[Hound Dog Mom]

At my shelter we don’t spay the queens until a few weeks after their kittens have been weaned. If the kittens’ eyes opened 10 days ago, I’d guess that they’re roughly 3 weeks old. With kittens, even more than with puppies I’d say, it’s very important that they be kept with mom and allowed to nurse for eight weeks if at all possible. Kittens really tend not to do well when they’re weaned early. It’s a good idea to start offering wet food around 4 weeks, they’ll usually start eating a little dry around 5-6 weeks, but they really should have access to mom for 8 weeks. If the mom is already nursing, she likely would still produce milk after being spayed however I would advise waiting until at least two weeks after the kittens are weaned until spaying her. This will give her time to dry up and for the mammary tissue to regress. Not only do I feel that that a spay surgery is an unnecessary amount of stress to put a queen that is nursing ten kittens under but it’s also a more complicated surgery when the cat has mammary development (most vets don’t want to do it). During this time period, however, it will be very important to keep her contained because she can become pregnant again. Are you keeping the cats in your house? If not – would it be possible for you to create a makeshift “nursery” somewhere (a shed, garage, etc.) where it’s clean, comfortable and that you’re sure mom can’t escape and no outside cats can enter?

• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Akari_32]

The trick with the Wellness coupons is that you can only access the printing page twice per month, but you can tell it to print however many you want when are on the printing page. At least on my computers it always does. And it does track by your IP address, so you could use several computers if you already accessed the printing page twice on one computer. I’ll be printing more here soon. I’ll try and remember to take a screen shot when I do to show you what I mean.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Plasma is the liquid component of the blood that remains after the cells are removed. Porcine plasma is essentially pig’s blood with the cells removed. The plasma that appears in pet foods is generally spray-dried. Some have an issue with the ingredient, others don’t.

I’m not sure exactly which “disease that has killed thousands of pigs” you’re referring to, there are many diseases that can be contracted by all animals – pigs included – but if you’re referring to Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDv) you may find this comforting:

“Recent publicity concerning the transmission of PEDv has resulted in questions about the potential role of spray dried porcine plasma and porcine red cells in the spread of this disease. Based on current scientific evidence, collected and processed porcine blood and porcine blood products are safe and do not contribute to the spread of PEDv.”

More here: Spray Dried Porcine Blood Products Are Safe Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus

If you’re referring to circovirus:

“PCV2 DNA and antibodies are commonly found in commercial spray-dried plasma. However, no evidence of infectivity of the PCV2 DNA was found in naïve pigs when commercial spray-dried plasma was included in the diet under the conditions of this study.”

More here: Commercially produced spray-dried porcine plasma contains increased concentrations of porcine circovirus type 2 DNA but does not transmit porcine circovirus type 2 when fed to naïve pigs

Here are a few articles with various opinions on the use of spray-dried plasma as an animal feed ingredient, they may help you form an opinion:

Blood Meal — Dog Food Ingredient or Fertilizer for Your Garden?

Spray Dried Plasma – Dr. Becker

Porcine Plasma Proteins for Feed Intake and Health

Here’s some information from two companies who utilize spray-dried plasma in their foods:

Nature’s Logic

Wysong

• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Ron M]

I was reading last week from a site called The Dog Press and one of the editors had a list of ingredients to avoid. She had on the list most of the meat meals. The reasoning
was high levels of fluoride due to the manufacturing process. I have no clue on the validity. But will pass along the link. They do seem to favor a species appropriate diet, in this case raw and variety.
She listed other ingredients that are inappropriate that I have a hard time agreeing with.
One was probiotics, I can understand in certain situations that they may be contraindicated.But I’m not sure I would throw out the baby with the bath water.
Anyways here is the link if you would like to take a look.
http://www.thedogpress.com/DogFood/Ingredients_Liquorman.asp

[Wanda F]

Yes..just after I ordered Orijen on-line someone on here recommended See Spot Live Longer. I checked it out and will absolutely find a way to incorporate that into his diet either with the Orijen or without. I’ve read that Orijen is so high in protein, it can cause disgestive problems and even liver problems all though that seems doubtful. Sooo, I’m mixing current kibble (Nutrisca) and raw in hopes of getting him used to a higher level of protein. He kind of ignors the Nutrisca and waits for raw..that should be a hint. Anybody need a bag of Orijen?

[InkedMarie]

Just curious, did everyone here pay? I’m under the impression that this forum is only for paid members? Is that true? Someone told me she can read this forum but she didn’t pay.

• This topic was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by InkedMarie. Reason: Posted wrong word

[Hound Dog Mom]

If I’m not mistaken (it’s been awhile since I’ve used Urban Wolf) I think the recipe on the package calls for the addition of fish oil or canned fish so I’m sure that’s factored in. You can also use the canned salmon that includes bones. Either way, you usually have the leeway to add up to 20% unbalanced extras without throwing off the balance of an already balanced meal. Another option to consider for omega 3’s that a lot of us here use are tinned sardines packed in water. I personally rotate between canned salmon and tinned sardines for my dogs.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Liver is a species-appropriate means of supplying several trace minerals such as copper, iron, manganese, iodine and zinc and it’s also a good source of vitamin a and vitamin d. A properly balanced homemade diet should be comprised of about 5% – 7.5% liver – as long as this amount isn’t exceeded the dog isn’t at risk of consuming too much vitamin a. Because the liver (this also applies when feeding kidney or spleen) is a filtering organ, myself (and many others here) prefer to use liver from naturally raised animals. It’s certainly possible to supplement separately for the nutrients liver supplies and exclude it from the diet but, with the exception of someone who can’t get liver or can’t get liver from a clean source, I’m not sure why someone wouldn’t want to include liver in the diet. As for exactly how much of which nutrients the liver is contributing to the Urban Wolf recipe, you’d have to contact the company directly for that data.

Just a few other suggestions.

I would not recommend feeding only turkey or mostly turkey – it’s very important to feed a variety of protein sources and especially important to ensure an equal balance of red meat and poultry is being fed (unless you want to go through a lot of additional work to balance the fats). Poultry is very high in polyunsaturated fats (especially linoleic acid – a short-chain omega 6) while red meats are high in saturated fats and low in polyunsaturated fats, therefore rotating between red meat-based and poultry-based recipes is ideal.

You don’t want to add calcium to a pre-mix. Pre-mixes (such as Urban Wolf) are designed to supply a proper ratio of calcium and phosphorus with the addition of boneless meat. As long as you follow the instructions on the package there is no need to supply additional calcium.

Personally, I wouldn’t add additional starches such as yams and garbanzo beans. Urban Wolf already contains potatoes and several vegetables so your dog will be getting more than enough plant matter, you’ll just be diluting the protein further and cancelling out one of the main benefits a home-prepared diet has over kibble – more meat and less plant matter.

Also – just in case you missed it on the ingredient panel – Urban Wolf already contains nutritional yeast so if that’s something you want included in your dog’s diet there’s no reason to add extra outside of the pre-mix.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[USA]

Hi Tina L,

Demodectic Mange is definitely related to the immune system. It is believed that all dogs have the mites but they are kept in check by a healthy immune system. Your dog may have a late blooming immune system or there may be other things going on.

I would recommend you feed him the best food you can. Take a look at the 5 star foods on the review part of this website. Try to stay below 25% carbs which is still a lot but it is hard to find dry foods with less carbs. Canned foods can be found with less carbs and if you are able to feed a large dog only canned food then that would be a good option. If you want to look a little deeper into the quality of the foods you might want to join the Editors Choice section here. There is a yearly fee but it goes more in depth into the dog food companies on the list. The better his diet, they better he will do with everything life throws at him.

The pills for the itching might have been a prednisone type drug which stops itching by SUPPRESSING the immune system! This is counter productive to BUILDING up the immune system to control the mites that cause Demodectic Mange!

I agree with you on limiting vaccines, flea control and any other toxic meds although at some point if his mange becomes wide spread and he is in constant distress you might have to seek the least toxic alternative. I would suggest you supplement his diet with digestive enzymes to make sure he is absorbing all the nutrients in his food, probiotics to help strengthen his immune system, omega 3’s to help with inflammation and turmeric as an antioxidant.

Good Luck with your pup!!!

[DogFoodie]

Hi Leslie,

I’m sorry I don’t have any advice to offer, but I read your post the THK thread and I just wanted to say that I’m sure your friend is smiling down on you from above as you care for her pup so lovingly and with such care and compassion.

I also wanted to bump your thread because I know there are others here this evening that can offer their wonderful advice.

[RescueDaneMom]

Hi Leslie,

Your welcome. On a dry matter basis, Embark is 38% carbs and Love is 37%. You could definitely achieve even lower carbs by using the Preference and adding meat at a 2:1 ratio (2 cups meat to 1 cup Preference). The ONP Max Meat has 26% carbs on a DM basis. You could certainly try it and see if he does any better on it.

I don’t want to hijack this thread to talk about a cancer diet (because there is SO much information on it). If you want we can start a new thread or you can email me at ccapobianco85(at)gmail(dot)com.

-Caroline

[USA]

I really appreciate all the work you do for the readers of Dog Food Advisor!!!

The editors choice section is not what what I expected. I don’t understand the purposeful vagueness that is part of the Editors Choice selection process. Part of the criteria for being picked for the Editors Choice section is disclosure. If a company does not disclose where they are made, where their ingredients come from and other things they will not be included in the list. I agree with this 100%. Full disclosure enables a consumer to make an informed decision about what foods to feed their dogs. That is all I ask from a dog food company. Make your food however you like as long as I can find out how it is made I can decide if I want to feed it to my dog or not.

I feel the same way about the Editors Choice section. You are asking for full disclosure from dog food companies yet you are not giving us full disclosure on how and why a dog food company is included or not included in your list. I hope this changes in the future.

[Shawna]

Great advice BCnut!! 🙂

Hi Kayley L,

BCnut is absolutely correct. Kibble is the absolute WORST thing you can feed a dog with kidney disease. My dog was born with kidney disease, diagnosed at age one and will be eight years old next month. She has been on HIGH protein raw her whole life. Much higher than 30% even. Her raw diet (I rotate between proteins and brands) ranges from 45 to 54% on a dry matter basis.

The original research suggesting protein was problematic was actually done on rats not dogs or cats. Later research, done on dogs, has disproven the original research but for some reason vets cling to this original research. Nutritionist Mary Straus has some different sources discussing the protein myth on her page here http://www.dogaware.com/health/kidneyprotein.html

Phosphorus can be a probelm at any stage of the disease but it isn’t always a problem in the earlier stages. Audrey, in her eight years with kidney disease, has never been on a lower phosphorus diet. Mary lists generally accepted amounts of phosphorus in the diet for the different stages of the disease on this page. http://www.dogaware.com/health/kidneydiet.html#start

When digested, proteins break down into amino acids. The body uses those amino acids to make antioxidants (glutathione), enzymes, new cells etc. What the body doesn’t use ends up as blood urea nitrogen. How well the body uses the amino acids in any particular protein is called bioavailability. I noticed last night that Dr. Foster’s and Smith website has a good explanation of protein bioavailability. They write
“Can I tell which proteins are better than others?
Not all proteins are created equal, and some are better for pets than others. Every protein source contains different levels of amino acids and each protein is different in its ability to be broken down into amino acids. The ability of a protein to be used by the body and its amount of usable amino acids is termed biological value. Egg has the highest biological value and sets the standard by which other proteins are judged. Egg has a biological value of 100. Fish meal and milk are close behind with a value of 92. Beef is around 78 and soybean meal is 67. Meat and bone meal and wheat are around 50 and corn is 45. Things like hair and feathers would be very high in protein but would be down at the bottom of the list for biological value.” http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=459

Removing chemicals in the environment that have to be cleared through the kidneys can help too. These chemicals may not be harmful but as another thing for the kidneys to clear they still can be problematic. Anything that could be inhaled or get absorbed through the paw could be potential problems. Giving clean (filtered) water can be very important too.

Mary has some really good info on her site if you get a chance to read through it all. Nutritionist Lew Olson of b-naturals.com also has some data on her site (along with a couple recipes). Darwin’s has a high protein, lower phosphorus raw diet that was formulated by Dr. Barbara Royal DVM if interested in raw but not wanting to have to prepare it.

There’s so much more that you can do as well. Let us know if you are interested in the additional info.

Thanks BCnut! 🙂

• This reply was modified 11 years, 11 months ago by Shawna.

[Shasta220]

It’s a pet board on a makeup site lol, so I hang out there since not too many people know much, and I feel like even I can answer most of the health/behavior questions, haha! (Plus it’s fun to post pet pics)

I feel so awful that I actually fed Hills to Cassy one time. My parents could only afford a 3 star food (Nutra Nuggets lamb & rice) at the time, and I had enough money to buy one of the three dogs a more quality food. I decided to buy for Cassy (even though she’s the only dog that I didn’t bring home lol!) since she’s the old lady. I started with NutriSource and that made her flare up horribly, so I moved to Dog Lovers Gold, which she improved on. The vet asked what food I fed her, and I said DLG – he said “only food I recommend is Hills. I do not recommend DLG.” I had never been on DFA or any similar sites, so I obviously didn’t realize that most vets don’t truly recommend the best.

I bought her two bags total. I’m rather surprised to this day how well she did on it, considering it’s only 2.5 stars. She definitely did better on DLG though lol…..I went to DFA on the second bag of Hills (after I finally read the ingredients, and didn’t really understand why “corn gluten” was one of the top ingredients if it’s supposed to be an “amazing” food). Eeeeesh I wanted to hit my head on the desk so hard after spending as much on a lousy food as I’d been spending on the 4 star ones. Grrrrrrr!

But now Cassy is on Pure Balance GF (I’m just testing to see if grains have anything to do w her dandruff) and is a happy healthy old lady.

[Bobby dog]

C4c:
Too funny because I thought the same thing! :0 That’s partly why I posted it because we have been talking about making our kibbles a little more wholesome and this was posted on a dog food site so I just assumed it was a cookbook for dogs. When I saw the pictures I thought OMG do people really make their dog food look that appetizing? Then I re-read the intro and started laughing at myself. My meals are definately not that pretty either. But, I will be checking out the recipes, especially the desserts.

FYI:
coupons.com has $4.00 off Nature’s Recipe 4 lbs or larger any variety dry dog food (Petsmart), $2.00 off Nutro Ultra any variety 4 lbs or larger dry dog food, B3G1 free Nutro Ultra Boost trays, $1.50 off 5 Iams Woof Delights, Sheba $3.00 off 24 cans, a couple Fancy Feast, and $5.00 off Blue Natural Litter (any size) coupons. I know Akari already gave us a review (not so good) of the Blue litter, but just throwing it out there any way.

Cheers 😉

[LexiDog]

So, I am learning that canned food is better than kibble. Right now my dog is on Stella & Chewy’s frozen raw but I like to switch it up, so I was giving her kibble. Now, I am thinking of adding canned in the mix. I have also had samples of Grandma Lucy’s and my girl liked those, but I have yet to feed a whole bag. That is also something I want to try too.

Couple questions, is it safe to switch foods, including forms of food (raw, canned, freeze dried and kibble) often? I have read the Rotating Food posts, so it is good to switch foods/proteins, but how much is too much? If my girl is doing ok, no loose stool, vomiting, ect..then is this acceptable? Is there anything that I should worry about?

I have really only given her raw or kibble. I want to maybe throw a couple cans of food in here and there to mix things up. The brands I was thinking about are: Weruva Human Style, Tiki Dog and ZiwiPeak. Anyone have input on these? How did your dog do on them? They all seem to be top notch and are all rated 5 starts.

Any thoughts on the “Extreme Rotational Diet” or the canned foods is appreciated!!

[DogFoodie]

I asked Blue Buffalo to tell me exactly from where do they source their vitamin / mineral premix; this was their response:

Hi Betsy,

Thank you for taking the time to contact BLUE. Our foods all are manufactured
here in the USA. Many of our ingredients, such as our grains and meats, come
from the USA except for our lamb and venison which can be free range from New
Zealand. Where possible our suppliers are instructed to source their ingredients
from the US. Where the ingredients are not readily available in the US, such as
many vitamins, minerals and nutriceuticals, our suppliers will only work with
reputable foreign companies, and subject all ingredients to rigorous quality
testing. We do not source any ingredients from China. All of our ingredients
are USDA approved and inspected.

I hope this helps!

Take care,

Tracy
Blue Buffalo Co.

I responded that no, that the response didn’t help and asked my question again.

Talk about spin. She tells me that when ingredients aren’t available in the U.S., their suppliers work with reputable foreign companies. But, she tells me that “we” don’t supply anything from China. She fails to tell me whether or not their suppliers procure vitamins / minerals from China. I’m sure they do, but it’s fun watching them try to make it looks as if they don’t.

[Nancy C]

We can all choose. We can choose to agree & affirm in our own minds a poster’s contribution or we can choose to disagree about out a food favored by a poster. We each must eventually become our own researcher for our furries.

Dchasset, I don’t argue with your thinking there is “no need” for a Readers’ Choice list. Readers share their choices already in dialogues. I have written notes on many of them and now have MY OWN FOOD SUGGESTION list based on Readers’ Choice comments. Many of the foods are NOT on Editor’s Choice, but that matters not to me.

AS dchasset said, Dr. Mike et al have worked very hard to develop a valid, well researched list based on reputable research. Does it REALLY matter if a food we love is not on his list?

[Naturella]

Thank you, Bobby Dog! I also think he’s lucky, if I say so myself, but you know, there’s always room for improvement!

I need to start doing that as well, so far it’s easy to keep track of like 11 or so foods, but the more we try, the more I’ll need a spreadsheet.

Also, YES, omg, those big ol’ bags! BUT, I used hard-earned money to buy them, and we are really on the not-so-wealthy-side at the moment, so I am happy to have them. And I know I keep saying I’ll stop – this time it’s for real – I will only take it if it’s free. Cause if I start “allowing” myself stuff like, “It’s just like 5 bucks, plus 5 in shipping” or whatever, it will all go downhill… Free or pass it is for me now. Lord, help me make it happen! Aleks, you can and WILL do this!

Anyway, Bruno always loves when a new food is introduced and eventually seems to get bored with the same old (didn’t know that until I had like 60 or so lbs of food stocked up, and 3 of the bags being freaking 14lbs each!)… So now I do, and next year, his diet will be different! Small bags, scouting deals constantly, no large-bag stocking up (small-bag stocking up is ok, lol). So yeah. Variety is always good, and I am happy to give it to him when I can! 🙂

[Bobby dog]

Awwwww, what a lucky Bruno!!!!

Since September I have been rotating foods and only have bought small bags. There are so many I want to try I can only imagine how you feel trying to finish up those large bags! lol I have a spreadsheet noting how he did and if he liked the foods so I definately could have a more limited rotation at this point, but I just can’t do it until we’ve tried as many as possible. Most importantly, Bobby is doing well and seems to like the variety. lol

[Mike Sagman]

Hi Jess,

Although there are many ways to rate a dog food, we’ve settled on using the only reliable information we feel we can consistently trust.

We read and interpret government-regulated pet food labels. Nothing more. And we do this in two simple

1. We study the ingredients list

2. We evaluate the meat content

And we tend to ignore virtually everything else.

As reviewers, we don’t test dog food. We don’t taste it. And we rarely trust marketing hype. Manufacturer’s claims. The fancy artwork on the package. Or legal matters.

However, in our members-only Editor’s Choice section, we do go beyond the label for a select group of dog foods we feel are among some of the very best brands available to the North American market.

You can learn more about how e rate dog food by visiting the following two pages on our website:

/choosing-dog-food/dog-food-reviews-problems/

/frequently-asked-questions/rate-dog-food/

Hope this helps.

[Susan]

My boy was just diagnosed 2 months ago, I boil chicken breast, boil butternut pumkin & a boiled egg..I shread the chicken breast & mash it all together, I get enough chicken breast & pumkin for 1 fortnight & cook it all then freeze little meals..I just give the cook meal for breakfast & his kibble at night, Ive read that kibble isnt good for dogs with Pancreatitis, ur better off with a real low fat wet food, its easier to digest, I cook cause Im in Australia & the wet food fat % isnt low enough in fat, the lowest I can get is 3% fat, thats the Wellness senior…it needs to be around 1% fat, U’ll have to learn how to convert wet fat % into dry matter its easy, My vet also said when on a kibble fat% has to be under 10% fat, he said, he likes it to be 8% fat, alot of senior foods are low in fat but. You say she has a slight meat allergy that makes her itch, you sure its not carbohydrates, Carbohyrates make dogs itch, my boy cant have potatos or sweet potatos, he goes nuts scratching & his ears start to itch as well….Im sure other people on here will have some really good low fat foods..

[Susan]

When I got my boy over 1 year ago, he had real bad skin problems, no hair around his neck & his front & back right legs, it looked like he was tied up & a rope had cut into his legs where he’d pull, the neck was a mystery, 1 vet said it was from one of those real thick studded leather collars, another vet said it was from a choker chain collar, also he had real thin hair on the top of his head, no hair around tail base, looked like flea allergy, vet put him on the Royal Canin Hypoallergenic kibble, back then I didnt know much about kibble 2 months after being on the R/C Patch became real ill, he wasnt playing, kept licking & licking his mouth, burping, diarrhea, I asked for a Pancreatitis test but it came back all good, then I changed vets as where I go there’s about 5-6 vets, the vet I was seeing at the time wouldnt change Hypoallergenic kibble, being a prescription diet I need the vet to change so one of the ladys behind the counter said to see the American vet called Sue she is more of a holistic vet what I like, she changed the R/C vet diet to Hills Z/D, I took the Z/D home & read all the ingredients & wouldnt give it to Patch & took it back & got my $100 back, then she put Patch on Eukanuba Intestinal.. I read all the ingredients & cause he was having real bad diarrhea the Intestinal is guaranteed to stop diarrhea within 2-3days probably the corn but corn is the only bad ingredient this rest is good chicken & turkey & limited ingredients.. out of the 3 vet prescription diets I found that the Eukanuba is the best, & its the only one that has helped Patch being a low residue kibble it gave Patches stomach a rest but I believe the stupid Royal Canin made Patch ill, whatever was in it R/C. Finally found out 2 months ago Patch has Pancreatitis & needs a low fat diet the R/C Hypoallergenic was 19 % crude fat so that would of brought on the Pancreatitis..It did help his skin but I think any good food would of helped his skin…
People believe in their vets & think that they know best, its sad especially when ur animal is so sick you think that ur dog is getting the best food at the time…

[Naturella]

I agree that a lot of people seem to have issues with Blue Buffalo, and this is not good. However, there are the few (apparently) whose dogs have done well on it. If I were to be asked to make a recommendation to someone about dog food, I would base it off of personal experience and research, and regarding Blue Buffalo, I can say that Bruno did wonderfully on the Wilderness Puppy for about 4 months, until I decided to rotate him out of it, just because rotating foods is good, not because of issues. I would say that I will keep Wilderness in our rotation because he’s done well on it, and because I know of 3 other dogs (in 2 separate households) who also have been feeding Blue (one constantly, which is not that great, the other in rotation) and their dogs have been ok too. Nonetheless, I can say that I have read about many who experience issues with it, but I really believe that it comes down to individual dogs and their guts for the most part. It is important that everyone closely monitors their dog and watch for reactions, then act accordingly. I have never had to contact the company, so I don’t know how their customer service is.

And I think the above goes for just about any food I have fed, or read a lot about. Still, no matter how much I read about foods, I will have to feed it to my dog personally in order to form my own opinion based on experience. There are many many foods I want to feed based on profile alone (and some forumers’ or friends’ opinions of them) – Wellness Core, Nature’s Variety Instinct, Wysong Epigen or Wysong 90, Victor (feeding a bit of it now, but want a full bag to really test it out), AvoDerm Trout (just that one, lol), Taste of the Wild and Canidae Pure (yes, yes, I know about Diamond and the recalls), Merrick Grain Free, Orijen (drool) and maybe Acana, Back to Basics (got a bag in the cabinet waiting its turn to be opened), Fromm, Darwin’s, The Honest Kitchen (when I’m rich, lol), etc. I don’t even know if Bruno’s lifetime will allow me to rotate through them once, let alone twice, lol.

So yeah, that’s my 2 cents.

[Naturella]

So, I decided to take a better look at some Hill’s Science Diet recipes, and aside from what I already knew about the regular recipes, that they are full of grains and gluten and stuff, or, if not that, other starches and pea protein that follow in mass amounts after a single meat ingredient… SIGH… But the prescription recipes truly horrified me! I mean, come onnnnnnn, HOW would these: “Whole Grain Corn, Powdered Cellulose, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken Liver Flavor, Chicken By-Product Meal, Soybean Mill Run, Dried Beet Pulp, Soybean Oil, Caramel color” help with freaking glucose management for diabetic dogs and gastrointestinal issues? And this stuff is supposed to be “medical” and probably even costs more!!! What for – some real crap instead of the mostly-crap found in regular recipes… I cringe and shiver/shudder (whatever the appropriate word is, sorry, English is not my first language)…

And it is also sooo funny to watch people praise the “high protein” that the Adult Advanced Fitness Lamb Meal and Rice formula has (whopping 24.something%) and how great it is… Sure, it starts off with lamb meal… followed by FIVE grain-based ingredients… Followed by pork fat and chicken liver FLAVOR, and that’s the end of the meat in the recipe. Then another grain in there somewhere. Why do people buy this? I mean, is it even affordable? I think for the reputation it has, it should be on the costly-ish side, no? Can people not buy better for this money? I am sure they could, right? Online, or with coupons, something!

I’m so sorry, had to vent, because my roommate’s dog has actually started getting in my dog’s food recently and what I feed mine is much better than the stuff the roommate’s dog eats… I almost want to just give her a little extra boost of food while he’s at work (like take out a cup and a third of her food and toss in a cup of mine – to even out the calories), but I can’t do that, right? Integrity issues, I guess… She’s not mine, but I feel for her a lot…

Again, sorry for the rant, I should be done now…

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Ray C –

I think most of us here would agree that when it comes to feeding dogs the most important thing is feeding a wide variety of species-appropriate foods. Species-appropriate foods will be high in animal-derived protein, high in moisture and minimally processed. For this reason the best option is a balanced raw diet (home prepared or commercially prepared), the next best option is a fresh cooked diet (home prepared or commercially prepared), followed by dehydrated and freeze-dried foods (many commercial raw products – such as Stella & Chewy’s, Primal, etc. – are available in both frozen form as well as freeze-dried form and there are dehydrated products such as The Honest Kitchen and NRG that are great), canned would be the next best option and kibble would come in last as the worst thing to feed. If you do have to feed some kibble for budget or time related reasons don’t fret – there are some decent kibbles one the market and you can always “top” the kibble with a more species-appropriate food form to increase the overall quality of the meal. For a puppy you will want to make sure the food that you feed is either approved for “growth” or for “all life stages” (may also read approved for “growth and maintenance”). Head over to the review section of the site and look through the 4 and 5 star foods to find some you want to try. And remember – don’t pick just one food! Rotating is very important, feeding just one food over time will lead to a weak gut (these are the dogs you hear about that get diarrhea/upset stomachs when their owners try to switch their food – don’t let that be your dog!).

Good luck and congrats on the new puppies! 🙂

• This reply was modified 11 years, 11 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 11 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[LexiDog]

Orijen is probably the best kibble out there. Merrick Grain Free is all good and a little less expensive.

Grandma Lucy’s Pureformane line is a great freeze dried line.

My girl inhales her food too. When I give her commercial frozen raw, I only give her 1/3 of her meal at a time spread out as thin as I can get it on a small plate so she has to work for it a little. For kibble, I use a portion pacer ball in her bowl. Basically a big ball in her food so she can’t gulp it down too fast. Dog Games has an interactive feeder bowl shaped like a 3D flower with a bunch of nooks and crannies so she has to eat her food a lot slower. Sometimes I will put 1/2 her meal at a time in her Kong Wobbler toy. She loves it and makes her eat slower.

[Sue’s Zoo]

I feed raw and usually just add raw eggs on occasion but I didn’t realize the info about avidin and cooking. And I agree that separating egg whites is a pain so now that I’m going to cook some I found a couple of egg separators on Amazon and figured I’d share the info.

The second one had more reviews and a slightly higher rating. And they’re each under $5. I’m sure you can find them at a bed bath and beyond, too.

Always learn something new and useful when I read thru these forums. Wish there was a way to compile all the info. Or a good search engine for the forum!

[lmnordrum]

We tried Meadow Feast when she was a younger pup and she had very loose and mucus-y stool, which is why I had to do Wellness, lol. Figured it was the lamb in there. The dog is 6 months old and has been on Wellness Core Puppy since I brought her home at 9 weeks. I was looking at the Earthborn products again last night because of the lower fat.

What I don’t understand here is if its a chicken allergy or intolerance, how come I can give her cooked chicken and there’s no problem? I’ve pored through this thread and others and keep coming back to an intolerance, but have a difficult time believing it is chicken because of how well she does on a non-kibble diet. I am leaning towards fats being the problem. But puppy can not live on fresh chicken and rice soup forever, which is why I visited the vet.

Ironically this all started about a day after I took her to a professional commercial dog facility for training class. They do doggy daycare and boarding, as well as classes. There are likely hundreds of dogs that go through that lawn and parking lot every day, and of course being a dog she had to sniff around. She also had a bite out of the cat box (eww, but someone left the gate down) three days prior, drank some standing water out of a gutter, chewed lilies and daffodil leaves and ate dirt. I have asked the vet to check for parasites along with Giardia and Coccidia, but I understand that the latter can be more difficult to find.

Right now the dog is on Flagyl and Pepcid with a new probiotic that the vet likes (Proviable). I have the Dr Langers probiotic on order which I’ll take for myself if the animal does well on the Proviable. At this point it seems to be a mystery and I’m in the denial phase of the kibble situation because it was so sudden. We live in the country and the dog has only been in my yard (now fenced) and not exposed to other dogs until dog school. She also was boarded in April (two weeks prior to all of this) but my kennel gal did not let my animal near the others because the dog was too rough. We’ve been visiting this kennel for grooming and some short boarding since January.

I’m thinking about the fat content of the Wellness, which is pretty high (its puppy food). The current chicken/rice/homemade broth is incredibly low in fat. If she’s having problems with fats then I need a much different kibble, like for seniors or overweight dogs. But then I have the whole nutrition thing to consider because she’s just six months old and has a lot of growing to do yet. So I am now poring over lists and labels because of the things I need to avoid. I may end up with a kibble that has some grain.

I really hope the answer lies in the lab results. We’ve only had worming at 9 and 12 weeks. Some vets recommend worming monthly and my first vet did not mention this. My current vet, who I am using because there is more than one and they have a larger treatment facility, is a lot younger and didn’t scoff at me for wanting to feed probiotics or a more natural diet or even hold off on a spay until the animal was more mature. The first vet, who is the kindest person you want to meet and I’ve known for a long time, has been practicing for about 50 years and does horses and large animals and is quite well known for his equine practice. He wanted me to feed ScienceDiet crap because of all the research put behind the food. Sorry. Not feeding my dog corn or wheat. I am OK with oatmeal and rice–I don’t eat corn myself except on rare occasions so I am sure as heck not feeding it to a purebred dog who may have a sensitive digestive system because of her breed.

So now I cook chicken and rice, which is fine because we eat a lot of both here, and wait. We’ve had no diarrhea, no gas, no tummy rumbling, no nothing, since yesterday afternoon. Tummy rumbling and gas has never been a problem with the dog anyways. She was pretty hungry so I’m giving small meals of chicken/rice/broth and there are no problems. (No stool either, but her intestines were pretty empty after yesterday’s bout of diarrhea.)

Thanks for all your help. I really appreciate it!

[lmnordrum]

My 6 month old Giant Schnauzer, currently 47 pounds, seems to be having some ‘gastric distress’ with mucus-y diarrhea.

She’s eating Wellness Core Puppy (on the list) and has done well with it and I read every post here before I selected it. The dog developed the diarrhea about 12 days ago and we’ve been to the vet. The dog has no symptoms on chicken and rice, but I need a kibble. I’m thinking that perhaps the protein and fat may be too high but I’m asking for a screening for giardia, coccidia and parasites. Came home with flagyl, pepcid, old fashioned Kaopectate (which is not the same stuff sold for humans any longer) and a new probiotic. Is there a food presently on HDMs list that is lower in fat and protein? I know I may have to go to a food with grain but would rather not feed the dog corn or wheat. The poor thing is really hungry on the chicken and rice and broth diet and can’t stay on it forever because there’s really no nutrition for a growing pup. I believe I still need to watch the calcium levels as she’s six months, but I also have to get her fed too.

I followed poor DukeTheBoxer’s situation and really hope to not go down that road with my dog. (and I sure hope Duke is doing better.)

Thanks.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Rudy –

I wouldn’t recommend Blue Buffalo products for a large breed puppy. Proper calcium levels are crucial during the first 8 months or so in order to minimize the chances of developmental orthopedic disease and Blue won’t disclose their calcium levels.

There’s a large breed puppy forum here. There’s a list of appropriate 4 and 5 star foods somewhere in that forum, I’m sure there’s something you could find at Petsmart.

I wouldn’t recommend adding vitamins to an already balanced food unless done so at the recommendation of a veterinarian. However, there some nutraceuticals that can be beneficial – such as probiotics, enzymes, omega 3’s, wholefood/superfoods (i.e. kelp, spirulina, bee pollen, etc.), coconut oil, glandular supplements, garlic, etc. I like to keep several of these types of supplements on hand and rotate around.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 11 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 11 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Zohar F]

Hi there – I’m a vegetarian who has never stepped into a butcher shop or eaten meat since I was a kid. I’m not opposed to feeding raw dog bones (I do feed meat based dog foods), and I keep reading about the benefits of raw bones, but I have no clue where to start. I understand you go to the butcher – but what bones do I ask for? My vet told me to ask the butcher to cut a beef knuckle into quarters and give that to Penny, but then I read knuckles are bad and too hard and can break teeth. Marrow bones are good and bad. Soup bones are good and bad. Never feed weight bearing bones. Never feed chicken bones but then do feed chicken necks, backs and thighs? I AM SO CONFUSED. I’m scared to walk into the butcher shop and ask him what to feed because what if he gives me the wrong bone.

I just bought a smoked ham bone at the pet store which I was told is different from cooked – but I took it away after reading horror stories online that smoked is the same as cooked.

Can someone give me a definitive answer on what to give Penny? She’s a 25-30 pound terrier mix who loves to chew. She gets high quality kibble – so I’m more searching for recreational bones that will keep her busy, clean her teeth and not break her teeth (although nutritional benefits are welcome). What types of bones do I ask the butcher for? Detailed answers much appreciated!

[Naturella]

Ok, guys, so I did some reading on the cat food and dogs subject, and what I read seems halfway plausible and halfway um… strange? (I meant to write “ridiculous”, but I won’t cause I don’t know if it truly is.)

So it says that dogs can’t handle the high protein in cat food, the higher fat, and don’t need the extra taurine and arachidonic acid. And that cat food can lead to pancreatitis and obesity, but we know that we need to properly feed our pets so they don’t become obese. Are those real and serious concerns?

My question here is this – not only the topic one, but also – if the cat food amount is 1/3rd to 1/4th of his food mix, how bad would this really be? Cause I do like the NVI – Rabbit for cats, but if it really is bad, I will get him the dog rabbit one.

[Susan]

How do you know its food allergies?? You sure they dont have Enviornment allergies, My boy gets itchy red paws & itchy skin & he has enviornment allergies, only 1-5% of dogs will have true food allergies, Im reading a book at the moment & its rare for dogs to have food allergies, Dr Rob Zammit writes, the number of dogs that really have a food allergy is fewer than the number of dogs diagnosed with the condition, far too often, if a dog has a non-seasonal propensity to scratch it is diagnosed as having a food allergy without proper testing..the only way you’ll know if its food is you must do an elimination diet, A reasonable elimination diet is cooked rice & lamb, no snacking inbetween meals,.In the case of true food allergy improvement will be seen after 7 days with the dogs skin looking normal by the end of 3 weeks. If ur dogs improve on an elimination diet it could be useful to include additives such as polyunsaturated oil, omega oils & other natural oils found in various herbs, the critical thing is to add only 1 additive at a time. The best starting point is omega oils add this a the recommended dose for aleast 6 weeks , if there’s no deterioration in symtoms then add another additive can be given if the lamb & rice is working then the next additive should be in the form of raw bone, these must be sheep origin, so use mutton flaps, lamb necks or brisketbones from sheep again no other additives must be given for another 6 weeks. You may want to pick another meat, but only use the raw meaty bones from that animal….also bathing should be done weekly with a good oatmeal base shampoo too keep the oils in the skin, if ur using all those product they are not working maybe its a time for a change with products, I use Malaseb medicated shampoo & I saw an improvement within 3 weeks, skin started growing back also Blackmores has a excellent dog range called Paw (Pure Animal wellbeing) I also uses the Paw Nutriderm replenishing conditioner this can be left on the skin moisturising the skin weekly… The basis of the diet could become a good quality super premium dry food as long as the ingredients are similar to those used during the elimnation diet…

[crazy4cats]

Bobby dog-
I’m glad you are a little jealous of my new Trader Joes. Now you know how I feel when you guys all talk about the 4health canned cat and dog food at your dumb Tractor Supply stores. Lol!
I read in one of the above posts about someone’s cats not eating the shredded chicken in foods like Soulistic. Mine won’t either. Dang it. I was excited that it looked like a healthier food at a good price and they won’t eat it. Is there anything similar where the meat is more chopped than shredded that anyone has had luck with? I’d like to find something other than Pâté. Have a good night all!

[Bobby dog]

Surburban Gal:
Thanks for sharing your cat food recs with us. All of us cat lovers appreciate it! 🙂

Sharon:
Please, no bragging about your proximity to Trader Joe’s!! lol

I agree with C4c, if diarrea and vomiting have been an on-going issue in the past and he is vomitting again for unknown reasons, I would take him to the Vet for a check-up & bloodwork. I just recently had both of my oldest cats in for bloodwork, fecal exams & urinalysis’. One is the hyperthyroid kitty the other has no issues, but it was time for his wellness visit. Both cats’ tests came back perfect so that was a big relief.

Only one of my cats will eat Halo and he leaves all the vegetables in the dish, too funny. None of them are too keen for Core canned foods; they prefer Wellness GF canned. They only go for EVO canned once in a while. It must be nice to be that picky and get away with it! 😉

Me and C4c are big fans of catinfo.org, that is our go to cat site!

No one should feel bad (I don’t) for feeding any brand of canned foods regardless of their financial status. As Dr. Pierson states on her website, she would recommend a canned food over feeding kibbles.

Unfortunately, cats tell us what they will eat. I know it is taking longer than I want to change my cats’ diet, but we have made great strides since September. The important part is to learn how to read labels so better choices can be made in regards to what our pets eat. Each grocery store brand/flavor I feed has a few undesirable ingredients, but are low in carbs to keep the UTI’s away, have a named meat as the 1st ingredient, most don’t have added colors, and all are void of grains, glutens, and starches. Who knows, I may always have to rotate in what I call “grocery store” canned foods, maybe not; time and my cats will tell! 😉

C4c:
I really don’t appreciate you bragging about your new TJ’s! lol I do have an Aldi’s near me but I know for a fact it is not anywhere near a TJ’s shopping experience. I read somewhere, and this may just be an Internet rumor, that when Aldi’s and TJ’s split apart in Germany and each later came to the U.S. that they made an agreement that each company will only build in certain states. If that is true, I may never have a TJ’s close by. 🙁 I guess I will have to I buy the popcorn when I eventually make it there!!

AKari:
I will have to check out those foods later tonight, but do you have to choose between them or is one of them going to be purchased soon? Both are pretty good from what I remember! Also, this may be a stupid question so please forgive me in adavance, are we talking dog or cat food?

[arwyru24]

I had a cat pass away last May at 18 years old and she had developed hyperthyroid at about 14, and we suspect she had cancer, maybe in the gland itself because at the end she really stopped responding to the medication regardless of dose or route of administration and was under 5lbs when she passed away. At that point the vet was able to feel bumps all over her liver that had not been there before. I thought I read somewhere that wheat gluten was a suspect contributor but I know that it is the “old cat” disease, it seemed like at the cat shelter the majority of cats over a certain age had the thyroid issue. This seems different. He was throwing up a lot when I had him on different food, sometimes hairballs, a lot of times not, and he also had diahhrea a lot. But I have stabilized him since then and he rarely throws up now. This happened all of the sudden, starting Saturday night, he would eat, then puke it alllll up at every meal. Last night I didn’t give him wet cat food, but instead a little jar of chicken baby food that I keep on hand for such occasions. It just so happens that I had long ago agreed to stay over night at my parents house last night and today to puppy sit while my parents go down to PA to the internment of my grandfather’s ashes so I couldn’t monitor how he did with that but when I went up this morning, I couldn’t find any new vomit so that is a good sign. I gave him just a teaspoon of his normal wet food because I was out of baby food and I will check in again on them a little later. I had him in for a checkup most recently in March, but his last blood panel was over the summer last year, so you are right it is a really good idea to have that checked just incase.

I LOVE trader joes! It is one of my very favorite places to shop ever. There is only one here, luckily it is very close by, but I lived in SoCal for years and there was one in every town there which was very nice. You won’t know what you did without it. At least I dont know how I ever lived without TJs 🙂

[arwyru24]

Akari32- I have heard really really good things about the Simply Nourish food in terms of quality for the money. The Core Indoor is definitely higher in carbs than the regular Core, I was trying to cut down on calories, I think the indoor has 390/cup vs over 500 for the regular Core. I have heard too, that fish can be addicting to cats, but I have never personally experienced that with my cats. (not to say there isn’t truth to it) Actually only one of the cats I have had will eat really fishy food, poultry has always been the preferred protein source for my cats. There are sooooo many cat foods from high end to low that contain nothing but fish, whereas the turkey/salmon(this has chicken and herring in it) and chicken/herring wellness aren’t really fish based foods but, contain fish, and I know salmon isn’t as much of a concern as a lot of other fish is. I also regularly feed fish free varieties, so I am not too worried about the fish part. I don’t feed beef one of my cats doesn’t tolerate it well. I am also not overly worried about fat content, as cats process animal fat pretty well, it isn’t high up there on my list of concerns. The friskies and fancy feast and ONE can be very addicting though in my experience. My cats LOVE friskies and fancy feast and ONE, I am sure they would be happy to eat nothing but them(and then throw up all over my apartment) all the added artificial flavors make them super palatable and then more natural food just doesn’t look so good. Also, the coloring is a real problem for me, because it gets barfed up and stains the carpet, in addition to the obvious health related concerns with it. I think the Friskies Special Diet Ocean fish doesn’t have coloring in it, and the Friskies Indoor Chicken didn’t look like it did either if I am remembering correctly, I think that was one of the better ones. Wheat gluten has a HUGE link to hyper thyroid in cats, as I am SURE you already are aware to avoid it.

Bobby dog- I soooooo hear you about getting sick of throwing away expensive food, sometimes it can be aggravating, and my cats too get bored. I (or should I say my cats) really like the Merrick Before Grain but they don’t make that anymore, and I haven’t tried the bistro ones. the cat shelter I used to volunteer at used to feed their diabetic cats fancy feast classic wet food only, as all of the fancy feast classics are grain free, but I just hate the dyes. And the thing with friskies is that there is so much added water, and the actual pate is smaller that I have found that 1 5.5oz can of a high quality pate like wellness feeds like at least 1.5 cans of friskies if not more. Have you guys ever tried Trader Joes canned cat food? If your cats can tolerate rice and you dont mind fish inclusive (I cant remember if the turkey and giblets one has fish in it too, but the chicken turkey and rice dies) it is a really great deal and worth it to include in your rotation. I can’t feed it because of the sensitive one, but I used to rotate it in, because its only 69 cents a 5.5oz can here. My cats definitely didn’t love it though. Cats are really funny and fickle though and you really have to feed what works. My cats did really like Chicken Soup For the Soul and it used to be in my rotation because it is very reasonably priced, even though I would really like to stay away from Diamond.
Crazy4cats- I do refrigerate, but I have to microwave it for 10-15 seconds to bring it up to room temp before I serve it, and also, if its been in the fridge for more than 24 hours they don’t eat it. If it is cool and dry in my apartment and its only a few hours between feedings then sometimes I just use a plastic can cover and leave it out on my counter so that it is a non issue.
My older, sensitive system cat Aaron all of the sudden has not been able to keep his food down today, I am not sure what is going on. The other one isn’t sick in the least, no sign of diahrrea or even gas, they both have appetities, and I am using cans from the same cases I have been feeding from since the beginning of the month, so I don’t think its the food. This guy can be really immuno-suppressed, he has pretty severe stomatitis and as soon as I can get the money together I am going to have to get a full mouth extraction for him but that is sooo pricey. I adopted him at 10 years old, and he came to me with this problem, which the shelter vet/medical team didn’t catch (no one did until I took him to my vet). So I dont know whats going on but I am going to have to bring him into the vet if this continues tomorrow.

So great to hear from all of you, and very nice to chat! What a friendly, welcoming community! Its a real pleasure. 🙂

[crazy4cats]

I can’t wait! But in the mean time, check out catinfo.org. There are a few charts of canned food on this site. On this site, dry is not recommended, only canned, dehydrated, raw or homemade. Fish is high in iodine which can lead to hyperthyroidism if fed in excess. You can easily read ingredient labels to avoid fish in wet food.

[Cyndi]

Thanks for your reply GoldenGuide. That’s a good idea, cutting it open a bit to give them someplace to start. I was afraid if I got a whole prey animal, my dog wouldn’t know where to start and just leave it. I’m not sure if I can handle the whole prey or not though. I’m ok with animal parts. My dog already eats rabbit pieces and heads (which don’t have the fur), but I think seeing a whole furry, cute animal with fur and all, might be too much for me. I’m still thinking about it though. Thanks for your input! 🙂

[crazy4cats]

Hi sbd421-
Congrats on your new pup! However, it is recommended to wait until at least 8 weeks for pup to leave mom. I wouldn’t worry about transitioning pup to new food right away if you can continue with the Iams for a few weeks at least. He’ll be going through so many changes to begin with. Just let him get settled in. Labs are so full of energy! I should know, I have two. There is an entire thread devoted to large breed puppies on the diet and nutrition section. There is a lot of information on the requirements of large breed pups. Most importantly is the calcium content. It is explained very well on that thread on its importance to growth. Also Hound Dog Mom has a great spread sheet on the foods that are acceptable for them. She has listed foods that are both grain free and grain inclusive in all price ranges. Check it out! I’m not sure if you have had a puppy before, especially a lab, but you are in for a lot of fun! Keep an eye on him as they will eat just about anything. Lol!

[Naturella]

Well, it could be possible for food to already be contaminated in the can – one of our forumers had a spoiled can of Merrick, I think, with something black in it or whatever. So IDK, I’m not certain, but I think there may be a possibility that the contamination was in the can to begin with.

[Ray M]

Thank you! We found that we can get it at Aslin Finch here in Stevensville. It’s a 60 mile round trip to Missoula, so that is good news. Bubba hates the Hill’s RD Science Diet, and after reading about it, we understand why. Thank you so much for your quick response.
The part about Evangers that bothered me the most, when we found it to be so much less expensive by the can, was that the METAL DETECTOR at the plant had not caught some of the metal shavings from the tags on the chicken’s legs and so some got into the food! We were horrified that a dog food plant felt it even necessary to HAVE a metal detector, much less have it fail. The rest of the shady dealings from the owners made us feel that the brand should have been removed from the shelves. We’ll check and see our next trip.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Jakes mom:
It’s an awsome download you can find on Steve Brown’s website. I do want to purchase his book, but as you read above I probably will never go completely raw for various reasons. I downloaded his PDF a while ago and it explains very easily how to enhance any kibble (from Ol’ Roy to 5 stars) with vitamins through whole foods you can buy from the grocery store. I highly recommend it for $2.95, it is more than worth it! Here’s the link:

http://www.seespotlivelonger.com/home/sll/page_41/see_spot_live_longer_the_abc_way___electronic_down.html

[sharyorkie]

Maybe I have changed too much…I am always on here reading and trying to educate myself on ALL the different dog foods!! Does anyone on here have Yorkies? I need to find a good kibble that they will eat!!! I have found can,freeze dried but no kibble. I probably have 20 different bags of food in my basement ( if my husband only knew the money I have spent )
I have tried Fromm,Natures Balance, Blue Buffalo, Wellness too many to name. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated !!

[Shasta220]

I’m taking care of someone’s 17yr old cat right now. She gets 1-2 cans of Friskies a day (poor baby, I know). Two days ago, I had put 2 cans in her dish – just dumped the whole can-ful in, didn’t break it up or anything. I came back the next day, and there was about 1/4 of it left, so I took the fork to scrape into the trash.

I started scraping, then noticed the food was moving. I thought “am I seeing stuff?”, got a closer look, and saw at LEAST a dozen big fat maggots!!!

I have no clue where they came from… But I have a hard time believing that they managed to appear in less than 24hrs, considering the fact that there aren’t any flies in that house.

Is it possible that one of the cans had the parasites in it already?

I’m definitely making sure to thoroughly mash and inspect her food from now on, though!

[Bobby dog]

You’re welcome C4c!!! 🙂
I hope more people check it out. I understand tight/limited budgets and have to follow one myself. There are many books on my list to read, but buying textbooks, living expenses, my family, and providing care for my zoo are more of a priority right now. But, a download for $2.95, can’t beat it!

The download is so helpful since I cannot go raw at this time (cost and no space in the freezer) not sure if I ever will go completely raw, but I definately want to feed Bobby as well as I can. The download certainly helped me do that. I think anyone will agree $2.95 for the information inside is more than worth it. The best part is the whole foods are really things you can buy at any grocery store, nothing exotic, you can make it really affordable by looking for sales, it is explained well, and is easy to follow. You don’t even have to make a whole meal of it, you can add extras to each meal through the week. It’s one of the best buys I have made recently!! lol

[Susan]

When you had ur girl allergy tested what sought of test did she have, did she have the test like us humans have where they mark a part on ur back & tape sections & its left on the back for 2 days then when you go back you can see what made the skin real red & irritated.
I read that you work but maybe ur better to cook small meals & freezing about 2 weeks worth then slowly adding a new food every 2 weeks an elimantion diet cause thats alot of things to be allergic to..We are getting a animal Dermatoligist in 2 months & I’m having my boy tested but Ive heard that the blood test is a waste of money, I want him to have the human allergy test done.

[Naturella]

Hater and Molly’s Mom, thanks a million for that tip!!! Now Bruno will have a bag of good ole NVI for free, I can’t say this is a deal I would want to miss!!!

BTW, for all couponers out there, you can print out the Petland coupon I posted earlier in this thread and see if your local store will match it, or you can go to a PetLand too. 🙂

• This reply was modified 11 years, 11 months ago by Naturella.

[Shasta220]

First off, does anyone know off the top the dosage recommended for Actiflex 4000? I have a 65-70lb lab who will be starting in about a week (as soon as it gets here). It seems like the suggested dose was 3/4tsp with a 1.5tsp loading dose. Does that sound about right?

Second, has anyone ever used activated charcoal for dogs? I have read before that it can help with gas/bad breath since it adsorbs to unwanted stuff.

Thanks for the answers and help!