[Jessie H]

Melanie M, you might have already seen this posted here previously, but if you are on Facebook there is a group called “Afghan hounds and others with chylothorax” and I had much better luck with getting responses from people on there. I tried to ask questions on here a year ago about our family bloodhound and didn’t have much luck as far as getting a response. Once you have joined that Facebook group you can also search past posts with specific key words to see what other people have asked and talked about. Our dog did not have the pleural port put in, but I’ve read many success stories on that, and stories where the dogs at least went on to leave another several years. Ours had the surgery and it wasn’t successful. Thought she was going to pull through because the fluid lightened up but in the end she got so weak and lost so much weight we had to let her go. Always wonder now if we should have kept her hooked up on IV fluids and maybe she could have stayed stronger to fight it off. Good luck with your dog, this is such an evil disease! I hope your dog makes it

[Katherine W]

Hey everyone! My dog was diagnosed with Chronic Pancreatitis last year. We’ve been giving him enzymes since his last episode and it has helped tremendously. Along the way, we got a new vet that I don’t particularly like. And he advised to stop giving him salmon oil (this was during the last hospitalization, not since we’ve started hardcore with the no extra anything’s)… but when I read online most places say salmon oil can actually help. My dog is a lab and so his coat gets miserably dry during the cold season, and we used to rely on the salmon oil to help keep his coat nice instead of getting baths or spraying him every day… anyone have experience with this, or any other vets on here with an opinion on salmon oil and pancreatitis? Thanks!

[Sheila J]

Hi Susan. I know this is a very old post I’m replying to. How is Patch? My dog, Walter Boxer Dog, has had , and still has pancreatitis. But, it doesn’t always mean that’s what he’s suffering from. For years, and thousands of dollars, we have taken Walter in because of the same symptoms as Patch. Everytime we were told it’s pancreatitis. We knew there was something else, but we were treated like we don’t know our dog.. he kept getting more sickly, puking after every meal, or every dring of water he took. And it was sudden, he would spray half way across the kitchen. Finally enough is enough. Took him to a different vet, and he checked his pancreas… It pancreas was perfect. He went on to say allergies. Shots and that damn hills bros z/d.. boy did he push that z/d. Walter seemed to get better for a month, then it’s been all down hill since then. Kept taking him to the vet every other week, and a few emergency visits, thousands of dollars, and he just kept pushing that damn dog food. 5 months of this. I did some reading and I had some questions and when I asked the vet, he was pissed off, he said, who you gonna trust, menit the internet. Well, not him considering he kept giving the same treatment even though it was obviously not working. Both of the vets said it might be us, who are causing Walter to be sick, because we want to believe he is, even when he’s not. Our auras. Well, off to a 3rd vet. This time we found out what is causing our dog to lose 30 pounds cause he can’t keep his food down and is in pain all the time. Scar tissue! Scar tissue from his 2 surgeries. There’s nothing they can do, now. It’s in a spot where his pancreas intestines and stomached all meet. She said maybe a specialist could help, but Walters body has started to form blood vessels in the scar tissue and the pancreas is feeding that way. His intestines have stretched out as large as his stomached from all those years of his food not going through like it should and backing up. We have soent, what might end up being his last years of life, I’d say about 20 thousand dollars for him to be miserable. Now, we have nothing left for a specialist that he needs to possibly or not, save him. So, if your dog has been in any kind of trauma, or has surgeries, or anything that may cause scar tissue, get it checked out ASAP before it’s too late. Lots of times they can scrape it and there’s no problems. So, in the long run, you’d save money and unnecessary suffering for you and Patch. Just a suggestion. We really have no options. Walter is only 6 and I want him to see 7 8 10. So, anyone have any thoughts on castor oil? We have no other options to save him. I heard castor oil softens scar tissue. Well, it’s the only thing we have left. Susan, I hope you and Patch can nip this in the butt, and have many years together. Remember, you know your dog the best, not your vet. Go to another vet if yours is not doing any good. Don’t waste your time money and Patch getting the same diagnosis, but no improvments .

[GSDsForever]

Hi Victoria.

First (so I don’t forget it!), no, you cannot use cooked pancreas for EPI. It *must* be raw for the active enzymes needed. Vets know this — it’s a special exception recommended in otherwise normal, healthy dogs with EPI.

In your dog’s case, an older dog with cancer, I wouldn’t worry about trying to use pancreas. Just stick with the Enzyme Diane/other prepared enzymes as they are highly effective. For B12, a lot of dogs use WonderLab pills vs the injections.

I share your vet’s concerns about DCM and the connection to many current grain-free/high legume formulas, your dog’s heart murmur, as well as raw for your dog, and agree with his guidance. (Also, while I am respectful of raw feeding, I prefer gently cooked homemade food as ideal anyway and don’t find a benefit for my dogs in raw.)

It’s just hard to capture all those criteria — along with low fiber, low insoluble fiber necessary in particular for EPI dogs — in commercial kibbles, especially here in the U.S. at this time.

Aside from what HaleyCookie pointed out well (Thank you, HaleyCookie!), the starch binding in kibbles, I think companies add to the problem. They just don’t want to spend the money, chance cutting into their profits by including more quality animal protein, which is expensive. Or they don’t think that the public will buy the products at a necessarily higher price — and, here, they might be right.

I mentioned those particular GF formulas ONLY as something you could potentially do part homemade with, and that other EPI dogs are using with success.

Another formula currently being re-released and available again, which *might* work for you with some tweaks (you’ll need lower % fiber in an EPI dog; perhaps you can accomplish this diluting it with what you add homemade?):

Farmina LIGHT Chicken & Pomegranate with Ancestral Grains
34% Protein/11% Fat (6.4% Fiber)
https://www.farmina.com/us/dog-food/n&d-ancestral-grain-canine/113-chicken-&-pomegranate-light-medium-&-maxi.html

I really like Farmina and my German Shepherd is doing very well on their food. I use a different formula, higher in fat and low in fiber (typical of most Farmina formulas).

A board certified veterinary nutritionist I would recommend is Lisa Weeth, DVM DACVN.
http://www.weethnutrition.com/about-us.html
https://weethnutrition.wordpress.com/

You can work with her long distance, through your vet. She is very supportive of homemade diets and experienced with them, and is also more open minded, fair, unbiased across a variety of commercial diets and brands imo. I think you would get a better diet from her for the money than from some other prominent services/DACVNs.

You can get a good feel for what she’s like from her nutrition blog, both her blog and Q&A section (click on “comments” at the top), in that 2nd link. You might ask her some questions there, about a commercial kibble or your current homemade additions; she’s pretty gracious and generous in her answers. (Your questions would tie in to her recent blog entries on DCM & diet, also one on grains.)

I like Susan Wynn, DVM DACVN, also but she left private practice in nutrition in January 2019 to work for Nature’s Variety.

I think the expensiveness comes from the pre-diet formulation blood tests & work up you’ll need to submit (costs dependent upon your own vet), but I think they need that to ensure that a major health issue is not present so that when they formulate a custom diet for your dog it is safe and appropriate, does not make an underlying health problem worse. And, as you’ve already seen for yourself, multiple health conditions & diet parameters, not only require review of all your medical file, but presents a diet more challenging, complicated to formulate. In your case, if you have any of those blood panels, etc. already done recently, then you’ve already spent that money. Talk to her assistant & ask about costs, what is included, your concerns. (They were very helpful with me.)

With Just Food For Dogs, the cheapest by far is doing their DIY — where you buy their recipe + balancing supplement. I just don’t know whether any of those would be appropriate for your dog, with her conditions and the diet parameters. They have good customer service (and knowledgeable veterinary staff) if you want to ask them.

I was encouraged by — and have considered using a couple of their diets myself — an independent review I read from a guy who broke down his total costs for a large breed dog about mine’s weight, showed the receipts and shopped at Whole Foods no less(!), to feed one of the formulas the DIY route. With this diet, you do feed lower total calories because it is fresh whole foods gently cooked, using highest quality ingredients, and is therefore highly digestible. So, his cost was lower than what I would have assumed for a large dog.

• This reply was modified 6 years ago by GSDsForever.
• This reply was modified 6 years ago by GSDsForever.

[Victoria M]

I’m going insane! I don’t know how many dog food labels I’ve read in the past six months. Feel like I’m getting nowhere.

Bella just turned 13 (GSD x lab). In July she was diagnosed with Lymphoma. After only a few chemo treatments she had a severe bout of pancreatitis. Chemo had to stop.

Pancreatitis finally cleared up and a milder form of chemo restarted. During a pre-chemo blood panel, she was found to have diabetes. After a few weeks of insulin but continued weight loss, they tested and diagnosed her with EPI. My poor dog!

I have been on the hunt for food that will help keep both of these diseases at bay. Her vet also does NOT want her on any grain-free or raw food.

Food has to be:
Grain-inclusive
Low-fat
Low-carbs
No sugars
High protein
No lamb

Hoping someone can suggest a good food. She’s on Hill’s W/D right now, and it’s not going well so far. 🙁
Thanks!

[anonymous]

Hope this article helps some of the readers
https://www.petmd.com/blogs/nutritionnuggets/jcoates/2012/mar/dogs_bones_dangerous_combination-13528

Dogs and Bones: A Dangerous Combination

Dogs have been chewing on bones for thousands of years. This is what nature intended, right? Well maybe, but it’s an activity that is not without its risks.

As a veterinarian, I’ve seen the ill-effects of feeding dogs bones more times than I can count. The risks are significant enough that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has even gotten involved by posting the following “10 reasons why it’s a bad idea to give your dog a bone” on their Consumer Updates website.

Broken teeth. This may call for expensive veterinary dentistry.

Mouth or tongue injuries. These can be very bloody and messy and may require a trip to see your veterinarian.

Bone gets looped around your dog’s lower jaw. This can be frightening or painful for your dog and potentially costly to you, as it usually means a trip to see your veterinarian.

Bone gets stuck in esophagus, the tube that food travels through to reach the stomach. Your dog may gag, trying to bring the bone back up, and will need to see your veterinarian.

Bone gets stuck in windpipe. This may happen if your dog accidentally inhales a small enough piece of bone. This is an emergency because your dog will have trouble breathing. Get your pet to your veterinarian immediately!

Bone gets stuck in stomach. It went down just fine, but the bone may be too big to pass out of the stomach and into the intestines. Depending on the bone’s size, your dog may need surgery or upper gastrointestinal endoscopy — a procedure in which your veterinarian uses a long tube with a built-in camera and grabbing tools — to try to remove the bone from the stomach.

Bone gets stuck in intestines. This will cause a blockage and it may be time for surgery.

Constipation due to bone fragments. Your dog may have a hard time passing the bone fragments because they’re very sharp and they scrape the inside of the large intestine or rectum as they move along. This causes severe pain and may require a visit to your veterinarian.

Severe bleeding from the rectum. This is very messy and can be dangerous. It’s time for a trip to see your veterinarian.

Peritonitis. This nasty, difficult-to-treat bacterial infection of the abdomen is caused when bone fragments poke holes in your dog’s stomach or intestines. Your dog needs an emergency visit to your veterinarian as peritonitis can kill your dog.

I look at feeding bones in the same way I do letting dogs run loose. Is it natural? Yes. Do dogs like it? Yes. Are there some potential benefits? Yes … until misfortune strikes. There are many ways to safely satisfy your dog’s desire to chew (e.g., toys made out of twisted rope fibers or dense rubber), to promote dental hygiene (e.g., daily tooth brushing or dental diets), and to provide your dog with the high-quality foods and balanced nutrition he needs to stay healthy.
Dr. Jennifer Coates

[anonymous]

I hope this article is helpful to readers. It’s a few years old but still just as accurate, there are more recent Nutrition articles at this site, just use the search engine
Click on link to read comments

What do Veterinarians Know About Nutrition?

What do Veterinarians Know About Nutrition?
Posted on July 8, 2012 by skeptvet
It is not unusual for people promoting unconventional, approaches to pet nutrition, such as raw diets, grain free foods, homemade diets, a preference for organic ingredients, and so on, to dismiss objections to these approaches made by veterinarians. These people will often claim that veterinarians know little about nutrition and that what they do know is mostly propaganda fed to them by commercial pet food manufacturers. Like most bad arguments, this one contains a few bits of truth mixed in with lots of unproven assumptions and fallacies.
Most veterinarians do have at least a semester course on nutrition in general. And a lot more information on the subject is scattered throughout other courses in vet school. So the idea that we know nothing about the subject is simply ridiculous. However, it is fair to acknowledge that most veterinarians are not “experts” in nutrition, if by this one means they have extensive specialized training in the subject. The real “experts” in this area are board-certified veterinary nutritionists, individuals who have advanced residency training in nutrition and have passed the board certification exam of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition.
Of course, as I always take great care to point out, expertise is no guarantee of never falling into error, particularly expertise based primarily on experience and a familiarity with the opinions of other experts rather than solid scientific research. Given the limited research data available on many important questions in small animal nutrition, even the real experts are often forced to rely on extrapolation from basic science or research in humans and their own clinical experience, which are important sources of information but always less reliable than studies specifically designed to answer these questions. Nevertheless, boarded nutritionists have a legitimate claim to expert status in this area. And as a group, they generally are skeptical of many of the alternative approaches to nutrition, as they should be give the paucity of data to support them As for the question of the role of the pet food industry in veterinary nutrition education, there is some truth to the claim that much of that education is sponsored by companies who make pet foods. Obviously, most veterinary nutritionists put their training to work researching and evaluating food for veterinary species, so the money and expertise in this area tends to concentrate in industry. And it is not entirely unreasonable to ask the question whether or not this influences the information veterinarians get about nutrition. It quite likely does.
This is not the same thing as saying that veterinarians are all lackeys or dupes of industry and unable to think critically for themselves, however. I am generally as skeptical and critical of pharmaceutical companies and mainstream pet food companies as I am of herb and supplement manufacturers and producers of alternative diets. All of them have both a genuine belief (most of the time) in their products, a genuine interest in the welfare of the animals they serve, and a high risk of bias and cognitive dissonance that impedes their ability to see and accept the flaws in their own reasoning or the data that contradicts their beliefs.
One should always be aware of bias, but that awareness does not justify ignoring the arguments or evidence coming from a source with potential bias, only evaluating it carefully and critically. The reason science is so much more successful than unaided reasoning is precisely because it is a method for compensating for human biases and other cognitive limitations that interfere with our seeing the truth. Mainstream pet food companies undoubtedly have biases, but often they also have good scientific data, which is rarely available for the alternative products and approaches. Ignoring this data in favor of opinion, theory, or personal experience is not a recipe for improving the state of veterinary nutrition.
The real issue is not so much what do general practice veterinarians know about nutrition as what is the evidence supporting the alternative theories and products being promoted? The accusation that vets know little about nutrition, even if it were true, doesn’t invalidate their criticisms. The classis ad hominem fallacy is the strategy of attacking a person and imaging that somehow this attack says anything about that person’s argument. It is the mirror image, in many ways, of the appeal to authority fallacy, which involves claiming some special wisdom or expertise on the part of a person making an argument and then imaging that claim somehow proves the argument. If proponents of raw diets or other unconventional nutritional approaches wish to make a case for their ideas, they have to do it based on logic and facts, not on the presumed expertise of supporters or the supposed ignorance of critics. As always, it is the ideas and the data that matter, not the people involved.
That said, there is a certain hypocrisy to many of these criticisms in that they come from sources with no particular right to claim expertise in nutrition anyway. Proponents of alternative nutritional practices are almost never boarded veterinary nutritionists. Often they are lay people who have labeled themselves as experts without even the training general practice veterinarians have in nutritional science. And while they may not be influenced by the mainstream pet food industry, this only means they are less subject to that particular bias, not that they don’t have other biases. People selling pet food or books on veterinary nutrition are all too often blind to the hypocrisy of claiming their opponents are under the influence of pet food companies while ignoring the fact that they make money selling their own ideas or products.
Others who frequently claim most veterinarians know little about nutrition are themselves general practice veterinarians or specialists in some aspect of veterinary medicine other than nutrition. It may very well be true that they are well-informed about nutrition because they have an interest in it, but this is not evidence that their arguments are true and those of their opponents are false. It is not even evidence that they know more about nutrition than their detractors, who may themselves have studied independently in the area. If you’re not a boarded nutritionist, you can’t claim to be an expert. And whether or not you are an expert, your ideas must stand or fall on their merits and the evidence, not on any presumed superiority in your knowledge over that of your critics.
So I think it is fair to say that most general practice veterinarians have only a fairly general knowledge of veterinary nutrition. And it is fair to acknowledge that much of this information comes from a source with a significant risk of bias, that is the pet food industry. However, I see no evidence that proponents of alternative approaches to nutrition have a reason to claim they know more about nutrition than most veterinarians, or that they are free from biases of their own. Only boarded veterinary nutritionists can legitimately claim to be “experts,” and even this is no guarantee of perfect objectivity or the truth of everything they believe. Claims about who is or is not smart or informed enough to have an opinion on a subject are mostly a superficial distraction from the important elements of any debate, what are the arguments and data behind each position. Awareness of potential bias only serves to make one more careful and cautious in examining someone’s arguments and data, it doesn’t get one a free pass to ignore what they have to say.

[joanne l]

Hi Donna, you can try annameat you can find it n chewy and read all the different ones they have. It is a very good food. You can also try Holist Select this is for their stomachs. I use Purina and I know some people don’t care for it and that is fine. But I have used others in the past as well. A lot of people here may recommend freeze dry food I never tried it so I can’t give a review on it. Hope you find something. I like the two I mentioned because they don’t over do the fiber content. Plus they are very good brands.

• This reply was modified 6 years ago by joanne l.

[GSDsForever]

Mike, PugsMomSandy, et al.,

I’m having a lot of difficulty posting, w/posts not showing up both here in forum and on non-forums pages. Could someone please help? I am sorry to bother you, but would appreciate any help.

With the one in forums, I tried twice and the system seems to recognize that I posted (e.g. 1)telling me that this appears to be a duplicate post, when I try a second time to post it, 2)showing my names as the last poster to the thread) but the post is not visible.

The second was a reply to someone on Mike’s article about dental health & dry food — also not showing.

Both contain a link or two, if that may be the cause of the problem today. But normally I can post with links and others seem to be able to do so today.

Weeks ago I attempted to post on a food review page, and it was filtered out as possible “spam.” Then the system said it was working to fix this, as not spam. Nothing changed. I emailed guest support for help, using the contact us page here, but I either did not receive a reply or somehow did not see one. Still, no post appears on the page. (There is a record of the post on the separate page showing my Disqus replies.)

[Todd H]

I have never…repeat NEVER written a review on any product. However, I felt compelled to do so after reading so many negative and/or controversial reviews regarding Nutri Thrive both on this site as well as Reddit.

I have 3 girls, 9,7 and 5. The 9 year old is a 45 lb. mix shepherd and some various other breeds. My 7 year old is what I believe to be a 55 lb. Jindo. My 5 year old is mostly Jack Russell. Our life revolves around our 3 girls. There is nothing we wouldn’t do for them. We feed the Mix and the Jack raw and the Jindo Fresh Pet and a small amount of freeze dried raw as she is a bit more sensitive regarding her tummy.

I bought 3 jars of Nutri Thrive about 5-6 weeks just as a supplement to potentially enhance and ensure overall health and longevity. Our Jack does have occasional bouts of chewing and licking raw spots. Our Jindo has always has had a bit of morning sickness her entire life although it has declined a bit over the last few years. Once to twice weekly she would throw up in the morning. No issues whatsoever with the 9 year old mix.

After 5-6 weeks use, the Jack (almost immediately) ceased chewing and licking. Her raw spots are completely filled in and her coat is the best it has ever been by far. As for the Jindo, I have yet to see her get sick. If she has, we haven’t seen it. As for the 9 year old, I can’t say for sure, because she’s always been a healthy, vibrant girl, but I swear I think she has more energy and playfulness about her.

I will continue using the product unless something changes. As for the one’s having negative side effects, so sorry to hear.

Best to all. A home without a dog isn’t home.

[jenny B]

Hi nationalguard88,

Every year the threat of disease-ridden ticks and fleas becomes more ominous. My dog, Tiny, loves to roam our surroundings, but he’s brought unwelcome pests into our home. So I searched for preventative measures to rid Tiny of his (and our family’s) ongoing pest problem.

Here are some natural flea and tick prevention methods:

#1. Garlic
#2. Citrus Juice
#3. Apple Cider Vinegar
#4. Herbs
#5. Brewer’s Yeast

You can also take a look at the the website for more information about Natural Flea and Tick Prevention for Your Pet: https://naturesrevolution.com/2018/02/07/natural-flea-and-tick-prevention-for-your-pet/

Check this link as well guys, a video for natural flea and tick prevention for our pets. I found it really helpful 🙂

Of course If you want to protect your best friend against fleas and ticks without worrying about chemical formulations or unwanted side effects, you can try to read some articles in this website to see what’s the best flea and tick spray for your fur babies! https://www.thesprucepets.com/best-flea-and-tick-prevention-products-4167611

Hope this would help someone in this forum. 🙂

Thanks,
PetloverJenny

[Leticia R. V]

Yep, Diet tips are crucial for a dog. But weight of a puppy can be changed any time. I’ve read more blog on pet according to pet food and diet routine . But recently I check DogNP. Here I got lots of tips and food manual for controlling diet.

[Janice M]

Hi all I’m so sorry to hear everyone’s problems with their furry family members. I’m new here I just found out that my cookie has been diagnosed with renal failure as well. Her creatinine is around 2.0 and bun is 18. She has horrible teeth but was told the vet could not clean them due to not being able to put her under anesthesia. I’ve read shawnas posts so many times trying to get everything right. I am planning to do her dental cleaning without anesthesia at gentle dental I’m not sure if anyone’s heard of them or recommends them for my cookie. It’s such a heart breaking thing to find out but am glad I found others so I can hear their experience. I know this is an old thread but I hope someone will respond.

[william M]

Dont want to seem indifferent, but this is the problem with the whole pet food and pet products industry. It doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure out what your dog would find downright irresistible to eat. The problem is packaging and long term usage issues. If you lived on a farm, that trach would have been not only fresh but extremely pliable. And puppy wouldnt have been choking on it, but instead waking you up and bugging you for more goodies. Your best bet is to identify the “BODY PART” your dog is getting and see if its something thats usually very pliable or something thats naturally harder i.e. sinew and bone etc.

Awful (thats internal organ meats) generally have to be processed so they can be wrapped and put on a dry shelf. Keep that in mind as well as the fact they may even have to add preservatives to keep it from molding, and these may not be of any long term benefit. Good to read labels.

When I was growing up, you couldnt get out of a grocery store without being accosted by some kid giving away pups or kittens. Now theres re-homing fees and all manner of fees associated with pets. Food and treats are as big a business as it gets….nearly 117 billion last year alone. Due diligence and common sense rules the day here. Scientific Diets and treats arent worth much since the FDA doesnt regulate pet food. It’s always up to you to educate and understand whats going into their mouths since they arent in the wild anymore and dont learn from instinct. Hope your pup recovers soon, and if it likes this kind of treat, consider Safeway or your local supermarket and get some beef liver or chicken gizzards etc. etc. and wait till they are in the managers reduced section. A quick boil for 5 min. makes the most astounding treat and someone will be bugging you everytime you walk to the stove, hoping for more of that good stuff!

[GSDsForever]

Joann,

I would work *with* your vet to select a food that your dog will do well on. You need to have open, two way dialogue, and discuss your concerns and questions.

I think that it’s wise that your vet recommended avoiding high legume/potato foods in light of DCM concerns and ongoing research. My vets recommended similarly. It’s just an unnecessary risk for most dogs at this time.

Ditto foods with the most unusual/exotic proteins, like kangaroo or rabbit. (Lamb, either lamb & rice or lamb & legumes, especially low meat protein and high ash or fiber, also are riskier.) All of this is especially true in foods from sketchier companies, ones with less safe long term history for their formulas and/or less nutritional expertise in formulating.

Dogs need nutrients. Dogs DON’T need to eat any *particular* food ingredient, whether legumes (like peas or lentils) or potatoes or a grain like corn or any particular meat. So they lose nothing by ditching one or more of these ingredients and choosing an alternative at this time.

Yes, you can find a number of foods without chicken, dairy, or eggs. I’ve been feeding grain inclusive and free of all 7 top dog food allergens (which include chicken, dairy, eggs ), following a food allergy diet elimination trial. Currently, I’m feeding fish based foods. You can look through these forums for chicken-free foods, especially under DCM threads, and then check to see if they include eggs. (Dairy is far less common an ingredient in dog foods.)

How well do you know your vet? I think that if you don’t trust your vet, have confidence in your vet, that’s a problem. In that case, you need to either find a different vet or work on building your relationship with your vet in order to have good discussions, which you then can feel good about, trust in. Talk things through with your vet. Express your concerns. My vet and I discuss everything and reach decisions together.

On the other hand, I wouldn’t just go see ANY vet or blindly trust what any vet says just because he is a DVM. There are good and bad vets out there, and ones with more and less experience/knowledge and passion.

p.s. Looking toward the long term, I would talk to your vet about issues you believe your dog to have with chicken, eggs, dairy in foods. Do a strict diet elimination trial and re-challenge at some point, using a prescription food or homemade, to confirm that you must avoid these foods. It will make your life easier.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 2 months ago by GSDsForever.

[Lisanna]

Hello there. I have been reading through the threads here as part of my research about dog nutrition but am hopelessly confused. What confuses me the most is how a diet that would be unhealthy for humans: consisting of 15% fat, 25% protein and 60% [a common macronutrient ratio of dog food], can be healthy for a dog? Of course I understand dogs are different from humans, but are they so different that such a macro ratio that would be extremely unhealthy for humans is healthy for dogs? Is fat really unhealthy for dogs? Why?

The other confusing element is knowing that a dog in the wild would likely be eating a diet of mostly animal byproducts. I have read 70% animal byproducts and 30% plants. I don’t know if this is true, but I do find it very hard to believe that a dog would be eating a diet in the wild that consisted of 60% carbohydrates. And potatoes? I don’t get it.

As a voracious nutrition researcher, I know there are many, many myths and cults in human nutrition. Is the world of dog nutrition different?

Can someone please direct me to some good research on dog nutrition and help me understand? I appreciate all responses!

[anonymous]

See a specialist, either Internal Medicine or Neurology. Your dog has not responded to the treatment from the regular vet.
He will probably need diagnostic testing to be accurately diagnosed.
Have not watched your video. There are no veterinary healthcare professionals here and even if there were, they have not examined your dog so they would not be able to give you specific advice.
I would make an appointment with a specialist, asap.

Several gulping threads are here/not closed. Just use the search engine, example
/forums/topic/frantic-lapping-gulping-licking-whining/

PS: Just watched the video. Impossible to speculate on what it could be. There are a multitude of disorders that can cause these symptoms. I would not give over the counter meds, supplements or any other remedies unless prescribed by a veterinarian that has examined the dog.

[Genevieve W]

I have a 5 year old rescue, Ollie, who suffers from a gulping disorder. I found an old thread on this site that was closed a year ago. I’m hoping to start a new thread and see if anyone who’s experienced this with their dog have found any solutions.

Ollie has had this issue for years but recently it started occurring at least once a week. The episode usually starts at night and he will want to go outside and consume grass to calm him. This will pause the episode for about an hour and then it will start up again. It can last for hours.

I’ve taken him to several vets, we’ve tried different foods, putting him on acid reflux meds, carafate, adding wheat grass to his food. Nothing so far helps in the long run. The carafate worked for about a month – and now he’s having episodes again.

Here is link to an episode he had recently. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moU7z5bdrik
Would love any feedback.

thanks,
Eve

• This topic was modified 6 years, 2 months ago by Genevieve W.

[contauri]

Christie-
I’m very sorry to hear that your dog is going through this as well. My mom’s boxer passed away in her sleep back in May. The steroid injection seemed to help her, but unfortunately she was massively underweight and her organs were failing her, and the the steroid was just too strong for her to handle (she had bad joint pain and difficulty walking while on it, but she did start eating again slowly). But she didn’t get better fast enough, any kind of stress or visitors caused her to relapse, and eventually she just couldn’t fight anymore.

Unfortunately they never positively diagnosed her, but the vet hospital did say they believe it was either a really bad case of IBD that was misdiagnosed, or it was undetected cancer – likely of her GI system. The steroids combined with an IBD friendly food seemed to help, but it was not enough for her at that late stage. IF the first vet had done an endoscopy rather than major surgery, they think they might have been able to positively diagnose her. I read a lot about IBD in dogs and the complications and frustrations that occur due to it, and it sounds eerily similar to the issues of our boxer… but we won’t ever know for sure.

I’m sorry I can’t be of more help. I wish the best for your dog, I know it is really hard to see them suffer so badly. And I don’t want to say it, but I will because we felt so guilty after our dog died, but don’t be too hard on yourself if you can’t find a solution to this. You sound like you’re trying very hard to help your dog fight this, and it’s rough. Hang in there and I will keep your dog in my thoughts.

[Susan]

Hi Eileen,
If your dog has problems digesting food then I’d stay with the Freeze Dried raw as raw meat digest easier then Kibbles, Kibbles sits in a dogs stomach. My boy has IBD & he was vomiting back up the Royal Canine HP Kibble 8 hours later when he was 1st diagnosed with IBD, then he was put on a raw diet & he digested the raw easier no vomiting up undigested raw. 🙂
Feed him the Stella & Chewy freeze dried food, he’s very smart & knows what agrees with him & what is best for him, listen to your dog.
Vet diets are only temporary – NOT LONG TERM, so once your dog Stomach/Bowel has healed my vet told me to start introducing new ingredients to Patches diet.
Then once he’s stable on the Stella & Chewy Turkey formula start looking at another Stella & Chewy meat protein, try the Rabbit it has similar ingredients in same place as the Turkey formula also the Rabbit will have lower fat, also the Venison looks good & lower in fat as well. Sometimes high fat can cause diarrhea??

Start adding a new protein to his diet, read ingredients as some of the Stella & Chewy Freeze Dried formulas have a few organ meats in the 1st – 5 ingredients, organ meats can cause diarrhea when there’s too much, it all depends on your dog if he can handle organ meats, so don’t give up if you have a set back, you’re on the right track feeding freeze dried raw, Freeze Dried Raw is heaps better then any processed kibbles/wet can food.

You know he can handle & eat Turkey so if you have to get a kibble get a limited ingredient Turkey formula,
“Wellness” has pretty good dog foods & my boy does really well on Wellness Core, Wellness Simple formula’s with his IBD…
This is what I feed Patch when he has a bad IBD flare, you’ll see my Patch in the middle photo, the kibble bag is bigger then him lol
Wellness Simple Turkey & Potato has the Matching wet can foods as well

https://www.wellnesspetfood.com/natural-dog-food/product-catalog/simple-limited-ingredient-turkey-potato-recipe

https://www.stellaandchewys.com/dog-food/freeze-dried-raw-dinners

[Kathleen C]

I keep reading you should feed your dog one ounce of dog food for each pound your dog weighs or should weigh. My 9 year old Boston weighs 20 pounds but I’ve been told he should weigh 18-19. I’ve kept him at 20 pounds by feeding low fat and calorie food. He seems to gain weight easily. I list him as overweight and not active on the calorie chart where you can check how much to feed. I’ve always fed my dogs kibble, but Jack had some teeth pulled yesterday while having them cleaned and I want to feed him soft food until his mouth is not sore. I look at cans of food with 14 oz of dog food in them and I can’t believe my Boston should be eating that much food at once. And that’s not even as much as the calorie counter says to feed him. That seems like a huge amount of food. Is this what I should be doing if I want to switch over to wet food?

[anonymous]

Chronic ear infections are indicative of allergies , also there are other disorders that can cause this.

For the best testing, diagnostics and treatment options, I would consult a veterinary dermatologist.

http://www.mspca.org/angell_services/dermatology-allergies/Ear Diseases. excerpt below
Otitis externa is the medical term for ear inflammation. Most cases of otitis externa also have an infection that is causing the ear inflammation.
The structure of the ear in dogs and cats can make them more prone to ear infections. The ear canal in dogs and cats is longer than the ear canal in people. The ear canal is also “L-shaped” with vertical and horizontal parts.
Because only some dogs and cats develop ear infections, other conditions often contribute to the development of otitis externa and ear infections in your pet. Allergies, parasites, and masses or tumors can all cause ear irritation and infection. Allergies are the most common cause of ear infections in dogs and cats. Since an ear infection can be secondary to an underlying problem, it is often important to diagnose and treat the cause of the ear infection while treating the ear infection.
An ear infection can develop into a severe health problem for a dog or cat. Left untreated, ear infections can spread deeper into a pet’s ear (middle ear infection) and cause permanent damage to the ear canal (ear canal mineralization). Some chronic ear infections can develop resistance to antibiotics and become untreatable with medications.

[Jan S]

Raw feeding is an excellent way to feed your dog. Ground up chicken thighs are easy to serve in a dish and provide all the vitamins and mineral supplements needed except for one amino acid. If you grind up the chicken thighs there is really no mess. You should read the book “Feed your Dog a bone” by Dr. Ian Billinghurst. He talks about the benefits of raw feeding. I purchased a grinder and find it super easy and cheap to feed my dogs. I also include other types of foods in their raw food i.e., vegetables, dairy, organ meat, grains, legumes and even table scraps. Trying to achieve balance in every meal is ridiculous. You want to achieve balance over a period of time by having your dogs eat a variety of foods. With most of their meals consisting of raw meaty bones. I have chihuahuas. My five pounders have trouble chewing bones, so I grind up their meals. My two larger chihuahuas can eat raw chicken thighs and the bones like popsicles. So it depends on the kind of dog you have.

[Robbie M]

Hello everyone and thank you ahead of time for taking the time to read through this. Again I know that nobody is a veterinary nutritionist but it seems to be a good pool of fairly knowledgeable people who love their dogs, but I have a question none the less. My dog is a rescue dog we believe (and Our vet also thinks so) to be a 9-10 year old boxer crossed with either sttafordshire or pit bull) we drove down from Vancouver, British Columbia to San Bernardino in Southern California once we saw he was going to be put down if he doesn’t get adopted in the next few days.😭😭😭☺️he is getting much much slower now and walks very slow, we know that he has bad hips and we were actually told that they are not even in a place where they should be but that it was held in place by muscle built around it. I’m getting concerned that I should be doing everything I can logically do to help him. He gets sore and I can tell. So with that in mind i was given a about 30 packets of Lickz it has fish oil and glucosamine. But I recently find out his food doesn’t have enough meat content. Since we Feed him veggies like carrots, brocolli, as treats veggies are not as important to be in his food. Also if you have any suggestions for treats and or supplements. Sorry for such a huge message but for those who took the time to read through this and give their feedback as my dog is very very important to me.

[Ja M]

PS, the “species appropriate products are just for marketing purposes. If you compare the ingredient list, and the guaranteed analysis on the bags of any 2 “breed specific” products, you might notice as I did, that in most cases theres little difference, other than size of the kibble which you can feel through the bag (just so a small dog wont choke on some large kibble) …between one and another. FYI. Read. Your. Labels!

[Patricia A]

Aimee I agree that I didn’t get very technical with the questions for the vet. I was just trying to point out that some owners think the brands sold at the vets MUST be superior in some way since of course vets know what food is the best. I thought this also at one time. And MOST of the time if asked what should I feed my “healthy” dog your vet will I believe 9 times out of 10 suggest the ones in their practice. Why is that when again 9 times out of 10 the vet cannot even tell you the ingredients listed on the labels they sell?
Honestly, so many of these companies are so gimmicky and people fall for it. Like the dog food manufactorers who sell specific kibble just for different breeds. Like a Chihuahua on the bag and then for your Shitzu, poodle, yorkie etc. are specifically made for just for that breed.Really they want us to believe that a diet for a Yorkie would be different then a Chihuahua. People are gullible.
Here are the four ingredient labels I asked the vets to rank. Can you guess which one is the prescription diet?
Also regarding prescription diets for dogs interesting article below.
Food #1
dog food ingredient
Food #2
Prescription Diet Dog Food
Food #3
prescription diet dog food 3
Food #4
Prescription Diet Dog Food
The Answer: Prescription Diets Revealed
Now, if there’s one thing I can say about my veterinary friends, it’s that they don’t follow direction very well! Only one of the vets actually ranked all of the foods as asked. But the rest had some very interesting things to say about the prescription diet.

So to start, here are the rankings in order from best to worst from Dr Marty Goldstein, author of The Nature of Animal Healing:

Food #2 ranked first because it contains all whole foods

Food #4 ranked second because it contains meal but otherwise contains whole foods

Food #1 ranked third, thanks to the by-product rice, by-product meal and overall low quality ingredients

Food #3 ranked last, based on the use of corn for its first ingredient, followed by by-product meal.

And if you haven’t guessed already, the prescription diet in that list is Food #3.

Want to hear what some of the other vets had to say about the prescription diet?

Dr Jodie Gruenstern: This food was the lowest quality in the list. It contains GMO corn, soy (lots of it!), which is a common allergen, synthetic vitamins/minerals, shavings (if you didn’t know, the ingredient cellulose is literally sawdust), natural flavors, which usually mean MSG.

Dr Jean Dodds: Poor quality food: the first ingredients are corn, which is often GMO, and chicken by-product meal rather than whole chicken. Flax and soy are phytoestrogens.

Dr Judy Morgan: This is a Pet Store Food. Corn is the first ingredient, no muscle meat used, only by-product meal, synthetic vitamin/mineral supplement, corn and soybean are GMO, waste fillers are abundant. Overpriced in my opinion, considering the poor quality, cheap ingredients used).

Dr Dee Blanco: This one starts with corn to increase inflammation, then adds lighter fluid to it with soybean products and poor quality protein. Then it tries to make up for the poor quality foundational ingredients by adding synthetic supplements of the poorest quality, such as calcium carbonate, folic acid, ‘generic Vit E supplement’, etc. Looks like they added l-tryptophan to calm the nervous system down after putting the body into overdrive inflammation. Natural flavors?? Could be an entire cadre of carcinogens, allergens and toxins. Argh!

Dr Peter Dobias: The worst recipe – first ingredient is corn, then by-product, then flavors, wood chips. It may not be supermarket food but a veterinary diet right?!

So, as you can see, our vets didn’t exactly think the ingredients in the prescription diet were high quality. In fact, they thought many of them would be harmful.

So why exactly do we trust our vets to prescribe diets when this is the best they can offer?

And, more importantly, why are vets gullible enough to think these foods can do anything to change chronic health issues in dogs, such as allergies, kidney disease, or in the case of this particular food, joint disease?

If we really want to look at the quality of these diets, I think the first place to start is who’s making them?

The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From The Tree
The major players in the prescription diet category are the major players in the regular pet food category:

Hill’s Science Diet
Purina
Royal Canin
Iams
These companies are hardly renowned for quality ingredients. In fact, most veterinary diets are manufactured by companies that predominantly manufacture lower quality grocery store foods. The same company that makes lower quality foods like Alpo and Beneful is also making prescription diets. How much better do you think the veterinary food would be?

Let’s compare two Hill’s foods: a regular food (Natural Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Adult) and a prescription food (j/d Canine Joint Care).

The regular pet store brand:

Hills Ideal Balance
And the prescription food:

Hills JD
Now, a 30lb bag of the regular food is $47.99 at Petsmart. The prescription diet dog food can also be purchased at Petsmart for $84.95 for a 27.5lb bag. It’s twice as expensive!

Now, you might be thinking this is because the prescription diet was formulated and tested with a specific condition in mind.

This is completely false.

While an over-the-counter food with a health claim (such as controls weight) is subject to FDA regulations and enforcement, the FDA practices “enforcement discretion” when it comes to veterinary diets.

Put another way, this means the FDA has not reviewed or verified the health claims on any veterinary diet.

Did you catch that? There are very few ingredients in veterinary diets that aren’t also in other regular diets. In the example above, I’d say the pet store brand is a better quality food, wouldn’t you? The prescription diet contains by-product meal (which comes straight from the rendering plant), lots of soybean and corn products (a cheap replacement for animal protein) while the regular food contains more expensive, higher quality ingredients.

Apart from fish oil, what food ingredients exactly would help dogs with joint pain? As Dr Dee Blanco stated, this food would actually cause inflammation.

And fish oil is a terrible addition to pet foods. It’s much too fragile to be added to processed foods and as soon as the bag is opened, it will oxidate and cause inflammation in your dog.

Ironic isn’t it, when the food is supposed to be treating inflammation in the first place?

[Related: We’ve got 5 reasons you should dump fish oil. Click here.]

Consider The Source
Those two diets are made in the exact same plant. The manufacturer uses the same suppliers.

Doesn’t it stand to reason that the quality of ingredients will be the same?

I challenge the pet food industry to prove that chicken by-product meal, soybeans, brewers rice and powdered cellulose have been extensively researched and proven better than the higher quality foods used in most regular pet foods.

So if your vet ever says your dog needs to be eating a prescription diet, ask him to review the ingredient list. Then ask him for hard evidence that the foods in the prescription diet are any better than those in regular diets.

I think we know what the answer will be.

And if you’re one of the smart 60%, then I know you already know the answer!

It’s nothing but Bull$hit.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 3 months ago by Patricia A.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 3 months ago by Patricia A.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 3 months ago by Patricia A.

[Sidelle B]

Sentinel Spectrum is POISON Period
My Timba is 1/2 German Shepherd & 1/2 Huskie. Gave it to him for 3 yrs before he had a Seizure. He had it 2/25/19 Lasted a long time. He threw up out back 1st. He looked like a bug dying from being Sprayed. My Security Camera caught the whole thing. I posted it on FB. I researched EVERYWHERE. Did Elimination. Complete Blood Work Up. I was afraid it might be Vectra D. The FDA needs to step in & step up to checking these things out. People that buy these Meds only do it because they LOVE their FAM Members. It’s Not Cheap. His Bloodwork came back Normal. Called owner of the Timba’s father & no history of Seizure in either one. Was afraid to use Vectra again but if 1 flea is around it will find me. Natural Stuff doesn’t work. Used Vectra & he was Ok. I’m not diligent on Heartworm pills in off months but in April thought I better give it. So gave it to him. May 13th he came in & collapsed at my feet into a Seizure. This time seemed more like a Seizure & I tried to talk him thru it & pet him. Didn’t last as long as 1st one. Called my Vet. Took him in. Bought the Meds & asked what he would do. I said I didn’t want to put him on it yet. I had a dog years ago that was Epileptic. He ran into things etc. & flashing lights like Xmas would send him into one. Timba was Different. He said he’d do what I wanted to do. Buy the Meds to Have on hand & see if he has another Seizure. I wanted to find out the REASON & knew I wouldn’t if I put him on Meds. I Bought Purina Neurocare which he recommended.
Timba loved it at 1st. I think it’s Cleaned his system out along w Milk Thistle & pureed watermelon. So now it’s already June & I think I should give him the Pill. He liked it in the Beginning. But Lately didn’t want to take them. Dogs are Smart & KNOW things when WE don’t. I watched another video of someone’s dog having a seizure after some Flea stuff. I thought about it & decided I wouldn’t give it. Afterall How TOXIC does something have to be to KILL things like Fleas from inside. That is a GIVEN & NO ONE should Give any of that. I finally found a Blog of this lady w 3 GSDs & Wow. I knew this was why he had a SEIZURE.
Never gave SENTINEL SPECTRUM POISON Again. Even wrote them. It took 3 yrs. for this GARBAGE to manifest into a Seizure for My Baby. He has not had another one. I still use Vectra D . If I use any Heartworm med again it would be Interceptor since it seems Safest but I don’t know that I will. You can draw their blood for titers to catch the larvae before it’s a worm. I live in SoCal & my Vet said I probably don’t have to worry too much unless I take him to the Mtns or beach. It’s now been 4 months. No Seizures…………… SENTINEL SPECTRUM IS POISON
I had a dog get Heartworms years ago when I was in Okla for a couple years. Was Terrible but we treated him & he got better & lived another 7 yrs.
https://www.facebook.com/sidelle/videos/10216707066167999/UzpfSTEyMDE4MDA3MDM6Vks6NDA0NzA4MjcwMjMyNDM0/?comment_id=405162720186989&reply_comment_id=405170330186228&notif_id=1567985476776943&notif_t=group_comment

[anonymous]

Itchy Shih Tzu has allergies
By Dr. John De Jong | Ask the Vet
September 8, 2019 at 12:43 am

My 7-year-old Shih Tzu has just started itching a lot more so I took her to the vet. The itching just started a few weeks ago, seemed to come and go, and got worse recently.
My friend’s dog also started itching a lot and her vet gave the dog an injection that seemed to work and the dog got better. She also mentioned that there was an anti-itch pill available so I mentioned both. My vet gave me Apoquel pills and the dog is already improved so I’m grateful but I was also told that there is a distinct possibility that this itchiness was due to a seasonal allergy and that I could likely expect it every year from now on. Is that true?
The more I thought about it, I realized that my dog always seemed itchy in late August in the past few years. Is there any testing that could have given me a heads up and what can I do to prevent a recurrence next year?

It sounds as if your dog has a seasonal allergy that we refer to as atopy or atopic dermatitis.
These signs can appear at almost any time after the dog reaches about a year although occasionally it is seen earlier and indeed, it seems to get more problematic with each passing year. Caused often by pollens and airborne matter, it triggers a group of signs including pruritis or itchiness, oily skin, secondary focal infections, hair loss, changes in skin and hair color, and crusts.
These findings can occur in the ears, ventral abdomen and along the legs, often causing dogs to lick and chew at their feet and inside legs.One does need to rule out other causes, such as ectoparasites like fleas and mange mites, but the seasonality is often a dead giveaway.
Previous or current testing can be done to determine what your dog is allergic to and then allergy shots can be done to desensitize the dog. Speak with your veterinarian about these options as well as the possibility of using appropriate shampoos as the season approaches. Likely your friend’s dog was given an injection of Cytopoint, however Apoquel works very well and seems to be doing the trick. Both of these work for limited periods but are safe and can be used as needed to control the itch and keep the patient comfortable.
Often, breaking the itch cycle for a while resolves the problem along with the change of season and weather. Be ready for more of the same and slightly increased intensity next year.

Itchy Shih Tzu has allergies

[nemaram P]

Welcome To sparkpaws.com
Dog Winter Jacket,Dog Apparel
When you go shopping for dog winter apparel, it’s a good idea to plan ahead and buy a variety of outfits that will be suited for any occasion. As a loving dog owner, you’ll want to make sure you’re prepared for most any situation. You’ll want to take that extra step to keep your special friend warm when the weather is cold or even a little chilly.
With all the styles and materials available today, it can be a little difficult figuring out which ones will be the best suited for your dog. One of the biggest factors that you’ll need to take into consideration is where you live. Some areas get extremely cold and stay that way for months, while others only have a few weeks of cold weather.
This will be the deciding factor in which types of materials you should purchase when buying winter apparel for your dog and how many outfits you should get in each type.
Dog Jacket
There are a lot of dog jackets on the market these days, some of them built a bit better than others, while some are high quality and just aren’t marketed all that well. This could mean the difference between you buying a dog jacket that is going to last your furry friend more than one year, or if he or she is going to be busting through the seams after wearing the jacket just a few times.
It does happen, especially if your dog is of the more active type, and likes to run, jump, and play while they are in their jacket. This causes wear and tear quickly, and if you aren’t putting a quality jacket on them, they are gonna bust through it.
If you are a boater and take your dog with you out on the water, you are probably going to want to invest some money in a dog life jacket just in case the unfortunate ever happened, throwing your dog from the boat.
An accident like this could leave your dog unconscious if they are thrown from the boat hard enough, and having a good dog life jacket on them will help them stay afloat until you can get to their side to help them out. Making the small investment to protect your pooch up front will save you a lot of heartache should the unthinkable ever happen. It is hard to imagine that something like this is possible, but just being prepared for it is your safest bet.
Dog Coats for Winter
Some people like to dress their dogs all year-round as more of a fashion statement than anything else. specially made dog coats for winter on the other hand serve a different purpose. They’re not just for fashion they actually keep your dog warm and protect it against the cold during the long winter months.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that dogs don’t feel the cold just because they have fur. In really cold conditions though any animal feels the cold unless it is something like a polar bear that lives in the cold all the time. Pet dogs on the other hand spend most of their time curled up in front of the fire.
Dog coats for winter serve a real purpose and are necessary if you live somewhere that is cold for only a few months each year. There are many different types to choose from and while some of them are fleece lined or thermal, you don’t really need to break the bank when buying one.
A normal winter dog coat will do the job perfectly well as long as it fits your dog. Make sure you buy one which is specifically suited to your breed of dog. If it fits well and keeps the cold off of the dogs back it will be doing it’s job.
Dog Clothes
Dog clothing is extremely hot this season. One can’t help noticing the rise in celebrities with fashionable small dogs at their side. With a sea of dog clothes, it’s hard to know what dog clothes are in and what dog clothes, as Hillary Duff’s Dachshund would say, are “so yesterday”. Legally Blonde’s Chihuahua, Bruiser, set the standard in dog fashion while dogs like Paris Hilton’s dog, Tinkerbell, keeps raising the bar higher and higher. I think their is an important fact to remember when dressing up your dog this season. Let your dog be a dog. As much as it makes us happy to dress them up, we have to make sure the dog clothes are functional and keep their best interest at heart. That said, here are the must haves for any pampered pooches closet.
Every small dog must have a small dog sweater this season. They are functional in that they keep the tiny and toy breeds warm, like Chihuahuas and miniature Pinsher yet fashionable as they showcase your dog’s explosive personality. Dog Sweaters are mostly hand made and come in a plethora of variations. Just pick a small dog sweater that says who your little precious dog is and you can’t go wrong. A holiday dog sweater is a must have this season. This year let your dog “deck the halls” in a Christmas tree dog sweater or a solid red or green small dog sweater.
Dog Outfits
Do you have a dog? Do you have dog outfits for him or her? If you answered ‘yes’ to these last two questions, then you are not alone. Over the last several years, the pet clothing industry has boomed as growing numbers of people have begun dressing their four-legged family members. This trend was no doubt sparked by the increased frequency of well-dressed dogs such as Chloe from the movie Beverly Hills Chihuahua and Bruiser from Legally Blonde appearing on the silver screen. Today, a dog doesn’t have to be a film or television celebrity to be well-dressed. As a matter of fact, everyday dogs are becoming fashion-conscious these days!
Dog Raincoat
Dog raincoats are already considered a necessity for your pet. Your pet’s fur alone cannot protect her from snowy winter cold or from the rainy days. Like people, they also get chills and easily catch sniffles when exposed to a cold climate.
Purchasing a raincoat is not just simply picking out the first coat you have seen in the pet store. You have to make a certain considerations so you will get the right choice.
Here are some criteria that you should include in choosing a dog raincoat:
1. Size. It is important to buy dog clothe that is of the right fit. Too tight or too loose raincoat will make your pet uncomfortable and may even predispose him a health threat. He will find it difficult to breathe if it is too tight. He may also accidentally step on the loose portion of the coat which may cause him to stumble down and will injure his delicate paws.
2. Material. The coat must be made of waterproof materials. The purpose of buying a raincoat is to keep your pet dry to prevent him from getting chills and catching cold.
Dog Hoodie
With the cold weather here, its time for the warm clothes to come out and the fall /winter fashion lines. Definitely the case with pet fashion as well. Dog coats, sweaters, and even scarves and boots are hot commodities.
If you’re looking for the hipper cooler trends in the dog fashion world you can’t beat Hip Doggie. They’re always a dog fashion leader and this year’s fall winter line is no exception. Lots of cool new looks for the coolest canines.
A hot fashion pick for fall this year is the dog hoodie. They are a great way to stay warm in the winter for you and your little dog. Our Shih Tzu Suzy loves her hoodies in the wintertime . They’re soft and comfortable and the hood keeps her ears warm.
They are a Hip Doggie staple and this year’s new fall/winter selections have never been better. There’s a great selection of styles, colors and cuteness. Suzy’s favorites include the Snow Bunny Sweater, Chuck-T Dog Hoodie, and the Super Soft Love Dog Hoodie.
Visit for more in formation: https://www.sparkpaws.com/collections/dog-coats-jackets

[aimee]

Hi Jill,

I just want to clarify that the dog that passed was in the same room with the owner and was lying right next to the owner at her feet and was being watched. Th owner acted immediately.

When I read things like “supervise” I wonder what does that mean? For example, it is oft recommended to supervise all child and dog interactions. yet many bites occur while the child and dog are being “supervised”. This is because the person supervising hasn’t been educated on what types of interactions are inappropriate or on recognizing canine signaling that indicates the dog is uncomfortable.

There are plenty of child /dog videos posted by well meaning individuals in which the child is clearly in danger but the person filming doesn’t see it. Similarly, I’ve seen plenty of videos of dogs chewing on chews and the person filming their dog doesn’t “see” the danger present.

For me, my rules are that my dog can neither get the entire length or width of the product into the mouth if it is made of a material that is not expected to easily fracture into many small consumable pieces. The dog owner team must have an impeccable “drop” cue in the “toolbox” so that recovering a chew is not stressful to the dog or owner.

[Candice F]

A reminder that the FDA did not link 16 brands of dog food to canine heart disease.

“The common thread appears to be legumes, pulses (seeds of legumes), and/or potatoes as main ingredients in the food,” the FDA says (click for source https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/questions-answers-fda-center-veterinary-medicines-investigation-possible-connection-between-diet-and).

There were many brands listed in the FDA report, but as the FDA says it is the INGREDIENTS that are suspected and not any specific brands. Brands usually make many varieties.

For those pet owners that would like to switch to a food without peas, legumes, and/or potatoes until more investigation is done, I am maintaining a list of dog foods without peas, legumes, potatoes, corn, wheat, soy or byproducts here. https://www.seviernewsmessenger.com/2019/07/14/best-dog-food-without-peas-legumes-potatoes/

[Bobby dog]

Nope not confused, it was entertaining reading that day for sure. But, you can also just read what you just posted regarding your belief weights and measures are opinions:

“You have a medical background yet you claim weights and measurements are opinions…” ~ B-dog

“Yes, because there is dry weight and there is liquid weight and a lot of people get them confused.” ~ anon101

[Melissa D]

Hi Patricia A
Yes C J has the lymphoplasmacytic gastritis and heliobacter as stated on his biopsy results, my vet is starting him on a 3 week course of medications and then we are doing a second food trial of the Hill’s Science Diet Z/D for sensitive tummy etc, then I touch base with the vet again after about 6 weeks to see if he needs to start the steroids which the vet mentioned to me during our phone call. C J’s biopsy results also came back showing he has a thickening of his intestines and that’s why they are saying IBD, but to do another food trial with the Z/D food then I feel they are still guessing, but then I have read on the internet that diagnosing true IBD is kind of trial and error until the dog shows signs of getting better with different foods and what a pain this is going to be, I also read that some dogs do well on raw food diets for IBD, but my boy has been on the raw food since he was a puppy and its not been helping him, also yogurt was not helping as I was reading that it does help, but it looks like my boy is an exception to the rule, but I know he wouldn’t be the only one, so that’s why I am slightly confused after reading these things on the internet, I sat back and thought…ok C J is already on this so why is he still sick and then I got to thinking, if we get his heliobacter sorted first, then maybe he won’t be so bad but then the thickening of his intestines is another issue that can’t be reversed but can be managed…hopefully. I feel I maybe should not have gone to ask Dr Google…because all it’s done has thrown me into heaps of doubt on what the true issue is, regardless of what the vet/s have said because I kind of feel they too are still clutching at straws on how to treat effectively, so if my vet is in doubt then that places me in doubt, after talking with the vet about the next move, she said to me, to try the Z/D dry and or tin food for my C J and then we check in 6 weeks or so to see how he’s doing and if needed we start steroids, so basically she’s not even sure this Z/D food is going to work, can it really be this hard ?? I am just about ready to give up, my finances and emotions are stretched beyond belief and I just want to have a healthy dog, gosh I can’t even find a food list online of what to cook for a dog with IBD, because I would prefer to cook all his meals myself as they will be more affordable, so if anyone knows where I can find a food list or cook book for homemade food for your dog that has IBD then I will be ever grateful. Thank you Patricia for all your info supplied in the previous message, I have read and re-read it all a few times, and some of it is making sense but some of it also going straight over my head, I think my mind is just in overdrive at the moment but I will go back and read it as many times as necessary until I understand it all. Keep in touch and I will let you know how C J tolerates this new Z/D food etc.

[Melissa D]

Hi Patricia A
Well C J’s biopsy results are in and they came back showing he has IBD ? and Heliobacter, but the vet is still sort of guessing because he said we are to do another FOOD TRIAL specifically designed for IBD and doing another food trial means that they still aren’t sure, even though he said IBD, so as you can imagine I am not at all impressed, this is starting to get to me, all the unknowns even after $1,500 spent on biopsies and Ultrasounds and Gastroscopes and I am not feeling very well lately I put it down to stress because I don’t know what to do, I told the vet that I want to get my fur baby tested for EPI and he said it’s not something he thinks is wrong as it’s not jumping out at him as being a probable issue, but he did say I could go ahead and get him tested for it, so I am thinking…is it worth wasting more money for another unsure diagnosis and should we just proceed with the special diet for IBD ??? mind you though my fur baby is already on a special diet for tummy issues and its just not working, the vet did say this other prescription diet food will be slightly more super charged than the food he is on now, so basically I am not sure where to turn, I think my plan of attack will be, I go see my vet, get her thoughts on everything that the specialist has found, and then find out about the EPI test, before this new food trial ? Oh I don’t know I will see what I feel like on the day of vet visit which will be next week now, as the vet is away till Monday, I will keep you updated.

[Lisa B]

I want to share my experience with Ziwi Dog Food.
In December of last year, we took our 15 yo Pom, Bailey, in for a dental. Her bloodwork came back perfect. Her ALT was in the low
100’s. Our vet said anything below 200 was acceptable for her age.
Sometime in January, I made the switch from a frozen raw food
to Ziwi. Within a few weeks, I noticed Bailey’s appetite had
started to decline. Unfortunately, I attributed it to her age. Bailey had been in excellent health except for early dental disease as the result
of being in a puppy mill for her first two years. In the last few years, she began losing her hearing and then vision, but she was perfectly healthy other than these issues. Because I thought her picky eating was related to her age, I did NOT act quickly enough and take her to our vet. I mean, her bloodwork was perfect right? So for the next 2 months it was a daily struggle to find something that would appeal to Bailey’s taste. In March, I took her in for an examination. Initially,
Our vet thought kidney failure; however, after checking kidney function he checked her liver enzymes. Her ALT was 2664!!! How in the world? I had an extremely difficult time convincing
our vet it was not Lepto. We had absolutely no standing water anywhere on our property let alone our furkids’ fenced yard. Also, because of Bailey’s vision loss we stayed with her while she was outside. In fact, we never leave any of our 5 Poms or GSD outside without one of us. Believe me when I tell you that I tried absolutely everything to get her ALT within an acceptable range from giving her daily B12 injections to feeding through a syringe to adding Denamarin and even insisting on a prescription for prednisone to increase her appetite. She improved a little for about a month. Her next ALT was 1600 so I thought we were making some improvements, but she began declining again and this time she did not improve. She had lost about half her body weight and was so frail. I knew she was telling me it was time to let her go. That was May 1st. In June, our Bandit suddenly stopped eating. Never was there any other sign he was unwell – just a lack of appetite as with Bailey. No vomiting, diarrhea, etc. I immediately took him to our vet to have his enzymes checked and his ALT was 400!!! Our vet did an ultrasound and saw no evidence of a mass or something to explain the elevated ALT. Our vet prescribed the Hills KD which I was not in favor of so I purchased Dr Harvey’s Paradigm Superfood and went back to a low protein slightly-cooked diet. I immediately bought milk thistle and SAM-e for pets and gave him the maximum dose of milk thistle for his weight. Based on my research, the denamarin did not contain an adequate amount of milk thistle for pets whose liver was
damaged. Within a few weeks, our Poms, Cricket and Rumor , suddenly stopped eating. I knew if Cricket EVER refused a meal something was wrong. Sure enough, they both had elevated ALT – Cricket was 183 and Rumor was 150. After much debate with our vet, I immediately stopped feeding them the Ziwi and began the same protocol as Bandit. I also stopped the Half Moon organic dog
which are extremely high protein (as is Ziwi). Our vet added Ursodial which is bile acids. Bandit’s last liver panel was nearly perfect. His
ALT was 140 (he is 7 and this is high-normal, but within an acceptable range. Cricket and Rumor will be re-tested next week, but I already feel confident their ALT will be an acceptable number because their appetites have returned. Oh, one last thing! We had liver panels performed on our Piper (our super-size Pom at 17lbs) GSD Sadie, and their results were perfect! How could this be? The only differences were: they were not exclusively fed the Ziwi (I halved it with the Stella & Chewy and Open Farm freeze-dried raw) and size. Our 4 Poms who had elevated ALT’s were between 6 and 11lbs and fed exclusively the Ziwi air dried. Does anyone think this is merely a coincidence? I cannot accept it as coincidence. I am trying to get them back to a home-prepared raw (or slightly cooked) diet. I
had them all on a raw diet for about 7 months a few years ago, and
they loved it. My only concern at that time was my concern that I wasn’t adding the correct amount of necessary vitamins and minerals for each one of them, but I recently learned Dr Karen Becker (an holistic veterinarian) has formulated a meal mixer that contains everything necessary to ensure my home-prepared diet is nutritionally balanced. If anyone is interested, you can find the meal mix available at Mercola Healthy Pets website.

[Melissa D]

Hi Patricia
Yes Addisons Disease is being looked into at the moment as well as other things and I am looking at the blood tests and because I’m not a vet I can’t decipher what I’m looking at, but I do remember my vet mentioning something about cortisol levels but can’t remember if it was good or bad, my mind zones out after a while trying to take it all in, because it saddens me that it doesn’t matter what I feed my dog it’s upsets his tummy, yes I only ever feed boiled chicken breast on the days he was vomiting and as far as the rice goes, it gave him wind and he was still intermittently vomiting and diahorrea., I also never mixed it with anything except the probiotics the breeders told me to buy. And I don,t mind mentioning the breeders I got him from, because as far as I am concerned they have shown no interest in the fact that my dog has been sick or that they sold me a sick dog, the only thing they did do was email me on the very first occasion I told them he was sick and their reply was….NO we haven’t had any of our dogs come back sick with what you say your dog has…..I say, BULLSHIT, I have since found out that their have been several other dogs from the breeders ( Tasmanian Labradoodles) have been diagnosed with pancreatitis, one had addisons and another stomach cancer, and even though they gave me a health guarantee for the first three years after purchase they are not being very helpful and are not responding to my emails, texts and calls, I even sent them pics of my dogs vomit which was nothing but blood and a huge amount at that, the breeders read the message as they have read receipts enabled on their iphones but totally ignored me and never got back to me, no concern what so ever on their part, as long as they have a full bank balance is all that matters to them, and I am so pi$$ed off with them, I told them they could deal with my solicitor and they never got back to me, their basic customer service and basic courtesy is just not their they are rude and only care about their overseas holidays with all the money they make from each pup, a lot of these dogs go to Japan and America and Europe etc, I would not buy another from these people, they have no conscience and I feel they are puppy farming, because at last count they had 35 plus breeding pairs of dogs but I have been told they actually have 75 breeding pairs, so if this isn,t a puppy farm then what is, if they had been better with customer service and showed me some courtesy and concern for my dog being sick I wouldn’t be so pi$$ed off. Yes I will keep u updated my boy is getting his biopsy results this week coming, so I will message you here, when they come through.
Regards
Melissa

[anonymous]

Hope this helps: http://www.vetstreet.com/dogs/your-puppy-what-to-expect-at-0-to-7-weeks
excerpts below, click on link for full article

The first seven weeks of a puppy’s life include a lot of change. If you think about it in our terms, your puppy will grow from a newborn to a toddler during these first weeks. You will likely not have much interaction with your puppy during this time because he needs to remain with his mother. If you’re acquiring your puppy from a breeder, pet store or shelter, your puppy shouldn’t be sent home with you until he is a little older. Read below to find out what else to expect during the first seven weeks of your puppy’s life.

Health & Nutrition
The first two weeks of life can be a hazardous time for your puppy because he is so dependent on his mother. However, a good breeder will be prepared for the litter’s arrival, making sure the mother is healthy and has received her vaccinations and other wellness care before pregnancy, and will watch closely for maternal neglect or other problems after the puppies’ birth. Tip: Very young puppies rarely cry. Crying is a sign that something is wrong with your puppy. If he cries, he may be sick, hungry or cold.
During the first few weeks of life, your puppy should get all the nutrition he needs from his mother’s milk. In fact, colostrum, the first milk a mother produces, contains antibodies that will help protect your puppy from many diseases. A veterinarian should examine all the puppies in the litter to make sure they are developing normally. The timing of this first visit may vary depending on many factors including the breed of dog and the experience and abilities of the breeder. When your puppy is about four weeks old, he will start to be weaned from his mother’s milk and should be gradually introduced to commercial puppy food.

Most puppies generally receive their first vaccinations around six to eight weeks of age, with boosters every three to four weeks until they are about 16 weeks old. Recommended vaccines may include a combination of canine adenovirus-2, distemper, parainfluenza and parvovirus. Some combinations may also protect against leptospirosis or coronavirus. Depending on where you live and other factors such as if your puppy will be a show dog or will be kenneled with other dogs, your veterinarian might recommend a Bordetella, or kennel cough, vaccine as well.

[Jennifer M]

I used to feed my dogs Purina Proplan 20 yrs ago and when I noticed my Cocker Spaniel started to itch around the time that grain-free food b/c popular, I switched her over to them. In 2013, she was 11 and we had a new lab puppy and I did research and fed them them, the best food I thought at the time which was Orijen and Acana. Because it was so high protein, I then switched my Cocker over to Fromm. My Cocker did develop a heart murmur in the last 2 yrs of her life, so not sure if it was from having been fed grain free or of her age, but I have read the studies and there definitely is something going on. For me, having had a Dane with DCM, I don’t wish that on any dog, so I switched my lab and new Cocker puppy off grain free completely. Ironically, thinking of going back to Purina Proplan. What I do notice is that chicken usually causes itchiness, while fish based does not in many dog foods. Lamb i usually a good choice as well, but many dogs don’t always like it.

[Melissa D]

My dog has been doing this for the last 2 and half years since he was 12 weeks old, but he also has been vomiting and pooing blood all intermittently…at last vet visits it has been food trails, which didn’t work then Ultrasound, gastroscopy and biopsies, So I think I can safely say I have been sold a sick dog…….becasue no healthy dog would be doing all of this, nor would they be spending this much time at the vets…my vet is assuming for now that my furry baby may have IBS and the scope found that he has a thickening of his intestinal wall, I have googles that it says something like stomach cancer a possibility and when I read the list of symptoms for the Leiomyosarcoma, he has all of the these. So I am trying to keep my cool till the biopsies are back. My vet showed me the video of the Gastroscopy and my furry baby’s tummy and intestines did look nice and pink and I couldn’t see any inflammation, so would this mean stomach cancer could be ruled out because at the time of biopsies he had no inflammation, even though he has all the symptoms ? Any thought’s from others on here.
Leiomyosarcoma of Stomach, Small and Large intestine in Dogs
Vomiting.
Weight loss.
Diarrhea.
Blood in stool (hematochezia)
Gas (flatulence)
Stomach growling, or rumbling sound (borborygmus)
Feeling of incomplete defecation (fenesmus)

[GSDsForever]

First Mate’s grain inclusive formulas — carb base is oatmeal & brown rice — might be an option, for either you Jessica or you Joanne.

I just have not had much exposure to this brand, and I personally have not done the research & inquiry with the company that I would wish to do before considering feeding one of their formulas. Options are chicken, fish, or lamb formulas, all limited ingredient, relatively simple formulas.

I appreciate and hate at the same time reading chicken fat as one of the ingredients across formulas, as someone avoiding chicken. Allergy-wise, fat can’t be an allergen, but that chicken fat had better be clarified and tested free of all protein!

Ash and fiber both look too high to me in these formulas. They claim suitable for large breed puppies, but to any large breed puppy people reading this, please do not feed this unless and until confirming the ACTUAL calcium and phosphorous, vs. the % amounts and ratio expressed as minimums here in the guaranteed analysis.

[anonymous]

“Back then you would hardly ever hear of a dog having cancer, seizures, allergies, or the multitude of skin problems you see today”

Back then? Back then no one took their dogs to the vet unless they had to. No one did any diagnostic testing, they just had the dog put down if it was suffering. It’s a fact, dogs did not live very long “back then”.

There are more puppy mills now, breeding dogs with genetic flaws that should not be bred, just to make money.

By the way, read the ingredients on the last loaf of bread that you bought, lol

[D]

Commercial or Homemade- I do a bit of both. There are a few pet stores that offer a rewards program. For instance, if you buy ‘X’ amount of frozen dinners you get one free. I find going raw is not all that expensive. Also, remember you will save money in the long run from not needing to go to the Vet from issues concerning dry kibble. Such as allergy meds, reactions, cancer, etc…
Ordering food tends to be more costly, you may be better off going to a local butcher or a local grocery store and find meat there, i have a great success finding offal in grocery stores, very inexpensive too. Make sure you wash any meat you buy from the grocery store thoroughly and freeze meat no less than 3 days in order to kill any bacteria that may have contaminated the meat.
Make sure you clean up after your dog eats. I will brush my dogs teeth after eating if i plan on letting him lick me or my guests to ensure no spreading of bacteria. (Vet’s Best Dog Toothbrush and Enzymatic Toothpaste Set | Teeth Cleaning and Fresh Breath Kit with Dental Care Guide| Vet Formulated is a great toothbrush and toothpaste) I’ve been feeding my puppy raw for a year now and noticed tremendous results. I will never revert to kibble again.
My vet strongly advised me not to go raw and at the same time tried to push Royal Canon on me. The same dog food that nearly killed my last dog.
One of my friends is a vet and she told me that they do not spend much time in school learning about raw. And whatever they did cover was all negative. I have yet to hear of a dog or puppy getting seriously ill from going raw.
I wouldn’t try to convince your vet otherwise, save your breathe. Just keep doing research and you will be fine and learn so much!
There are great website out there that give you a great breakdown on meat, fat, bone, and offal percentages you should be feeding your dog.

i wish you the best of luck!
P.s. I’ve worked in feed kitchens before and seen what goes into dog kibble, its quite alarming.

[GSDsForever]

Those who’ve fed a nutritionally balanced home-prepared diet, particularly NOT chicken based (rich in Omega 6) or poultry, or those who’ve boosted fat supplementing a commercial diet, which Omega 6 rich source (other than chicken fat) have you used and found most healthful, economical, and accessible to buy?

I have been giving an rx’d therapeutic high dose of Omega 3 EPA & DHA, via wild Alaskan salmon oil . . . the amount balanced well with Omega 6 canine needs when I was feeding a higher Omega 6 diet less rich in the active, converted form of Omega 3.

Now, with new diet directions, whether homemade or current commercial foods I’ve selected, I’d like to continue to use the same oil (vs a combo Omega 6-3 oil) and brand, but I want to boost total fat & keep very high EPA & DHA, without being deficient in Omega 6 or creating an inverse ratio. I want at least 20% fat in the diet, and am comfortable with higher for my breed & dog.

New commercial diets I’ve selected — in addition to whatever I do homemade — are much richer Omega 3 EPA/DHA commercial diet and far lower Omega 3 to 6 ratio. But total fat (and protein) are not high enough.

I’d like to avoid GMO and hexane processed, highly processed (heat, chemicals to deodorize/refine, etc.).

Since I’ve not needed to buy this in my own (human) diet, despite knowing which oils are naturally high linoleic/Omega 6 rich, in trying to choose for a dog, the preferences of human market seems to be making this a more complicated buy.

*Sunflower Oil that is NOT high oleic variety, but its traditional Omega 6 form (Ditto Safflower, but I’d prefer Sunflower)
*Corn Oil that is not GMO (Does it even exist? I can’t find it in stores locally.)
–some concern for traces of protein, with an allergy dog, as corn is still in top 7 allergens or so
Soybean Oil that is non-GMO, organic
— allergy concerns, as with corn (we haven’t challenge tested her yet for soy allergy)
Walnut Oil
–A more expensive choice?? DACVN Sean Delaney seems to prefer walnut and corn oil. . . .
–Toxicity concerns? Sufficient research, history of safe use in dogs . . . as walnuts are toxic to dogs.
Grapeseed Oil (High Omega 6, high heat recommended in cooking)
–Poisonous/contraindicated in dogs?? (Grapes are toxic to dogs.)
Canola Oil (Omega 6 & 3)
–less efficient, useful due to inactive Omega 3 content
–seems readily available in organic, expeller pressed/non hexane

High quality flax oil is expensive, fragile, and inefficient due to its Omega 3 (inactive form). Ditto those fancy GLA oils (Black currant, primrose, borage) — not to mention toxicity concerns for dogs inherent to those plant sources.

And then there are the less common, likely more expensive (??), and perhaps less established as safe for dogs (??) oils such pumpkin seed oil, hemp seed oil, other nut oils (most are high monounsaturated/oleic).

Cottonseed oil is GMO cotton, so no to that one for me. I never see this sold either, just in industrial commercial use.

• This topic was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by GSDsForever.
• This topic was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by GSDsForever.

[joanne l]

I have to say to people on here that are new comers and are asking about grain free diets. I would like to say please don’t be fooled by the high protein gimmick on grain free diets. These foods are only high in protein due to the legumes and chickpeas and pea protein that make it that high. If they were taking out these legumes the protein would go way down. I hate that these companies use them to boost the protein. I have read that legumes have twice the amount of protein than grains. So I can’t stress it enough about these grain free foods. Here are some things I researched:
1 cup of chickpeas has 39 grams of protein
1 cup of lentils, it depends on dry or cooked, has 18 to 24 grams of protein
Pea protein doesn’t’ seem to say about the grams, but it is highly concentrated protein. to me is the worst.
Now, 1 cup of oatmeal has 6 grams of protein
1 cup of brown rice has 5 grams of protein
1 cup of cornmeal has 8 grams of protein
That just gives you an idea how grains can not boost protein percentages as much as legumes.
Food for thought. This is why I hate grain free diets for dogs. They charge more for cheap protein boosters. Not cool.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by joanne l.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by joanne l.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by joanne l.

[Dee D]

There has been so much concentration of the Fat content, but have you looked to see how much protein content there is and how much “carbs” are in the food your feeding. Excess carbs like potatoes, rice, barley, oats will put on weight. Low fat foods general increase carbs. Like someone said some fats are essential it’s the egg yolks and the white fats, even liver (a small amount is good for them, but I give chic livers) is high in fat but other fats like fish fats are quality fats. Having proteins in their diet is extremely important to as a canine. I read too that grams of fat for every 1,000 calories is a better gage of how much fat in their diet their getting.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by Dee D.

[Set R.]

Hi everyone, thank you so much for this thread, I live in Spain and there is no much information of users of this med in spanish.

I have a 15-year-old golden retriever that has started to have mobility problems for about six months and a week ago Galliprant was prescribed.
Just briefely will tell you that in 2013 he had a series of epileptic seizures, and he was prescribed phenobarbital, in 2014 he had the last epileptic attack, and six months ago we took him off this medication for good. I comment all this to tell you that, despite this, he has always been a healthy and happy dog ​​without any health problem and with exceptional analysis. The last ones have been 15 days ago before taking any medication for mobility problems.
Since normal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Metacam cause vomiting and cortisone makes him extremely nervous, the vet prescribed Galliprant.
After a few hours of taking it, the first day he had diarrhea, the veterinarian told me that this would be the case, that it was a normal side effect in the begining of the treatment, it has taken Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Today I called the vet to tell her how he was doing, she told me to give him until Thursday and to give him omeprazole before the galliprant. But just after calling her, my dog ​​has had blood in the stool.
Never again, not one more pill, a dog that has not had diarrhea since he was a puppy. I am calling the vet back tomorrow to see what he can take for pain relieve but no Galliprant, that’s for sure.
I am glad to know that this medication has worked for some of you, but to me this medicine is pure poison.

[snowtigga]

Hi folks,

I’ve surfed and read and surfed and read and I’m pretty sure if I look in the mirror, my face would be blue.

My three dogs currently eat Whole Earth Farms grain-free food and I rotate between the flavors except for chicken. I had thought maybe my oldest Shar-Pei/Lab mix (7) would do better without it. There’s no real way for me to tell, though, so now I’m thinking of re-introducing chicken due to them.

It’s just incredibly difficult, it seems, to find a dog food that’s affordable, made for seniors and/or reduced activity dogs, that doesn’t have peas/potatoes/legumes/fillers but does have a good selection of fruits/vegetables which also provides joint health (bonus since I can always continue with supplements).

Maybe I’m being too selective. Holistic Select seems to come up a lot in various articles and reviews I’ve read – peas are the third ingredient. potatoes are the fifth.

Fromm Gold reduced activity doesn’t have much for fruits/vegetables in it and potatoes are the 6th ingredient.

Canidae Platinum Senior — potatoes/peas as well as Canidae Reduced Energy – same thing.

Should I not be as concerned about these ingredients if my dogs are older? I would think it’d be the opposite. I’m so lost.
I would welcome suggestions and information, please.

Thanks.

[Shayne, Ultimate Pet Nutrition]

Hi JL L, I’m Shayne. I was really upset while reading your review. Ultimate Pet Nutrition is a fairly new company, but our sole mission is to improve the health and happiness of pets everywhere. We would never create a product that we didn’t wholeheartedly believe in. And with all supplements, we do understand that they may work well for some and not for others, but there are hundreds of customers who have seen marked improvements in their pet’s health since starting Nutra Thrive. I’d like to answer any questions you might have. You can e-mail me at [email protected] if you ever have any further questions or concerns. Thank you.

[Patricia A]

Christine is it a possibility that low blood sugar is contributing to seizure activity since he eats only once a day and very little? Maybe some lean boiled hamburger topper with kibble and string beans, carrots will help with his appetite and assure he gets enough animal protein. I boil chicken and add a tiny bit of the water to kibble also. Also maybe below article is of help. Common causes of seizures are flea/tick meds even when discontinued can result in ongoing seizures in some dogs as well as heart worm meds and vaccinations.
Diet and Epilepsy Link

Environmental control is a significant element in gaining better management of your dog’s seizures. Start with what goes into him. Feeding a home-prepared diet, cooked or raw, can make all the difference for some dogs. Though there are virtually no studies to determine whether there is a relationship between diet and seizure activity, many holistic veterinarians report anecdotal evidence that a top-quality home-prepared diet can play a large part in management of seizures.

Allergy testing for grain and protein sensitivities is another tool you can use to identify and remove any potential seizure triggers.

Dr. Kelleher also advocates the use of taurine supplementation for epileptic dogs at a dose of 250 milligrams per 40 pounds body weight daily. Taurine supplementation is especially important for dogs who eat commercial and grain-based diets. This amino acid is found in the central nervous system and skeletal muscle and is concentrated in the brain and heart. It’s unknown whether that has anything to do with the fact that taurine supplementation can reduce seizure activity, especially in those dogs experiencing tremors or noise triggered seizures. Discuss this or any other supplement with your dog’s veterinarian.

If feeding a home-prepared diet isn’t possible, find the highest-quality commercial dog food. Grains in the diet, including treats, should be kept to a minimum.

Keep in mind that many commercial dog foods include rosemary extract and sage, both of which are known to be seizure triggers in some sensitive dogs. Processed treats like rawhide chews and pigs ears should also be avoided with epileptics. Sharing human food containing MSG or cured products like hot dogs and luncheon meats is also not recommended. Many human takeout foods, instant, ready made, and convenience foods also contain chemical ingredients that can be adverse to the health of a seizure-prone dog. Cleaning up your dog’s diet is good incentive to do the same with your own.

Frequent, small meals are helpful in managing epilepsy, as keeping the blood sugar stabilized seems to help. Hypoglycemia can contribute to seizure activity, especially in smaller breeds where the dog’s digestive tract and his meals are proportionately smaller. Grain products are especially suspect in animals who have seizures regularly. Feeding frequent, small meals is also helpful for coping with the increased hunger experienced by dogs who are given phenobarbital. Snacks such as fresh or steamed vegetables or fruit pieces are great low calorie treats that can keep your dog satisfied and increase his seizure threshold.

Other Canine Epilepsy Triggers

Despite the changes in recommended vaccine protocols recommended by most of the major university-based veterinary medical schools, many veterinarians continue to recommend annual vaccinations for their patients. In a seizure-prone dog, a vaccine booster can trigger seizure activity for at least 30 days. This is one reason that Dr. Dodds recommends avoiding routine vaccination for canine epileptics.

Many owners of epileptic dogs ask their veterinarians to test their dogs’ vaccine titer levels instead, to ensure the animals have adequate antibodies to protect them from disease. If the results indicate a dog does not have adequate immune protection for a particular disease, the appropriate vaccination can be administered individually, rather than in a “5 in 1” vaccine combination.

Regular rabies vaccines are required in each state by law. These vaccines can be especially risky for epileptics; owners of epileptic dogs have lots of anecdotal evidence of this. Check with your local municipality to see if proof of adequate vaccine titer test results are acceptable in place of vaccinating an epileptic dog annually . Many towns and cities will accept documented titer tests as proof of vaccination.

Since exposure to many chemicals can trigger seizures in sensitive dogs, it should not come as a surprise that many heartworm and flea preventative treatments that are systemically administered can be disastrous for many epileptic dogs. While elimination of these treatments is not always possible, care must be taken with a seizure-prone dog when preventing heartworm infestation. Several of the most popular heartworm preventatives actually list tremors or convulsions as rare side effects, and can be contraindicated with a dog that is given daily phenobarbital.

Flea products containing insect growth regulator can cause twitching and muscle weakness when an animal is overexposed. Keep in mind these cautions are given for normal canine populations. An epileptic is commonly more sensitive to these products and great care must be taken when protecting them from heartworm and flea infestation.

[GSDsForever]

Lyme is just one disease ticks spread. You really do not want your dog to have Ehrlichia either. Some cases can present serious symptoms, be challenging for a vet to diagnose and treat. This is particularly true when it is not known that the dog was exposed to a tick or when.

Mia, I am not aware of other vaccines for this. But I don’t know that I would use one either.

Good alternatives depend upon the area of the country you live in, what exposure and risk your dog faces.

Where I live, for both ticks and fleas, avoidance works well. Regular physical inspection head to toe of a dog’s body by an owner, regular grooming, is helpful for many health concerns.