioning them back to normal food. I’m very worried at this point.

I will not feed them the remaining cans of the Fromm soft food. I’ve also thrown out all the open bags of dry kibble. I have no idea what caused the issue, but two dogs sick in the exact same manner at the exact same time leads me to believe the the new case of food was a trigger. I called Mr Chewy who contacted Fromm and there have been no reports of issues with the food.

My gut tells me to transition them from the hamburger and rice back to Blue Buffalo and leave well enough alone. Thoughts?

[Jenn H]

Wendeyzee your situation is eerily similar to mine when I lost my 2 boys. The first from torsion. I took him to the vet immediately, but that emergency vet was a quack and wasn’t doing anything to help. I literally had to break into the back area & “steal” him back. Took him to another emergency vet. 3 hrs later. (Still don’t know how he hung on that long.) He survived the surgery, but kept coding afterward. We had to let him go.
A few months later my other guy was diagnosed w/HSA. He didn’t wake up from the anesthesia. Honestly if I had to choose a way for my animals to go that’s it. Just go to sleep happy and not wake up. The vet did CPR for 45 min. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her to stop even tho I knew. My husband showed up and told her no more. He was my baby boy. They were almost 11 and just barely 8 respectfully. (SHEP is my avatar.) How could I go home to my 2 girls a second time empty handed???
I’m grateful a part of SHEP is still here. His niece is will turn 8 in April. My biggest fear is she will have the same diagnosis some day. She’s my best little friend. It’s been ages since I’ve had a GSD live to a respectable age of 13+. Sometimes I almost feel like feeding them crap food maybe wasn’t so bad. Those are the dogs that lived to see old age.
From what I have learned about cancer diets is high protein, low carb. Good luck finding any premade. Grain free tend to have even more carbs than with grain. Go figure.
There is a DNA test for this cancer I think. But I already know it’s a possibility with my baby girl.
I’ve been told it’s basically 50/50 if a dog gets cancer or not. If that holds true then statistically 1 of my girls would get it. This is a thought I try to block every time it pops in my head. I’d rather it be me. Let all bad things happen to me. Never them.

[Jenn H]

I have an almost 7 month GSD puppy. He’s already in the mid 60s in weight.
Until he was 6 months old he had been getting Wellness Core Grain Free Puppy. It was a very good food. And I chose it because it was the best food with the least amount of calcium that was available at big box stores making it easy for my husband could pick it up when I needed him to.
(The other Wellness large breed puppy/all life stages foods have more calcium than the aforementioned.)
I like to rotate my dog’s foods every few months and had a hard time looking for food that met the same criteria and hopefully wasn’t grain free. (I prefer they not be limited to ingredients unless there’s a medical need.)
After much searching & contacting of companies (since they love to only list the min amt of calcium in the GA) I settled on Solid Gold Wolf Cub.
I highly recommend it! Gronk is finally satisfied after meals and I have to feed him half as much. (I actually feed 1/4-1/2 cup less than recommended to allow aome wiggle room for other things.) I thought for sure that would piss him off. I’m saving a bundle too!!!!
The other thing that happened often with his previous food was intermittent diarrhea. Even though the dogs get pumpkin every morning he still had soft/mushy/watery stools once in a while. Hasn’t happened once since the switch!
I’m definitely keeping this puppy food in the rotation. Hope to have the same results with the adult formulas.
Anyone obsessively looking for a good food for their large breed pup and can’t spend a fortune may want to check out Solid Gold Wolf Cub.
The company itself was also very quick & helpful in response to my questions. To me that’s a huge plus.

[anonymously]

I prefer to get my canine’s medical advice from a science-based veterinary healthcare professional.

“There is no “Natural” or “Holistic” Heartworm Prevention or Treatment Proven to be Safe and Effective” posted on June 30,2013 by skeptvet

Much of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is offered either as an addition to conventional, science-based treatment or in situations in which conventional therapies are unavailable or ineffective. This doesn’t excuse offering treatments that haven’t been properly tested, and it … Continue reading →
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=heartworm

[Francis F]

To everyone that has experienced a bad reaction to their dog(s) eating the Canine CarryOuts treats:
In reading the situation with your dog(s), I wonder, how many of the CarryOut treats did they eat?
Because some of our dogs have not had any issues so far, even after years of eating them, the question arises that maybe your dog is eating too many of these instead of only a treat.
I remember about 5 years ago, I left my toy poodle at a very expensive pet resort in Tampa, FL, with specific instructions on how many little pieces of these treats should be given and when. The afternoon care person didn’t read and because he wasn’t eating his regular ProPlan food, she went ahead and gave him the entire daily portion! Well, when I picked him up at 5:00 pm, he was vomiting and had diarrhea. I went inside and that’s when I found out what had happened. So, that’s why I say that perhaps it is the amount of these that they are eating and could be the same with other treats if given an excessive amount per day.
You can read my previous post on 12/13/15 for my experience and thoughts. I’ve checked the 5 oz. packages very carefully and it clearly states MADE IN THE USA, right at the bottom, right front of package. Nowhere does it state China.
Why take a risk if you had a bad experience and if someone finds out for sure via a letter from their vets that these were the cause of the problems, please make a special post all in caps so that we all know about it. Hope you stopped immediately and that all ends in a healthy diagnosis. Thank you for sharing the good & the bad. We certainly don’t want our pooches to suffer. Francis3

[Janet Q]

Hello, I am new to the group here. Thank you everyone for all this info. I am taking notes now as my rescue dog SASHA from Mississippi has this problem. We got her 7 months ago. She is an English Shepherd/Great Pyrenese mix supposedly. She is 7 yrs old. She looked perfectly healthy when we adopted her other than a lick granuloma on a paw. She did have a lot of fears we were told. She is very afraid of people and cars and noises. She walks in the woods fine. She seems to scratch quite a bit so we started her on Benadryl , then cetrizine, now Chlorpheneramine.

Her first Licky/Gulpy Episode was in September. She just had her 8th one tonight. I give her Acepromazine immediately now and it seems to help her. The last 2 episodes only lasted an hour or 2 and she wasn’t totally frantic. The other episodes lasted 3-4 hours and she would vomit halfway through.

She went 3 months without an episode and started up again on Dec 17.

When she starts the episodes she just suddenly starts licking anything like the floor, comforters, carpets. Then starts gulping and gagging. I have slept in bed with her with her leash in my hand so I would know if she jumped off the bed to lick the floor or started licking the comforter again.

She really seems to be even more afraid of noises when she is going through these episodes. Any creak in the house, or noise from a cat jumping off furniture down the hall etc. She will just have a horrified look on her face.

I have read about gastritis and that it can be caused from ingesting fur. She licks quite a bit like OCD and she did have that lick granuloma when we got her. She tore up 3 sets of King sheets when I first got her also and recently shredded a pillowcase while I was home doing dishes.

So I am thinking of finding a specialist near me to have the scope procedure done to check out her esophagus for damage.

I also have her on sucralfate, benadryl, chlropheniramine, composure treats, Lean Treats by Purina, Dasaquin.

She was on a probiotic for a few months and I didn’t refill it.

Her food is Taste of The Wild Salmon, mixed with a little JM by purina and a few spoons of canned Purina Adult Chicken and Rice.

I try to walk her each day on a 20 foot leash so she can run a bit.

Thankyou again for all these posts as I a have never had this problem with a dog before.
I will let you know what I find that works.

[Jane D]

I breed Shih Tzu and have for the past 28 years. For the last fifteen they have been on Solid Gold puppy and dog food till this summer.
I have spoken to the owner Sissy( who I believe is in her eighties or just about there) and she told me she had sold only the manufacturing part of the company. She also stated it was in the contract that No changes were to be made to the recipes or the company reverted back to her. Well this summer all my dogs started throwing up! I mean constantly not just once in a while. I started looking for a new great food for them and one young man took the time to teach me about Acana foods and why they would be so good for my dogs!
I have one allergic to chicken so we started on Acana Grasslands and they love it! The puppies were put on Acana puppy and the loved it as well.
Go check it out at http://www.acana.com or http://www.acanadogfood.com, ask can never remember which it is.
READ how it arrives, how it is cooked and what is in it. It is certified human grade meaning it is fit for human consumption as it is made with the same grade of meats, vegetables, fruit etc that we eat!
It is cooked in its own juices with no added water( means your animals will drink more water of course) no additives, no bad stuff at all!
I am keeping them on it! They are very healthy which is important to me and the cost is about what I was paying for Solid Gold.
I am sold on Acana products!
Check it out for yourself!

[C4D]

Hi Darrel M,

I posted earlier on this thread, please read my comments. I admit that 20 years ago I gave these to my dog, poor baby. These are just terrible treats. There are so many options of fresh food you could give your dog as opposed to this bag of junk. You could give them: bananas, apples, carrots, cantaloupe, watermelon, peanut butter, a piece of cooked chicken, anything fresh. They would look, feel and be healthier if you do.

[Laura D]

Having quite the week with our pup. She’ll be 4 next week and is a shih tzu. We have 2 problems going on, pancreatitis as well as some back issues. I’ve ended up at our regular vet and then a 24 hour one for the back problems. Between the 2 different vets and my research on foods they’re suggesting I am drowning in thoughts/questions and not sure the directions to go.

She’s been on a bland diet and given her dx’s is feeling pretty good. Pancreatitis was under control pretty quickly, but is the 2nd incidence of it (she had same symptoms but no blood taken, end of November so we’re assuming 2nd incidence.) Bland diet is going well and it’s time to put her on regular food. Main problem – she has a CHICKEN ALLERGY so it’s limiting our options.

ER vet gave me a couple of can samples of Royal Canin gastrointestinal low fat. We feed just kibble and for whatever reason it just never occurred to me to give her canned food. Not sure why.

Regular vet gave me Hills Prescription Diet Digestive Care i/d sensitive dry. This food has 13% fat and I know she needs a “low fat” diet. This concerns my somewhat because she was eating taste of the wild and it has 15% fat which isn’t that different to me. I’ve also read here that going too low fat can compromise the quality.

We aren’t sure what caused the pancreatitis. I was giving her a pill in a small amount of cheese prior to the recent one so i’m not sure that isn’t it?!

Anyway I guess i’m wondering if anyone has any great chicken-free recommendations? And do you feed can or dry? Are there advantages/disadvantages to either? Like I said, I have no idea why I settled on dry. With the 2 dogs feeding them eating together has been an issue, one which if they were fed canned they’d be more likely to eat on a better schedule I think. Any advice on getting things put back together and avoid pancreatitis?

[Sarah H]

Yes, I have a gate for the kitchen, unfortunately then the cat cannot get in either! Originally the thought was to keep the puppy in the kitchen with her food and the cat with the cat food in the living and dining room, but the puppy hated being in there. I think the tile floors are too cold. We do keep the puppy confined to a play yard in our finished basement when we are not able to keep an eye on her, but we let her run around the living room when we are watching her. Unfortunately she is very quick and sneaky! As I said we turn away for a second and she is already in the kitchen going for the cat food. We will just have to keep a better eye on her. Or train the cat to eat her food off of the coffee table which she can access from the couch (she cannot jump high). We have been trying to do that but she just doesn’t seem to get it. So far so good with the cat litter. The puppy has not tried to go for it at all. Hopefully just a bite or two of cat food will not hurt her now and then. We have had her a week and no digestive issues so far.

[Suzanne J]

Aimee, I do not like the thought of my puppy having a needle stuck in her bladder again. The vet did this exact same test recently & nothing showed up; no infection at all. She’s never had a positive test for a UTI infection like your pup, and she has had so many urine tests I can’t even remember how many. The test is not without risk & it scares me. Maybe I’m overprotective, but that doesn’t mean I’m wrong either.

Dogfoodie, the vet did this “clean urine” test right before Christmas because she thought my puppy had an infection. I don’t know if you read my whole story or not, but Cookie had two rounds of antibiotics without having a urine test first because my vet just “thought” Cookie had an infection. Then she made us wait a week after the two rounds of (maybe unneeded) antibiotics and then the vet did the first “clean urine test” to see about the “infection”. She did not have an infection per results of that culture, and I don’t think she has one now. The vet didn’t believe that culture was right so she is doing another culture right now. I don’t think my vet has ever seen a puppy with crystals that didn’t have an infection & she just doesn’t know what to do, but that doesn’t make her a bad vet or a bad person. Still, I feel like my vet is treating Cookie (my puppy) like a test case. She keeps calling a specialist in another state & he told her to just do a regular urine test every two weeks & to let him know if there was a big change, and we agreed to do that and there has been no change. There just comes a point where you say “what the hello” is going on? I may have to eat my words after this new culture if it comes back positive so we’ll see. If it comes back positive I’ll let you know. Either way, I’ll let all of you know the results.

zcRiley, as soon as I finish typing this I will order the lamb you recommended from Chewy. I do think my poor puppy is being over treated for something she could very well grow out of. I am a librarian and I have read several “peer reviewed articles” by experts in veterinary medicine that say crystals are not really that unusual in young female puppies unless there is a UTI, and that the crystals will usually go away after the first heat. That is the main reason why I’m waiting to have my puppy fixed. I do not plan to breed her, even though she is a purebred, very beautiful cocker spaniel puppy. She a solid buff color with deep brown (almost black) eyes that make my heart melt when I look at her. I do believe she deserves a better vet, maybe a vet who is a few years older and has much more experience in the field.

Thank you all for your replies. I really do appreciate your concern and advice. It helps to belong to a board where everybody loves their pets so much.

[Misha M]

Hi all,

I recently realised that carrageenan in wet forms of dog food can cause lots of health problems and wanted to make a switch. We currently feed grain free wet food from Wellness, their turkey and fish range. However, they include carrageenan. I was wondering if anyone knew of any good, grain free brands that stock turkey and/or fish that are carrageenan free in Australia?

There was a thread here that listed brands, however I have trouble finding them here!

Thanks!

[anonymously]

There is NO magic supplement. The trick is to add water to each meal 3-4 small meals per day soaked in water, don’t measure, just fill the small bowl, the dog will lap it up to get to the food.
The dog must be taken out to void (pee) ideally every 2 hours during the day. At bedtime and first thing in the morning. Stagnant conditions in the bladder are conducive to stone formation.
There is nothing wrong with Royal Canin Urinary SO. If you get the dry, soak it in water overnight then add water too. Once the dog is stable, few months to a year, you can talk to your vet about adding something tasty to the prescription food, like cooked chopped up chicken breast or some other lean meat.
Did you check the search engine here /forums/search/bladder+stones/
Read my posts, you may find some helpful tips
Some info at this site you may find helpful http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=bladder+stones

[Coonhound Mama]

I’m sorry to hear about this 🙁 I would strongly recommend trying bone broth for your girl while she’s still having issues with nausea and vomiting. It’s got many beneficial vitamins and minerals in it that will be easily digestible to your dog. You can buy bone broth from some specialty pet stores already made (popular brand Honest Kitchen makes some) but it’s really easy to do yourself! It’s not a complete and balanced diet, but starting your dog back onto regular food isn’t always easy and this is a solid, nutritious start. Regarding raw, I disagree with the previous poster in that raw isn’t good for a dog in this condition. I think you may just want to keep her fat intake to a minimum. Darwins is notorious these days for high fat levels so if you’re looking for a brand with a lower fat content, try Natures Variety Instinct Frozen Raw.

Here’s a link to bone broth!

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/reasons-your-dog-love-bone-broth/

[Susan]

Hi Donnie, maybe see a vet, the vet will probably put him on Metronidazole a antibiotic for the bowel/stomach for 14-21 days…to clear up any bacteria over growth that he may have & you start his new diet…
Can you cook up some chicken breast & potatoes? I cut the fat off the breast then cut the chicken breast into chunks & just before it boils, I take pot off stove, I drain all the water, I boil the jug & put the boiled jug water over the cooked chicken too rinse off the fat from the chicken pieces, I cut thru a chunk of chicken to see if its cooked thru, then I rinse in cold water to stop them cooking & to rinse off any white fat, the chicken chunks don’t take long to cook about 10mins depends how small you have cut your pieces…. if you cook the chicken too long the chicken breast pieces go like leather, at the same time, boil 1 big potato that has been peeled & cut up into small pieces, I prefer the brown potatoes they don’t seem to be waxy & aren’t as starchy as the white or red potatoes, then I put the cooked chicken pieces in 1 cup to measure & put in freezer seal bags, the potatoes I boil fresh every second day same with the other veggies, I add about 4-5 small pieces of the potatoes to 1 cup of cooked chicken then I put thru the blender & blend for a few seconds or you can cut up the chicken chunks & cut or mash the potatoes, see if his poos firm up…..

I don’t feed wet tin food the fat is too high, especially supermarket or crappy wet tin food..
The fat % in Wet tin food isn’t the same % as in Kibble, when a kibble says 10% fat then its 10% per cup normally, if it says 5% fat in the wet tin food, when fat% is converted to dry matter (Kibble) then that’s around 23%-25%-fat, that’s why some dogs get diarrhea when they eat dog tin food, the fat is high…… if your looking for a wet tin food then look for tins around 4% min fat & under, it will say min% fat so the max fat % you need to add another 1-5% fat on top, depends on the company, I was emailing the companies & asking what is the max% fat %……… read ingredients, the cheap supermarket wet tin foods normally says Chicken, Lamb & Beef by products or poultry byproducts then Whole wheat, cereal by products or corn gluten meal, corn etc….. the gluten meal can make them scratch, have you ever soaked kibble in warm water, then when kibble is soft I was draining the water then cuffing the kibble in the bowl in my palm of my hand & squeezing out any excess water, then I put the soft drained kibble in the blender & blend only a few seconds & it comes out lite & fluffy, if I didn’t drain out the water properly, the wet kibble would be like a ball of goo, good kibbles soften within 50 mins of soaking them in warm water, so I stick with easy to digest kibbles…I ask for samples & test the sample kibbles & soak a few kibbles in warm water & see how long they take to soften…. I feed Patch his cooked meal for Breakfast & Dinner then he gets 1/2 cup kibble at lunch time & another late dinner 8pm another 1/2 cup kibble, Fish & Rice only kibble to keep his weight on & the fish is good for his skin, coat & stomach…… he weights about 17kg=38lbs…..

The vets have their vet diets, Royal Canine Intestinal wet tin, the fat is only 1.7%max or there’s Hills I/D Low Fat GI Restore wet tin 8.5% fat, Hills has already converted all their wet tin foods….. but for the price of 4 tins of the vet diet wet tin foods, you can buy 1kg chicken breast & a bag of potatoes & make about 5 days of cooked meals, 2 meals a day…..you will need to balance the diet later if his poos firm up….cooked meals are OK un balanced for about 1 month, my vet said while your working out what your dog is sensitive too etc….”The Honest Kitchen” has their Base Diets where you add the protein & their normal diets, have you tried the “Zeal” grain free ? you just add water…. You can buy their samples for $2 I think…
http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dog-food/zeal

If poos do firm up eating the cooked chicken & potato then slowly start adding 1 new ingredient every 5-7 days, like some tin salmon in spring water or sardines in spring water, drain the spring water, I add 1/2 a small tin salmon with the 1 cup of chicken breast pieces & 1/4 -1/2 cup of potatoes, 1/4 cup broccoli & 1/2 a zucchini for breakfast meal & put the other 1/2 tin of salmon in fridge for the next morning, salmon & sardines are good for their skin & coat, they need their omega fatty acid in their diet, he’s probably not getting enough omega 3 in the wet tin food he’s eating now, if his poos firm up on the cooked chicken & potato then add some cooked broccoli or zucchini, be careful with pumkin as pumkin is high in fiber so only add about 1 teaspoon to see how poos go, also sweet potatoes is higher in fiber then white potatoes…… I boil 1/2 a butternut pumkin & freeze little cut up pieces & take out when needed, also carrot I froze a heap but later I found when I was adding the carrots he was scratching his ears & shaking his head, that’s why it’s good to only add 1 new ingredient at a time, that way you will know if it causes any problems……

If Russell poos do not firm up on the cooked Chicken & potato or another protein & potato, then see vet….also have you wormed Russell?? when Patch starts getting tapeworms, his poos start going soft, then sloppy……..

[Susan]

Hi Elena, if the Metronidazole helped then ask vet about Tylan Powder, it has less side effect & is suppose to have no side effects like Metronidazole has, Patches vet wanted Patch on low dose of Metronidazole for 6 months but he started acting weird & real paranoid after takin the Metronidazole for 1 month, so I tried the Tylan Powder 1/4 teaspoon once a day, you put 1/4 teaspoon in empty capsules & give with Dinner every night once a day, the Tylan Powder taste awful, so make sure you put in empty capsule, can turn them off meal… In America you once could buy the Tylan Powder over the counter from Pet Shops but I’ve read you now need a script from vet…
Join this Face Book group called “Dogs With Inflammatory Bowel Disorder”
someone on that site may know where to buy the Tylan Powder online, I live Australia & we need a script….also there’s a few dogs with Food Allergies & Food Intolerances….Have a look at IAMS Vet Formula Skin & Coat Plus Response KO, it’s just Kangaroo & Oat flour & Beet Pulp that makes poos firm, fat is 12% & no other ingredients to irritate the bowel…. https://www.iams.com/dog-food/veterinary-formula-dog-food-skin-coat-health-ko

I feed boiled chicken breast & boiled potatoes, broccoli & zucchini & add a small tin of salmon or make a big batch & buy the big tins of Salmon…. I don’t mix any kibble with the cooked meals, I feed 4 small meals a day, I give cooked for breakfast & dinner & kibble for lunch & a late dinner this way its not expensive feeding the cooked meals & the weight stays on… I feed a Fish & Rice kibble with no other ingredients…..

Boiled rice can irritate the bowel, my boy can not eat boiled rice, but he can eat kibbles with rice that’s been grounded up….

Can you find a kibble that is just turkey & rice or chicken & rice or lamb & rice where the fat is around 10-12% no higher?? fat can cause diarrhea….
Have you tried the “California Natural” Lamb & Rice it has just 4 ingredients, Lamb, brown rice, rice & sunflower oil, I don’t know if C/N is money back guaranteed, if it doesn’t work you can get money back, some kibbles are only guaranteed if the dog doesn’t eat the kibble, so Patch has not liked a few kibbles lol, the Pet Shops know Patch and are very good when we have returned kibbles, they didn’t mind….it becomes expensive when they cant eat a kibble….
A few dogs with IBD & Food Sensitivities are doing really well on the California Natural kibble, stay away from kibbles that have peas, barley, chick peas, lentils, too many ingredients, only limited ingredients with just 1 protein & 1 carb like the California Natural has… http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products/1181

You may need to see a specialist that specialises in IBD/food intolerances, my boy had an Endoscope & Biopsies done, then was put on Vet Diet “Eukanuba Intestinal” low Residue kibble, its just Chicken, rice & corn, that was the only vet diet that worked for him, he had to stay on the Eukanuba for 6-12 months to let his bowel heal, (he was a rescue) then the next 1-2 years I tried every kibble & found the only kibbles that work were kibbles with just 1 protein & 1 carb, no peas, gave bad wind pain & farts, kibbles with potatoes/sweet potatoes gave him diarrhea but he can eat cooked fresh potatoes & fresh sweet potatoes, so the potatoes in the kibbles mustn’t be fresh & green or rotten potatoes,thats why I like rice….
You will work it out hopefully but try & not let Penny have diarrhea too much, it will cause thickening of the bowel lining as she gets older…..ask vet about the Tylan Powder or try & buy it online, poos are firm the next day….as long as she isn’t eating something she is sensitive too..

[Laura M]

I use the large sized “bites” as treats but I would not feed this as a regular diet. Read the ingredients and you will agree I think. I attended a dental seminar recently and they recommend what is on the VOHC website for oral care, but as stated previously, the only way to keep the teeth in good condition is to brush and regular cleanings as recommended by your vet. Although not all vets are doing the best dentistry treatments either. The doctor was a specialist in the dental field. I live in an area where there are a lot of specialty veterinarians so I am lucky. I love your breed, had two minis at one point in my life. I feed my dogs a variety of things right now. One I feed Acana, my puppy I feed Nutrisource puppy and my old girl I feed Holistic Select turkey and lentil. Hope you find a good diet for your special friend!

[Dori]

R C If this was my dog, I’d already be at emergency veterinary clinic not here asking for advice. Please get your dog to an emergency clinic as quickly as you can!

[Daniel K]

Hi Liz,

We bought a bunch of reusable, washable pee pads on Amazon.com and on eBay. Just search on washable bed pads in the Medical Supplies categories and you’ll find many options. They aren’t hard to find. You can even buy used ones, but the news ones are not that expensive and they last a long time and many washes with bleach with no problems.

Here’s one example from Amazon:

And here’s another example from eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Bed-Pads-Reusable-Underpads-Hospital-Medical-Incontinence-Washable-/391305064353?var=&hash=item5b1b996fa1:m:mlGa-3vSTpyGuSL4QNsYEoQ

and another very large size:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-NEW-BED-PADS-REUSABLE-UNDERPADS-44×52-HOSPITAL-MEDICAL-INCONTINENCE-WASHABLE-/251767224798?hash=item3a9e7ef9de:g:TSkAAOSwQJ5USkO9

I’m not suggesting you buy these specific ones necessarily, but they are examples of what’s readily available and it should help you find the right categories. Also, look for someone that’s selling a lot of more than one at a time and you’ll get a better deal.

Good luck!!
Daniel

• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by Daniel K.

[El]

Hi Gwen J, welcome to DFA, and yes, you’re in the right forum.

First of all let me say that your friend is blessed to have so many apparently healthy dogs who live to be 12 to 15 years old 😉

Health and longevity in dogs, like in people, is related to a combination of genes and environment. So, while your friend’s dogs appear healthy and live to be 12 to 15 years old on what you call a below average kibble, I believe that with all other things being equal, those same dogs would have been a little healthier and might have lived a bit longer if they had eaten a less processed, more species appropriate diet than a below average kibble.

That was the easy part, the difficult part is figuring out exactly what a healthier more species appropriate diet is and how you can achieve that within yours or anyone else’s financial and other constraints.

One way is to add approximately 10% lightly cooked meat to a dog’s diet. I would stick to a meat that is already in the food your feeding. Another way is to rotate between 2 or 3 different kibbles that don’t have overlapping proteins. Most companies now have a red meat, a lamb or a venison, a fish, and one or 2 poultry formulas.

The reason for adding only 10% lightly cooked meat is that the kibble is probably balanced as far as vitamins and minerals go, and if you added more than 10% of anything, you could unbalance that diet over the long term. The reason to rotate is that it helps expose your dog to a variety of proteins and nutrients and helps a dog have a more diverse population of healthy bacteria in their gut, and a diverse population of bacteria is very beneficial to a dog’s immune system.

Transition between foods s l o w l y. The longer a dog is on the same food the greater the chance of problems when switching foods. Try a 3 week transition to begin with. Add 10% of the new food to the old food, then every 2 days go up another 10%, so that it takes 20 days to fully transition.

Hopefully things will go well and then every 3 months or so you can switch to a new food until you find at least 3 foods that don’t cause any problems, and that your dog enjoys.

I know I wrote a lot of stuff, but in reality I’ve only scratched the surface. For now I’ve told you about 2 things that I believe will improve the health of yours and your friends dogs.

Good luck, keep us updated, and in the future if someone replies to you in a manner you don’t like, just IGNORE THEM, you’ll have a much better experience here if you do!

[anonymously]

“I found another vet willing to work with me. He acknowledged the financial ties vets have to Royal Canin and Hill’s”.

That would be a red flag to me, prescription foods have helped a lot of animals get through a rough patch, you could always look into other options later. I tend to lean toward science based veterinary medicine these days.

http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2015/08/veterinary-medicine-is-a-business-and-that-includes-alternative-medicine/ excerpt below
“The bottom line is that financial bias is a real issue in veterinary medicine at all levels, and it has to be investigated and managed. However, this is not the same as saying there is widespread fraud or a sinister conspiracy involving vets and companies that do business with them. There is no reason to believe that the majority of vets are doing anything other than the best they can to help their patients and clients. And there is absolutely no reason to believe vets offering alternative therapies are any less subject to financial bias or any purer in their motivation or behavior than vets practices science-based medicine”.

[Diane W]

Well I’m glad my kitties don’t care for fish, and I’m also glad there’s not a lot of “beef” choices out there; I’ll stop getting them. There are way too many fishy varieties, though. I’m sure learning a lot by following along and from reading catinfo.org. I’m even taking a print-out of the “short version” to my vet’s office on Monday when I take my Boxers in for a bath. They’re great and don’t pretend to “know everything”, and told me they’d be genuinely interested in reading the info.
Unfortunately I’ve not done anything about un-addicting Skeetoria (Skeeter) from dry food. There has been a lot of tragedy (suicide, other death, & cancer diagnoses) in my family lately, but I don’t want more in Skeetie’s case, so I need to get on it. She’s very strong willed, but I will persevere. I’m thankful that she does drink a lot of water on her own and asks us to turn on the faucet for her so she can have fresh to her heart’s content.

[Susan]

That’s excellent, great news, so she has IBD like Patch, IBD covers a lot of health problems from the stomach, small bowel thru to the large bowel she’s very lucky its not EPI, I thought S.I.B.O as soon as you explained her poo’s & smelly breath, how long has your vet put her on the Metronidazole?? Patches vet was only giving me 10 days worth of Metronidazole tablets at first & the S.I.B.O kept coming back every 4-6months, from foods I was feeding & ingredients in kibbles & Vet Diets, I changed vets then I joined the EPI Face Book group & they said when a dog has S.I.B.O, vet needs to put them on the Metronidazole for 21-28 days, that’s when Patches new vet gave me about 4 repeat scripts of 21 days worth of Metronidazole tablets so when I start to see his poos going yellow & smelly & his breath smelling like fermenting food, I have to start Patch on the Metronidazole again, I just finished a 3 week course about 1-2 months ago, I had tried anew kibble, the Earthborn Holistic Ocean Fusion kibble it had Barley, Rye flour & Sweet Potatoes then about 3-4 weeks of eating the Earthborn Holistic kibble Patches poos were going yellow & sloppy, some poo’s look like the end had a condom on them (Colitis) so something in the new kibble he was sensitive too causing the colitis & causing the bacteria over growth…. then I read Barley is a High Fodmap carb, so now I avoid any kibbles with barley here’s a list of high Fodmap foods & Low Fodmap foods its for humans but you’ll get an idea what foods feed your girl & what foods to stay away from……..
http://www.ibsdiets.org/fodmap-diet/fodmap-food-list/

There’s a Human group on Face Book called “Fast tract Diet (Official Group)” run by Dr Norm Robillard, for S.I.B.O, Colitis, IBS, Acid Reflux & Hypochlorhydria-low stomach acid, Drs & vets prescribe ant acid meds thinking patient is making too much stomach acid when they have very low acid, a lot of really good info & links in this group. Dr Norm has a few books, what foods to avoid & to eat & how to change to a low Fodmap diet & avoid fermentable carbs like rice…
https://www.facebook.com/groups/FastTractDiet/

This is an excellent video it explains how some people cant digest carbohydrates & explains how bacteria lives off these carbs using them as energy to survive….. http://www.med.monash.edu/cecs/gastro/fodmap

[Susan]

Hi, I’ve been thinking about your poor girl this morning, I read your email then had to go shopping, has she been tested for EPI & SIBO?? they normally come together….there’s a group on Face Book called “Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency” & there’s a lady called “Dianne Folwarczny-Sloan she makes Pancreatic Enzymes called “Enzyme Dianne”
http://www.enzymediane.com/ everyone uses them on their EPI dogs, they’re suppose to be cheaper there’s also the human ones called Creon digestive enzymes google Creon Digestive Enzymes sold at chemist also the ladies give their dogs B12 shots to help with their weight loss & loss of nutrients coming back out in their poos….you may need a new vet that knows about EPI & SIBO you will get heaps of help in the EPI group just post your story about your girl, Diane will probably answer your post & help you I know she is closing for Xmas I just looked she is on EPI Facebook group site at the moment https://www.facebook.com/groups/38663535025/
I don’t know if she has samples, maybe ask people in the group for a really good EPI
vet in your area as a lot of vets don’t know much about EPI & these poor dogs go untreated I don’t think it will make much of a difference what she eats unless its the rice that’s causing the diarrhea it so hard to work out what’s wrong cause they normally have a few health problems that’s when vets just say “oh it’s IBD” & give you a vet diet, also try white potatoes not sweet potatoes as sweet potatoes have more fiber fruit has fiber… I think she needs a very low fiber diet…
EPI dog cant digest fiber a lot of the dogs are eating the Taste Of The Wild Kibble cause the fiber is low 3 % or vet diet Eukanuba Intestinal has their fiber at 1.7% low residue kibble easy to digest…
I really think she needs some Metronidazole to get rid of the bad bacteria then when the bad bacteria has all gone away then you start a prebiotic like DigestaVite Plus-100 that keeps the bad bacteria away…… Gee your going to have a yukky Christmas worrying about your poor girl…I hope you get it sorted before Christmas you have just over 1 week everything closes then..

[Susan]

Hi, have you joined the “Canine Pancreatitis Support ” group on face Book ? someone on the site might know good low fat wet tin foods with good ingredients cause I live Australia I don’t get a lot of the American foods, we get all the Well Pet range Wellness, Holistic Select, Eagle Pack, Earthborn Holistic range & all our Royal Canine Vet diets have different ingredients to the Americian Royal Canine vet diets the Australian R/C has a bit better ingredients cause we have very strict custom laws…..

My boy was eating theVet Diet Royal Canine Gastrointestinal Low Fat Kibble, but it has wheat & barley & Patch started to smell real yeasty & scratch & had bad fermenting breath smell so I changed kibbles again, he couldn’t eat the R/C Gastrointestinal Low Fat wet tin food cause it has rice in the Australian Royal Canine, there’s also Hills Vet Diet I/d Low Fat Restore wet tin food, it has digestive enzymes but it has rice so Patch can’t eat it… http://www.hillspet.com.au/en-au/products/pd-canine-id-low-fat-canned.html

I understand about the raw having enzymes but when a dog has a compromised immune system they can’t fight the bad bacteria in the raw that’s why I went thru a Naturopath Jacqueline Rudan from “Natural Animal Solutions” & she would not let Patch eat any of the commercial raw diets, she said I’ve seen them all being made & they all have very low grade meats & veggies, so I had to buy raw human kangaroo, fresh chicken breast & fresh veggies & make my own raw, it was pretty easy & soooo fresh, I had to put her digestive Enzymes 1/2 capsule & a human Probiotic that is dairy free gluten free 1/2 capsule with every meal to help Patch digest the raw & not get diarrhea.. but he kept regurgitating & burping up the raw even with the Digestive Enzymes & Probiotic, so I cooked the raw & stopped the Digestive enzymes & stopped the Probiotic Patch doesn’t do well on Probiotics he does better on Prebiotics… here’s her site she answers all emails & only cost me $60 for 1 hour phone consultation, she does Skype for overseas customers, every now & then Patch gets bad pain right side chest area under front paw, stomach pancreas area, he comes to me lifts his right paw whinges & wants me to rub his chest after eating certain kibbles that are high in protein over 25% protein, Jacqueline told me Patches Pancreas isn’t doing its job & working properly, all vet test came back OK but he gets all the symptoms of Pancreatitis, vets said it IBD & Helicobacter-Pylori he had Endoscope & Biopsies done 1 year ago, we tried every vet diet none worked for Patch but that’s cause of the boiled rice cause when I was first buying the Hills I/d Low Fat Restore the wet tin had no boiled rice, when we read the ingredients we must of missed rice & when I opened the tin I couldn’t see the rice he was doing really well on the I/d Low Fat Restore wet tin food, then I must of bought a different batch when I opened the tin the top was full of clumps of boiled rice, I rung Hills & said whats happening she said the I/d Restore is made at 2 different places, it sounds like the rice wasn’t grounded & has clumped all together, do I know the Batch numbers of the I/d Low Fat wet tin foods he was doing really well on, I said NO but I have the Batch numbers of all these tins full of rice, so I had to take them all back to the vets for refund, I was so disappointed even though, I hate Hills it worked & you start to not worry what the ingredients are when they start gaining weight & doing better, I tried feeding the i/d wet tin with the rice & scoping out most of the boiled rice but he started having his yellow sloppy smelly poos again farting rumbling bowel noises that you could hear in the next room, his breath stunk so his vet put him back on the Metronidazole for 3 weeks & gave me 3 repeat scripts for when it happens again I don’t have to keep seeing her just for some Metronidazole, the Metronidazole clears everything up I can’t believe how good it is the vet wanted to keep Patch on the Metronidazole she said she has a few dogs like Patch & they are on a low dose of Metronidaole once a day, but I just use when needed I have found since Ive been cooking chicken breast, sweet potatoes, broccoli, zucchini & kangaroo some days & using 1/2 spoon of the Natural Animal Solutions DigestaVite Plus-100 Patch is slowly getting better……I can’t believe it all these years I thought he couldn’t eat cooked food but it was the stupid rice it ferments in their stomach & was iratating his bowel….he can eat grounded rice in kibble just not boiled rice.. I contacted Jacqueline the Naturopath for help naturally.. her diets are under “Information” you pick 1 to 2 proteins I started with just the 1 protein Kangaroo now I feed chicken more then you pick 2-4 veggies & 1-2 fruits, I picked apple when he was eating raw but now I cut up watermelon & give as a treat or Paw Paw, Paw Paw is suppose to be excellent for the somach it has natural digestive enzymes..I freeze inice cube tray, its Summer here in Australia
http://www.naturalanimalsolutions.com.au/intestinal-flora-imbalance.html

[Flowers]

Hello

My Dachshund is a year old now and has been on Acana Puppy and Junior dry food. He has always been skinny But if I feed him slightly extra it upsets his tummy. Lately thought he has had very runny stools. Usually his first one of the day is normal but the ones that follow are not, I can’t even pick them up. (Sorry for those who are eating whilst reading this!!!)

I chose Acana because it was rated as a five star food but I don’t think that it is agreeing with my dog. I do wonder if it may be too high in protein. Where I live there is not a huge choice in the pet shop of dog foods so I don’t know what to change to. The choices are Blackwood dog food, Taste of the Wild, Nutri Source or one called Holistic Pro Series.

Has anyone experience of any of the above foods or suggestions as to what I can do?

Thanks

[Susan]

Hi, did you look at the Honest Kitchen Zeal, the fat is only 8.50% & it already has the protein fish, fish is easy to digest.. http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dog-food/zeal…
I looked at the Preference the fat is 8.4% & you haven’t added the meat yet….have you looked into cooking? once you cook & freeze everything its pretty easy, just once a week you have to cook & days you feel lazy, I feed a wet tin food, kibble is hard to digest so maybe stick with wet foods less work on the stomach pancreas & bowel…. on Face Book there’s a “Canine Pancreatitis Support” group, post a post asking brands of low fat premium wet tin foods…I know a few feed the “Holistic Select” Senior kibble its easy to digest… just remember the fat % in wet tin food is higher then kibble, if a wet tin food says 5% fat that’s around 22% fat if it was a kibble….

[anonymously]

Per the search engine at this site, a lot of information here. I think you will find answers to your questions.
/forums/search/bladder+stones/

Most veterinary clinics have payment plans/credit arrangements you can apply for. If she needs surgery she must be uncomfortable, stones are painful. I wouldn’t postpone. I would get that done first, per recommendation of the vet.

Oh, and dry food doesn’t really do anything for the teeth. Brush the teeth every evening, I use a medium adult brush and Petrodex tooth paste, see YouTube for how to videos.
I have found daily brushing takes about 5 minutes and is very effective, scrub the sides and back and try to get the inside areas where the tartar and plaque tend to build up.

Post surgery: As you can see by using the search engine (bladder stones) and checking the various posts and threads at this site. The most important thing you can do is increase water intake, add water to all meals, 3 or 4 small meals per day instead of 1 or 2.
Offer frequent bathroom breaks, opportunities to urinate, observe for normal flow/amount/stream. Keep the bladder flushed to avoid stagnant conditions conductive to stone formation.
Otherwise I would defer to your vet regarding diet and supplement choices, at least till the dog has been stable for a while….then discuss changes with the vet.
Some types of bladder stones tend to recur, there is a genetic component to consider.

PS: Wysong has a prescription food, ask your vet if it would be appropriate….if you like the ingredients better http://www.wysong.net/veterinarian/

[aimee]

Hi sascha k,

The difference between what veterinarians recommend and food ratings sites such as this one occurs because different criteria are valued. Ratings sites usually focus on the ingredient panel and use that to rate the diet. Veterinary nutritionists and PhD nutritionists overwhelmingly report that you can not tell anything about he quality of the diet by looking at an ingredient list.

The following quotes are from Dr. Remillard a board certified veterinary nutritionist taken from her site petdiets dot com

“Sorry. The ingredients list cannot and should not be used to assess the quality of a dog food. Please disregard the self proclaiming pundits who say you can. It simply cannot be done. In fact AAFCO and FDA guard against it.”

and “I recommend pet food brands that have high quality control procedures and monitoring in place. A review of the ingredient list on a pet food product is not a good way to evaluate or rank a pet food regardless of how hard or detailed some people have tried to be. The pet food bag information lacks the necessary information needed to fully and accurately evaluate pet food quality.”

Veterinary nutritionists ask questions like “Does the company employ a veterinary or PhD nutritionist? Who formulated the diet? Is a nutrient analysis available? What is the digestibility of the diet? What quality control is being used? Can the company answer basic nutritional questions correctly? Does the company invest in nutritional research? Is the marketing material appropriate? …..

You can find information on how nutritionists would recommend you to evaluate diet at wsava dot org/nutrition-toolkit Scroll down to the bottom and you’ll find the link to selecting the best food for your pet.

Sadly what I have found is that foods that are rated 5 star are often made by “marketing companies” by that I mean the company has little to no knowledge of nutrition but know how to make a food that people will buy. The founder of Blue Buffalo reports he got into dog food manufacturing because “ “Slap on a good label, come up with a slogan, and off you go,…..There were already a lot of smoke and mirrors in how pet food was advertised, and that was the sort of stuff we were good at.”

When you look at companies from a perspective of nutritional knowledge/ ingredient testing/ quality control which are the criteria veterinary nutritionists are using to measure a food’s quality a whole different perspective is gained.

So when a veterinary nutritionist was asked, “I have a 20 week old black lab. What is the best food to feed him?” Dr Remillard answered “I would suggest a Large breed growth food from either Purina, Hill’s or Royal Canin given there are no regulatory requirements for such a food but each of these companies have done and continue to do original research on preventing developmental bone disease in large breed dogs.”

General practice veterinarians often take recommendations from the specialists in their respective fields and so likely will recommend the foods that the specialists recommend.

Hope this helps to explain why veterinarians recommend the foods they do.

Dr Remillard’s website is petdiets dot com and there is question and answer forum you might find helpful. Dr Weeth has a blog at weethnutrtition dot wordpress dot com that has several general articles on food evaluation.

[sascha k]

Thanks. I already checked and this is an American organization.

They do have links to graduates in Canada, but there are only two hundreds of miles from me.

[Pitlove]

Sascha- Not all vet’s are alike. The one that I bring my dogs to has never once pushed a prescription food on me, even the hypoallergenic food for my pitbulls skin problems he has had. I told him I was feeding Fromm and he felt that was a great choice.

Dog Food Advisor is not a bad source of information, but it is only one source. It should not be taken as bible. You can research via the internet what boarded veterinary nutritionists have to say about the issues going on with your dog. Some of them, like Dr. Susan Wynn, have their own website where they provide nutritional information. I even read the Hill’s and Purina nutrition information just to see all sides of the spectrum. I have even agreed with some of what they have to say. It does sound like seeing another vet that might be more willing to work WITH you rather than just dismiss all of what you are already doing for your dog as wrong, would be helpful.

Personally, and this is only my opinion based on my own dog, depending on what exactly the GI issues are and how severe they are, I find you do not need a prescription food to fix them. Example; my dog threw up 7 times on a Sunday and we simply fasted him for the night and hes been fine ever since. The only vet (in PetSmart) that was open wanted him to go on a prescription food, JUST by talking to me on the phone.

[sascha k]

I’ve been feeding her Nutrience and Dogswell up until today.
Right now I’m feeding her Royal Canin prescription diet for GI issues.
The vet supports two brands. Royal Canin and Hill’s Science diet.

It is possible the cat died due to other factors as I don’t know all the details but my friend is a pretty smart person with a science degree. It certainly does not qualify her as a veterinarian of any sort but it does prove she has some level of critical thinking skills.

Regardless of what killed her cat Hill’s Science diet is poo poo’ed in almost every source I’ve read.

You can’t believe everything you read on the internet but I find dogfoodadvisor to be fairly rigorous compared to other sources and I also know that human MD’s are often not super great sources to get human nutrition information from.

So I’m kind of stuck on what to do.

For now I will follow the vet’s advice because well….he’s a vet but I’d like to find a vet that specializes in nutrition but I don’t know where to start.

I know in the US there’s a college graduating veterinary nutritionists with links to their practices but in Canada I’m not sure there’s such a thing.

Thanks for your link as well.

[anonymously]

I would consult a Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialist, as I said before the dog’s issues may have nothing to do with the food.

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

A book review: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2015/06/canine-nutrigenomics-by-dr-jean-dodds-science-as-windowdressing/ Read the comments, there are a variety of opinions, pro and con.

[Jenn H]

This is a very interesting and important topic. Having GSDs that I have at the farm and take to many outside places I’m always looking for something with the best results and least amount of chemicals and side effects.
Here in New England ticks are relentless and pretty much a threat year round. I have used Intercepter & Advantix for yrs with great results. When my girl gets fleas I use Capstar and spray Adam’s on everything. I even spray her with a horse fly spray that is also safe for dogs. She’s out in woods and water so much that it’s a constant fight to keep ticks off of her.
When Intercepter was temporarily discontinued I went back to Sentinal. No complaints.
Admittedly I haven’t been as vigilant using the preventatives since my girl ended up with Lyme anyway despite the randomly effective vaccine and all other preventions.
I have heard that ACV is a great, natural alternative. I just can’t stomach the smell so I haven’t tried it.
I’ll be following this thread closely as I’m always open to trying something new & improved with the least chance of harm to the animal.

[Sarah H]

I am getting an 8 week old Shih Tzu Puppy in a couple weeks. I have been reading a lot of reviews and I am torn between Blue Buffalo and Wellness. Any opinions? They both make Small Breed Puppy food in dry and Puppy food (not size specific) in wet. I realize there are some super premium brands with somewhat higher ratings but if I am going to stick to one brand I prefer to go with something I know I can find at Petsmart. I feed my cat some of these super premium brands which I buy at the smaller stores, in addition to the brands I buy at Petsmart, but I understand that puppies should stick to one brand. The breeders currently feed the puppies Purina Puppy Chow (yuck) and Mighty Dog (double yuck), so I know I will have to introduce the new food gradually. Also, should I stick to a puppy food for the wet food or is a small breed adult wet food OK? Also what size portion of wet/dry food for an 8 week old puppy? I have read that before 3 months old they should free feed the dry food and have wet food at meal times. Thanks in advance!

[Susan]

Hi Raquel, my boy has IBD & suffers with the Helicobacter-Pylori on & off, we found this all out thru Endoscope & Biopsies 1 year ago, the only why to diagnosed Helicobacter in dogs is thru Endoscope & Biopsies….. he was put on triple therapy meds Metronidazole, Amoxicillin & Zantac for 3 weeks…. the vet that did the Endoscope & biopsies recommended prebiotics when the antibiotics were finished, he doesn’t believe in probiotics for dogs but Patches other vet does…..I have found diet plays a big part when too much bad bacteria takes over….
My problem is probiotics & prebiotics seem to make Patch worse, he feels sick, nausea, wants grass etc after having his probiotic, it’s like the probiotics has a party with Patches bad bacteria & make everything worse, then I joined a group on Face Book called “Fast Tract Diet” run by Dr Norm Robillard, then I read about the die off period when you take probiotic & how you can feel real sick also Norm Robillard say’s you should take probiotics on empty stomach when your stomach acids are low, so either first thing in the morning or night before bed all by themselves, not with food, when we are eating our stomach acids are real strong & kill the live probiotics….
Do you know anything about the die off period, Patch was taking a real good animal probiotic called “Protexin” a live probiotic that’s kept in fridge….in the Fast Tract Diet group Dr Norm Rollibard has a book & what foods to eat & not to eat starchy Carbs as they are the worst especially potatoes most dog grain free food have Potatoes, I haven’t bought his books yet, but Patch gets worse after eating potatoes he gets his bad fermenting breath back, he starts his whinging his stomach hurts, so I put him on the Metronidazole for 2 weeks & he’s all good again…I’ve been trying to work out his diet, I know raw is the best but he burps & some of the raw food comes up & then he get acid reflux, the Raw seems to digest real quick & then he regurgitates the raw… Do you have any research that probiotics are working & helping dogs?? cause I know a few other ladies from a IBD group & their dogs can not take probiotics either their dogs get sick with vomiting & the probiotics seem to make everything worse…..I know antibiotics are being over prescribe & are bad, here’s a link “Antibiotic Over Use” that was on the Fast Tract Diet Group site… http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4240113/

[Raquel A]

I just wanted to take the time to inform those that may see this thread that we have a website completely dedicated to probiotics for dogs – Doggy’s Digest.

If you can help spread the word about our website, you can help us in our mission to inform more pet owners about the amazing benefits of probiotics. We think it’s a crime that dogs are being haphazardly recommended antibiotics.

If there is something you would like to see from us, please do not let us know and we’ll try our best to accommodate. Thank you very much for your help.

– Raquel A

• This reply was modified 10 years, 4 months ago by Raquel A.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 4 months ago by Raquel A.

[Laura M]

I think they should disclose where their food is manufactured – either canned or dry. The Whole Dog Journal is a valuable resource to pet owners – I have subscribed for years. I base my dog food choices on what I read there and what I have learned from this website. I don’t see any reason why not to disclose that information unless they are not proud of the answer that they would have to give. After the melamine situation, I will do everything I can to know all that I can about the foods I feed my pets.

[Laura M]

In answer to the original question posted – I don’t think you will get a quality food for under $1 a pound in my humble opinion. I agree the food does not necessarily have to be on the 4 or 5 star listing either. I started with a new puppy (6 months old as of this writing) and I switched him from Diamond to Nutrisource large breed puppy. I think Nutrisource is a fabulous, easy on the system and quality made food, which is reasonably priced. The company is family owned and I believe I read somewhere that they have never had a recall. Because I want a higher protein I will eventually get my puppy onto Acana because I am really impressed with that brand and feed it to my other dogs, but Nutrisource is affordable and very agreeable with my dog and many other people I have talked with about this subject. Good luck in finding something that suits all your needs – as someone earlier said, we need to take many things into consideration when picking a food for our pets.

[Boo S]

I’ve read on these forum pages several things to do with irritated skin for pit bull mixes, but there is ALOT of information. Prior going to the vet — what are some DIY things I can do for her?

My pooch is otherwise fine but has been licking inside her legs, and now there is a red raw rash like thing happening. She doesn’t do this incessantly, but just now and then. She doesn’t seem that uncomfortable.I don’t know if this is an inner or outer allergen, but the licking seems to cause the rash itself or at least make it work.

I don’t know if it’s yeast or another allergy, but do want to give her relief. Apple cider vinegar? Lemon Juice? Something topical? Food change? (She has a sensitive stomach and has been doing great with some high-quality kibble, infrequently, and usually, trader joe’s can food)

Thanks i advance for your help.

[Dori]

Kevin R. One of my girls, a Maltipoo, was riddled with food intolerances, sensitive and allergies and also environmental issues. Her dermatologist/allergist here in Atlanta, Ga. at Blue Pearl Georgia Veterinary Specialists suggested that I not do that particular testing nor the skin testing and shots. He told me it would be a very long process and the duration of the injections would probably be long term as she was such a mess. He advised me that the very best way to deal with her situation was to attempt to either do an illumination diet or try to figure out and eliminate ingredients in her diet and also to remove all, or as many, toxins in the home environment. I no longer burn candles, no air freshener sprays, no plug ins. I switched to natural type cleaners. Never ever any type of carpet freshening powders that are then vacuumed up. Hardwood floors are cleaned with a solution of vinegar and water. I also wipe her paws (all three dogs actually) when she comes in from out in the yard. I switched to a landscaping company that only uses organic products. I removed all the lawn in our patio/back area where they play and potty to stone, gravel and flower gardens….annuals and perennials. Just early on this year I had two types of testing done solely out of curiosity on my part because I had spent years “fixing” her issues to see what they would come up with. I did the Nutriscan Saliva test by Dr. Jean Dodds first and I believe the cost was around $250.00. If memory serves me that tests for 20 items. Though the test was informative as it did have things that I had already eliminated from her diet I did find that the test showed that she was sensitive to one of the few foods she actually does very well on. I then heard about a test called Glacier Peak Holistics on an allergy group I’m on. That tests for 200 including food and environment which cost $85.00. It is a food and saliva test. I that test was spot on for every single thing that through the years I had eliminated from her diet. The food that she does well on was not something that came up as a sensitivity on that test. It did come up with with food ingredient that I was not aware of and that was cucumbers. From time to time Katie would itch, not a lot but it was there. Turns out that they must have coincided with times that I shared cucumbers with the girls. I eliminated the cucumbers and she’s never scratched again. I feed all three of my dogs commercial raw frozen diets rotating brands and proteins with the exceptions of the ones that Katie cannot tolerate. For treats they get fresh fruits and veggies. I’ve been feeding them this way for a little over 4 1/2 years. Switching to the raw frozen was how I was able to eliminate her food issues as it was the quickest way to eliminate soy, grains, all fowl, corn, white potatoes, tomatoes, white rice, all night shade plant ingredients which are all pro inflammatory. I got Katie at the age of 9 weeks old and at that early age she was an allergy sensitive mess. It took me two years to go through the elimination process with her. She is now 6 1/2 years old and a happy camper. Quite comfortable and happy in her own skin. I continue to wipe all three toy dogs privates and paws with warm clean wash cloths. I should mention that I also have a “no shoes” policy in our home. No one, including repairmen, etc. enters our home with shoes on. It would defeat all I’m doing by dragging in environmental stuff that’s on the bottom of their shoes. Everyone is perfectly happy to go along with my wishes and as a matter of fact through the years more and more people that I know have gone with the “no shoes” in the house policy. I also purchased one of those iRobot Roombas that is programmed to go on daily and then I do a deep in the wall vacuuming once a week. It sounds like a lot but when it all comes together it’s all really easy and has changed her and our lives around.

Edit: I will add that there are some people that do not believe in the allergy tests that I have had done on Katie nor their efficacy. All I can say is that they really were spot on with Katie’s issues. Both companies will send you the kits that you need to do the testing with detailed instructions, you send everything back to them and typically in a week or so you’ll get an email with the results. You can then call them and they will go over the results in detail with you.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 4 months ago by Dori.

[Dori]

Hi Mike,
Thank you for going to all the trouble to do so. I knew it wouldn’t appear in the Dog Food Recall area because it’s not a recall. I just thought that anyone that feeds that particular line should be made aware that something was up. Especially troubling at the time was that no one knew why. I noticed today that there is a “rep” from Hill’s saying it was an issue with the labels on the can but that same “rep” said that Hill’s has never had a recall in their entire history. I linked the 2014 Hill’s Science Diet recall for your Dog Food Recall are for that rep.

Again, thanks for going out of your way to verify that something was up. I should have guessed that you were already on it.

[Ysabella J]

Thank you everyone for the feedback, it is much appreciated. First and foremost, I am curious as to why an internal specialist is being recommended? In this disease, western medicine’s only recommendation is steroids.. That is why we branched out. The holistic vet we see did say, if she doesn’t respond to the treatment she is on, that steroids will be necessary and I understand that. But we are trying to avoid that at all costs. I have read about many dogs with this disease who did much worse on the prednisone and ended up having liver damage. Liver damage is irreversable and if I don’t have to put my girl through that, I wont. Our regular vet also agrees with waiting on starting prednisone, for now. As Susan stated, sometimes the cure is worse than the disease. I know this is much different but I saw my brother die of stage 4 cancer MUCH faster because of chemotherapy. I have branched out onto the Golden Retriever Forum and many dogs have done wonderfully with chinese herbs, and acupuncture. So, that is why we started there. Once again, I am very grateful for any and all feedback 🙂

[anonymously]

If it was my dog, I would take the dog to a board certified Internal Medicine Specialist (if you are not doing so already)
Excerpts from article below: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_masticatory_myositis.html

“Results of treatment are best early in the course of the disease. If the disease has progressed to an advanced state before treatment is initiated, there may be no response”.

“In short, treatment is suppression of the immune system usually through high doses (rather than the more commonly used lower “anti-inflammatory” doses) of prednisone or dexamethasone. High doses should be maintained until the jaw seems to open normally. After that, the dose may be gradually tapered over 6 months. In many cases the drug cannot ever be completely stopped”.

[Ysabella J]

Hey everyone!

I know this is mainly a forum for dog nutrition but I am branching out looking for information. I will try to make this as short as possible. About a month ago, Reese (our 4 & a half year old Golden) was outside playing with a stick and came back to me crying. I examined her mouth and didn’t find anything. For the next few days she was very sore when opening her mouth too wide. Took her to the vet and they sedated her and checked her mouth and did X-rays with everything returning normal. She was put on meloxicam and the doctor warned me about MMM. She quickly got better and wasn’t as sore but I noticed she still wouldn’t open her mouth all the way when yawning and seemed to be careful when picking up balls. Another vet said it could be TMJ and to continue the nsaid for another week. Other than not being able to fully yawn, she seemed to be completely fine. Eating fine, no drool, no whining, etc. I talked to the vet and they recommended sending out the 2M antibody test and starting prednisone. I did some of my own research and decided to get a 2nd opinion from the holistic vet first. Only thing is, she was booked out 3 weeks. In the meantime, we were careful with her jaw. No bones or chewing and no ball playing. She didn’t get any worse and I once again only noticed her yawn being off. Fast forward, Reese had her initial appointment last week and the doctor there agreed with MMM. Said the muscles around her jaw bone felt almost non-existing. She also commented on how her cheek muscles looked like they were slightly sunken in. We sent out the 2M antibody test and it came back as a borderline antibody titer and they recommend a muscle biopsy to confirm. Vet agrees with me that since her symptoms aren’t terrible that we will wait to do this since it is an invasive procedure. The holistic vet decided to put her on chinese herbs and supplements. We are also doing acupuncture weekly (for now). She said at this point since her only symptom seems to be her yawning and muscle atrophy that we don’t need to put her on prednisone, or NSAIDs. If it gets worse, we may have to. I will do anything before turning to the steroids. We are reluctant that we caught it before it progressed but doc says no vaccines or toxins that can trigger a reaction since it’s an auto immune disease. We already had been feeding partially raw and Orijen kibble which we will continue to do. She has had two acupuncture sessions and has been on the supplements for one week and I haven’t noticed improvement, but she’s also not doing worse. Anyone have any recommendations or have been through this? I read it is common in the breed but I had never heard of this disease until now. Any advice is much appreciated from me and my girl. Thanks from the both of us!