[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, 7 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 7 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, 8 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!

[jakes mom]

Akari, I would be very careful about ordering flea meds over the web. Lots of imitations and fakes out there and who knows about the active ingredients and their concentrations. Cats are so sensitive to chemicals! I got Capstar at PetSuppliesPlus. You could still give him a dose or 2 while waiting for the preventative to kick in. I don’t use preventatives any more since I moved from the country and all the cats are strictly indoor. I’d go with one that kills all stages so you’re covered when eggs already laid on pets or in the house hatch.
Bobby dog, maybe Bobby has a little GSP in him, they have a blue /gray/brownish coat too and that would account for the bird obsession! lol! He might be OK with a whole chicken back instead of a half. I cut mine in half longways because it seemed kind of big for Jake but you can see what you think when you open them. I imagine every package will be different depending on the chicken and the butcher, lol!

[Shasta220]

I got a 13wk old puppy the other day to babysit. She got scratched in the eye by our cat earlier today (both are utd on shots). Her eye stays open fine, but the haw (she’s a lab but has saggy haws already) is a little bit inflamed, and a little bit of pink/red eye-goop builds up.

I will be contacting the owners (all the way in Italy, woah!) if it doesn’t improve soon to see if I can get her into the vet tomorrow. Until then, are there any things I can rummage for that might help?

I’m honestly not too concerned, as she doesn’t whine/be in pain about it, and the eye itself appears fine. I just don’t want anything to escalade, of course.

Thanks!

[Ryan K]

So, I have two dogs. My female is a 12 year old Old English Sheepdog and my male is a 4 year old Dachshund/Terrier mix. I have noticed that my OES has been pretty picky with what she eats lately. She was normally on anything with Lamb and I wasn’t really paying too much attention to whether or not her food was grain free despite her constant itching and chewing of her paws throughout the years. She was constantly getting yeast infections in her ears but my vet never told me to change her diet. I recently decided to switch up her diet on my own to various reactions. I tried Zignature’s Lamb formula and she seemed to like it but wouldn’t touch it after a month of eating it. Then I moved her onto Earthborne Holistic Meadow Feast, which she had a HORRIBLE allergic reaction to. I am not sure what in that mix caused the reaction (eye swelling, lethargy, fever, vomiting, etc) but I wondered if it might have been the Tapioca? I am not sure though. Since that experience I put her on California Natural’s Kangaroo formula but she would only eat it if I put about 1/4th cup of warm water in it…this is something I had never done before but thought I would try after reading that someone else did that with their dog’s food…this caused ANOTHER problem with my dog…she didn’t chew the food with it being watered down but instead decided to just slurp it up and then wound up with food stuck in her esophagus. This ended my watering down of the food.

Since THAT I have put her on Acana Duck & Bartlett Pear and at first she seemed to go CRAZY for it but her love for it has cooled and now I have started mixing canned food with her dry food which she goes nuts for. However, I am not sure how much to give her? I normally let my dogs have a full bowl every day since I have grazers but the canned food has become scheduled at night. Before that, she will not touch the dry food. Should I be concerned about this? She has the dry food out to eat but she isn’t eating it unless the canned is mixed it. Buying both grain free canned and such an expensive grain free dry for her is a little much for my budget. Should I try a new less expensive grain-free? I was thinking of moving over to Fromm’s to see if she would like their Beef recipe or maybe the pork? I don’t know if those are ok for senior dogs though? Someone I know mentioned that I should watch the form of protein she is getting since she is older now but they didn’t say WHAT protein to go for. Is there truth in that??

Of course, my main concern is that she is getting enough food. Is it ok that she is just eating one big meal a day but not touching her dry food the rest of the day??

[Nancy C]

A few thoughts, as I am studying this topic as well. FYI I have given my 10 yr old golden retriever the little round garlic capsules from Whole Foods-pinkish label. One in AM and one in PM. I drop it in her food bowl. We live on a wooded lot in NC and I have NEVER seen a flea on her! I studied for 6 years for a PhD and my chair was the founding president of the American Holistic Medical Assoc, a former Harvard Neurosurgeon, BUT VERY BIG ON avoiding chemicals and pharmaceuticals whenever possible (which can be most of the time actually). He is very informed on holistic remedies, incl homeopathic, and says HE uses a product called CEDARCIDE on his several dogs for ticks and fleas. Says it’s great and it works! He lives in Missouri also in the country/ woods. It’s sold at Amazon by the quart but you can get a better deal by ordering a gallon. My container arrived yesterday and I have already sprayed it on the dogs. It has a cedar-ish fresh smell. Dr. S told me he just sprays and rubs it into the fur a couple times a week. Reviewers swear by this stuff. It’s called “BEST YET” by Cedarcide. And it is super – SAFE! My doc advisor does not put the chemicals in his dogs either. I have not asked him about heartworms but I will. Someone ELSE Who has several dogs and who I respect told me there is a product called PBG-51. The link to the site is http://www.firstchoicenaturals.com/resourcearticles/parasitesbegonefrom mypet.php. I am told that this product is not advertised for heartworms for legal reasons BUT it protects against them. I am studying that now as would like to get OFF Sentinel. I used to give my golden Sentinel only half the year. Two yrs ago my vet sat me down and nicely chewed me out saying the dog is vulnerable in NC all year around. So I promised I would keep her on it. Last thing – I am the one who has the GSD who was 18 mos in jan and wandered into big digestive troubles trying to transition him to Origen then to ACADA — several of you have helped me so much. I have discovered in this awful experience with all his loose stools and diarrhea that a flea/tick collar I bought at the vet (Solesto – made by Bayer) is probably one of the culprits for my Shepherd’s digestive disorder. The DAY after the vet’s secretary fitted Axel with the collar he had diarrhea IN the house and IN the yard. Everywhere he went the entire weekend diarrhea was falling out of him. I was going crazy. Two weeks later I realized that it was NOT the HILLS nasty WD Rx dry food he was on that caused this sudden diarrhea– geeze that stuff is like eating HAY and no way could he have the squirts on it. I had just started giving him a little Science Diet Sensitive Stomach. BUT I bought that collar as I went out the door at the vet. It HAD to be the collar. I looked on line and found that among all the LOVERS of the collar there are some detractors as well whose dogs also had bad diarrhea. So watch out about that collar!
That’s all I know for now. PS: Cedarcide gets rid of all insects, including BED BUGS!!
Nancy C

[InkedMarie]

Naturalla: I don’t do this but there are people, some friends of mine, who naturally raise their
puppies and they get no vaccines, except rabies. I say this because people have this
thought that you must listen to your vet regarding vaccines. I’m not telling anyone to
listen to their vet or don’t. I listen to my holistic vet only, not my regular vets. One of them
is actually fine with me doing what I believe is correct; the other one, not so much. The
other one is a VCA owned clinic and they push everything and anything. I use them only
because of their long clinic hours. You didn’t say this but I hate reading of people who’s
told them what they had to do. It’s your (general your) dog, no one can make you give
vaccines, get them altered, etc.

So, anyway, with Boone, he had way more shots than I normally would have done but he’s 8, I wasn’t so in tune to stuff like titers. Ginger came to me at almost five months of age and she
had more vaccines than I would have given her. If I ever get another puppy, I will probably do one round of puppy shots and call it a day, titering after that. Dogs should get their immunity from their moms.

[Susan]

You said that ur dogs itch none stop, you must start with an elimination diet, I started one about 1 month ago as my boy has Pancreatitis & enviornment allergies we dont know if he has food allergies that’s why I’d say the vet suggested an elimination diet, The vet said the first month just feed boil chicken but I knew my boy could eat boil chicken so I added cooked pumkin, then when I saw he wasnt scratching or rubbing his tummy on my beautiful white rug the next week I added sweet potato within 2 days Patch was rubbing on my carpet so I stopped the sweet potato & know he cant have sweet potato or a kibble with sweet potato…. then I added pasta another NO it made him itch then I read dogs with skin problems like yeast & bacteria shouldnt eat carbohydrates, potatos, sweet potatos etc, then I added half a boiled egg & he’s been good, Im thinking of adding broccoli next.. Im reading Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs by Lew Olson PhD she has help me understand alot of things & this group its a easy book to read & very easy recipes, she explains what foods aren’t good & what foods are good for certain illness, like Skin problems & what causes ur dog to itch, Pancreatitis Diabetes, Gastro problems, feeding senior dogs, getting a pup onto raw etc, she has cooked recipes & what supplements to add.. in the elimination diet you cannot give any treats nothing, just that one food for 2 weeks then 2 foods so on.. you must cook all vegetables so they are fully cooked, she even suggest to pulped vegetables as dogs digestive system weren’t meant to eat vegies, here’s one of her recipes for Skin allergies a Low Glycemic regular fats Diet..this is for a 50 pound dog to be divide into two or more smaller meals per day.
8 ounces 1 cup regular fat ground beef
2 ounces 1/4 cup beef liver or kidney
2 eggs scrambled or boiled
4 ounces 1/2 cup steamed or boiled broccoli
4 ounces 1/2 cup cooked yellow crookneck squash
4 ounces 1/2 cup whole milk yogurt
Serve meat cooked or raw combined with cooked vegetables eggs & yogurt if serving meat cooked wait until meat & eggs have cooled before stirring in the yogurt…..
What I do is I cook once a fornight & freeze everything except the egg then put in fridge the night before to thaw for next day…

[Akari_32]

Since everyone is so in awe of my couponing, I figured I’d make a thread where everyone can post their couponing trips, and ask coupon questions 🙂

Heres what I did today at PetSmart 🙂

1x 3lb bag of Simply Nourish Source Rabbit and Chicken cat food– reg. price $9.99
2x 5lb bags of Pet Botanics Grain Free Dog food (one Lamb, one Salmon)– reg. price $14.99 each, on sale for $9.99 each
2x 18 count (12oz) bags of Petit size Greenies– reg. price $16.99 each, on sale for $13.99 each
2x 3oz cans of Simply Nourish Source cat food (one Beef, one Venison)– reg. price $1.19 each, on sale for $1 each

Total regular price is $76.33, without tax (which is 7% here).
After Pet Perks sales are applied, $59.95, without tax. To the non-couponer, that would sound great, but to me, thats terrible! Thats like a quarter of my paycheck LOL

So my coupons were:

$5 off off any Natural or Specialty Dog or Cat Food (prints on the receipt of a previous purchase, and gives you a specific list of foods to choose from).
2x $5 off any 5lb or larger bag of Pet Botanics Grain Free Dog Food (found in a pamphlet by the food)
2x $10 off any 12oz or larger package of Greenies (Pet Supermarket coupon, received in an email. I will share that below)– These are pure gold!
2 cans free of any brand stated on the coupon (prints on the receipt of a previous purchase)
$4 off $20 Pet Supermarket Coupon (reveived in an email, and will share below)
$3 off any purchase $3 or more PetSmart coupon (prints on the receipt of a previous purchase)

After coupons and tax were applied, I scooted on out of there for just $17.07! And mom owes me $8 for the Greenies for her dog (Bentley) lol So really, I only paid $9.07 >=D

Here are those Pet Supermarket coupons!

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/10offgreenies_zps12ab1fac.jpg

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/april2014_Petscoop-4-off-20-April-2014_zps342f6f12.jpg

Remember when using competitors coupons at *any* store, that you check and make sure what stores they even take. My PetSmart will take PetCo, Pet Supermarket and PetLand coupons. They should take whatever is directly around them. And always follow any coupon, either manufacturer or competitor, to the tee. Manufactures pay the store back the face value of the coupon, PLUS 8 cents (sometimes more, its stated on the coupon). So they make money on these. If you continually screw them out of their 8 cents, even on accident, they’ll hate you forever. And they aren’t payed back for the competitor coupons, so use them well, or they can refuse to take them all together.

I have more to share! I just have to find them in my various dog and cat food threads LOL If anyone has any to share, post away! I love hearing about good deals 🙂

• This topic was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by Mike Sagman. Reason: Title changed from Coupons! to Dog Food Coupons
• This topic was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by Mike Sagman.

[aquariangt]

DFA rates foods based on what’s in the food for the star rating system. They keep a collection of recall notices and such to be taken into account that you can read about on the top bar there.

However, because of these other issues, that’s why BB doesn’t end up on the Editor’s Choice lists. There are many 4-5 star foods that don’t make the list, and there a few reasons why, but the things that have been in said in this thread are some of the reasons that BB isn’t

[Bobby dog]

Hi C4c:
I don’t know if you read all of this thread, but I made a “grocery store” food list. We discussed it before how our cats can/are addicted to Purina foods for various (mostly unhealthy) reasons, what are we gonna do? So I have a list of the less offensive varieties from Fancy Feast, Sheba, Purina One, and Pro Plan. The difference between Purina’s Friskies and other lines is basically you will find a named meat first in allot of them, some don’t add fish, some may contain artificial colors/flavors and some don’t, all have K3, and maybe some other undesirable ingredients. If you want I can share my list and you can see what I have weeded out solely on ingredients and carb values.

I get frustrated paying almost $2.00/can for good food only for my cats to snub it. So I am now rotating in some Purina foods. After figuring out the carbs for each recipe, then eliminating recipes that don’t have named meats first and are high in carbs you are pretty much left with the pate varieties. I have a few fish recipes in there also because my cats still crave their fish.

Go to the Purina website and at the top of the screen you will find a button for coupons. They have a buy one get one free of the Pro Plan canned cat food. This month there are also Fancy Feast and Purina One coupons along with some others that I don’t use for dry dog and cat food. Sheba offers coupons on their Facebook page.

[Rachael C]

Hi apologises if there is already a post regarding which puppy/dog food is the best but I am rather new to all this.

We are collecting our 8 week old Labrador puppy called ‘Charlie’ next week. He is currently on IAMs puppy food. When I researched puppy food to find the best online deals it opened up a whole can of worms. Lots of different brands started to grab my attention. Which would you say is the best dry food. As much as the ‘raw diet’ sounds appealing it is just not achievable. I am a busy full time mummy of 5 children ranging from 6-years to 2-years so do not want to commit to that sort of high maintenance diet.

I would be very grateful of any help. Never had a dog before

[Susan]

My boy has Chronic Pancreatitis & IBD & Allergies, Ive been doing alot of reading about Pancreatitis. Ive read that kibble isnt good as the Pancreas has to work harder digesting kibble putting more strain on the Pancreas, have you thought of cooking.. I’ve been boiling chicken breast & pumkin & an egg, I freeze the chicken breast in meals sizes & I freeze the little bits of pumkin, I take out the night before & put in the fridge for breakfast, I boil a egg every second day cause I only give him half boiled egg at breakfast, I shread the chicken & mash the pumkin & mash the egg all together so its all mushed up, easier to digest, also make sure any vegetables or grains are well cooked to make them easier to digest. I then warm in micro wave.. At night I give his kibble only..this has helped the chicken pumkin & egg his pain has gone that he was having under his right rib cage, he’s not coming over to me no more for me to rub his side like when I just had him on kibble.. I’d say that she’s having pain then not wanting to eat. maybe try a low fat can food if u don’t want to cook but I havent found a can food that is low enough in fat, thats why I cook..Ive read that Diabetes & pancreatitis are closely linked, Dogs with Diabetes are often prone to Pancreatitis & vice versa..here’s some Low-Glycemic vegetables you can cook with chicken breast or lean low fat ground beef broccoli or cauliflower, cabbage, summer squashes zucchini, dark leafy greens mustard greens & spinach.. I mite try adding some zucchini, I dont know about spinach I always was told if ur constipated eat spinach…Im reading a book called “Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs” by Lew Olson PhD.. it has easy recipes for Pancreatits, diabetes, bladder, liver, heart, cancer etc, she explains what not to feed when ill..also what vitamins to add, excellent read.. the book cost about $11 online..

[dendad]

The thing is, the Science Diet your buying now isn’t the same as it was when you started using it. Like you, I used Science Diet for all my dogs for many, many years. Dog food companies change their formulas for various reasons, mostly economical reasons. Science Diet changed their formula several times over the years that I used it. I fed my dogs twice a day, so it was very easy to tell when the food looked and smelled different. You can see some info on one of these changes here:

/dog-food-news/hills-science-diet-new-recipes/

Be sure to read the entire article, including the updates.

I truly hope your dog’s “replacement” does fine with Science Diet. For me, I’ve learned my lesson and am still grieving the loss of my best friend.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Akari:
I totally understand that you don’t have the best area to feed raw, me neither, but it sounds like Kitty may like raw to me. If you tore off a piece and he ate it, I would say he probably likes it or is at least curious. My cats do not even entertain the idea of eating something they don’t like. lol I would keep giving it a try, tearing the meat off of the bone might be more appealing to him, maybe even try a different meat. Try feeding a little peice of raw maybe once a week to start with and see how it goes. You can always freeze some portions so it doesn’t go to waste. I will be trying some raw for my kitties soon!

I have never used a cat fountain, but I would take the suggestions of Jake’s mom and Bcn and keep introducing him to it by leaving it off most of the time and turning it on little by little. Peaking his interest and getting him used to the fountain could just be a matter of more time and patience. I wouldn’t give up on it, give him time to get used to it.

I don’t know of any type of water additive.

Earlier in this thread you wrote you made his food almost soupy in consistency by adding water. Do you still do that? You can also try mixing the meat water into his wet food. That extra flavor might appeal to him. Did you make bone broth or did you boil the meat? Just wondering what you ended up making.

If he is not drinking enough water I would suggest doing anything to get fluids into him consistently (nothing harmful of course), so if it has to be fish flavored water then let it be fish flavored water! Look over the suggestions from catinfo for getting kitties hydrated. There’s also clam juice and Catsip too.

If you feel his urination habits have changed or seem abnormal I would not hesitate to take him to the Vet. You can’t fool around with UTI’s. I will add that the size of the litter balls you described are on average what I remove from my litter box; sometimes bigger, sometimes smaller. But what is normal for my cats might not be Kitty’s normal litter box habits.

[dukesmomma]

my Blue nose is on Nusentia probiotic Miracle and on Nusentia Enzyme Miracle. They have worked wonders my question is does anyone know anything that is comparable and works great? The reason is I live in Canada and I get this stuff from the states I just got my order today and paid $119.00 on line and $14.91 at the door (which I never had to pay at the door before) It’s just getting more and more expensive each time I order (mind you I used to take him to the vet and pay an arm and a leg every three to five weeks with ear infections and food allergy and secondary staph infections which caused him to lose fur and since I have had him on this all that has stopped) If i have to I will continue to pay the price of the product I am already using so my dog can be healthy and happy, but I would prefer if there was another product out their It has to be gluten (grain/wheat) free and doesn’t cost so much. Please no spammers try to get me to buy some cheap product that doesn’t work and is harmful to my duke he is not just my dog but my child. I want REAL help. Thank you!

[Jackie T]

I am trying to find a grain-free food that both of my Papillons, 6 months and 3 yrs, will eat and maintain a good weight. One of my cats has grain allergies so all food must be grain-free. I have been switching from Orijen/Acana to Blue Wilderness to Wellness Core, trying to find a happy solution. The pup ate puppy formula until the last bag (last week which I mixed with the wilderness adult) at six months does she still need puppy food? It seems that the higher protein/fat content is more palatable for them, except the Core, they both ate around it. I have read the non-GMO list and found that the Orijen/Acana is one of the foods listed there. It is the food I used for my first Pap and the pup until recently, should I stick with it? my cats both eat Orijen/Acana too. Is switching between the different formulas in the Orijen/Acana line enough or should it be different brands of food? Thanks for your in-put.

[Shasta220]

I’ve just kinda skimmed through the past few posts, but I read “Patch smells like yeasts my friend said it’s like mold.” I knew a dog once who had that distinct smell. They couldn’t figure out anything in his diet! and they bought an anti fungal shampoo (I believe it was Malaseb), have never had the problem since. The dog didn’t have any itching though, so I still think Patch probably has allergies… There’s that slight chance he might also have a skin fungus and shampoo would help clear it up.

If he has any outdoor allergies, have you any access to local raw honey? I know of some super allergy prone dogs that get a spoonful of raw honey every day and can now go outside in the worst allergy seasons without a problem.

[Susan]

Yes, his vet gave me a list of human Antihistamines last spring, when he was getting what looked like hives under his fur on his back & neck but that went away & I never bothered with the Antihistamines…I live Australia & its Autunm now & we’re having rotten raining days, I think what Shasta said is a good idea the wipes as Ive been trying not to wet his feet & keep them real dry, I dry them as soon as we walk in the door he knows his routine collar off dry feet. I do bath him weekly in his Malaseb medicated shampoo which helps heaps, but after 3 days the yeasty smell is coming back the yeasty smell started about 3 weeks ago & he was scratching one ear so I put his Dermotic ear drops in his ear & it went away… I saw a new different vet 1 month ago cause Patch was having real bad acid reflux since December & Patches old vet just put him on Zantac & carafate that worked but not 100% he was having pain on his right side under his right rib cage on & off.. the new vet looked at all Patches blood test & listen to everything that had been happening with Patch & he said it looks like Patch has IBD, Chronic Pancreatitis & skin allergies…there’s Acute Pancreatitis which is usually a one off incident from a reaction to a drug or an illness then there’s Chronic Pancreatitis is when several acute occurrences happen over time damaging the pancreas, the vet said we’ll start him on an low fat elimation diet..the first month which was March just gone, he said start with just boiled chicken, so I give just under 1 cup of shreaded boiled chicken then 1 week later I added 1 heap tablespoon of Butternut pumkin then I added 1/2 boiled egg all mashed up, for breakfast.. I still give Patch his vet prescription Eukanuba Intestinal that’s he’s been on since August, I give him his kibble at night I soften in water then drain the water, with his Intestianal kibble his skin goes good.. I found just the chicken & pumkin wasnt filling him up & he looked like he was losing weight, so I put him back on the Intestinal just at night. I want to get him off the Intestianl kibble, Ive read kibble isnt good for dogs with Chronic Pancreatitis to much work on their Pancreas, Oh, the only other thing he has is a little slice of banana in the morning & at night..thats all he eats, Chicken Butternut pumkin, egg & his kibble that is also chicken & turkey.. I thought chicken allergy but his kibble is chicken…what’s the diference with a normal pumkin & butternut pumkin. Im wondering would there be a difference..I started the elimation diet about 1 month ago then the last 3 weeks we’ve had rain..thats what makes me think its the wet grass & wet walk ways..now Im starting to think maybe the Butternut pumkin.. I dont know… I’ll see the vet this afternoon that’s Patches old vet & see what she says, she’s an American vet that came to Austraila after getting married in the 90’s.. I think she gets real confused with Patch too….he does her head in..

[Susan]

I forgot to mention Patch smells like yeast my friend said he smells of mold, I said mold, I dont give Patch sugar the only sweet thing Patch eats is Banana a few little pieces, I didnt realise that the Jazz biscuit had sugar in them but he doesnt have them anymore, Ive cut out the carbs No Potatotoes or sweet Potatoes, Patches paws got real bad 3 weeks ago, we’ve had rain on & off for over 2 weeks, I dry his paws after a walk but u cant dry in between his toes that’s where they’re real red & sores are, they look like red blisters.. I put his Apex Antibiotic cream on them & they start to get better, then the other paw starts going red & sore the next day, its like it’s spreading, one day the back paws are bad then next the front paws are bad, I think it could be from walking on the wet grass, but Ive been on the computer & he has been sleeping & all of a sudden he goes mad with the licking his paw, I look & his paw will be red swollen & we have would of went for a walk about 2 hrs before, this is why I dont know is it food or is it the wet..Ive booked an appointment with the vet this afternoon as Ive been trying to treat his paws over the 3 weeks & they get better then it rains then they seem to get sore again, I’ll see what she says, I bought him shoes but he wont walk in them, the poor thing looks like he’s walking on the moon, Its very hard cause I mite feed him & it happens or we go for a walk & it mite happen, maybe it was going to happen & Im blamming the food or the rain, the elmination diet he’s sort of on one now, no treats, no different foods, he’s on a very bland diet low fat diet cause he has Pancreatitis & IBD as well..thats why I made him the Banana cookies, as a treat, I gave one to him 1 hr ago & nothing has happened this time.. YET..

[Shasta220]

Glad that he’s gonna be okay, and hope you feel better soon! I’ve had my darn foot beat up three times in the last month (first I stepped on a jagged rock, then it got kicked by a horse, and THEN my cow decided to step on it….uggggggh!)

I’ll also agree with Patty, that popping em seems to make them even /more/ mischievous. I have some friends that own two golden/labs, and they are completely old fashioned with the whole smacking your dog when it’s bad…. They think it’s the best, and get quite confused when I say “I don’t need to hit my dogs as a correction.” Their dogs are friendly/calm as can be, but they don’t ever understand the correction. They go get into the chicken coop, then come back out. Owners run over and smack them…..they just think they’re getting popped as a regular thing, they don’t understand “oh. I went in there. That was bad. Oops.”
Luckily they’re very easy going dogs and forgive quickly….if anyone dared to try that “method” on my Loki, they’d prob end up in the hospital and then go shoot him. He will not put up with getting shoved around like that, and I can’t say I’d blame him!

Sorry for that vent….not sure what that has to do w leave it.

But that’s good he does know those commands! Try to get to the point where he might ignore /anything/ unless you gave him the “ok!” (“Ok” is about the easiest one to learn. It just means “free time” or “you can have it”. I’m sure he already knows it pretty well. I always do it in a super-excited higher pitched voice so they know that they can take a break from working, or gobble up that food.)

[theBCnut]

Kibbles are pretty much all high carb because they need the carbs to hold the kibble together. Think about using a low carb canned food instead. There is a topic on the review side for diabetic dog foods and there is someone(USA Dog Treats) that monitors that thread and is very knowlegable about diabetes.

[Bobby dog]

I have to write that I am very cautious as to the treats I feed my guys. That was part of Bobby’s skin problem. Along with feeding canned Pedigree I was feeding bad treats. As soon as I stopped feeding them, his skin quickly improved. No more itchiness, redness, or foul odors! lol Poor little guy. I have been making bisquits here and there for Bobby, other than that I freeze the meat that comes off of the bones when I make the bone broth and use that for treats.

As far as cleaning a cats teeth, I have been lucky and never had any issues. I gently remove any tarter with my finger nails when I do see it.

I asked Shasta a question a few days ago about the raw food she wrote that she fed her cats. She mentioned it on one of the threads recently. We need to track her down and find out what she feeds and how it is working out for her. I wouldn’t mind trying raw meat with the bone, but I am also interested in a cut of meat for teeth cleaning without bone for my older kitty who’s teeth are a little questionable; he just lost one recently. Maybe she would have some recommendations for us.

[Bobby dog]

For canned meats avoid MSG, soy oil, and lots of sodium. You would want it to be packed in H2O with minimal ingredients listed on the label. And you would not need alot of canned meat. I know I listed a tuna water recipe for you on this thread somewhere (from catinfo) and I believe she used one can of tuna mixed with H2O.

If you want to buy fresh meat what kind do you think you will use? Ground or whole? If you are looking for something simple I would get ground meat (you won’t need much) and lightly cook it in a frying pan.

Let’s say lightly fry a 1/4 lb of lean ground meat. No other ingredients needed. When it is just cooked (maybe a little pink in color) take it off the burner and let it cool. When the meat is cool enough to touch, dab it with a paper towel to remove as much excess fat as possible. Then put it in a bowl big enough to add H2O to. At this point I would say how much water you add depends on how concentrated you want it to be.

Lightly baking chicken or turkey (bone in or boneless) would be another option. You could also give canned wild caught Mackeral or Salmon (packed in H2O) a try. I know you don’t want to use fish (and good job steering clear of any fish by the way), but if it is temporary I don’t think it would hurt him.

These are all just some ideas for you. I haven’t made kitty meat H2O, but I would make it for my kitties if I needed to quickly. As I wrote in the other reply I make a bone broth which takes 24 hours. I always have some in the freezer. Sometimes I make flavored H2O out of it, sometimes I give it to them full strength, and sometimes I just mix it in their food.

[Bobby dog]

On making the flavored H2O, I would try making flavored H2O out of anything that is good for cats, but I wouldn’t feed my cat a canned broth due to the ingredients or broth made from a boullion cube for example.

I would and do make bone broths for my animals out of whatever meat goes on sale at the grocery store. I brew my recipe for 24 hours in a crock-pot which my family gets mad about because I am cooking for my pets not them. lol

I am not sure if you like to cook, but you could get some meat (ground, boneless, or with bones), bake it or fry it lightly, and make some flavored H2O from that. I freeze the extra broth I make in icecube trays then put the frozen cubes in a zip lock bag for later.

I would imagine you could also find canned meat like chicken (in the aisle with canned tuna) to make flavored H2O as well. Just read the labels to make sure there isn’t any bad ingredients inside!

[Akari_32]

I have a question for you guys…

I changed the litter to the Blue Buffalo walnut stuff, and at first he didn’t really want to use it, but gave in a few hours later and then hasn’t seemed to mind since (this was two nights ago). I’m noticing that since switching to this litter, he pees in really small amounts, like when he had his UTI.

He did get locked in the roommates room all day one day, but he peed in her cloths, so I don’t really think he had to hold it long, if at all that day. He’s also been out side a few time and got hot to the point where he was panting (he really likes it out side….), but I made sure to extra water (on top of the water I already add) to his food after wards.

So, I mean, there have been a *few* instances were he could have gotten a UTI, but I don’t really think it was enough to cause one (two play times outside with lots of water afterwards, and a day locked in a room where he found a place to pee anyways). My thought is its the new litter, and he’s sort of unsure about it. I just noticed last night that he was peeing in small amounts, and thats the night after I started using this litter. Since then, I’ve been adding lots of water to his food. Like, he’ll lap all the water up, eat some of the food, then leave, and I’ll sneak in and add some more water before he comes back. And I’ve started back feeding him smaller meals (so that he has more chances to get water in while eating). How long is it ok to let this go on before going to the vet? I know cats don’t like drastic changes in their litter, and some are just spoiled rotten when it comes to adjusting, but if it is a UTI again, I want to get it taken care of as soon as possible.

And I know some people said fish water to get him to drink. I don’t really want to do anything with fish, so can I do, like, chicken broth, or beef broth, or something? Its the same idea, and less smelly, right? lol I’m also still looking for a fountain waterer, but he didn’t seem to thrilled about the running sink water, so I don’t really think he’d go for a fountain…

*side note: I hate this litter and once this stuff is gone, I’m not going back! My room smells like coffee and cat pee!!*

[Susan]

Yes, Im reading a book called ‘Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs’ By Lew Olson, PhD..She recommends a Low-Glycemic diet, high in protein & fat & low Carbohydrates…there are stories through out her book, one is about a dog called Jake a Doberman/Labrador mix, who started to have seizures when he was 3 years old, Jake was whats called a “Cluster” meaning he always had multiple seizures close together, Despite trying everything from conventional medications to acupuncture, his owner Jo was unable to get the seizures under control.. After exhausting all the usual medical avenues, Jo started to look elsewhere for alternative treatments, joining an online Epilepsy group, one of the things recommened by the group was a raw diet. With nothing else left to lose Jo started Jake on a new raw diet, Within five months Jake had gone from having seven seizures every two weeks to one a month, Her vet was astonised at the drastic improvement a raw, fresh food diet had made when all the other treatments failed..There’s more on how she explains how the sugar in carbohydrates can affect epilepsy, hypothyroidism, diabetes, allergies, arthritis, & yeast infections & how a low-glycemic diet is a good defense against all of these conditions.. Dogs dont have a nutritional need for carbohydrates..there’s more to read but too much to write..she has simple recipes in her book for illnesses, its an excellent read, its online for around $10..

[Carl L]

Hi all, I posted this in the Editor’s Choice forum as well, but realized it applies to any 5-star kibble:

We have a new dog (1 1/2 year Lab) and need to settle on a quality commercial food. Commercial raw and 5-star canned food is out of our price range. Most kibble is not.

I have been reading in many places that aside from cost and convenience, all things being equal, a quality canned food is probably slightly better for a dog than a quality kibble.

In Canada, there are not many 5-star canned foods in our range. Kirkland Cuts in Gravy is one. We can feed our 60 lb. Lab for under $100.

My question is, aside from convenience (not an issue in our case), does it make sense to go exclusive Kirkland canned versus a 5-star kibble since it is in our price range? What are the points against feeding this particular canned vs. any 5-star kibble? (We are leading towards Acana Regionals).

Of course we can go kibble and canned combined, but aside from price, I am not sure why we would do it?

Anyone willing to offer opinions?
Thanks in advance

[Carl L]

Hi all, this is my first post. Great place to hang out!

We have a new dog (1 1/2 year Lab) and need to settle on a quality commercial food. Commercial raw and 5-star canned food is out of our price range. Most kibble is not.

I have been reading in many places that aside from cost and convenience, all things being equal, a quality canned food is probably slightly better for a dog than a quality kibble.

In Canada, there are not many 5-star canned foods in our range. Kirkland Cuts in Gravy is one. We can feed our 60 lb. Lab for under $100.

My question is, aside from convenience (not an issue in our case), does it make sense to go exclusive Kirkland canned versus a 5-star kibble since it is in our price range? What are the points against feeding this particular canned vs. any 5-star kibble? (We are leading towards Acana Regionals).

Of course we can go kibble and canned combined, but aside from price, I am not sure why we would do it?

Anyone willing to offer opinions?

Thanks in advance

[Sarah Y]

I’m glad and not so glad seeing this thread. You are pretty much describing my 10 year old beagle. She LOVES food and always needs a slow eating bowl which works for her! She has always been a voracious eater and poop eater. She was recently diagnosed with giardia which can caught through eating feces or from drinking standing water. As soon as they diagnosed her, I knew exactly where she had caught it.

Because Scooter eats rabbit poop, cat poop, dog poop including her own, we tried the “forbid” powder. It’s supposed to keep them from eating their own feces. We were worried she would re-infect herself. We do a good job of cleaning up the yard, but we aren’t always fast enough to catch her from eating hers…gross, I know. The forbid powder worked for her. We gave it for a week and a half. Someone suggested we give it longer so maybe it would convince her not to eat it.

Now, I believe her stool eating got worse eating Wellness complete health food which has grains in it. I’m going to try a switch to a grain free food to see if it improves. We’ll see if it works!

• This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by Sarah Y.