[Alex C]

I have a Dane pup, going on 8 months, allergic to chicken. It’s been rough trying not to break the bank when it comes to a whole grain, chicken-free formula. I came across this forum to see what was here. I checked out the Muenster Ocean Fish one you thought about going with; the ingredients include chicken fat. That’s my issue. If a manufacturer goes to length to make a chicken-free formula, how can they have chicken fat in the ingredients? Why not use pork or beef fat?

The ones I have found (as far as I can see in the ingredients are chicken-free and chicken fat-free):
-Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Organic Turkey or Beef (comes in a 10 lb box and you rehydrate to make 40 lbs total)
-Stella & Chewy’s Stella’s Essentials Kibble Grass Fed Beef & Wholesome Grains Recipe
-Fromm Four-Star Whitefish & Potato Formula
-Zealambder™ Recipe Dog Food
-Fromm Four-Star Pork & Applesauce Formula (chicken-free, but contains egg)

Also not an exhaustive list, but hope this helps someone else reading as some of the recommendations here helped point me in the right direction.

[Sandy R]

Hello, RollTide10!

I was looking for something else but came upon your post here from March. Did anyone ever respond to you and/or did you resolve your situation? If so, great! If not, I have a little experience with DLE with my German Shepherd Dog, so am sharing below:

First, you should know that the only area of breakout (so far) has been my dog’s nose. We have been very lucky. She had two episodes where her poor little nose broke out in scaly, whitish-grey “eruptions.” I think it looked a lot worse than it felt as she did not fuss a lot, but it looked terrible. Since there are different types of Lupus (one of which is absolutely god-awful), I went ahead and had a biopsy done so we could have an absolute diagnosis. I paid a couple hundred bucks in 2016 to have my vet do what is called a “punch biopsy” of my dog’s nose and they sent it to a lab at Penn State for verification. They took a tiny, cylindrical needle “punch” of the nose tissue so they could get a good cross-section of the layers of skin/cells. I was not allowed to be in the room when it was done, but it only took moments and she seemed fine when it was over. No bad side effects and she was not “mad” at her vet or me afterwards — always a possibility with GSD’s!! 🙂

After that, we tried a couple different prescribed ointments but they did not seem to help. I have actually had the best luck using an organic dog nose balm that I get thru Amazon. It is called “Snout Soother” by the Natural Dog Company. Comes in either a tin or a “Snout Stick” like lip balm. About $18/ 2 oz. but it lasts a long time. When her nose has any sort of skin disruption, I apply it to her nose using a clean finger 2x a day and follow it immediately with some treats to keep her from licking it off right away. Only takes seconds for it to be absorbed enough to help. While she often still has a tiny spot on her nose that looks a little raw (where her nose makes contact with bedding or floor while she’s sleeping), we have had NO more Lupus type eruptions since initiating use of this product about four years ago. I have been very pleased and thankful! While the balm is expensive for the amount you get, it is nothing compared to what we might have been paying for prescribed meds that were not working. The balm cannot hurt the situation, so it is worth a try. Also, it is oil-based and melts easily, so you might want to consider keeping it in the fridge between uses.

You probably already know this by now, but don’t forget that dogs with DLE have to be careful not to get too much direct sunlight as it can cause or aggravate eruptions. My vet recommended a doggie skinscreen, but I tried several and could not find one that was truly unscented and my baby rubbed her nose trying to get the stuff off! (And the point of that would be …? Silly manufacturers!) So, if you can’t find a usable DOG sunscreen, you might want to try keeping your dog in the shade as much as possible. (BTW …. Obviously, being oil-based, you would NOT want to apply the “Snout Soother” prior to going outside either. It is NOT a sunscreen.)

I hope, at this date, you have already found a solution for your precious pup. If not, I hope this helps!

[Susan]

@Wondrouspups
I’m not being rude or meaning to be rude to you, American always take us Australians the wrong way, Americans are very sensitive where Australian aren’t.
Re read your post honestly, You even write
“I’m kind of scared for you right now. DO NOT start using Ashwagandha until after the vet exam.”

When people are desperate they will try anything thinking they’re helping their sick dog which can lead to more pain, then emergency vet or if pet owner doesn’t have the funds NO emergency vet a very painful death.

This dog is sick & has pain which has been left untreated, probably way too long with no proper medications, sounds like the vet was an idiot & he didn’t know what was wrong with the dog so he got rid of his problem & recommended a animal behaviorist, when the dog probably should of seen another vet & not wasted more of Sienna’s money, Sienna (dog owner) has probably been going around circles for years now, I’ve been there with Patch until a lady straight out told me to change my vet, your dog is sick & is in pain, Patch saw 4 vets before I found a good vet who knew straight away its his stomach, Patches poos were firm, except when he ate foods he was sensitive too, my good vet explained to me, IBD starts at the mouth & can be anywhere all the way to the bum, a dog doesn’t have to have diarrhea, this is when the vet should have known its probably the dogs stomach, sent dog owner to see an specialist for a Endoscope & a couple of Biopsies of the stomach, the dog owner would of had answers, & proper meds would have been prescribed.

Peppermint oil is Toxic to dogs when taken orally.
Peppermint oil should only be used in a diffuser and in low amounts. It can be toxic if ingested.

Ashwagandha causes vomiting & diarrhea.

Turmeric – Over-supplementing your dog with turmeric can cause upset stomach, or increase risks for those with kidney problems.

Wondrouspups you’re probably have healthy pups, pups who haven’t suffered with stomach problems, as soon as I read your post I thought where’s Anon, what happened to Anon she would of been posting all side effects to your holistic supplements or reporting your post to DFA….
The dog needs a good vet who’s dealt with IBD in dogs
Sorry if I’ve upset you but its upsetting reading post where the dog isn’t well & has learn’t to live with its pain..

[WondrousPups]

Hi Susan,
I know you didn’t ask, but I couldn’t help. You are a very devoted person for Patches wellness. If everyone is as half as devoted you are, there would be less suffering pets in the world for sure. I’m sorry for the on-going IBS troubles Patch has to go through 🙁 I’ve had my good share of sleepless nights with my pups over the years, but it pales in comparison the everyday struggles you have to bear with Patch.

I’m glad to hear you are using slippery elm to help his gut wall integrity. I hear good things about it for IBS. If I may contribute, and you may have already doing this, if so, tell me – but I wanted to mention about another herb just in case because I don’t want to deprive you from options for Patch.

With that said, have you heard of the efficacy of peppermint oil for severe IBS symptoms? There are studies to prove it helps with bloating, gas and abdominal pains, and it is safe for children, too. It does not cure IBS, but it alleviates serious digestive symptoms. Strong peppermint tea would do the trick a lot of the times, but I’m doubtful Patch would volunteer to drink it, so you would probably need to get enteric-coated capsules of peppermint oil for sever bouts of upsets like Patch’s, but I don’t think it’s hard to find it nowadays. Don’t take my word for it – Here are studies behind it:

“Enteric-coated, pH-dependent peppermint oil capsules for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome in children”, Kline, Robert M., et al. Journal of Pediatrics

“Effect of acute peppermint oil administration on gastric sensorimotor function and nutrient tolerance in health”, Papathanasopoulous, A., et al. Neurogastroenterrology & Motility

“The effect of enteric-coated, delayed-release peppermint oil on irritable bowel syndrome”, Merat, Shahin, et al., Digestive Diseases and Sciences

I think there are more, but I think you can get the ideas, and I hope this help you decide if peppermint oil make sense for Patch or not in addition to slippery elm.

One other thing: If you are feeding kibbles with probiotics, avoid ones that include “Enterococus Faecium”. This strain causes more potential to cause damages than good for animals (including humans) with weakened immune systems and IBS. Off the top of my head, Whole Earth Farms/Merrick, Diamond, Victor, I & Love & You include this strain in their formulas.

[amy r]

My Boone is on Pepcid but I don’t see a difference. He has always had an anxiety issue, and some of the intensity of the episodes are because of this. I’m still working on solutions since these episodes are more frequent. So hard and sad – what I do now is crate him and tell him cheerfully that I’ll be back. Then I leave the room. This does seem to distract him a bit, and he tends to settle sooner, but not before gulping, scratching the crate floor, whining and barking for me to come back for anywhere from a couple hours to most of the night. It’s brutal on both of us but it is better than me getting frustrated and tying him to my side all night long to prevent him from eating something. I have tried everything I have read here and then some. He’s also been on Prozac, Tramadol, Trazadone, and Xanex. There has been no detectable change with any of these in fact, some seem to cause an opposite effect. I certainly do not like drugging him – but these episodes can be truly horrible for all of us, and after 24 hours of him being so distraught (and me too), I’ve been willing to try anything to make him more comfortable.

So on it goes and thank you everyone for sharing. It helps to know I’m not alone in this.

[Susan]

I forgot Boiled White Potato helps firm poo, soothes stomach & bowel, Sweet Potato has more fiber Patch need less fiber that’s why I mix 1/2 white & 1/2 Sweet potato.
Change your vet, get all your dogs records & find a good vet who deals in IBD.
Start a kibble -“Wellness Simple Turkey & Potato kibble- not Wellness Simple wet cans as they’re too high in fat, fat in wet can, raw, dog rolls, freeze dried,air dried dog/cat foods hasn’t been converted to dry matter, so say 5%min fat is around 20%min-25%max fat when converted to dry mater fat, Times – X – the fat by 4 you will get a ruff idea what the fat% is??
You need the Triple Therapy medications, the Metronidazole is an anti-inflammatory & kills bad bacteria in stomach..

I just read a part of your last post your vet blaming Behavior – are you in USA??
Slippery Elm Powder & Mashmallow root made into a slurry will help firm poos, stop acid reflux, soothe stomach & help firm poo, given 20mins before meals,
Get 1/2 a teaspoon Slippery Elm Powder put in cup boil the jug slowly add the boiling water in cup & quickly stir & stir till you make a slurry, not too think or really thin, pull up 5mls in a syringe put the syringe side of mouth towards the back teeth, alot of dogs do REALLY well on Gastro Elm here’s the link, helps with sloppy/diarrhea & Acid reflux, Soothes stomach & esophagus start the Potato Kibble, Wellness Simple Turkey & Potato..
https://www.gastroelm.com/
Also look for the Pepto Bismol give 5ml in syringe 20mins before meals 2 times a day or try the Slipperly elm powder?Gastro Elm till you find a vet who can write script for the triple therapy meds, Im trying to write everything as I think of it, your poor girl, your vet is an idiot.. I know what poor Patch goes thru & I’ve been thru…some vets are just idiots, don’t talk with other vets when they have a hard case…their pride is too big.

[Susan]

Hi Sienna,
Your girl sounds just like my Patch, who I rescued November- 2012. He was weeing blood when I got him & Ultra Scan showed Urinary Crystals he was put on Royal Canine S/O Urinary Wet & dry kibble for 6 weeks to dissolve the crystals & he was desexed, I adopted him cause I didnt see any health problems probably cause he was on the R/C Vet Diet as soon as the vet said his crystals have dissolved feed him what he was eating before this is when my nightmare begun & he was always STARVING HUNGRY eating cat poo… I kept thinking Pancreatitis, but all times we checked his Pancreas its good, he cries whinges after he eats, wet food is the worst if comes back up cause it digests quicker & cause his lower sphincter flap isn’t closing properly the food comes up his esophagus & throat causing acid reflux, a Acid Blocker- Pantoprazole-20mg given in morning really helps Patch even stopped his vomiting finally in 2018 Patches stories are thru DFA Forum section how I nilly put him to sleep 2018 he was 10yrs old but we have really good vets in Australia who wouldn’t put Patch to sleep till they worked out what was happening now.
Vet changed his PPI to 20mg-Pantoprozole it works heaps better then Omeprazole , I take Pantoprazole for my GERDS & asked my vet can we please change his PPI as they all work different till you find the right one for yourself & dogs would be the same + my gastro specialist told me Pantoprazole is best when Lower Esophageal Flap isnt closing properly.

Have you done Endoscope & Biopsies yet? you need the Biopsies so vet can diagnose properly. Or ask vet can you please try the triple therapy meds for Helicobacter all dogs have Helicobacter BUT when a dogs immune system is compromised the Helicobacter takes over the dog stomach also Patch suffers with Environment Allergies in Summer causing his immune system to crash by Autunm cause its been working overtime fighting his allergies this causing bad acid reflux as well, Patch does best on an easy to digest kibble.
Canidae Pure Senior, Wellness Core Large breed adult but they changed their recipe & added Lentils Patch cant eat Lentils he gets Diarrhea, he does really well on Potato & Sweet Potato kibbles.
Patch suffers with IBD, LES =Lower Esophageal Sphincter Flap doesn’t close properly in between his stomach & esophagus causing BAD Acid reflux, 1 yr after I rescued Patch I was told my boy has IBD I didnt believe vet so I asked can we do Endoscope & Biopsies, the Biopsies came back IBD, Helicobacter Pylori he was put on Triple therapy medications for 21 days, Metronidazole & Amoxicillin given every 12 hours with a meal & a PPI -Pantoprazole or Omeprazole-20mg given in the morning before breakfast, a gluten free, low fat diet is best, no high fiber diets, 8 yrs on he still has Pain stomach area, doesn’t eat poo no more as soon as we fixed his Helicobacter & kept him on a PPI the poo eating all stopped , your girl has Pain in stomach & food relieves her stomach pain, the Helicobacter lives in their stomach walls, food stops the pain BUT 20-30mins later they’re starving again how I know is I suffered with Helicobacter when I was younger, get her on the Metronidazole, Amoxicillin & a PPI will help her you’ll see results 5-7 days..then when medications are finished after 21 days continue with teh PPI or you’ll have to do the triple therapy meds over & over again I did research & Drs found when humans stayed on their PPI medication their Helicobacter didnt have the right environment in the stomach.
There’s a few of Patches post thru DFA Forum back 2015-2018..
I havent had time yet to read your posts, I have to feed Patch now its 7pm he’s waiting, he eats 5 smaller kibble meals a day 7am,-1/2 a cup kibble, 9am-1/2 cup kibble, 12pm he either gets 1/3 cup kibble or 1/2 boiled Sweet potato, 1/2 boiled white potato with his lean Pork rissoles but he prefers his kibble some days, 5pm 1/2 cup kibble, 7pm-1/3 cup kibble 9am a dry piece of Milk Arrowroot Biscuit then at 10pm he gets 1/2 his Quick Eze Rapid Chew ant acid lollie every single night they have also found Pepto Bismol kills off the Helicobacter
Hes doing well on his Eukanuba Senior kibble we have just started 3-4 weeks ago, I have to rotate his kibbles as soon as he starts showing he has his stomach pain I change his kibble.. also the Kcals in the kibble need to be under 360Kcals per cup or he gets his pain right side..
are you on Face Book??
join “Acid reflux in Dogs” https://www.facebook.com/groups/1635198406751056
I’m on there you can msg me on f/b if you want…You’ll see Patches photo hes a English Staffy & my name is Susan B

[Patricia A]

Jared if your dog has high Lipase levels read this article regarding correct blood test to determine if the elevation truly is from pancreatitis or some other problem. Can routine tests be used to diagnose pancreatitis?
Routine blood tests, including a Complete Blood Count and Biochemistry Profile (see handouts: “Complete Blood Count” and “Serum Biochemistry”) typically reveal abnormalities that are suggestive of pancreatitis. However, the changes are not unique to the disease and do not give a definitive diagnosis.
In the past, the diagnosis of pancreatitis was based on finding high levels of two enzymes called serum amylase and serum lipase. While high values of these enzymes can be found in dogs with pancreatitis, the tests have not proven reliable and are no longer considered the tests of choice for diagnosing pancreatitis in the dog.
What is pancreas-specific lipase? How is it different from serum lipase?
“…blood values increase only when there is pancreatic inflammation.”
Pancreas-specific lipase is a form of lipase produced only in the pancreas. It is highly specific to the pancreas, and blood values increase only when there is pancreatic inflammation. By comparison, serum lipase can come from tissues other than the pancreas, and high blood values can occur with conditions other than pancreatitis.

[Brianna K]

This thread has helped me immensely.
my four-year-old pug has had this issue for a really long time, and I can’t seem to diagnose it. I’ve taken him to vets a few times in his life, but they rarely have anything to offer that I didn’t already know.
It ends up being a waste of time and mostly money for me, so I have become diligent in learning about my dog’s health so that I can try and diagnose fix with a level of education that keeps my dog safe.
With that said, I still haven’t solved this one.

My pug is on a raw food diet, I supplement with a variety of different types of foods, as well as prebiotics and probiotics. Naturally, not always supplemented.
I’ve found cooking up some lean meat, rice, veggies, with a lot of stock works well for his general comfort.
I just want to figure out why this is happening.

Sometimes he will sit in his kennel at night, just licking and swallowing and gulping really hard. It will happen for hours at a time sometimes and I don’t know what to do when it happens. He’ll just sit there gulping and licking really quickly. Almost like he’s throwing up and trying to swallow something quickly before it comes up all the way.
People often times get mad at me for getting a dog that I can’t afford to, but the state of the world has us all financially flustered and unfortunately not able to pay the big bucks that others can make for expensive medications. I also prefer to keep things as natural as possible as not to disrupt his already fragile system and to be able to diagnose the issue at the root and solve it in a way that is permanent.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 4 months ago by Brianna K.

[WondrousPups]

I’m sorry your pup is in pain 🙁 I’ve posted this in another thread, but it is the same issue, so I thought to copy is here. I posted this originally on a turmeric dosage thread:

I’ve been taking some curcumine suppliment for years now for the pain management for my knees and for my senior dogs with surprising success. I have a condition known as Patellofemoral syndrome, which have no known corrective surgical treatment similar to late stage osteoarthritis. A chiropractor gave a bottle of curcumin suppliment that he has been using for free for me to try. I was like, you are kidding me, right? None of the strong prescription meds worked for my pain, and you think a supplement made of a spice in curry take care of it?!? But it was give to me free from a chiropractor who had been helping me for my paint, so I took it. Within a couple of month of taking it everyday, my pain was completely gone! So some years back when my Dane x Lab. who started to limp the same supplement I was taking. He stopped limping, too.

Anyhow, the reason it works is because curcumine is a powerful anti-inflammatory. It won’t stop from my condition or arthritis to worsen or cure it. But it helps with pain because the join pains are caused by inflammations. You need to look for the supplement with Bioperin in it because the body cannot absorb curcumine without the presence of bioperin (black pepper extract). I am 130 lb., and I started off by 3,000 mg of curcumine/day everyday. After my pain was gone, I reduced my dose to 1,000 – 1,200 mg /day. I give my Dane x Lab. who is 90 lb. 1,000 mg/day, and I haven’t taken him back to the vet for laser treatments. I hope this helps!

[Debra K]

One of my Toy Poodles (13yrs old) after $1000 of tests, was recently diagnosed with Pancreatitis and PLE. I don’t know if the vet even knew what he was talking about, because I took her to an Urgent Care vet at the local Vet Specialty Hospital (when the idiot didn’t prescribe anything, just wanted to do another $700 worth of testing), the vet there said her symptoms didn’t match his diagnosis. She was given fluids and a probiotic Visbiome. I wonder if maybe the fact that I had been soaking her in Magnesium Oil Flakes and Lavender Oil, twice a day and rubbing her tummy with Hemp Seed Oil, had helped? I am also giving her Slippery Elm, twice a day and chicken quarters, first cooked in a crock pot, then boiled with spices and chicken bouillion for a hour and a half, then drained. I am also mashing up small chunks of beef liver, in with the chicken and giving her B12 fortified Brewer’s Yeast., Vit E and COQ10. She is doing so much better now, 2wks later. Almost back to normal. No more diarrhea, her stools are soft, but formed and no vomiting at all.
I have read that Pancreatitis can cause low Magnesium and can contribute to Diabetes, it is also very relaxing and helps with pain, along with the Hemp Oil. Magnesium Oil, is the best way to absorb it, thru the skin and it’s helping my arthritic fingers, as I give her a massage while she’s soaking–for about 10mins. I am also giving her an Apple Cider Vinegar tablet, which is considered to be a prebiotic (the first vet acted like I was a lunatic, for doing so) and she has been improving ever since. I have an appt to go see an internist at the Specialty Hosp., but it’s not for another 2mos.
I have read on homeopathic vet websites, that regular vets are only given about 1week of nutrition training, during their 4yr course and it’s all paid for, by major pet food companies. It was also stated, that they only know how to react to situations, not prevent them in the first place and prescribe drugs, that only treat the symptoms not the cause.

[Patricia A]

T B she might do well with freeze dried. I use Primal and Stella Chewy’s for my two Chihuahuas’ However, there are many other brands related on this site you can try also. . You can break up the nuggets/disc to the size she can eat and then hydrate a little. The consistency will be soft but not mushy at all. You can break up as big or small as you like. Easy to feed and they go crazy for the taste and they get 5* reviews on DFA . Here’s the site for Primal. They also have raw called Pronto which you just take straight from freeze, put in bowl and it’s ready to eat in five minutes or so without water. https://primalpetfoods.com/pages/canine-choose-your-primal
They are not sold at supermarkets or petsmart/ petcos’ . You can order online or if you have a pet supply store in your area.
Hope this helps.

[Alice H]

Hello everyone. I am a dog groomer and I came across this thread. I have had many issues with own pets and clients pets and having itching issues. While I was grooming dogs I would pay close attention to what their vets would say about an issue I had refer them to. Most of the time it was due to rashes, ear infections, itchiness (mostly feet, belly, butt), copper collor around eyes, mouth and feet and a few other issues. I had one mini poodle that had the most swollen, red, and inflamed ears and feet I’d ever seen. She was so itchy her vet had put her on a medication to just simply stop the itch (I wonderd if it stopped itch, what else was it stopping and affecting?) because they didn’t know what to do. I like more natural ways to try and combat things. Years ago, as a female myself I heard that women can get too much yeast “down there” and become very itchy from an overload of yeast (yeast infection) and it seemed similar to my dogs problems. I did some research and found out that sugar is the main source of yeasts food. Now, straight yeast product in particular is even more crippling to the system than just straight sugar is. Now if you go and read the back of MOST kibbles, you will find that they all add almost over 2 different types of yeast product to their kibble to “keep it together” and it’s usually towards the end of the ingredient list, some even have it as one of the first 5 ingredients. I have changed many of my clients dogs to NATURAL BALANCE (DUCK AND POTATO) with absolutely WONDERFUL results. Itching and rashes/redness can subside within a few days if the yeast and sugars have been eliminated from the diet (I have personally experienced this myself as well). I personally have my two dogs on this brand of food as well and I recommend it. Just make sure there is absolutely no yeast in the food OR TREATS you are feeding your dog. Now, back to the mini poodle I mentioned earlier, she had the worse case I had seen so far. She was on a very limited diet and pretty much only ate canned and kibble food. Sometimes it would seem better and sometimes would come back with a vengeance and her ears were almost swollen shut the poor girl. Vet didn’t know what to do either. I finally asked the owner, is there ANYTHING even a small amount that you feed her of anything else, ever? And she goes, well… My husband feeds her a piece of toast each morning but it’s plain, there’s nothing on it. And I said, that it! It’s the bread. Take that away from her diet and see me again in a couple weeks. She came back and she was amazed and how different her dog was.. Her skin was perfect. Her ears, perfect. No more copper color, no more chewing her paws.. No more pain. I was so happy! And ever since then I have been telling people about the dangers of yeast overload and the dangers it can cause. Yeast overload can minick an allergic reaction so the owner things it could be something more serious like maybe the poultry, fish or grains, when infact it was the yeast the whole time. Eliminate anything that can “turn” to sugar in the body. Dog biscuits or any crunchy dog treats are almost straight yeast/starch and full of things that can turn to sugar in the body, so watch out for sugary treats as well. Coconut oil is a great, natural relief from yeast rashes and yeast related problems. It is good for the coat as well, you can feed a tablespoon to your dog a day to keep their system regulated from yeast, but it does work better topically for yeast specifically. Coconut oil is also antibacterial and antimicrobial so you can use it just about anywhere (on you as well) your dog is having issues as a bit if relief from the itchiness, it kills the yeast. A lot of ear infections also stem from the yeast diet (I advise against coconut oil in the ears, talk with your vet first and see if it’s an option for your specific dog). If your dog has ear infections often, or has itchy, copper colored feet, or red inflamed itchy rashes it could very well be suffering from yeast overload. Remove anything that can turn to sugar in the body, that would include treats and people food as well, like breads, noodles, crackers, tortillas, chips and even potato turns to sugar and will feed the yeast that naturally reside in the body. Starches do turn to sugar during digenstion. If you have a dog with no itch issues, but has tear stains, it could also be suffering from overload of yeast and cause that discoloration of the fur. The yeast in the saliva is what stains the fur.
Also, if your dog is scooting and doesn’t have worms or diarrhea it usually means their anal sacs are having an issue or they are full and/or impacted and need attention. Vinegar is also a natural way to neutralize areas that are common with bacteria like private parts. And on a side note, a tiny spray of your favorite liquid fabric softener on your dog just before the rinse of a bath can make your pup smell so good for a several days at least. Try not to put it directly on their skin. Rinse very well.
I hope I have helped you all in some way. Have a wonderful day.
Peace, Love and Happiness.

[Susan]

Yes I use the Vitalitae Calm biscuits, (Australia)
I give 1/2 a Vitaitae biscuit around 11am & CBD Oil 3 drops some nights for my boy lower back pain, also adding Hemp seeds to diet is really good as well, but you still need to have a very strict routine, dogs love routine they feel safe as they know what’s going to happen next…no new things to bring on anxieties also work out what brings on dog triggers…
Here’s the Calming treats ingredients, read the ingredients to get an idea what ingredients are needed to reduce stress, anxieties, joint pain etc….
Hemp Seed Oil, Hemp Seed Protein, Ginger, Chamomile, Flaxseed Meal, calcium Carbonate, Vitamins & Minerals (incl. Vitamin B Complex), L-Tryptophan

Ask vet about “Cartrophen Vet Injections” for arthritis pain, Cartrophen Vet finds the dogs pain, it’s all natural so no side affects, the injection is given under the dogs thick skin back of dogs neck area. First Patch had 4 weekly injections for 1 month that lasted 1 yr, now Patch is having monthly Cartrophen Vet Injections now its Winter…Pain can also cause dog to shake, stress, be uncomfortable.

What is Cartrophen Vet?

[Karen H]

Hi

Sorry for bumping an old thread, but i’m looking for a low sodium diet for my labrador. She’s 9 and my vet asked me to change her diet. I have found https://whydopets.com/best-dry-dog-foods/low-sodium/ but it only shows where I can buy it in USA. Do someone have recommendations that ship to Europe?

Thanks
Karen

• This reply was modified 5 years, 6 months ago by Karen H.

[Frenky C]

Hi!

I just want to know if how many of you here uses a smartphone app that monitors our pup’s health and nutrition? I tried searching from the app store and I was surprised that there are a lot of apps available. Can someone recommend one? I am actually on the process of reading reviews of the top apps being used so I might share my experience on some of them in this thread as we go along.

[Frenky C]

Hi! I’m new here but I think I can help. I won’t name companies here because you can easily find them on the internet and that would also depend on your location. However if you are really interested in BARF diet for your dog, I suggest you read about them very carefully. There are pros and cons on switching or starting this diet. Learning how to prepare them yourself is also a plus. Will save you a lot actually. 🙂

[K H]

Well, the dog in question is not elderly. Her teeth are traumatically damaged (she’s a rescue, so details are uncertain), not due to age. She’s about four years old now (the youngest member of the pack).

Wellness Senior has done well by our dogs, regardless of age (and we’ve had ’em down to about one year). Flissie doesn’t seem to have lost any of her massive muscle mass (she’s a American Staffordshire Terrier). Perhaps we should look into something higher protein for our elder statesman (nine-year-old Winston), so thanks much for that advice. (We want to keep him around and healthy as long as we can!)

As for getting Flissie a bowl that makes her slow down, she’s already the slowest eater. It’s just that lots of air comes in as she eats. They all have private crates where they get fed, so competition is not a problem, but Flissie still seems upset at not being able to eat as fast as the other two. The others never try to steal her food (crates are sacred in our pack), but she’s still feeling the stress. I’d hesitate to slow her down more. We might try slowing down the other two in fact. Maybe she’d gulp less at least.

Does anyone here know any other ways to reduce flatulence? The stink if not the quantity of gas? It’s that which is making life difficult for the human members of the pack.

Thanks!

[Kayla M]

Margy,

My small mixed breed dog was given Heartguard and was on antibiotics (Baytril) and went blind overnight (dilated pupils freaked me out!) & couldn’t smell. She was walking uncoordinated, developed dementia symptoms over that week. It traumatized me and broke my heart.
This happened too fast.

She eats real meals (chicken breasts, rice, vegs) everyday, but was also eating a new dog food to cover any missed nutrients, “Purina One Smart Blend” (2 flavors – the salmon and chicken & rice blend) and Purina Beyond small dog (chicken).

She was drinking a lot of water and had UTI and protein in urine (and and also high WBC, RBC- this has all cleared up though after a few months – antibiotics did not help it).

She peed every 30 minutes.
Could NOT hold it for an hour. It was insane. How can a dog pee that much? All they kept checking for was diabetes which was negative.

At first I thought it was from a manufacturing defect of the heart guard (did too much active ingredient get in her chew?? :(. )
or the antibiotics themselves??

Maybe some dogs can’t metabolize certain antibiotics or have a liver issue, that potentially could slow things down and it therefore effects/travels to their brain? (So much water drinking!).

My vet said nothing. We just kept doing bloodwork and urinalysis.

My dog then suddenly developed every Cushings Symptoms (eating), and was finally diagnosed a few months later and put on med.

(I also wondered if perhaps an infection like a virus occurs and if it triggers the bone marrow, and then things go haywire… leading to other issues involving the eyes, pituitary/brain inflammation. (Hence all the drinking and peeing?)

Or maybe if she were beginning to get Cushings, and the antibiotics and/or Heartguard somehow caused an extreme imbalance or could then cross the brain brain barrier leading to the blindness?

The sudden onset of blindness and dementia symptoms was the worst part. For 3 months she didn’t know who I was.
It was rapid.

With a lot of love and care and supplements and her new med she is coming around. (Still blind, but she had a moment where she could see and her eyes are no longer dilated).

If anyone is reading this, I read a lady used bilberry for her dog and it reversed.
It’s too late for us, but it you spend $4 at Walmart on a bottle and it it somehow helps, please try it and report it. (Of course, take dog to a opthamologist. We did to see if it was glaucoma or anything. I wish I could have afforded an MRI and neurologist, for peace of mind to see what was happening. 🙁

(P.s. Ocuglo didn’t help her in any way, we started it that day… and it was expensive for a supplement).

[Joshua M]

I just registered with this site because of this thread. That’s a huge deal for me. Primarily to express how grateful I am for the thoughtful, sincere contributions made by Cathy, Ryan, Laura and anonymous. In 30 years of forum diving, this thread is my Holy Grail.
I know it’s been a while but hope all your pups are as well as can be. The past few years have been a ridiculous onslaught of healthcare issues for my girl Charlotte. She’s a fourteen(ish) year old Jack Russell mix that was displaced by hurricane Katrina. She was already a senior so her background is a genuine mystery.
Initially I was fostering her and she was in perfectly typical health overall. She was adopted easily enough. So easily in fact that after the 3rd family returned her to me it became clear, I was the one being adopted.🥴
Everything was fine for a couple of years then bam, a grape sized cyst right in the middle of her back. Biopsy confirmed it was benign so considering her age and the cost of surgery, we decided against removing it. Then she tested positive for Lyme disease, followed by kennel cough which was actually bronchitis and finally, collapsing trachea brought me here.
Short story long, although I’ve been feeling terribly alone through it all, this thread has assured me I’m not unique.
God bless you all!🙏

[Natalie R]

Hello y’all, my name is Guinevere and this is my very first post!!! So I’ve been dabbling in and out of feeding raw for years. Im so happy that I stumbled across dogfoodadvisor.com and then greentrip.com. You know to be honest with y’all I wouldn’t have gone searching online for anything but my Dobie has been having the WORST ⛽️!! So yes I figured it out, she needs some tripe or enzymes, but what’s even more exciting is earlier on Craigslist I was looking for feeder rabbits. So now I can sit back take a deep breath and relax.
My poor little puppers have definitely been missing out on important nutrients in their diet. So as bad as I feel about this, its important to realize that I was doing the best that I could and if I knew better I would have done better. So I’m a big believer in the statement “no stupid question”. Well pretty much 😜.
When supplementing with CodLiverOil I noticed on one person’s menu she recommended reduced VitaminA. Ok I got that however like one of the supplements I was looking at , BioFinestCodLiverOil the amount of vitamin a in it is 2500iu. How do I know if that is too much or right where it needs to be? I’m sure I’m going to have more questions but that’s my first. Let me say ahead of time thank you for reading my post and taking the time to answer me.

Guinevere

[Lauren S]

Hi folks-
Hoping someone can chime in here with some advice… I have a senior pup who went through the whole urinary crystals ordeal last year. He recently had a scope done because he kept getting UTIs, thankfully no stones. He has developed yet another infection but no crystals in the urine and pH is normal. Do I need to put him back on Royal Canin S/O? Does that do anything to prevent UTIs? I thought that was solely for crystals and stones. When I asked my vet, he didn’t seem to have an opinion one way or another. Any and all input is greatly appreciated. I want to do right by my dog, of course I’d rather keep him on his high-quality diet than the Royal Canin, but will do whatever I need to to prevent infection. Look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for reading. Be well 🙂

[Karin K]

I’ve been using Nutra Thrive since January for my 5 cats and 3 dogs. It is somewhat challenging to administer it on the dry cat kibble, and I’m pretty sure none of my cats get the recommended amount since I just sprinkle some of it on to the food set out for them. I also notice that some of it just ends up as a greenish mess on the bottom of the bowl that I am unsure about trying to re-feed. However, I do notice that 4 of my cats have a shinier, smoother coat. Otherwise, I have not noticed much of a difference, but the improved coat is a good sign. Two of my three dogs’ coat has improved, though these two also started hacking – in reading others’ reviews that seems to be more common , and I would love to see some explanation for that. What I don’t like about this product is the outrageous price – I take enough supplements myself to doubt the cost justifies the product. It will definitely lead me to discontinue use and find something less costly, especially in a financially challenging time. And my reason to dislike this company is the inefficiency of the website: without consumer login there’s no way to manage one’s orders. So when I cancelled one of my orders (to place a subscription instead) I did so by contacting customer service on the site, as well as contacting them by phone. Now I’m being told that their records do not indicate my cancelling this order! What a scam! Again, I don’t know that all this hassle justifies the product – I will definitely start my search for something else. Years ago I feed my dogs supplements discussed in Dr Pitcairn’s book on natural health for pet – it might be time to go back to that.

[Matt S]

Hi All!
I live in the UK and have a gorgeous 5year old Golden Retriever who I’ve always fed raw. He’s my 3rd Golden, my first two both reaching 14 years old, but both of them fed complete biscuit diet, with the odd treat of tinned meat.
My supplier here is filled TPMS, ( TPMS.co.uk )and I buy boxes of 25 x 1lb packs of mince beef and minced lamb. Info on the boxes are as follows.
Beef:- protein 16.2% oil 14.9% moisture 65.2%
Lamb:- protein 13.5% oil 16.3% moisture 66.7%

All seems well and his coat is fantastic and although he weighs 96lbs he’s not overweight. He has 1 pack a day with a cup of kibble.

Reading about pathogens in raw dog food (with the current corona crisis going on) has made me wonder if going dry/tinned would be safer?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the above food I’m giving him. If I can add photos I’ll add one of the food and label showing all details.

Cheers
Matt

[Marion W]

Thank you for replying Cherie. We’ve only had a urine
Test in which they showed me the crystals. May be because of the fact the owner has little money they didn’t suggest any X ray but there was no blood in the urine just difficulty passing it. Eventually taking Oliver off the prescription food is a huge decision. I was reading struvite is only a problem if there is an infection too. I was thinking of looking to see if I can buy the urine testing strips. It’s a dilemma as no one wants to compromise a dog’s health. Thanks again.

[Marion W]

Hi, I walk my disabled neighbour’s young male cockapoo and noticed he had a problem trying to urinate and by the end of the walk he appeared to be very uncomfortable. Short of it is the vet diagnosed struvite crystals by testing his urine. He did pass a catheter in but believe that was to ensure there was no blockage there. Gave him a week’s course of antibiotics and metacam and the dog has to go back in 9 days to see if they have dissolved. The owner has been told she he can have no other food other than prescription for life at the moment he is on Hill’s S/d which is very expensive. When he eventually goes onto Hill’s C/d if they have dissolved it will cost her £1300.00 pa without the boosters, grooming, de worming and flea care. She just hasn’t got this money and we are helping where we can but we are unable to keep paying.

I have read all the comments on the forum as regards the special dietary food and it will be a huge decision to eventually take him off it. The vet says these crystals can be life threatening in he gets a blockage.

My question is did you find out yours had struvite crystals in the same way I did, by the dog having difficulty passing urine?

We are very confused as to know what to do once we have confirmation of that the crystals have dissolved.

Many thanks

[Virginia13]

Hello there! So just wanted to try and reach out to get opinions… I have an adult male dog that will be 11 this year. I got him when he was around 3-4 months and I got him on Aug 28th 2009. About 3.5-4 years ago he started having seizures. He had his first one around 9pm @ night one night and I rushed him to the ER vet after it was over and they told me it was stress. I am not sure when he grew his first mass but he grew 2 very big and very different size masses on his chest. Vet says they are benign but until they are invasive he says to leave them. Over the years he has grown several new masses and vet continues to say that they are harmless until about a month ago I took him for something wrong with his eye. He told me he actually had a small mass growing on the top eyelid growing in so that it is actually scratching his eye… I am terrified to get the surgery but at this point it is bothering him so I don’t have much of a choice. Today I found a new mass and got online once again and found some things about the food he is eating. We are feeding him Beneful healthy weight. I am looking to make a swith to Taste of the Wild and see if I can see a different. I bought Milk Thistle capsules and also omega3 but the Omega3 I read I should consult vet before use so just to be safe I will wait. Any thoughts or advise would be helpful. Thank you!

[Lori H]

Hi Lindsy,

I totally know how you feel, I was in the same situation as you about three years ago with my dog Buddy. You might want to look at the following website. My dog Buddy (long hair Chihuahua, Dachshund and Pomeranian) has been through a lot. He is now almost 13 and during his life he has had surgery on his spleen, surgery for bladder stones, been diagnosed with Diabetes as well as Cushing’s and I was also told by my vet that he was suffering from liver failure and was preparing me for the fact that Buddy was going to die. The liver failure diagnosis was over three+ years and today, he is healthy, happy, looks amazing and has energy. It has been an amazing turnaround. I basically had to get him healthy myself. My vet did not support my decision to do what I did, but he is healthy and that is all that matters! I switched vets because I did not believe that the prescription food was helping him, it was killing him. There is not one whole food or much nutritional value in prescription foods. I remember asking my prior vet in an email what the difference was between the labels which consisted of a bunch of names I could not pronounce and he never got back to me, that is when I realized that the industry needs a checkup.

If anything, read what Rick has to say on his website. The change in Buddy’s food as well as the supplements, changed his life. Rick has had success getting dogs and cats healthy!

http://www.doglivershunt.com

Following is my dogs personal story:
https://www.doglivershunt.com/buddys-story.html

I now believe wholeheartedly that most vets know nothing about nutrition. They are told to carry a line of food in their offices by one of the large pharma/dog food companies because most of these companies go out and recruit at the vet universities across the United States when vets are in school and provide them with a kickback when the sell either Science Diet or Royal Canin in their clinics, up to 40%. My vet wanted me to have Buddy on Hills Science Diet for the rest of his life! He smelled, was overweight and totally miserable while on that crap. I looked at the ingredients and thought to myself, there has to be something better out there. There was not one thing on there that was considered a whole food or ingredient that comes from the natural world!

I was at my wits end as well and thought that I was going to lose Buddy, but I was not willing to give up so I did a Google search and found an amazing person who brought Buddy back to the healthy dog he is.

If you choose to go with his program, it is not cheap, but I believe that over time, I will save money by not taking Buddy to the vet time and time again because I don’t know what is wrong and having a battery of tests run and racking up bills in the thousands, I have been there!

He was slowly weened off of his processed food Science Diet U/D and placed on a diet of fresh veggies and meat based on a very slow transition to follow with Rick’s help.

I suggest reaching out. I think Rick saved Buddy’s life.

Good luck on your search for information and I hope you find a solution.

If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I am happy to talk to you. I have helped three others with their dogs and I truly believe Rick knows what he is talking about. I put my trust in him and I now have a healthy, happy dog. Lori

[RollTide10]

Hi everyone,

Thought I post here again regarding a question I have about rotational diet now that my vet okayed it for my dog.
My dog, Fury, is a 4-year old Lab Mix (wow, where did the time go?!) who weighs about 65 lbs currently.

For food that Fury already ate before, should I still have a 10 day transition in place?
Or can I just swamp him over cold turkey?

Thanks for everyone’s thoughts/input! 🙂

[Gina E]

3/24/20. By Gina Emenheiser: I know it’s been a long time since you posted this, however, if you get this reply it it will save you and others reading it, a lot of pain, concern, sick pups and cats, along with untold amounts of wasted money.
I raised goldens for 40 years. Goopy, painful ear infections were a curse.! When my last boy Fletcher was in such agony, I was frantically trying to find answers to help him as everything the vets recommended failed.
Google search had been getting better over the years and one day during my searching, I typed in… Ears smelling like gangrene! (for the truly did smell like rotten flesh)
I will cut to the chase… Thornet ear and foot cankor powder. A century old remedy for this malady. Still in production today. Mostly found in the UK and easily shipped, my niece in Twickenham sent a $12. Bottle to me. It was easily dusted in Fletchers ears with a cosmetic brush.
The itching and pain stopped immediately! The poor ol boy fell into a peaceful sleep and caught up on his rest. The ears cleared up like magic. The raw sores healed in a week.
Here’s the reason. Much like scabies, Burrowing Microscopic Mites Under the skin go undetected with normal Veterinarian scraping. The vet rules out parasites. And so begins a never ending cycle of solutions, diet changes, allergy tests, medications, on and on. PLEASE PLEASE help your dogs, cats and even rabbits from the pain and infection of ear mites and between the toes mites. It’s NOT an allergy!
I’m not affiliated with any sales or companies. I only want to get the word out. Ps: don’t bother asking your Vet about Thornit Powder. Neither of my vets had ever heard of it nor seemed interested. Best wishes to all animal lovers out there! I’ve been sending this same post into cyber space with the hopes of ending the needless suffering.

[Marisa J]

Hi, I work in a pet store and lots of my customers have had concerns with DCM. Therefore I have done plenty of research on it to help out these customers and for my pets sake as well. It is a topic that I am very knowledgeable. I recommend reading the whole FDA article or at least skimming through it. There are two documents, one is all the cases and one is the FDA’s study. The results are inconclusive at the moment and many brands are working together with the FDA to further investigate.
From reading it I can tell that there are many factors that the FDA left out like affordability (who can afford the vet bills for these tests? What food are they feeding if they can afford? Are they feeding a more expensive kibble or a cheap one at Walmart?), genetics (what breeds are more likely to have which diseases? How many of this species is in the USA (out of 77 million dogs), metabolism (how can a dog digest a kibble diet compared to dehydrated, canned, freeze dried, or raw? How bioavailable is taurine in kibble?), what diets were these dogs on (a majority were on kibble only, some had a mixture, I think 1 or 2 were on raw, and couple had dehydrated foods).
In the end, out of the 500 some cases of dogs with DCM a huge section were fed kibble only diets. So, if anything I would link it more so as a kibble problem than a grain free vs with grains. With the research I have done looking at scholar articles, brand studies (of course always reading between the lines because brands what to do a study to help their brands cause), blogs, and websites, I have noticed that grains cause more inflammation in dogs than peas as they are not as easy for dogs to digest. They force the organs to work a little bit harder. If you notice too, no raw diets (at least that I have come across) have grains in them, only fruits and vegetable, and meat.

There are many other diseases like cancer, liver problems, kidney disease, and pancreatitis that are a lot more common than DCM. DCM affects a small amount of dogs (less than 600 out of 77 million dogs in the US). But if you do decide to feed grains. Please watch out for smelly ears, itching, and hot spots. As grains, along with chicken, are a very common allergy in dogs (since they are put into a lot of foods due to their low cost).

[Marisa J]

Hi I work in a pet store and study dog and cat nutrition at work and at home. Duck is a cooling protein that helps with inflammation but so is whitefish, alligator, red snapper, and there are a few others as well. As far as your concern with DCM; it is a topic that I am very wildly knowledgeable in and talk to many customers about. I recommend reading the whole FDA article or at least skimming through it. There are two documents, one is all the cases and one is the FDA’s study. The results are inconclusive at the moment and many brands are working together with the FDA to further investigate.

From reading it I can tell that there are many factors that the FDA left out like affordability (who can afford the vet bills for these tests? What food are they feeding if they can afford? Are they feeding a more expensive kibble or a cheap one at Walmart?), genetics (what breeds are more likely to have which diseases? How many of this species is in the USA (out of 77 million dogs), metabolism (how can a dog digest a kibble diet compared to dehydrated, canned, freeze dried, or raw? How bioavailable is taurine in kibble?), what diets were these dogs on (a majority were on kibble only, some had a mixture, I think 1 or 2 were on raw, and couple had dehydrated foods).

In the end, out of the 500 some cases of dogs with DCM a huge section were fed kibble only diets. So, if anything I would link it more so as a kibble problem than a grain free vs with grains. With the research I have done looking at scholar articles, brand studies (of course always reading between the lines because brands what to do a study to help their brands cause), blogs, and websites, I have noticed that grains cause more inflammation in dogs than peas as they are not as easy for dogs to digest. They force the organs to work a little bit harder. If you notice too, no raw diets (at least that I have come across) have grains in them, only fruits and vegetable, and meat.

But if you do decide to feed grains. Please watch out for smelly ears, itching, and hot spots. As grains, along with chicken, are a very common allergy in dogs (since they are put into a lot of foods due to their low cost).

[Patricia A]

Kris did your vet have any concern regarding this…Orange Dog Poop
It could indicate a liver issue or biliary disease, or it could just mean that your dog’s food moved too quickly through the GI tract to pick up the bile. Bile is what changes poop to the normal brown color we expect. If your dog has orange diarrhea, contact your vet.
I have two chihuahuas’. One never has a problem with stomach issues. My other is sensitive to feeding certain foods which results in diarrhea or vomiting. I have been feeding both Freeze dried Primal and Stella Chewy’s raw coated kibble in chicken with no stomach issues ever. I see a lot of people on the Stella’s site who’s dog had various problems with other food but do very well with Stella’s. If diet is what is causing the diarrhea then maybe get a sample of Stella’s kibble and introduce VERY slowly. You can read here on their f/b page all the positive comments. https://www.facebook.com/stellaandchewys/

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

[Marisa J]

If you are looking to switch over to a food without chicken and has grains I highly recommend Farmina or Inception. These foods are amazingly high in protein from animal meat and low in carb for a grain diet. I would highly advise you stay away from grains as the research I’ve done has shown that it is harder for their organs to digest, however, I understand with the fear of DCM. But the results are inconclusive, as I have read both 70 page articles on it. Its more so a kibble problem it looks like than a grain free vs with grains. Also, there are far more common diseases like pancreatitis, cancer, kidney disease, and liver disease.

If you want to switch over to grain diet watch for any symptoms of smelly ears, itching, or hot spots as your dog may have a grain allergy as well.

Fromm cannot tell you the amount of protein in their food from animal meat. Their bags are also high in carb as they use high glycemic index foods like potatoes. If you really want to add grains into the diet please look into Inception and Farmina Ancestral Grains.

[Birdie30]

Hi Devin,
That menu looks pretty good. 🙂 I would suggest a bit less oil and maybe cook the veggies a bit more (not sure how lightly you’re cooking them) as I’ve read that veggies do not get absorbed as nutritiously if they’re not cooked. It also helps to blitz or puree them rather than giving them whole, for some reason. You can then add bone broth to make a kind of slurry.

The reason I suggest less oil too is because oil is fatty, and too much fat can upset the tummy. You might want to also try, instead of veggie oil, fish oil. I use a sardine/anchovy oil , and it’s done wonders for my dog’s fur and coat – so soft and shiny! I believe there are fish oils you can get that also supply Vitamin E.

For the egg, another variation you can try is to soft-boil the egg so that the yolk stays fairly intact and runny. The yolk is very nutritious and cooking it does deplete some of the nutrients (from the heat). And finally, instead of eggshells, which could be sprayed with pesticides, you can instead give her a bone meal supplement. It’s a powder and provides plenty of good calcium/phosphorus supplements that your dog needs. Otherwise, lookin’ good!

[Devin G]

Hi everybody, this is my first post and I hope you cam give me helpful advice from your experience/knowledge. Please take it easy on me as I know how forums can be and how judgemental some users are. I am not experienced with this site so I apologize if this does not apply to you guys and gals! I just want my dog to be healthy and live as long as possible!

I have a question about homemade dog food. I have read books and researched the web to come up with a homemade diet for my dog. He is an Australian Terrier/Chihuahua mix that is approx 5 years old.

These are the ingredients I used tonight for his food tonight and please give any tips and knowledge you have about these. I wont go into too much detail and exact amounts used to save time but here is what I put together:

Lean ground turkey (lightly cooked with coconut oil)
Broccoli heads (lightly cooked in bone broth with the carrots)
Carrot (minced and lightly cooked in bone broth)
Anchovies (very lightly cooked then chopped)
1 egg (scrambled and cooked until just a little runny)
2 egg shells powdered (added and mixed at the end)
Little coconut oil
Little vegetable oil
Little bone broth
1 small sweet potato microwaved and skin removed
Little ground ginger

These are the ingredients and unwould appreciate any feedback. I used amounts close to what I found in books and from a Vet recommendation. I would really appreciate any experience with these ingredients you have regarding a dogs health. My dog weighs around 12lbs so I would also appreciate how much you would feed this weight daily. I mixed some with his blue buffalo dry food tonight as to not upset his tummy. I know broccoli can cause gas and has an ingredient not good in large amounts so I went light on it and only used the green tips.

Thank you in advance for any advice!

[Patricia A]

Michelle D try Stella & Chewy’s. It’s a very popular brand with many selection including grain inclusive and limited ingredient selections. Here is their f/b page . As you read you can see many people post that their dogs do really well on this food. Worth a try but introduce slowly . Feed a little less and try to exercise your beagle more. Hope this helps.
https://www.facebook.com/stellaandchewys/

[Lori H]

Hi Cesar,

I totally know how you feel, I was in the same situation as you about two years ago with my dog Buddy. You might want to look at the following website. My dog Buddy (long hair Chihuahua, Dachshund and Pomeranian) has been through a lot, much like your dog. He had so many medical issues including being diagnosed with Diabetes. He is now almost 13 and during his life he has had surgery on his spleen, surgery for bladder stones, been diagnosed with Diabetes, my vet thought he had Cushing’s and I was also told by my vet that he was suffering from liver failure and was preparing me for the fact that Buddy was going to die. The liver failure diagnosis was over two+ years and today, he is healthy, happy, looks amazing and has energy. It has been an amazing turnaround so I know how you feel. I basically had to get him healthy myself. My vet did not support my decision to do what I did, but he is healthy and that is all that matters! I switched vets because I did not believe that the prescription food was helping him, it was killing him. There is not whole food or much nutritional value in prescription foods. I remember asking my prior vet in an email what the difference was between the labels which consisted of a bunch of names I could not pronounce and he never got back to me, that is when I realized that the industry needs a checkup.

If anything, read what Rick has to say on his website. The change in Buddy’s food as well as the supplements, changed his life. Rick has had success getting dogs and cats healthy and insulin free!

http://www.doglivershunt.com

Following is my dogs personal story:
https://www.doglivershunt.com/buddys-story.html

I now believe wholeheartedly that most vets know nothing about nutrition. They are told to carry a line of food in their offices by one of the large pharma/dog food companies because most of these companies go out and recruit at the vet universities across the United States when vets are in school and provide them with a kickback when the sell either Science Diet or Royal Canin in their clinics, up to 40%. My vet wanted me to have Buddy on Hills Science Diet for the rest of his life! I looked at the ingredients and thought to myself, there has to be something better out there. There was not one thing on there that was considered a whole food or ingredient that comes from the natural world!

I was at my wits end as well and thought that I was going to lose Buddy, but I was not willing to give up so I did a Google search and found an amazing person who brought Buddy back to the healthy dog he is.

If you choose to go with his program, it is not cheap, but I believe that over time, I will save money by not taking Buddy to the vet time and time again because I don’t know what is wrong and having a battery of tests run and racking up bills in the thousands, I have been there!

He was slowly weened off of his processed food Science Diet U/D and placed on a diet of fresh veggies and meat based on a very slow transition to follow with Rick’s help.

I suggest reaching out. I think Rick saved Buddy’s life.

Good luck on your search for information and I hope you find a solution.

If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I am happy to talk to you. I have helped three others with their dogs and I truly believe Rick knows what he is talking about. I put my trust in him and I now have a healthy, happy dog. Lori

[Michelle D]

I have been through several types of food with my 1.5 year old Beagle. When he was a puppy we had him on Science Diet and then Fromm. He had urinary crystals and was placed on Royal Canin Urinary S/O. He had problems with scratching his face, chewing paws and ear infections. I chose not to use the Apoquel the vet suggested and asked if food could be changed. After neutering him at a year old with the vet’s approval, we took him off the urinary diet and put him on Victor grain inclusive Ocean Whitefish. The itching and ear infections stopped but he gained weight and had gastritis a couple times. He was placed on Science diet canned low fat gastrointestinal and had some paw chewing and face scratching so switched to Pro Plan Sensitive Salmon. The itching, paw chewing occurs when he goes outside sometimes but not nearly as bad as it was. However, he needs to lose weight. He is a 15 inch Beagle and 37 lbs. The vet only wants him to have a cup a day and said I could use green beans. They only like the Big 3 food companies so I am limited on recommendations. Of course he acts like he is starving all the time and has started some bad behaviors in an attempt to steal food. I am searching for a weight management food, but most have chicken. I am not sure if the allergies were to chicken, corn, wheat or soy…they possibly could be environmental also. I have read up on so many foods here and then read reviews with scary stories in the comments sections and just don’t know which way to go. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.

[m3ntat]

Prescription Royal Canin SO diet can help dissolve struvite uroliths specifically, and prevent formation of struvite and oxolate uroliths. RC also makes multiple diets with the SO index, including a behavior modifying diet, Calm. Stress is primary contributor to urinary disease, including bacterial infections, sterile inflammation, uroliths in the bladder (cystolith) or kidneys (nephrolith), as unsure which your vet has diagnosed. Moderating stress with diet, supplements, environment, and exercise, can help reduce stress induced disease and inflammation. Feliway (cat) and Dog Appeasing pheremone products are very helpful. Over the counter products by veterinary companies, such as Composure (Vetriscience), Zylkene (Vetoquinol), and Calming Care (Purina) are the most utilized amongst vet professionals. Long-term use of the rx urinary diet is recommended in repeat urethral obstruction or urolith affected pets. Obstruction by crystals blood/bladder cells, and stones is emergent, as blood cannot flow through the kidneys to filter toxins into urine, and toxins accumulate in the blood, leading to electrolyte imbalance, azotemia, dehydration, hypotension, and shock left untreated. Since he is older onset, ensuring water intake and more elimination opportunities on walks/yard visits will help decrease risk for concentrated urine accumulating crystals, which can form uroliths that gain size the longer crystals are present. Dilution decreases urine crystal formation. Inquire as to the serum kidney values, to ensure underlying kidney changes are not the contributors to the bacteria and crystals sited in his urine. Ultrasound is the best way to diagnose urinary tract changes, inflammation, and foreign material; limited abdominal U/S can find early kidney changes, prior to any abnormality in serum/blood work. Hope your boy continues to improve, as he already sounds 100% turnaround. Link to SO index Calm diet https://www.royalcanin.com/us/dogs/products/vet-products/canine-calm-dry-dog-food

[aimee]

Hi RRLover,
This is an something I looked in to. As I now understand it there are to types of carrageenan degraded and undegraded. Food grade carrageenan is undegraded carrageenan. Degraded carrageenan (poligeenan) is a known to be problematic. The problem is in some of the early studies degraded carrageenan (poligeenan) was simply called carrageenan.

After reading a lot on the topic I can say I’m comfortable with it, where as in the past I avoided it,

[Diane L]

Here is my response.

Hello, Kat. Thank you for reaching out to me. I spoke to Esther this morning and was not very impressed with this customer service agent, who bickered with me about subscribing for auto shipment of dog food. When I received the order last month, I did not think to check and make sure it was not an auto ship. I never use auto ship unless I have tried a product before doing so. I did not know whether this food would agree with my dog or if he would eat it, so there is absolutely no possibility of my subscribing for auto shipment right out of the gate. It would have had to have been changed on the fulfillment side.

I placed this order using my debit card, and my bank said the only way I could dispute the charge was to close the account so that they could pursue it and not allow Dr. Marty to make any additional charges to the account. Instead if doing that, I opted to call Dr. Marty again to verify cancellation. I would also be contacting Dr. Marty again for a full refund as stated on the website. I will have two bags of unopened food to return, the original bag and the one that is on the way.

I spoke to Oscar the second time I called. He was much more customer service oriented and not combative like Esther, who unfortunately was a very poor listener as well. However, having read that even after cancellation, other clients reported they continued to be charged by Dr. Marty, I will be following up at the end of the month to make sure no shipments are forthcoming.

Last month while I perused the Dr. Marty website, I read about the probiotics powder. I honestly do not recall placing this order. We’ve tried probiotics products on our dog before, and it did not go well. I remember thinking the information and product sounded interesting, but I don’t recall placing the order, so I was surprised when it arrived in the mail. We are giving it a shot, and I will keep that item, but I do not want to reorder it or any other product.

If you can tell me how to go about returning the two unopened packages of dog food for credit, I would greatly appreciate it. I will submit another review after this has all been settled.

Thank you, Diane

[Ronald B]

Wendy – Sorry your pup isn’t responding to the Hills Science Diet. We had similar results early on with our Miniature Schnauzer but it was more related to the fact that she just didn’t like/wouldn’t eat the prescription Hills. After 3 surgeries to remove bladder stones, she’s been having great results with prescription Royal Canin Urinary SO (dry, wet and treats) and Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diet UR Urinary Ox/St Canned. We were fortunate to get samples from out Vet before having to commit to a full order from Chewy.com where the smallest order size is 12 or 24 cans at a time. Also, I did see the Royal Canin prescription dry food in Petco the other day. You can read other comments I have made above. Good luck, we know how hard it is to treat this condition which is more common in some breeds than others.

[Lauren S]

You all have been very helpful, thank you! We just had our dog’s urine rechecked yesterday and I am thrilled to report that the crystals are gone and his pH has lowered into the normal range. Now the next question… Does my dog need to stay on this prescription food forever? The vet says to keep him on the food but I’ve read elsewhere that says once the crystals are gone, he can resume his normal diet. I appreciate any feedback you can offer. Thanks for the help!

[Paul K]

Hello,

We lost our 14 1/2 year old beautiful Cocker Spaniel boy on Jan 22, 2020. He became seriously ill with extremely high liver enzymes (ALT) levels, bilirubin numbers and overall extreme jaundice. Our boy Junior was put on Galliprant in Oct 2017. The medication helped his arthritis very well. He could jump up on the couch and was still playful for an old guy. Over the past year or so I noticed that his stools were much different. They became stringy and loose, The firm poop was no longer the same. I didn’t understand why but he seemed fine and would still have an occasional formed soft stool. In August of 2019, the stool became very watery and started to have blood in it. We took him to the vet and he was put on antibiotics used to help form poop. The antibiotics never worked. He was on the antibiotics up until he started to have accidents around Thanksgiving and became sick at Christmas. Over New Years he was placed in the hospital with an enlarged liver. The hospital took him off the galliprant and his enalapril for heart condition. He was released from the hospital on Jan 2, 2020 even though he was not well but considered stable. Vet felt home life would be good for his recovery. He was treated for an infection in the liver that the hospital thought he had given the results from the ultrasound showed no tumor or cancer. He remained off the galliprant and high blood meds until we lost him yesterday. One thing that was interesting is that after he came home and would eat even though no where what he did, his stools were formed again and looked normal. When we took him back to the vet and mentioned it, they didn’t know why. Well, after looking up galliprant on the FDA’s website I found an article on the FDA site explaining how galliprant works differently than NSAIDs. But still affects the prostaglandins functions especially to the stomach and intestine lining. After doing this quick post research, I realize that although Galliprant helped my buddy’s arthritic condition, I believe that this medication also caused his liver failure and death. What I hope my input to this forum provides is that who ever is reading this and contemplating the use of Galliprant that they get the baseline liver blood levels and monitor it regularly!!!!! I wish I knew this before and not just took my Vet’s word that this medication had a lower side effect of liver damage. I think that isn’t the case with galliprant or NSAIDs. Just becareful when giving this medication and do your home work on what medications you give your pup. I can’t change things now but with our other dog, when she gets older and develops OA, I will try to look for a more homeopathic natural approach to reduce the inflammation. I hope my story here helps you in your decision on treatments…….maybe my story of Junior will save or prevent someone from losing their pet before they have to. As the post before me said, Pets First……

[Lenny W]

Hi, I prefer to use Blue Buffalo or Rachael Ray Nutrish, u can read about the composition and purpose here

• This reply was modified 5 years, 10 months ago by Lenny W.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 10 months ago by Lenny W.

[James B]

Hi @hollyn my 11 year old lab/rohdesian ridge back has a similar problem. She’s been leaking a foul smelling vaginal discharge for over 6 months now. The vet said she has a mass in her vulva and liver tests came back high. At her worst she wasn’t eating or drinking and had a hard time getting up. Now she is on galliprant and is doing much better (eating and drinking and has a lot more energy) however she is still leaking excessive discharge daily. We tried antibiotics but that didn’t do much. We’re thinking she may have cancer which has caused liver problems and no after reading your post that may explain the vaginitis. Is there anything you did for the liver disease to help get over vaginitis?

[Michele B]

Our beautiful Lab, Kera, was 9 when an upset to her sytem happened, liver spiked and she refused to eat for 10 days I had some Vet pufren said to spouse stop as I get sick from, she drank, and eventually she began to eat with drop of only 10 pounds She was normally 85 pounds.
I went to holistic Vet and they put her on bone sore, it is powder from Asian Naturalist. I had also started Hemp Oil from King Kanine then switched to Dogs Naturally. We saw improvement about a year ago the arthritis was worse, suggested surgery but after her bout of no food, liver enzymes I said No she should have life with us, not die on table or non recovery.
We were prescribed Galliprant and all regime was fine, not affects as I read, we did cut her down after she seemed better, we added laser therapy and was fine for 10 months…unfortunately her arthritis was now not just her rear right leg but back got worse, and her front legs were wobbly. I made a decision after going for phone to call all the Vets, laser…I instead called to have her put down. Every night after play she was not as active, she would look at me I knew…I know here pain all too well. It was the worst call, but it was the best for her well being.
Medication makes pharms rich, it never stops the disease. I am grateful for meds for many people in need, animals also. But in the long run, disease esp arthritis wins like cancer. I miss her everyday and I am facing total knee replacement, and fear for myself as it is my second surgery another reason why I could not see a 11 year old dog with some past problems going thru this misery. Not being able to walk well myself, I know that saying goodbye was best as it was not going to get better. I cannot blame galiprant for any of the problem I do blame Ibuprofen for stomach issues. But when we first got her she had lyme, it was treated and negative but did that affect her at her vulnerable time, I just know we had 11 years of love. I did see remarkable recovery in cat last year on hemp ol. Kera and I found a lovely Russian Blue type cat chewed up. He was starving, dehyrdrated so we took him to Vet to be Euthanized. Vet said let’s see so 24 we had UK home and we massaged him, Kera with us thru the whole regime daily, after all she did rescue him…(third one). I used King Kanine balm with manuka honey on his wounds. UK was barely 5 pounds, he had been inside cat…he knew litter, cat carrier, food bowls, sound of food can open, bag rustling never made mess….Imagine throwing away such a splendid cat…. The only sad tale is he believes our cats chewed him, beat him so alpha personality is in force. After all the known disease, was done, we showed Vet how UK got his legs working…he used 2 x 4’s to stretch. It reminds me of the ruler we had for our children’s growth and it is. He is with us 18 months, he is 18 pounds and he is healthy even with HIV He has a room and gets exercise periods thru house and loves us. When Kera went, he like the other Cats looked for her…when we mention her …they perk up their ears. We donated all of her meds to Vet for those who cannot afford, but the oil…well, we can use on cats, UK can tell you he has some daily for his fur and skin. I wish you all the best, Vets do try, just animals like us have reactions to meds. Be prepared, research, ask questions…they cannot. One day cure of all of us,….pets first.

[pugmomsandy]

@Gary R: Click on the main “Forum”, then scroll down and select “Dog Supplements”, go to the bottom and you can start a new Topic. Or you can use the Search box towards the top of the left side column, search for “Nutra Thrive”, if there is already a Topic called NutraThrive, you can post your review there.

[Jessica M]

I’m trying to reply to Gregory b so hopefully this isnt just a general reply but anyway I’m confused as to why your vet would say not to use any product that says to consult your vet first. EVERY single supplement and vitamin on earth says to ask your Dr before using it so why would it be different for dogs? The reason youre supposed to check is because every dog and human is different. Just because your dog had an allergic reaction to an ingredient doesnt mean the whole company is a scam. For instance they could be using a simple filler ingredient and just hypothetically lets say the ingredient was harmless blueberry extract. Well my friend is allergic to blueberries so she would have a horrible reaction to any supplement that contained blueberry in any form. That diesnt mean the supplement is unsafe! Everyones health is different and anyone could be allergic to anything and some supplements cant be taken if youre on certain rx meds etc. Like youre not supposed to take beta keratin if youre a smoker because it causes kidney damage or something. You should ALWAYS check with your Dr before taking any vitamins or supplements and thus you should ALWAYS ask your vet before giving your dog any vitamins or supplements. That’s just how it works and I cant believe youve never seen a bottle of vitamin c that says “consult your dr before taking this supplement”. It doesnt mean vitamin c is dangerous for gods sake. Some people posting here are just really ignorant. Lots of people and dogs are allergic to gluten or wheat or corn etc which are totally harmless so before you start calling companies scams and saying their products are dangerous id do a little more research altho I thought the vitamin thing was common knowledge. Also when a person begins a new vitamin regimen with high quality supplements and a lot of them, the body can react badly at first. It happened to my mom. Shes just very sensitive. You really shouldnt be shocking your dogs system and giving them the full doses all at once. I’d reccommend starting off with just a small bit of supplement powder and slowly increasing it. When I start my dogs on new food, if I dont go suoer slowly introducing that new food, my dogs will barf and be sick for a couple of weeks. It doesnt mean the food is poison or generally dangerous. Come on people use your brains! I’m considering buying this product but I’m definitely going to clear it with my vet before actually putting it in either of my dogs food. Are there any updates on the whole ordering problem on the website? Is there still no way to manage your account/shipping type of options? I also read that some of the ingredients are worthless when taken orally so thats the kind of thing id want more info on.