I just went back onto their site and looked over the foods again. I agree with you that the only one that I could see feeding is the puppy formula. But, as I mentioned, I’m uncomfortable not knowing about antibiotics and hormones. For my husband and myself I try to buy organic as often as I can and always make sure that there are no hormones or antibiotics as best I can. Another issue that I have with their other formulas is that I don’t like that they have more than one protein. If a food says it’s beef, I’d like not to see chicken. Same with their other formulas. I think the puppy is the only one that is one protein source. One of my dogs is highly intolerant of all things fowl.
As far as the AAFCO statement, I really don’t pay much attention to it. That they have slapped that statement on so many foods that are so not AAFCO equivalent is appalling. So how can you believe any of it. There’s no one guarding the hen house. I’m a commercial raw feeder and all the companies that I feed are only ones that use human grade ingredients. Now, of course, I don’t know that to be a fact because I’m not an eye witness in their manufacturing facilities but I’m doing my best to take care of the girls as best I can. I’ve attempted to do my due diligence. If I remember correctly AAFCO figures were done for kibble, possibly canned too. I’ve read somewhere that they are suppose to be coming out this year with their new figures a bit more in line with the EU guidelines. They’re still not talking commercial raw foods into account so it’s not going to affect me or my dogs one way or the other. I would possibly be more concerned about the AAFCO statements on dog foods if I fed highly processed dry foods or if I only fed my dogs one food and never rotated. That could lead to a problem which is why we are always trying to get people to understand that they should research and implement rotational feeding. The FDA is their own little story unto itself in my eyes. The way they recommend or abolish products has no merit in my eyes whatsoever.
Basically I think if they are putting an AAFCO label of nutritional completeness on their foods, i doubt they should be doing so. On the other hand, for me, AAFCO guidelines hold much less relevance for well rounded quality whole, foods, and really become much more relevant the more heavily processed foods. kibbles, etc. I don’t like to many excessive and uneccessary added vitamins/minerals to raw diet.
I’ve not seen guaranteed analysis of their products. The analysis they show is a bit confusing, especially the way they have broken certain items down.
I think I can assume that fat means total fat, carbs mean total carbs, it wasn’t at first plain to me from their analysis. But the total calories still don’t quite reconcile?
Going by what i can here’s the best I come up with on the puppy blend. I hope this comes out looking like a spreadsheet, never has for me before on the review side anyway 🙁
Analysis % %Dry Matter Approximate % calories from?:
——————————————————————————————————-protein 14.02 46.6
fat 7.58 25.2 about 51% ?
carbs 6.57 21.8
water 69.92
ash/other 1.91 6.3
——————————————————————————————————-
100 99.9
Going by those figures, the fat doesn’t look out of line, particularly since the product has added coconut oil and salmon oil, already. I might give consideration feeding the puppy blend (to my adult) on a supplemental basis. I’d be interested in how the veggies, particulary the kale, are processed to make more digestible., and if the mung and adzuki beans are cooked in addition to, or simply just sprouted.
Edit: yeah it didn’t come out looking like a spreadsheet, at all. I’ll have to try doing something about that later.
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This reply was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by
losul.
agt, I forgot to mention that my little girl made it all the way through Canine Good Citizen! We’ve had her since she was about 8 months, and had no training except she appeared house broken when we got her. So it’s a happy ending!
Sam, she should be able to work out for you, but your trainer will be the best to judge. Do you always bring really good treats with you? It doesn’t always work because I have a current dog that shuts down completely when extremely stressed, but is not aggressive. He would not respond to treats in a really stressful situation. So, again after working with a trainer I slowly desensitized him by starting below his threshold, always carrying treats and slowly working up. There are still things we need to work on, but we have come a very long way.
When you find your dog in that type of situation, probably the best thing to do is walk her away and focus on something else. Sometimes even throwing a treat to the floor and letting her “find it” can refocus her energy. But again, you might need to work with a trainer who is familiar with reactive dogs. A good thing to do is really focus on her body language. Sometimes it is very subtle and/or very quick. Every dog has different thresholds. I don’t know how familiar you are with stress signals in dogs, but here’s a link:
http://www.liamjperkfoundation.org/stress.html
There are many of these on the internet. You do need to learn to read your dog. Then you will see the triggers more quickly.
Michael Saull, are you a behaviorist or a trainer? I think not as you are not even aware that fear aggression is probably the most common behavior seen by trainers and behaviorists when people are seeking help with their dogs. Your posts are wrong and dangerous if people read them and try this. Nat Geo’s Dog Whisperer has made a whole lot of people watching the show think they’re dog trainers.
I’ve have/had fearful and fear aggressive dogs. Of course, I have/had very balanced dogs too, but the fear aggressive one taught me the most about dogs. It took a very long time to socialize and counter condition the fear aggressive one to where he was a wonderful dog that people loved. When he passed on a few years ago, many people posted on how much they would miss him and that he was one of the best, most character filled dogs they every met. We took him through so much training and a behaviorist that I now have 2 personal friends that are trainers and behaviorists (and I’m not talking the Petsmart kind of trainers). We also knew the very few triggers we couldn’t counter condition that would set him off, but they were Vet related.
The best way to deal with dogs that are fearful and have some aggression issues are desensitization and counter conditioning. Here’s just a quick link to ASPCA on this topic:
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/desensitization-and-counterconditioning
Sam Koch, I don’t know what kind of service dog you were going to use Honey for, but I would seriously consider consulting with a very good trainer. The service dog trainer may work. I can’t say exactly, but she was probably reacting to the girls raincoat as it was foreign to her. The problem is you are still in the “honeymoon” period of rescue. She may get better or worse. It’s hard to say. Some dogs are just fearful and will react when pressed. I have a Lab we got in a kill shelter that had tapeworms, her ears and forehead and cigarette burns in them, has a damaged trachea that the kill shelter thought was bordatella, and yet she is the most confident, easy going dog you would ever know. Everyone loves her. My fear aggressive dog (a lab mix) was an 8 week old puppy that had never been abused, beaten, etc. that so many rescuers think is the problem with the dogs that are fearful. He came to the rescue from a normal family. Just as in people, all dogs are different. Good luck with it. Keep us posted!
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This reply was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by
C4D.
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This reply was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by C4D.
About a week ago my little dogs suddenly started drinking a lot of water. At the time, I wondered why. They weren’t sick but, shortly thereafter, they did get sick with stomach problems and very watery diarrhea. I stopped feeding them for a period of 18 hrs. Then I slowly put them on boiled chicken and potatoes until they were better. Last night I resumed feeding them their usual BB canned dog food. We went for a walk and my schnauzer had watery diarrhea again. During the night my little toy poodle got sick also. Both dogs are now so sick again. It is so pitiful to see them suffering like this and I suspect something is wrong with BB. I will never buy it again. For three years they had been eating it without any problems and it is supposed to be the best. However, I have read many threads today on internet and found that since Dec 2014 more and more pet owners are experiencing the same gastrointestinal problems and switched their pets off BB which resolved the health issues. I also noted that there are a multitude of lawsuits against BB stating that their ingredients are no longer as pure as they used to be and contain grains now although BB is contentious about this they did finally admit to this. Apparently, they buy from various manufacturers and haven’t maintained a high quality by testing those suppliers’ ingredients. I am shocked. Now this info is based on various plaintiffs’ documents. In addition, there are rumors that they also import from China. However, to be fair this is heresay until I can verify. In addition, I happen to talk to a friend in AZ (I am in NYC) who mentioned that his little dog was in the hospital with bleeding gastroenteritis. Guess what dog food little Maggie was? You got it, BB!!
Once I get my dogs recover this time, I will not go back to BB. NEVER EVER!!!
February 1st is not enough time to know what this dog is going to react to. I have one who isn’t friendly (not aggressive, but definitely gives back off signals) that are very subtle. Hopefully the service dog trainer has experience with that kind of dog. I do agree with L M. Did you work with the service dog trainer to pick a dog? That helps. Keep very close eyes on her when you are out and about, and watch for some of those dog signals and what is causing them. Please keep in mind-a tail in the air isn’t always good, there is so much more to it than that. Watch her tongue, watch her lips. Everything she does, and take note so you can share with your trainer.
A Class of people, that’s generally low key, even though it’s crowded. A store like petco isn’t. And children have a very different energy for dogs to read
Hello everyone. My English bulldog puppy, Tyson, is now 8.5 Weeks old. We got him on 29 March. They gave us Royal Canin. I read up on Royal Canin and also found this site which led me to purchase Blue Buffalo Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe for puppies. This is kept in stock on base (I am stationed at USAG Yongsan, South Korea).
Over the last 2 weeks his stool has been more pudding diarrhea than solid. Thankfully it hasn’t been uncontrolled (he almost always poops on a pad). It also isn’t “brown water”. He has had no vomiting. He drinks a normal amount of water. He is still active and playful and is putting on weight.
We played with his amount of food and now he gets more solid stools (still has a pudding diarrhea towards the end of the day). However, we noticed he began tearing a lot, to the point he is getting small stains. He also recently began scratching at his ears.
Today we had his 3rd round of vaccinations. The vet looked at his ears, face and eyes. She also looked at his paw pads (between toes). She said he may have a small allergy to the food.
We bought Royal Cannin Hypoallergenic food at the vet office. There is nothing on base and our options at the time were limited.
How do we best go about figuring out this food allergy?
How long should I feed him the hypoallergenic food?
Also, once I am ready to switch back to a puppy food I was thinking of going with Wellness CORE Natural Grain Free Dry Dog Food for Puppies. My thinking is this is a 5 star food and is also grain free which he may be having an issue with.
Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance 🙂
I would suggest Standard Process Whole Body Supplement. If you diffuse essential oils in your home I would suggest Transition and also Calm-Away. For the oils I would suggest you go to AnimalEO.info and check them out. You can also order Standard Process products through that site. This is Melissa Shelton DVM’s site. I use a H2EO diffuser. You can read about the different essential oils on her site and if you go to her site oilyvet.com you can check out the different Standard Process supplements and see if any of them are worth while for your dog. I think the two I mentioned would be worthwhile for your dog but there may be others.
I’m also a commercial raw rotational feeder to my three dogs. I don’t feed anything processed.
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This reply was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by
Dori.
Thank you, Aimee and Zolicylus and Pugmom. We’re going through a major life transition right now so unfortunately even thinking about home cooking isn’t feasible. I just know Royal Canin and Science Diet are foods I don’t want him on long term. He has his next appointment at the end of the month and hopefully it’s better news.
We’ve had the Wellness LID Salmon in our rotation previously so it’s good to know there’s a food I already know he likes as an option.
Unfortunately, NutriSource GF Seafood has chicken fat in it so that’s out.
Of course, I get the dog with issues but life wouldn’t be as fun without a challenge right?
Again, thank you all. I truly appreciate the pointers on where to start and having options.
L M. Marie, Myself, Labs, and quite a few others have been counseling, advising, and pleading her to get Ginger’s dental done since the first week she got her. That is well over a year ago. I’d also like to remind you and others on this thread that she has repeatedly asked for advice. We have repeatedly given her the advice she asked for. No, no one has to take anyone’s advice even if you’ve asked for said advice. Then stop asking for the same advice on the same issue over and over and over again if you know you’re not going to do anything anyway. Have you read all 15 pages of this forum thread? If not and when you have a moment, you might want to read it from the beginning. I think that you and others may think that we are being too hard on Akari and need to take it easy on her. It is inhumane to allow anyone, anything to suffer as long as the poor dog has suffered due to the condition of Ginger’s teeth.
We all have had old dogs at some time or another and we all dread the exams. I for one have had my Maltese, Hannah, all her life. She was 15 years old last September. She has two types of cancer (bladder and lung), she’s been hypothyroid almost half her life. She has two degenerated discs mid spine. All these issues I’ve been treating medically, holistically, with SP supplements, homeopathically, with the aid of not only her own vet but with counsel from holistic/homeopathic vets and specialists for her conditions. Also I have often asked for advice here on DFA. It’s a wonderful place filled with loving, caring, compassionate people and when we see and hear these stories we have to speak up and point out what we know is wrong and is abusive behavior. Hannah is not suffering in the least. She’s eating, drinking, peeing, and pooping. Playing with her two “sisters” all the time. Barks at everyone passing the property. She long ago decided that she was our watch dog and door bell all rolled into one. Each and every time I have to take her to any of her vets, my heart is in my throat. I all but break into a sweat. But that does not stop me from getting her to her doctors appointment. And when the day comes that my husband and I feel that she is suffering we will do what is best for Hannah, not for ourselves. We will let her go because to do otherwise would be selfish to the maximum on our part. We have had to make that decision in the past and you never ever get over it. It stays with you forever. All my dogs have been like my children. My own “human” child died 8 years ago last August. Let me tell you that the pain and longing is not much different than losing a furry member of your family. You miss them, you think you hear them, you think they’re just sleeping in their bed, or laying on the sofa with the t.v. on. You think you hear their dog tags jingling. I still have each and every dog collar and all dog tags and all ashes from each and every dog I’ve ever had including a yellow naped Amazon parrot I had about 30 years ago. In the end the decision should be about what is best for them, not for ourselves. Of course we don’t want them to be sick and/or die, but what needs to be done for “furry family members” that we brought into our homes to care for and protect means from beginning to end it is about them! Not us! Again, if I sound harsh on the subject of the decisions that Akari has chosen in her care of Ginger it is because it pains me that Ginger is still (a year or so later) in the condition that she is in and has been allowed to be this way since she was brought into her home.
I’m proud of all of us who have spoken up. So many people in this life will turn a blind eye because they don’t want to get involved. That’s not me and neither is it the posters that have seen something wrong happening and we do get involved. When I see abusive behavior in any form in my day to day life I am one of those that do speak up. I’m not so afraid that I’m going to pretend that I don’t see or hear what’s going on. It’s one of the problems that society has right now. People don’t want to get involved, they don’t want to upset the apple cart. I don’t care if the apple cart topples over so long as I have been instrumental in getting someone to open their eyes and see what they’ve done.
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This reply was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by Dori.
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This reply was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by Dori.
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This reply was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by Dori.
Okay, let’s take it easy on Akari. Many well educated, intelligent people don’t understand the importance of dental care for their pets.
All we can do is try to educate and be supportive. I have an old guy myself that I need to take in for an exam soon. Not looking forward to it, but it is what it is.
I like to think that because I am an RN, I can take care of most things myself. But even I know that pain and infection are not “do it yourself” projects.
PS: Akari if you are reading this, consider putting the cost of the surgery on a credit card (if it is within your means) or start a Go Fund Me account, just some ideas, call around, there are organizations that may be able to help you.
She means can you copy and paste the web address for their website?
And yes, a brand that is good, but not readily available in the US, may not make it on DFA. Also, Dr. Mike has a backlog of foods he is adding as he can. If you would like to see a review for a particular food, there is a “contact us” spot to click on on the bottom of the page.
Wow, Akari. I’ve never seen a dog’s tooth in that bad a shape. You weren’t exaggerating when you said Ginger’s teeth were in bad shape. She has got to be in pain with the condition that her teeth are in. If the dental is not going to be done, which by the way I definitely think should be done, they you’re probably better off not putting water in her food so that she’s forced to chew and maybe lose the worst of the teeth. Just make sure she’s drinking plenty of water of it’s going to screw up her kidney’s. Also so that you know, even though she will lose the most offending teeth, that isn’t going to do anything for any disease that she has under the gums that will eventually get into her blood system if it hasn’t already.
As for the Denamarin, as you know Hannah had very high liver levels though not as high as Ginger’s were/are. Hannah’s is due to the tumor in her bladder and the mass on one of the lobes of a lung. Because of her age I have been told not only by her vet but also by two of her specialist vets that Hannah will be on the Denamarin for the rest of her life. I give her one whole tablet (specialists and her vets recommendations) 1 1/2 hours before her dinner every single day. I have been doing this for a year now and her liver levels are now in the normal range. We tried dropping it to 1/2 tablet per day but her liver levels started to rise again. I have forgotten to mention to you all along that Hannah is on the chewable version. The tablet is scored and I just break it in half for her and she chews them both up. She loves the taste. That might also be another way for Ginger to loose bad molars.
When the vet got her blood work back I thought he didn’t want to due the dental because of her liver and kidney levels? But now he feels it’s okay even though he hasn’t done blood work again? I don’t understand? Look, I’m no vet that’s for sure but I’m seriously thinking that her liver levels and perhaps kidney, are due to the constant infections coming from her mouth. I also think it’s doing tremendous harm to have her on antibiotics as often as the vet has. He’s just treating symptoms which vets seem to like to do. He’s not really treating what’s wrong with her. Antibiotics are horrible for the organs and the gut and every other part of your internal body. I think your mom has gotten so attached to Ginger that she’s afraid to lose her. Can Ginger die through surgery? Yes. But so can anyone going under anaesthesia (sp?). At some point as guardians of animals we have to realize that the quality of their lives counts more than our not wanting to let go. Honestly, I’m thrilled to hear that Ginger is doing better and also that she lost that horrible molar. Are you giving her 1/4 teaspoon of coconut oil a day? If not, you should be. Ginger has probably been so snappish when anywhere near her mouth because she’s been in so much pain for so long. You know how painful it is yourself when you have a tooth ache. One of the worst pains. Toothaches, back aches and child birth are by far the worst pains ever. I’d rather give birth again than deal with tooth aches.
OK so everyone says check this thead or that thread, some say trust then vet. others say trust the breeder…… then you read up on all the different dog foods that are out there and discover all the recalls and melamine etc found in certain foods. Some vets say if “the food is AAFCO approved then great”… yet the internet indicates that AAFCO does NOT police any dog food that is manufactured in the states, instead it says “AAFCO doesn’t test, approve, certify or regulate pet foods. Its stated goals are to provide protection for consumers, safeguard the health of animals and humans, and provide “a level playing field of orderly commerce for the animal feed industry.” So one of my last vets push to buy Royal Canin and the breeder is using a cheep brand fromm Peavey mart and is insisting on no more than 22% protien and no more than 10% fat…..Doesn’t a dog than big growing that fast with thbat much muscle require more protien than that? God who do I believe? I just want to feed my puppy to help him stay healthy and grow well and at a safe rate but none of this is helping there seems to be too many camps and it is turning into a crap shoot!
Frustrated and at a loss.
Hi Joyce,
There is already a topic about homemade dog treats that can be found here: /forums/topic/has-anyone-made-homemade-dog-treats/
Hello,
I have a six month old lab puppy who seems to have food allergy or food intolerance. We started him on Nature’s Balance Large Breed Puppy and he would get awful tummy aches to the point of curling up on the floor and crying in pain for extended periods of time.
After several trips to the vet along with x-rays, blood tests, and an ultrasound trying to figure out what was wrong and being told repeatedly by the vet that it was not food intolerance or allergy I asked her to please recommend a starter food that they would give a dog who does have food intolerance. She went ahead and prescribed Hills Science Diet Branch I/D. Its been two months and Jaxon (my puppy) hasn’t had any of those awful tummy aches since.
That said, Jaxon is still not on the right food in my opinion. I feel in the long run Science Diet is a poor brand of food (the ingredients don’t strike me as high quality) and the ID formula isn’t right for a large breed puppy. I am terrified to transition him to anything else though and don’t know where to begin. My vet of course recommended Science Diet or Royal Canine Large Breed puppy. After thoroughly reading about both recommendations on this website I definitely do not want to feed Jaxon either of those. Can anyone give me a recommendation of other foods to research for a puppy who has a sensitive tummy or food allergy even though I have not been able to determine what exact ingredient causes this? Or possibly point me to a website that has more information on how to navigate through feeding a puppy with food issues? Thank you!
Hi,
I know this is an old thread, but I thought I’d post my experience.
I’ve been using Bravecto for 6 months (2 doses). When I was using Advantix II, I would find dozens of flees on my dogs for days after visiting a highly infested area. After I started using Bravecto, I haven’t found a single flea on him that wasn’t dying…even after spending hours in the same infested area. I comb him regularly and have never found a flea on him after leaving an infested area. My dog hasn’t had a single tick since using this medication, but he only picked up one in the previous 2 years so that doesn’t say much.
When I first started using this, my dog had picked up fleas from a friend’s house and the Advantix I had put on a week before wasn’t helping. My vet called the company, which said that Bravecto can be used concurrently with topical medications, so I gave him the Bravecto tablet immediatly. There were no ill effects and the fleas all died. It’s not something I would do regularly, but it’s good to know that it’s safe.
I do have 2 concerns with this product:
1) This product does not repel and requires the flea/tick to bite before killing. This is okay for ticks because it takes ticks 24-48 hours to transmit diseases and Bravecto kills in a few hours. Even better, they’re dead/dying when they drop off so they aren’t a danger to anyone else. However, it seems to make fleas sort of dizzy and easy to catch before they die. That means my dog is more likely to lick them up, and thus get worms.
2) Bravecto is hard to get from a vet’s office. My vet likes the product but says there just isn’t enough demand for him to stock it. This means I have to get it from online distrubuters, and that makes me really nervous. It’s a new enough product that I HOPE there aren’t a lot of counterfeiters out there, but you can never be sure.
Anyway, I hope this helps people decide if they want to use this product. I’d highly recommend it. It seems as safe as the topicals and works better. Of course, if you can get away with not using any chemicals, I’d do that, but it’s not an option for me.
Hi Crazy4cats. I just read some of the posts you referred me to regarding food rotations and I now have another question. During Winston’s recent illness my vet stated that since he is 7-1/2 years old, he should eat a diet lower in protein. She also recommended “senior” dog foods, specifically Science diet.9 Before he got sick I had already purchased a bag of Fromms 4 Star Grain Free Lamb and Lentils and fed him a small amount to start a transition process away from the Blue Buffalo. Although I’ve read there is controversy over her assertion regarding lowering protein levels for older dogs, I decided to try Wellness Simple rather than Fromm’s because of the lower protein content and because he is still under her care. I am going to mix Wellness Simple canned with Wellness Simple dry. I am considering a Fromm’s rotation, but the Fromm’s canned that I hoped to try is hard to find locally and I’d like to try a couple of test cans before committing to the rotation. Should the same brand and formula of the dog food be used when feeding a canned/dry mix?
Did I mention I’m obsessed?
Does anyone have a recommendation for how to determine a good ratio of canned to dry food? During one of my dog’s regular exams, three years ago, he had struvite crystals and was put on a Hills prescription diet. Once the tests reflected the crystals were no longer a problem, I switched to a Blue Buffalo dry formula. Since then there have been no struvite problems. However, due to some problems with bad bags(?) of BB and some potential food allergies I am switching him to Wellness Simple Turkey and Potato. I have read that canned food may help prevent urinary problems due to higher water content, however I would like to try a combination of canned and dry food. Wellness provides guidelines for a canned/dry mix, but they’re confusing. We’ve adjusted the recommended daily amounts of the foods we’ve been feeding him to avoid unacceptable weight gain. I assume we’ll need to do that for Wellness as well.
If he has struvite crystals in his urine, even though they have not formed stones, they are as sharp as glass and can irritate and inflame the bladder. Struvite is usually caused by infection, hence the antibiotic treatment.
Read through the posts in this thread and see what applies to your situation.
If you are not happy with the way things are going with the traditional veterinarians, consider consulting a homeopath…. http://theavh.org/
Distance is not an issue, many of them do phone consults.
PS: I would not stop any antibiotic treatment that has been started without talking to the prescribing veterinarian first.
Maybe he can explain the different opinions, and his rationale for treatment. Ask him for a diagnosis. Struvite or calcium oxalate? Ask him if there is a genetic component.
Another option, if you want to stay with the traditional veterinarians, ask for a referral to a specialist…
Needing any advice. My 5 month old male lab is on 4th round of antibiotics for UTI with crystals.(I think). The reason I say this is that after 3 rounds of Clavamox and Science Diet c/d with symptoms reappearing, he is now on Baytril and Science Diet s/d for 2 weeks. He had an xray which showed no stones in the bladder but has crystals in urine, according to the first vet. I have $700 in medical costs with this vet as of today for this UTI. So, I thought I would get a second opinion as I am lucky enough to have 2 veterinarians in my small town. The second vet did a direct draw of urine from the bladder (we had been doing just a catch while he urinated with the other U/A’s) The second vet could not do a culture as I had just started the Baytril so would have to wait until he is off of it for 5 days before she could do a culture. She did ultrasound him and found everything was looking good. She did say his bladder was large and not irritated ( I guess bladders shrink up a bit with UTI’s?). She also did blood work which looked good. She did not find crystals and does not feel that he has a UTI. Now doesn’t that just boggle the mind? My puppy had only had 2 doses of the Baytril and about a can and a half of the s/d so she didn’t feel that things could have been cured that fast. The thing that just slays me is whenever he is not on antibiotics, he turns into a peeing machine, with no bladder control, clear urine, it doesn’t color a paper towel. The longer he is off antibiotics the worse it gets. A previously good puppy where housetraining is concerned suddenly lowers his head starts to walk and pees a streak all the way to the door and out! So if he doesn’t have a UTI (remember one vet says he does have a UTI) what condition would respond to antibiotics that is not a UTI and make the symptoms stop? The second vet said I had two options, I could either finish out the other vets prescription of Baytril and Science Diet s/d and wait 5 days and come in and she will direct draw urine and retest and culture it then if need be, or I could stop the Baytril and wait 5 days and do the direct draw and retest and culture. I am baffled by two very differenct diagnosis. I decided for now to go ahead and do the first vets prescription as I have the Baytril and the s/d and the second vet set it wouldn’t hurt anything to try it. I am aware, however, that Baytril is not recommended for young dogs, but the vet said one round would be okay. Anyway, sorry to be so long on this, but as you can read I am at a loss on this. Any insight would be appreciated.
Needing any advise. My 5 month old male lab is on 4th round of antibiotics for UTI with crystals.(I think). The reason I say this is that after 3 rounds of Clavamox and Science Diet c/d with symptoms reappearing, he is now on Baytril and Science Diet s/d for 2 weeks. He had an xray which showed no stones in the bladder but has crystals in urine, according to the first vet. I have $700 in medical costs with this vet as of today for this UTI. So, I thought I would get a second opinion as I am lucky enough to have 2 veterinarians in my small town. The second vet did a direct draw of urine from the bladder (we had been doing just a catch while he urinated with the other U/A’s) The second vet could not do a culture as I had just started the Baytril so would have to wait until he is off of it for 5 days before she could do a culture. She did ultrasound him and found everything was looking good. She did say his bladder was large and not irritated ( I guess bladders shrink up a bit with UTI’s?). She also did blood work which looked good. She did not find crystals and does not feel that he has a UTI. Now doesn’t that just boggle the mind? My puppy had only had 2 doses of the Baytril and about a can and a half of the s/d so she didn’t feel that things could have been cured that fast. The thing that just slays me is whenever he is not on antibiotics, he turns into a peeing machine, with no bladder control, clear urine, it doesn’t color a paper towel. The longer he is off antibiotics the worse it gets. A previously good puppy where housetraining is concerned suddenly lowers his head starts to walk and pees a streak all the way to the door and out! So if he doesn’t have a UTI (remember one vet says he does have a UTI) what condition would respond to antibiotics that is not a UTI and make the symptoms stop? The second vet said I had two options, I could either finish out the other vets prescription of Baytril and Science Diet s/d and wait 5 days and come in and she will direct draw urine and retest and culture it then if need be, or I could stop the Baytril and wait 5 days and do the direct draw and retest and culture. I am baffled by two very differenct diagnosis. I decided for now to go ahead and do the first vets prescription as I have the Baytril and the s/d and the second vet set it wouldn’t hurt anything to try it. I am aware, however, that Baytril is not recommended for young dogs, but the vet said one round would be okay. Anyway, sorry to be so long on this, but as you can read I am at a loss on this. Any insight would be appreciated.
Hello All,
I have a male GSD that will be 7 in June. Since he was 1, I’ve been trying to find out why he scratches so much. I’d read that allergies tend to start at a year old, but when it started I was really unprepared. Since then, I’ve done the Spectrum Blood allergy testing through the vet, twice (2009 and April 2014) I’ve done the Nutriscan test (saliva – 2014) with Jean Dodds. (She told me she disagrees with blood testing for food allergies) I’ve recently done the Glacier Peak Holistics test as well (hair and saliva). In addition to all of that, he’s been blood tested for environmental allergies and he has those as well.
Every season he seems to have a secondary bacterial infection or a yeast infection… and I truly have no idea if it’s environment, food or both causing them. Currently his hair is growing back on his sides where he had been tearing it out from chewing, and his inner thighs and underarms are bright pick. The vet has given me a 21 day (2 per day)prescription of 200mg Simplicef. I hate to use it, as I always do, but after being given Chinese herbs from a holistic vet time and time again, I’ve never seen results.
Can anyone give me their opinions (and not about me being crazy, I already know I am, haha) …good, bad or indifferent about these tests and their reliability? Thanks!
Hi all,
I’ve hit kind of a roadblock and I’m hoping someone here may have a suggestion.
My dog has a mix of environmental allergies and food sensitivities (or possible sensitivities I’m still trying to figure out). Since the summer, I’ve fed her a combination of a raw diet and The Honest Kitchen foods. Her allergies have improved greatly and I’ve been able to figure out some of the meats that set her off. Chicken (and chicken eggs) and beef are out, and unfortunately, so is fish and fish oils.
I’ve been trying to add in variety and am making headway. But I want to find a good source of useable omega 3s for her. She does very well with rabbit, which has a decent omega 3 to omega 6 ratio. We’re still iffy on lamb, though lamb heart has a decent omega3:omega 6 profile from what I can tell.
Are there other meats I can/should look at? I know (or think I know) that flax oil has lots of omega 3s, but that it doesn’t convert into the important kinds well. Are there other oils worth looking at?
Anyone have a dog with fish sensitivities who’s had good luck with krill oil?
Thanks for taking the time to read through this, and for any suggestions.
Hi Akari. I just read your posts on the comments side and wanted to tell you that Denamarin IS a combination of Sam-e and Milk Thistle which is why the vet has Ginger on that particular medication. Hannah has been on it once a day since beginning of last Spring. She takes the chewable version. She thinks they’re a treat. She gets 225 mg daily as per her specialist. I also give her 1/4 teaspoon of canine immunity by Standard Process. All of this is for her liver which is now on the lower range of normal. I also give her daily a vitamin E capsule once a day. The vitamin e I poke a hole in the capsule with a pin and squirt it on her food. She’ll be on this routine for the rest of her life. The Denamarin I give her one and a half hours before her p.m. Meal. Easier for me and her than having to get up so early to give before breakfast. Of course she gets a ton of other supplements and essential oil and aromatherapy but those are for her cancers. She’s doing remarkably well on the cancer issues. She also only eats raw.
Anyway, I haven’t been on DFA in a while and probably won’t be again but I did see your discussion with crazy4dogs where she was telling you to add milk thistle and I wanted you to know that you already are. It’s one of the components in Denamarin. If I can help any more regarding Ginger either email me or go to my FB page. One more thing. Amazon has better prices on Denamarin than the vets do. That’s where I buy mine. It’s the same exact product. My vet is the one that told me to buy it on Amazon. Night!
My puppy Bella is an 8 month old 9 pound schnoodle that has been suffering from severe diarrhea accompanied by occasional blood & mucus as well as vomiting since November 2014. I have spent thousands of dollars at the vet to eliminate other possibilities such as addisons, parvo, liver shunt etc etc. She had giardia when she was very little and treated with metronidizole. Good news is so far all tests are good (liver enzymes very slightly elevated as is potassium), bad news is we still don’t have a definitive diagnosis, however the vet seems pretty sure it is colitis/IBD/HGE. What the vets are not helping me with is putting her on a diet other than the Hills W/D which she doesnt want to eat. I started her on Merrick dry kibble when I first took her home. When she stopped eating that, I mixed in Merrick wet food. This worked for a month before she had terrible diarrhea. In addition she seem to be allergic to something in the merrick food which caused a chronic cough & eye discharge. Then She went on Natures VAriety for a short while, but would ONLY eat the freeze dried raw bits and not the kibble. So because of this I then I put her on Stella & Chewys freeze dried lamb & duck patties. That also worked for about a month and then she had another bout, this time extremely severe. Through each bout (which seems to happen 1-2 times per month) they put her back on metronidizole again, so I never really get the chance to see if a food is working or not. Vet wanted to try the whole novel protein diet and put her on Hills prescription D/D. Tried it for 2 weeks and she would not touch it and lost 1.5 pounds. At that point I gave up and needed to just get food into her system so I put her back on Merrick but this time tried the grain free duck. One week into it and she started back with diarrhea again and is now back on metronidizole. This time the vet wants me to put her on Hills W/D because of the low fat/high fiber. I already use a probiotic (restore) and give her a tablespoon of pumpkin everyday (which incidentally seems to make the diarrea worse). Took her off all bully sticks (still love the brand BEST bully stick, but never again). No treats either. I have read extensively and there seems to be many different opinions on what to give a dog with GI inflammation of sorts. I have read everything from Canine cavier to Addiction and more. Having had signed up for the editors choice, I am hoping for some good solid recommendations. I do not want to give her Merrick or Hills anymore. Cost is not an issue, but I don’t think puppies this tiny are ok with raw food (just my experience since the worst she ever was when I fed her Stella & Chewys, even though I think its a great product for most). She is going in for spay surgery on May 7th (health permitting) and the vet is saying if I am not able to regulate her with diet in the next month that they want to do an intestinal biopsy which I have a real problem with especially if the intestine is ALREADY inflamed. I have an appointment for her with a holistic vet tomorrow and am really hoping to get some suggestions that I can speak to the holistic vet about. I have read all about pre/pro biotics, digestive enzymes, glucose, fructose, hypoallergenic, L-glutamine and plan to ask the holistic vet which of those she thinks I should try, but I find it troubling that I have not gotten any viable food options from my vet to date. Any advice would be greatly appreciated by Baby Bella & her Mom!
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This topic was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by
Dawn R.
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This topic was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Dawn R.
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This topic was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Dawn R.
I have had 2 labs and lost both to cancer. The most recent this January at 9 1/2 yrs old. We will be getting our new puppy around September of this year and while it is early, I’ve been trying to research puppy food for a large breed. I see the reviews, check out the 4 and 5 star foods on DFA and invariably at the bottom of each review that depicts the high quality food and its contents are the horror stories by posters sharing how horrible the food is and the side effects and other health issues the “4 & 5” star foods delivers.
I have limited choices at my local Petco with really no other retailers around other than the local grocery stores.
I am totally confused on what food to even consider. and yes, i’ve read ALOT on this forum.
Are there really “ANY” good choices, it seems no matter what you look at, someone or many people say STAY AWAY from this food and this company. For every praise there is a horror story.
*sigh*
:/
I would stick with Fromm. Taste of the Wild is manufactured by Diamond, and while the food is good, the company is pretty shady and has a long history of recalls. A lot of people here recommend a rotational diet with kibble, there’s a few threads on it around you may be interested in 🙂
As for feeding raw. I personally wouldn’t mix them in the same meal, as this can give some dogs digestive upset. I would feed one meal as kibble, and one meal as raw. For raw, you want to feed him 2% of his body weight per day. So if you’re only feeding one meal of raw, cut that number in half. So since he is 100~lbs, he would need 2 lbs of food per day. Since he is only getting 1 meal a day of raw, that would be 1lb of food at his mealtime.
Start him out slow with just poultry for awhile to get his tummy used to it. Then you can gradually start introducing other meats like beef, pork, etc and organs, which are an important part of the diet. When feeding something bony like a turkey neck, add in some nice meaty meat like chicken breast or hearts (about half the weight of the bones worth) to cut the calcium and prevent constipation.
I currently feed my dog kibble in the morning and raw at night (next week we make the switch to full raw!!) and he does well on it.
For chews, you can try giving him a frozen turkey neck and let him work on that. It can keep a dog busy for hours.
You could also look into antlers, although I know some people have reservations over them being too hard.
This is a good thread to read to find some information on raw food – /forums/topic/menus/
Hello! I am very new to the raw dog food world, and I’m finding it to be overwhelming! But… I want what’s best for my dog child, so I need some help please 🙂 I will fill you in on the details first, since I’m not sure what you all need to know. My canine child is a 1 year 3 month old Doberman Pinscher. His health is normal. He is currently on Fromm Gold Large breed dog food. He eats 5 cups a day, 2 1/2 in the morning, 2 1/2 at night. He was previously abused, so he has some problems with eating quickly *or at least I assume the abuse was a huge factor*. I have given him raw turkey neck before as a treat *AFTER I searched to make sure it was safe*, and he loved it. I started looking more into it, and that’s when I found all these things about raw feeding and how it’s great for them. I can’t afford to feed him entirely raw, so I’m looking to supplement. I was thinking of switching him to Taste of the Wild, but I am wondering if this would be a wise switch as well. We tried the puppy pacific stream formula when he was young, (3-5 months?), but that was right after we had picked him up from a situation where he wasn’t being fed. The food was too rich for him at the time, and he had mushy poo’s. We ended up trying a few different foods, but went with Fromm, as it seemingly fixed his poo problems. I’ve been reading that Taste of the Wild is a good food, but I wasn’t sure if I should try it again.
I am also always looking for long lasting chews for him. I made the terrible mistake of giving him a beef knuckle bone when he was young, and he ground his canine teeth down a little bit 🙁 I will feel terribly guilty for the rest of my life for that. Regular rawhide scares me, so right now he gets Digest-eeze and pork chomps. These are not enough. He FLIES through these.
SO BASICALLY, I am wondering
A. If I should supplement his kibble with raw? And if so, how should I do this? How much raw? How much of a kibble cut back? And how often should I feed raw? Is this something I should mix WITH his kibble every day? Or feed raw in the am, kibble p.m? I am so lost!
B. Is mixing a kibble while also feeding raw going to hurt him?
C. If I should switch his food to TOTW? Is this worth trying again?
D. ARE THERE ANY CHEWS OUT THERE THAT WILL LAST LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES FOR MY DOG THAT AREN’T GOING TO HURT HIM?!?!
Haha! Crazy dog mom essay over. Thank you in advance for your help, and I apologize for all of the questions! I am just totally overwhelmed!
I changed my 8yo Jack Russell onto a raw food diet about four months ago. A few weeks later she started having little urine accidents in the house which she’d never done before. Concerned I took her to the vets.
A few hours later I received a panic call to say her ketones were very high and her glucose curve none existent – at the time this meant nothing to me – and that she had diabetes. Since then I’ve been injecting her with insulin twice a day.
The vet tried to get me to change her food to diabetic kibble but I refused. So they have accommodated my determination to keep her on raw food, checked the diet I use (it’s fine and balanced but without carbs) and I monitor her ketones and glucose everyday.
Here’s my problem. I’ve done lots of research online and feel like I’m between a rock and a hard place. Whilst there is very little about dogs there’s lots about humans and ketogenic diets. What that tells me is that ketone levels rise dramatically when you remove carbs from your diet and your glucose curve flattens (as you don’t have glucose spikes because you’re not eating carbs). This seems to suggest high ketone levels in my dog are normal – it’s obvious really, she doesn’t eat carbs so she needs ketones in her blood to process the protein; and that the standard measure of diabetes (glucose curve) might not to relevant either!
So here’s my quandary. I don’t know if my dog actually has diabetes anymore. I wonder if everything is a function of her diet. That leads me to be concerned as, if I’m giving her insulin she doesn’t need I’m poisoning her and she’ll create triglycerides that are very harmful to her.
Does anybody have a view? Any research or papers I can read?
Rhonda, I’m new to raw myself. What I see people do is to feed their dog in a space that’s easy to clean up, so a tiled area. You can feed your dog outside. You can provide a piece of linoleum for your dog to consume raw on it. You have to teach your dog to stay on it. Some put down a cloth, or you can use a drop cloth (plastic). It is a messy thing to feed raw. I’ve seen people feed their dogs in a large wire crate.
You can take a bone or meat away and refrigerate it for another day. I’ve never seen anyone address if they bury it.
Depending on the size of your dogs, some bones are more appropriate than others. People tend to feed bones that can be consumed. One that are hard are the ones that a dog can chip/break a tooth on, so many serve chicken. Where ever you feed your dog, you need to watch your dog consume the bone. They can choke. You have to be ready for that. I don’t see it mentioned on my raw site, but Capri got the keel bone of a chicken breast stuck in her mouth. I looked over and she was not moving. I removed it and gave her a few pressure compressions, because she looked like she wasn’t breathing, then she was okay. No one talks about that, so it’s something to be aware of and that they can choke.
I belong to a raw FB page called Raw Feeding. You can join and ask questions there. They have files on the page that they want you to read up on first, because they can answer questions (they’re articles). I’m still learning.
Something that they do that I didn’t learn right away is “trading up”. If your dog is at the end of their piece of meat or bone and you think they will gulp it, you offer them something they like better to get it away from them.
Kathleen, my Cocker, Teddy sounds like your guy. He is not much of a player, but I do make him go on walks with a dog walker (I have mobility issues so I cannot walk with my dogs) and he goes to the dog park when the weather is good. He also eats poop, but it doesn’t have to be his (he doesn’t go for Chuck, my lab) and happens at the dog park.
There is a site (I think Aimee might have put a link on a different post elsewhere) http://www.aahanet.org/PublicDocuments/Weight_Management_Guidelines.pdf that I have read many times to let it sink in. According to what I read, if I put Teddy’s goal weight in, which should be 24, and you do the math (instructions provided, thank God), I should be feeding him roughly 335 calories. That is at 80% or resting energy requirement). I just started in the last couple of weeks to stay around that number, although I feel it is pretty low for him even when he is sedentary, although he doesn’t seem to be any more food crazy then he already was 🙂 I plan on weighing Teddy tomorrow and see if there has been any change, but I think with smaller dogs, the weight will come off slowly. When Chuck had to lose 20 pounds a couple of years ago, it took about 5-6 months, but I, at that time, wasn’t as dog food knowledgeable as I am now (still learning!) and put him on Purina OM prescription food. It did the job, but I wouldn’t do it again as the ingredients are less than desirable. He has maintained his 75 to 78 pound goal weight now for 2 years, maybe fluctuating 2 lbs higher/lower.
It also shows you how to calculate protein needs for the food you want to feed and if it is enough for your dog and other good information.
If a company can’t say where they source their food from that’s a red flag. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard about them not responding about it. I haven’t tried finding out myself though.
Has anyone tried Sold Gold dog food? It may have grains, but after looking at the ingredients in some of the food they use more acidic grains then alkaline ones. Wouldn’t have to use the berry balance with it either as it already has cranberries and blueberries in it.
Not to mention it’s still far better then what’s in Science Diet.
My dog has sensitivities to several ingredients found in most high quality dog foods. I have exhausted myself reading ingredients of different dog food manufacturers, and the foods recommended by Spectrum still have one or more ingredients on the list my dog can’t have do to intolerance issues. Here is what he cannot have in food: Eggs, Oats, Kelp, Green Peas, Pork, Venison, Soybean, Peanut, Kelp. The least tolerated with a very high number are Eggs and Oats.
I’ve read a lot from ‘Dog Obsessed’ and “DogFoodie” and I would greatly appreciate their input/feedback/recommendations, as well as anyone else. Thank you.
Thanks for all your opinions and experiences, I am glad I received replies.
I won’t ever go back to kibble EVER.
And I don’t run to the Vet all the time. I am organic myself since 15 yrs and haven’t seen a doctor since. Not even once!
I use common sense and needed to see if my case was only happening to my pup. As I can see it is definitely the water in the meat. Thats why they dont need to drink as much water as they do with kibble. Today I controlled a little the water intake and he pees less often, but still bigger spots than before and specially after feeding the chicken. He is doing just fine and has top energy, his coat started shining and it is growing faster than it was 1 month ago.
Before I switched to raw I did a deep education to be prepared, asking raw feeding breeders all over from Australia to Germany, checked everything online and started to understand that raw diet should not contain veggies neither grains like the BARF diet.. Wolves dont get a complete balanced diet everyday, neither do we and certainly they wont be searching for carrots, spinach and grains in their habitat. They receive the fermented enzymes from the digested food of their prey’s tripe, thats the good stuff, thats what they will eat first, thats where lots of balanced nutrients are.
When starting a raw diet with puppies (especially small breed) you best start with chicken, because low fat and easier digested than ground beef. Because I tried both, beef (grass fed 95%lean) and chicken. He regurgitated the whole ground beef everytime he ate it. He never did with the chicken. The wing helps cleaning his teeth and he gets supplements from the core of the bone and calcium.1 egg a week for breakfast. I give bone meal since he does not yet get enough bones in his food yet. Once he is used to the chicken and wings/necks I will start to join some liver and heart and green tripe little by little to not upset his digestion. Than we will do the same with duck, lamb and rabbit including organ and muscle meat as well. Of course a meaty bone everyday or 3 times a week.
Once established his likes than we can start feeding 1 day chicken, next duck and so on. I forgot the fish. Some fresh fish once a week is important as well.
I think probiotics , enzymes and clay are a must have in the kitchen. So is ionic silver and therapeutic grade essential oils like geranium, peppermint, frankincense and lemon. When they get lose stool some clay with enzymes/probiotics and diarrhea is cleared.
I use ionic silver to disinfect drinking water, once in a while internal against parasites and to clear my Shih Tzu’s eyes (14yrs). He suffers dry eyes and since he is on raw diet as well since 2 weeks his dry eye symptoms are already totally gone!! Yeahhhh! Now I hope to see changes in his coat like color and softness. His constant fear should disappear as well and his appetite should get better and better. I really hope to gain some more years of his company. I love him so much and hope we can gain back as much health as he has lost due to those bad kibble diet. He lost some of his hair on his back and I truly hope the high protein intake will fix most of his problems.
I stopped using vaccines on my Shih Tzu since 10yrs, neither I believe in spaying/neuter dogs. My pup received vaccines from her Vet, he won’t ever receive any other vaccines in his life. I dont believe it does any good, not for pets and neither for humans. Build up a healthy immune system and eat organic food and you will be fine!!! Same for dogs. THEY ARE DOGS NOT HUMANS!!! THEY DESERVE TO EAT HOW NATURE DESIGNED THEM TO.
Aimee, I tried a search on “protein dehydrating” and “protein dehydrating in dogs” all I came up with was an article or two pertaining to humans and high consumption of protein.
It’s interesting though that I found this article, that said this;
“Other potential factors behind polydipsia and polyuria are low protein diets,”
http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/urinary/c_multi_polydipsia_polyuria
K-Rae, I couldn’t come up with much info on the ingredients in carnivora.ca from their website, not sure, but I get the feeling from reading on it that they are against any carbs in the food? Regardless, I would be trying a different raw diet, and don’t be afraid to to use a good balanced one that does include some moderate carbs, they might do much better on it. It could be that your dogs are still drinking in excess as part of a learned/ingrained behavior from dry food days. I agree with the others though that this polyuria should be reason for concern, and should be investigated further. Seeking vet care/tests would be best, but you could at least do a phone consultation with a vet that knows raw feeding, and then go from there.
AJ, you CANNOT feed your 12 week old puppy nothing but chicken breast and wings, if that’s what you are saying. He will DEFINITELY have malnutrition disorders if you do so, and I would strongly suggest getting him back on a complete and balanced diet.
Thanks so much everyone! Sounds like there isn’t one single way to go about it, but lots of good options if applied with a heavy dose of common sense. I’m especially glad to see the suggestions about topping a quality kibble with raw/canned/freeze dried. I had read a few comments in other threads about potential bloat problems with toppers, but it sounds like that’s not a big concern. I appreciate the expertise and time in replying! It’s reassuring!
Hi Rebecca I haven’t read thru the post has anyone suggested the Honest Kitchen ZEAL the fat is 8.50% http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dog-food/zeal scroll down a bit & you will see the Fat % Fiber % etc
a few dogs with Pancreatitis are on the Zeal & doing really well, if your on yahoo join a group called “dogpancreatitis” the lady that runs it Ann can help with low fat diets, I know Bella hasn’t got Pancreatitis but sometimes these groups are good for diets, there’s also Canine Cavier Special needs the fat is 9% min so its probably 11% max in fat so not really low…there’s also the “California Natural’ limited ingredient the Brown rice Lamb Meal weight management the fat is 7%min, the fiber is 3% the fiber isn’t high either like some weight management kibbles, their fiber is really high & you will need to feed more, but with the California Natural weight management just feed like you’d normally give & weigh Bella every 2 weeks & just see if Bellas weight is the same or dropping… thats what I do, I weight Patch weekly at Pet Barn.. California Natural also has the Nutrient Analysis & shows max % on everything which is really good.. also do you give one kibble for breakfast then a different kibble for dinner?? that’s what I do, I ask which one do you want & Patch picks what food he wants to eat also with the tin wet foods the fat has to be 2% & under, if it says 5% fat on the wet tin food that’s around 22% fat if it were a kibble…
http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products/1131
Hi, LM, I can’t imagine there would be a homeopathic vet any where near me. I did a search on theavh.org & it turned up zero for my State. I did just a general search with my towns name & homeopathic vet & it wasn’t much help. I know if I ask any of the Vet’s near me they’ll just recommend the Hill’s Precription Diets which is what they sell… We had a Pom that lived almost 13 yrs on the W/D Precription dry food. She wasn’t picky. But the price was very difficult for us to swallow all those yrs.
DogFoodie, how are you able to transition from different foods without tummy upset? I have to change her foods over slowly or she’ll either vomit or have diarrhea. I’m barely to the 50/50 ratio right now & she’s already refusing to eat it. She started out like she liked it though, picking out the new over the old.
I have never tried Fromm, I’d would have to order that online as they don’t have it near me.
So do you think I should continue on with the Wellness Healthy Weight with a spoonful of broth as long as she’ll eat it like that?
For dogs that don’t need to lose weight how do you keep them from losing weight when they need to be on a low fat food? I don’t think she’ll eat more than a 1/4 cup 3x a day even with the broth.
Did you look at the “Diet & Health” forum here? On top, highlighted in yellow, is a stickie for large breed puppy foods. It’s a very long thread but since you have a very large breed puppy, its important to read, there is a list of appropriate foods to feed. Someone here can chime in on what page to find the most current list.
Hi, I have a Great Dane puppy & since Farmina’s Natural & Delicious was a 5 star brand on this website when I checked in Jan, I started him on their Chicken & Pomegranate Puppy Maxi which he loves. After reading a bit more around the internet I have come to think that this food might not be the perfect food for my pup. It has a protein percentage of 35% (apparently I should be looking at a protein % of less than 27?) and fat percentage at 20%. Calcium :1.30% & Phosphoros : 0.9% with 3923 kCal/kg. The ingredients are all natural and no by products. This is probably the best food available in my country. The local vet had recommended any food with the highest protein content which also prompted me to get this food. I have gone through the list of Editor’s Choice puppy foods but unfortunately none of them are available here in India. The brands available are: Farmina N&D or Team Breeder, Hill’s, Earthborn, Genesis, Taste of the Wild, Eukanoba & of course the usual Royal Canin, Pedigree which I stay away from. I became a member here to find the best food for my puppy but was unfortunate to not have any of them available in my country & would request someone to help me choose the better food for my growing Dane puppy so I can give him the best possible nutrition.
P.S: I add 10ml of Salmon Oil to his food, it that all right?
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This topic was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by
Kush K.
My vet has put my dog on prescription dog food. Once it was because of crystals in his urine and now because of a bout of diarrhea and vomiting. The crystals went away soon after he was treated for the urinary infection, but I had to keep him on the Hills prescription food for several months. I did some research to find a good quality food to transition from the prescription food. During my research I read numerous negative reports and posts regarding the quality of Hills dog foods. I chose a Blue Buffalo dry food that worked really well for several months. The soft stools that he had while on the prescription food feared up and there was no recurrence of the crystals. I bought a fourth or fifth bag of the BB and immediately had problems. At first my dog wouldn’t eat it and when he finally did, he got really sick. I chalked it up to a bad bag. I then bought some Blue Basic grain free, lamb formula and things went back to normal until the third bag. My dog became violently ill following the second serving from the third bag. My vet again has put him on a Hills prescription diet (ID). Any ideas about what to feed next? I’ve read that canned food might be better for dogs with urinary tract problems because of the water content. Any suggestions for a quality food for a sensitive stomach? Never using BB again!!
I read the first one, and the 2nd one I couldn’t find any information on Diamond. The first one was posted a year after the most recent Diamond mega recall.
While I applaud them for attempting to get things turned around, I still am leary and won’t be feeding their foods anytime soon. In a few years, if they’ve cleaned up their act…maybe, but still unlikely. There are plenty of foods out there that I like more than the majority of Diamond products anyway. I like that they have some affordable lines of decent quality, but for me, it’s not really worth the risk-and like I said, they still have to be clean for a few more years before I could even in good conscience recommend them.
As far as the probiotics and glucosamine you are looking for-there are other foods out there that add that, or you can add them yourself (I use supplements all the time with the dogs)
I been feeding my Dachshund since she was a puppy BB. We started with the life protection formula and now feed her the Freedom Grain free. But I want to soon switch her to a healthier brand with better ingredients but still stay within my price range. She is currently 10.6lbs. I feed her 3/4 cup a day divided into 2 meals.
I been doing some research and know that Orijen is the best but it’s currently too expensive for me, so next best thing or so I have read is Acana. But which to choose? Any suggestions or recommendations? Any dachshund owners out there?
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This topic was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by
Rosy R.
I did read your note, Susan. Did you read mine? I directed you to the review for the Duck and Potato product and the Chicken and Vegetable canned food. But, you apparently glossed over where I had mentioned the Chicken and Vegetable dry food not having been reviewed yet. Glad you were able to find the reviews.
To say that I attacked you is incredulous. I tried to offer links that might help you find the information you were looking for. No need to be so rude.
Susan, the first link that DogFoodie posted does include the duck and potato, if you read down, it shows which formulas are reviewed in that group.
I do see the chicken and vegetables on tractor supplies website, but I wonder if the last time the review was updated, that it wasn’t available, so that’s why it wasn’t included. You can submit a request for it to be reviewed under the contact us tab on the bottom of the screen.
I would have to agree with DF on the note of Diamond not making it to editor’s choice based on their poor history. recently I’ve seen complaints about the Costco line-similar to TS they have diamond manufacture their house brand. If they can go without a recall for a few more years, maybe they could make it to consideration, but for the time being, there are still too many in recent years with poor handling to most likely make the cut
To Dog Foodie (and I hope Mike Sagman). Again, I was not referring to canned food at all, so you didn’t even read my note. I was only referring the two dry GRAIN FREE 4HEALTH DOG FOODS, that I listed.
Dog Foodie wanted to know which independent sites I saw confirmation of the improvements that have been made to Diamond Pet foods processing procedures since 2012. Well, here are two:
http://www.petmanianc.com/diamond-recall-update and
http://www.wellmindedpets.com/blog
Also, Diamond themselves have quite an impressive video on their site where you can see what they have done to greatly improve their standards. Probably better than a lot human food processing places now!! Apparently some decision makers from Pet Mania saw this first hand on a tour they went on and thought the changes warranted it good enough to bring Diamond foods back into their stores in NC.
Again, I have NO allegiance to any company, just trying to find a very good dry dog food at a reasonable price. Since the two 4health dry foods I am referring to are relatively new, I just hope that they will get the thorough review by DFA that I believe they deserve. Again, they are:
1. 4health dry Grain Free Chicken and Vegs, and
2. 4health dry Grain Free Duck and Potato
A caring mom of 3 dogs,
Susan C. in VA
Susan C,
4Health Grain Free Duck and Potato dry food has already been reviewed; and you can find it here: /dog-food-reviews/4health-grain-free-dog-food-dry/
If you’re referencing 4Health Chicken and Vegetable Stew canned food, it has already been reviewed; and you can find it here:
/dog-food-reviews/4health-dog-food-canned/ If this is the food to which you are referring, it cannot be made by Diamond, as they have no cannery. But if you are in fact referring to their new dry food, it does take some time to update all of the reviews and that DFA product page was just updated on 08/22/2014, so it might be a while.
Diamond has had more than a “blunder from time to time,” and is far, far from being “one of the best.” Yes, that’s my opinion, and I’d be willing to go out on a limb and say that’s likely the EC opinion as well.
Can you please share the links to the independent web sites which reflect that Diamond has “greatly improved their processing and testing procedures,” please.
Hi William,
It’s important to feed a large breed puppy a food with an appropriate level of Calcium. Here’s a list, which includes grain inclusive, grain free and raw, acceptable foods: https://docs.google.com/a/dogfoodadvisor.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk/edit?pli=1
If you haven’t already, take a look at this thread, especially the first few pages and read the articles that Hound Dog Mom shared: /forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/
In addition to appropriate Calicum levels, you should keep your pup lean during growth and avoid over-exercising him, which can stress growing joints.
How old is your pup and what breed?
After reading a heated discussion on the merits of the Merrick brand (one we currently use and do not have a problem with) as with any pet parent you wonder if what you are feeding your dog is enough. Here is the run down.
Over a year ago we were feeding our 7 year old Pom/Australian Shephard mix (not even sure how that happens) Blue Buffalo when that company had some issues so we switched to Grandma Lucys freeze dried grain free chicken. Did well on that but pooped like a German Shepard. Recently started feeding Merrick grain free Texas beef with no ill effects. Pooped less and not as loose but stinks to high heaven.
We shop at a local natural pet food store and there are so many to choose from its overwhelming. Do you stick with what you know? How do you decide what is best for your pet? I notice a lot of people switch around between 2 or 3 different foods.
After getting teeth cleaned we had him on Merrick canned chicken senior food until his gums healed up and still not a lot of waste which I hope means he is actually absorbing more of the good stuff.
Long winded I know. Thoughts?
