[Cyndi]

Hi everyone! I guess, by reading this thread, my question is for Hound Dog Mom, or should I say “Hot” Dog Mom! Lol! Sorry! I will never do that again, lol!

Anyways, I am driving to New Jersey next week with Bailey. It’s a 7 hour drive. I have a cooler for her food. My question is, I’m wondering if, in 7 hours, if her food will thaw out, and does it matter if it does and if I can just refreeze it once I get to where I’m going? I have like 4 ice packs and I will get some regular ice to cover her food once it’s in the cooler, so I don’t know if stuff will completely thaw or not, but I would imagine it’s ok to refreeze the stuff.

Another question, for anyone that has traveled with their dog that is raw fed, is there any problems that you ran into or anything that might help me in knowing ahead of time, so I can prevent it from happening to me? Like, maybe you forgot something, or didn’t use enough ice, or in my case I’m wondering how I’m going to make sure her dinner is thawed enough to eat, cuz she’ll be eating on the road…

Any help/tips anyone can give me would be GREATLY appreciated!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Is Mila eating a homemade diet or commercial diet? (Sorry I’m drawing a blank here – I know you were trying raw but I can’t remember if you switched her completely to homemade raw or are just supplementing a commercial food with raw). If you’re feeding predominantly a commercially prepared balanced food (be it raw, kibble, etc.) I personally feel Mila would benefit much more from a whole food based supplement as opposed to a supplement such as this which consists of mostly synthetic vitamins and minerals (for more details on the benefits of whole food supplementation you can read the post I just made to sharkie on the large breed puppy thread). If she’s eating homemade food and you were planning on using this as a vitamin/mineral supplement, it’s not going to supply adequate levels of vitamin e or manganese (I don’t think I see managanese?) and I still feel that a whole food based supplement should be given in conjunction with a multivitamin/mineral. Sorry if any of this is repeated information or was already discussed, my brain isn’t all here today and I’m forgetting who I’ve talked to, what was said by who, etc. lol

[Woodcutter]

Hi HDM. On the front label it reads: made with real chicken and goes on with Chelated minerals for better absorption. Sounds good so far, next line is “good omega 6 to 3 ratio”
bran & flaxseed….product of USA
on the back;:Chicken, chicken broth, beef liver, beef lung, ocean fish, oat bran, tomato paste, flaxseed flour, and after this is a bunch of elements & vitamins and minerals

their guaranteed analysis:
crude protien(min)….9%
crude fat(min)………..6%
crude fiber(max)…….1.5%
moisture(max)……….78%
It goes on to say it meets nutrition levels of AAFCO for all stages of a dogs life.
So this food doesn’t look all that bad really and it made me wonder why it’s at Big Lots. I have bought other canned food from them and after checking here I was too leery to feed it and got rid of it. I think it was Harmony Farms. or some such. It looks as though it would rate at least a 4, maybe a 5 but I just don’t know if there have been any problems with the maker.

[Cyndi]

You are totally right Marie!! I am SO very thankful I found this site. I had ended up on a couple other ones before here, and some of the info I was reading on them, contradicted things I had read in many other places. I also tried to ask a question on a forum and, more or less, got “yelled” at for asking an off topic question. A few days later I ended up here and the rest, as they say, is history, lol! As you can see I never left!

I have an “on topic” statement. I ordered Bailey a whole prey quail today. I’ll be honest, I’m a little nervous about it. Not for Bailey, but for me, lol! Hopefully I don’t pull it out of the box and think ‘Awwww, the poor bird. I can’t feed this to my dog!’. Lol! I will just have to keep in my head that Bailey will love it, and it’s good for her and it’s something new and different and it’s her dinner! Lol! Wish me luck! 🙂

[k9cancer]

theres a lot of info on what to feed a puppy here on the forum. search calcium levels in the forum. You wi get a list of recommended foods based o calcium levels

The thread PugMom suggested is a GREAT one, and helped me figure out what to feed my Presa Canario pup (mastiff).
What you’ll find in the thread is that the protein content for large breeds is not nearly as important as the calcium and phosphorous levels. Hound Dog Mom put together a great list of 4 and 5 star grain free foods for large breed pups.

[Hound Dog Mom]

HI corrielainedd –

Wow, a Saint Berdoodle. I’d never heard of such a dog but I just googled it – pretty neat! Growing large and giant breed puppies need controlled levels of calcium as excess calcium has been linked to developmental orthopedic disease. When puppies are very young they are unable to regulate calcium absorption, they gain this ability around the age of 8 months. So I would say, given the fact that your pup is already 8 months old and through the most rapid phase of growth there’s really no reason to start watching calcium levels now. I would just suggest focusing on getting him on some high quality foods that fall within your budget. Look for a food approved for growth or all life stages – there’s no reason to go with a large breed puppy specific formula. Your adult dog can eat the same food – just be sure to adjust portions accordingly because growth and all life stages foods tend to be more calorie dense. Professional is a decent food for a good price, however it’s manufactured by Diamond who has frequent recalls. Some reasonably priced grain-free foods that you may want to check out: Victor, Earthborn, Hi-Tek Naturals Grain-Free, NutriSource, 4Health (sold at Tractor Supply), Pure Balance Grain-Free (sold at Walmart), Rachel Ray Zero Grain, Authority Grain-Free (sold at Petsmart). Some foods with grains that are budget friendly: Victor, Hi-Tek Naturals, Whole Earth Farms, Pure Balance, Fromm Classics, Healthwise, NutriSource and Natural Life. The only thing I would tell you to be aware of when looking for a cheaper grain-free food is that, unfortunately, many budget friendly grain-free foods are actually worse than grain-inclusive foods at a similar price point. Grain-free doesn’t necessarily mean better and many companies just replace the grains with white potatoes, tapioca or peas which doesn’t make a superior product. Try to maximize protein. I ‘d also recommend picking a few foods and rotating rather than sticking to only one.

[Shawna]

Hi Lagotto,

We noticed (at the breeders) that she had excessive drinking and urination, as compared to her 5 siblings, when she was about 6 weeks old. She came to live with me when she was 9 weeks old. At about 4 weeks old she started failing to thrive — because she had a collapsing trachea and couldn’t get enough milk from her mommy. So the breeder put her on raw goat milk and egg whites, syringe fed every 2 to 4 hours, til she could eat on her own. She was weaned onto raw food — mainly hamburger, eggs, raw milk etc.

When she came to me I was making a home made raw diet for my current dogs and she went on that same diet. At her vet visit I told her holistic vet she urinated/drank a lot but her vet poo poo’d my concern and said puppies drink and therefore urinate more. She has bright eyes, she’s very smart, good coat quality etc. She’s a healthy puppy… In looking back I’m actually thankful that happened. Audrey continued on the homemade raw diet til her one year checkup where her bloodwork showed high bun and creatinine. I started tweaking her diet and would take her in every three months for additional bloodwork to see what the tweaking was doing. Turns out, the diet I had been feeding her all along was the best for her with one exception. To the diet I added a “prebiotic” and probiotics to help lower her BUN. Works like a charm..

Audrey continued on the homemade diet for several years but then I got too busy to keep up with homemade exclusively so I started incorporating commercial raw diets — Bravo as an example. Became busier yet and moved exclusively to commercial raw — Bravo, Darwins, Answers (recently started) and premixes like The Honest Kitchen Preference and Steve’s Premix with raw meats.. Audrey turned 7 years old the end of June and is still going strong. I have NOT lowered her protein. I have not lowered her phosphorus or made any other changes than adding prebiotic/probiotic and supplements. I use Garden of Life’s Primal Defense probiotic and Fiber35’s Sprinkle Fiber as the prebiotic. A really good prebiotic, made specifically for dogs, can be found on Dr. Mercola’s website under the “Pets” link and then under “Products”.

I would NOT regularly feed her kibble if I was paid to do so. In my opinion, kibble will cause a much earlier death in a kidney disease dog.. Kibble is a POOR QUALITY food for kd dogs/cats—even the best kibbles on the market… At the very least, feed a canned diet. If you can, feed raw or lightly cooked. I also don’t feed Audrey any grains. IF you are going to feed grains it needs to be either sushi rice (aka glutinous rice) or cream of wheat (or farina). These two grains are low phosphorus. All other grains have higher phosphorus and don’t add anything to the diet that can’t be found in a more species appropriate food.

You also want to feed higher fat foods — ditch the lean ground beef.. Feed the highest fat foods you can get (unless she is showing signs of pancreatitis). Fat adds calories without phosphorus—adding organic coconut oil is a good idea too. Protein is NOT damaging to the kidneys and only needs to be reduced to prevent symptoms of uremia in the later stages of the disease — such as vomiting or depression. Audrey has NEVER to date ate low protein.

Let her have ALL the water she wants. Audrey used to sleep in the water bowl when it was empty — she was that obsessed with water and, I’m guessing, desperately trying to tell me she needed some. She started this, sleeping in water dish, at the breeders. I kept potty pads ALL over the house for her. I was lucky in that she used them. During the night I keep her in a 4 foot by 4 foot enclosure we made (for our foster puppies). It was made out of wood and plastic chicken wire. I had her water bowl, her kennel, a blanket outside the kennel and a potty pad with LOTS of newspapers under it — she would fill a potty pad to the point of leaking during the night. As she got older she was able to hold it. Since about three months of age she has slept with me in my bed at nights.

Darwins now has a kidney diet.. I haven’t seen it yet but I do think it is worth checking out. Urban Wolf has a premix designed for kd dogs that can be added to raw or home cooked meats. And I think Grandma Lucy’s has a lower phosphorus premix that is also suitable for dogs needing their phos lowered..

Also consider adding a whole food B and C vitamin to the diet. These two vitamins are “water soluble” and because of the excessive urination can become depleted if not supplemented. I use Standard Process Cataplex B and C. I also give Audrey a whole food multi as a precaution. I use Standard Process Catalyn. Standard Process also makes a whole food supplement specifically for dogs with kidney disease. It’s called Canine Renal Support — I HIGHLY recommend using it. I also give liver support also by Standard Process — Canine Hepatic Support. The liver can become overstressed in a kd dog.

I HIGHLY recommend only using reverse osmosis or distilled along with a mineral water like Evian. Mineral waters (only those lower in sodium) have shown some positive benefits to kidney patients.

Also try to eliminate as many chemical toxins from your house as possible. I was already living in a relatively toxin free environment but I had to eliminate my Swiffer mop, candles ets. These have chemicals in them that the kidneys have to filter — putting an extra strain on them OR adding to the blood poisoning when the kidneys can’t filter as well. DO NOT use flea/tick or heartworm meds on her. And DO NOT vaccinate her. Audrey has only had one set of shots (given by the breeder before I got her) and has NEVER had a rabies shot. She was diagnosed before getting the shot and I was able to get a lifelong exemption for her in my state.

As mentioned, Audrey turned 7 last month and is not on any medications (no phosphorus binders, no sub-q fluids etc) just the supplements.

I don’t use it but I know others that have had positive results with the herbal tinctures from Five Leaf Pharmacy. http://caninekidneyhealth.com/ I would NOT follow their diet though… 🙂 http://caninekidneyhealth.com/

I would also highly recommend reading the material on Mary Straus’ dog aware website. This is the site where I got most of my knowledge / as well as courage to continue feeding Audrey a high protein raw diet. She has some EXCELLENT info on the site — when to feed low protein, when to lower phosphorus and how much (phosphorus is an essential mineral – lowering it too much too early can have unintended consequences), which foods are lower in phosphorus etc. http://www.dogaware.com/health/kidney.html

Your puppy can still have a fantastic quality of life.. Learn as much as you can, stay positive and enjoy her fully!!!!!

If you ever want to chat offsite, I can be reached at shawnadfaemail @ yahoo. com (take out the spaces–they are included here to prevent robot spammers from sending me junk mail).. 🙂

[mah4angel]

Hello all!

I’ll admit to being woefully ignorant and making bad and uniformed decisions for my Louie plenty of times (i.e. thinking that raw would be bad for him, thinking that kibble is better for cleaning teeth, etc.), but I’m afraid that choosing Banfield and their Optimum Wellness Plan might have been the worst decision yet…

I just feel that they make up for the savings in office visits, etc. by hiking up the prices for every single other thing NOT covered on the plan. For instance, I’ve been wanting to get Louie neutered. It would cost me about $400 at Banfield to get him neutered. OUCH. They’re also more expensive for typical grooming. A nail grind costs about $5 more at Banfield than at the ADJOINING Pet Smart Grooming salon, same with anal gland expression, etc.

I had Louie on a HW preventative from another vet (Quadriguard) which they had never heard of. Fine, that is 100% a-okay. There are so many HW pills out there, I’m sure, and I’m sure there’s just no way that you’d know the names and properties of every single one of them. BUT they clearly never looked it up or asked me to take it in so they could see what it was/what it covered. There are wormers in Quadriguard already but they kept having me give him wormers (after him testing negative for heartworms). They also kept asking me if I wanted to put him on a HW preventative even though I’d told every single one of the vet techs and both of the vets that I already have him protected.

I’ve read a lot recently about how people find Banfield as a corporation to be sub-par as far as veterinary work is concerned and that they’re quite money-grubbing and a total rip-off. I’m starting to see a little bit of this in them but I DO like my vet and Louie seems to really like her. She’s very kind, approachable, and seems to have her heart in the right place. I don’t know, though, that she’s technically great at her job, purely from a medical standpoint. I really don’t know that I know how to tell, though… she does seem to be more than willing and ready to hand out medications (free or not) for Louie and I don’t know that I like that.

Do any of you have good or bad experiences with Banfield? I just can’t help but notice that reviews by their customers are simply overwhelmingly bad. I don’t know, maybe I’m just being paranoid and seeing things that aren’t there because of the negativity from others.

I’d love to hear your feedback! I’m trying to find a holistic vet, but it’s proving to be kind of a pain in the butt (my dog gets incredibly carsick so commuting to the vet is a hard one-whereas PetSmart is within walking distance from my house). Thanks guys!

[Honeybeesmom1]

Hi everyone.

I noticed about a week ago a lump on the left side of Honeybees butt…about the size of a gumball.
It keeps going away and coming back. At times it’s more soft and other times more hard.
I’ve read a little about anal glands and cysts but how do I know which one it is?
Does he need to see a vet in order to determine what it is? I have no idea what to think of it.
His vet is more of meds than natural…so I’m asking here first.

Also…I’m making my first purchase of Darwins! I’m excited as I’ve read good things here about it.
Honey is only 5 lbs. I can afford to feed him Darwins twice a day..and the others once per day.
What feeding would be best for him? Raw once or twice daily?
He’s the sensitive one that’s allergic to fleas, grass and pollen.
So I’m thinking raw twice daily?
Thanks! :0)

[theBCnut]

First, read the whole thread on Large and Giant Puppy Nutrition. Next, Swanson’s has cheap but good probiotics that you can order online. Look for Dr Stephen Langers probiotics and while your there get some digestive enzymes to use until this issue is sorted out. Finally, ask your vet to send a stool sample to the lab for analysis, they catch things that your vet may have no way of finding. Good Luck!!

[Anonymous]

I have just had similar experiences as that on page 2 of the thread where Swissy Mix talks about her Bernese/Greater Swiss mix throwing up on Taste of the Wild puppy food. I have an almost 8 month old Bernese male who is right around 80 lbs. We got him at 8 weeks old and started him on Blue Buffalo and then as I researched how to feed larger breed dogs, I decided to switch him to TOTW. They have puppy formulas now that are 1.4% calcium / 1.0% phosphorus, which I thought was in line with what he needed. I’ve been alternating between the 2 varieties now for around 4 or 5 months without any issues.

As of the last 3 days though, Walter has also thrown up his food 3 separate times right after eating. I tend to think it is because the kibble is too small for him and he’s not chewing like he needs to. The end result of his vomiting makes it clear that he doesn’t need to bother chewing his food. I tried feeding him in a larger, more shallow bowl so he can’t inhale and we have stopped feeding him right after he comes in the house and is all hot. I thought the problem might be a combination of being too hot, eating too fast, not chewing enough. However, this morning right after he woke up he did it, so I guess it is either just the not chewing issue or the food itself. I don’t think it is a puppy issue, because he seems perfectly fine otherwise.

So my questions are as follows:

1. Does anyone know of a good food that has larger bites and still stays in the recommended ranges of cal/phosphorus? I guess it may have to be an all life stage or adult formula. I hate to be a stickler on price, but I feel like I’m already spending a lot on what he is on to make sure his food is higher quality, so I’d like to stay in line with TOTW, which is about $50 / 30 lb. bag.

2. How do you tell proper weight of a dog as hairy as a BMD? His weight is right in line with what he’s always averaged (about 10 lbs. / month), but he has such long, wavy hair, it struggle to tell if I’m feeding him enough or too much. I’ve been staying within the guidelines recommended on the bag, but it’s kind of hard to tell for sure. Any tips?

3. Any suggestions for getting him to slow down on his eating? He doesn’t have to compete with any other dogs, so there’s really no need for him to eat like he does.

[pugmomsandy]

Be sure that your using recipes for making a nutritionally complete food. Feeding an unbalanced homemade food is worse than feeding kibble as it will be nutritionally deficient in certain vitamins, minerals, trace elements and omega fatty acids that are required for a healthy dog.

/choosing-dog-food/karen-becker-best-worst-dog-food/

There are many recipe books available. And also DogAware.com has a homemade diet section. Nature’s Logic has a food supplement and there is also Missing Link.

I use “Real Foods for Healthy Dogs and Cats” 3rd Edition by Becker/Shaw. Another good read is “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet” by Steve Brown.

[LindaW]

Stupid question from me, but I’m a senior–hey, what can I say? To find the large breed puppy thread, do I look under “forums”? I couldn’t find it there.

[Hershy]

I also love this thread!
But I’m glad I’m not the only person here who remains a little (or a lot) confused. LOL!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, AND THANK YOU, AGAIN, HOUND DOG MOM, FOR THE GREAT LIST!!!

What a lot of time you spent for us all compiling this vital information…I spent a lot of time reading the back of bags in Southern Ag and others, trying to figure out my choice for Crystal, my 13 week old (precious) labrador pup, and still don’t have a choice. But now with the list, at least I can decide from those. I really do appreciate it!
I like Chewy.com as well, if they carry the food…or Petflow, depending on which carries the food I decide on…pretty certain it won’t be local. Victor Pro All Life Stages for my big dogs is local.
Did I say, “I love this thread!”…I have learned so much. And to think of the foods I fed before I thought I knew what I was doing… I’m so glad I know better now. I love my sweet Charlotte, Jake, Bella, Jazz, and little Crystal!! They are all such good kids!
I wish they would teach nutrition in Veterinary school. Seems all the vets think Science Diet is a healthy food. I just wonder why something so basic is missing??
Thanks, again, HDM, and all !!
Londa

[Hershy]

I also love this thread!
But I’m glad I’m not the only person here who remains a little (or a lot) confused. LOL!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, AND THANK YOU, AGAIN, HOUND DOG MOM, FOR THE GREAT LIST!!!

What a lot of time you spent for us all compiling this vital information…I spent a lot of time reading the back of bags in Southern Ag and others, trying to figure out my choice for Crystal, my 13 week old (precious) labrador pup, and still don’t have a choice. But now with the list, at least I can decide from those. I really do appreciate it!
I like Chewy.com as well, if they carry the food…or Petflow, depending on which carries the food I decide on…pretty certain it won’t be local. Victor Pro All Life Stages for my big dogs is local.
Did I say, “I love this thread!”…I have learned so much. And to think of the foods I fed before I thought I knew what I was doing… I’m so glad I know better now. I love my sweet Charlotte, Jake, Bella, Jazz, and little Crystal!! They are all such good kids!
Thanks, again, HDM, and all !!
Londa

[Flossie]

Thanks, everyone. I’ll definitely check out your suggestions, BetsyGreer!

InkedMarie, I think I’m aiming for anything less than .3% dry matter sodium content (or around 50-80mg per 100 kcal); my vet hasn’t actually said he needs to go on a low-sodium diet, but so much of what I’ve read about CHF advocates controlling sodium intake and I thought it would be a good idea to at least be aware of it. Of course, it’s confusing; some of the companies I’ve contacted have given me a percentage “as fed” instead of the dry matter content (which I only just learned is the percentage I should be looking out for). I don’t want to severely restrict him yet, just make sure his food isn’t high in sodium.

I’ll admit that I’m not as concerned about Diamond as a lot of people here, since I feed all 3 of my dogs 4Health right now (I just discovered that the dry food is made by Diamond). And I think that eventually I could probably find anecdotal evidence against every brand, since I doubt one exists that hasn’t ever had a complaint. Ideally, though, I’d love to find a brand with no history of recalls that strikes the right balance of good nutritional profile, affordability, availability, and lower sodium content–but I realize that might be a pipe dream.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Goldenlover,

Patty & HDM offered some great suggestions to make your current food more palatable, but it sounds like you’re also interested in finding a quality food that is still affordable and appeals to your dog.

Have you taken a look at this list of 5 Star Dry Foods: /dog-food-reviews/dry/5-star/?

Or this list of Best Foods (which includes 4 and 5 Star Foods): /best-dog-foods/best-dry-dog-foods/

Yes, Nature’s Domain from Kirkland is inexpensive and many of those on these lists aren’t, but there are still some that are affordable ~ probably many are still more than Kirkland’s ND. Also, ND is grain free and Rachael Ray Nutrish is grain inclusive and both of these lists include both grain free and inclusive formulations. One thing I’m not thrilled with the ND about is that it’s made by Diamond, which if you’re not already aware, has a horrible history of recalls and their handling of same. I don’t do any Diamond products and know there are others who feel the same.

If you like the Rachael Ray Nutrish product, you might also try the RR Zero Grain Nutrish, that’s a four star product, but it’s a bit more expensive than the RR Nutrish. Other more affordable foods you might want to check into are 4Health Grain Free (available at TSC), Victor, NutriSource, Earthborn Holistics, Dr. Tim’s, Fromm, Hi-Tek, Nutrisca, Pro Pac and Whole Earth Farms. Nature’s Logic is a bit more expensive, but a really great product.

Lots of foods have “loyalty” programs, like NutriSource for example, buy 12 and get one free. You can go to the NutriSource website and enter a contest to win a free bag of food and if you don’t win (I’m still trying) you’ll at least get a two dollar coupon emailed to you. Rachael Ray always has coupons available for the Zero Grain Nutrish on the website. Also, some online retails outlets will offer a discount for auto-ship orders, but you still have the ability to change shipping frequency and add or change items.

Five stars are great, so are four stars when your dog loves the food and does great on it!

[Flossie]

I have another thread about looking for sodium content on 4Health, which my dog with CHF currently eats. I’ve considered switching, though, and I’ve contacted all three of these companies, who have been really helpful and forthcoming with their sodium info. All three have varieties with a low sodium content.

But even though they have good official reviews on this site, the comments on the reviews have me worried. Apparently a lot of dogs on Canidae have suddenly experienced digestive issues, some people don’t like Blue for various reasons, and Nutro might have had a formula change.

I guess I can rule out the Canidae since there are quite a few posts about issues with it (has anyone reported this to the company?), but I’m not sure how to choose between Blue and Nutro. Does anybody have any further info about them, or another perspective on the issues people might have with them?

I think I’m just overwhelmed–it seems impossible to find a food that has a good nutritional profile, doesn’t have any issues with quality control, has readily available info about sodium, AND is easy to find and not ridiculously expensive. Does a food that fits all those requirements actually exist?

[Nir_g5]

Hello ,
I have a four years old alaskan malamute male.
The dog is generally very healthy.weighting 62 pounds.
I feed him once a day.
The dog is active.
I always tried to upgrade his food quality .
But every time, when i got to point of homemade diet
it has been failed.
I read dr.becker’s and beth’s book,so i have the
knowledge.

The story goes like this :when feeding dry grained food like
canine caviar
and the stools are fine ,but eating dry foods with no grains
causes loose stools.
On the other hand,when feeding grain free canned food
and the stools are fine.
But when i made homemade diet raw or cooked with
grains or grains free and the stools are loose .

Here is the story from the last 3 days:

On Monday evening, i fed him peal millet canine caviar with
water which soften the food .
Result :fine stools

On Tuesday evening :small amount of home made cooked diet : 230 grams of cooked chicken breast ,100 cooked chicken liver ,100 gram of green pepper ,60 grams of carrot.caloric value:660

Result:the end of the stool was
loose with black color (maybe of the liver).

On Wednesday evening:grained home made diet : 280 grams of cooked chicken breast ,100 cooked chicken liver ,100 gram of green pepper ,100 grams of carrot,150 grams of cooked whole brown rice .cloric value :880

What do you think? what is best way to feed my dog ?
What are the possible reasons for these results ?

Thanks
Nir

[Sully’sMom]

Ok, here goes, Hound Dog Mom, InkedMarie, Pattyvaughn and anyone else 🙂

Sully is now 13 mos; he has been fed FrommGoldLargeBreedPuppy. I’ve been reading this wonderful forum, learning alot, and planning on transitioning him out of puppy and to……

I’ve taken what I’ve learned here, done some of my own research and decided on feeding a rotational diet of grain-free, and I’ve narrowed the brands down to:

1. ) Fromm Four Star – the most expensive of what I’ve narrowed down to, but I have a free bag of Surf & Turf waiting to be opened, so this will be our first transition. They do offer a frequent bag reward program on this brand at Chewy, so we’ll see if we continue.
2.) Earthborn – most likely the Primitive Natural
3.) Merrick – something other than the chicken, since the Earthborn Primitive Natural is turkey and chicken
4.) Dr Tim’s – I like everything I read about the company, including the price, but their grain free is only in one formula and is chicken based. Was hoping for another different protein base to round out the above.
5.) Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Boost – we went through some trial bags, and I like the premise but I think it will end up being cost prohibitive.

So, I’m thinking that after we use the Fromm Surf and Turf bag that we have, I thought my rotation will be either Fromm, Earthborn, Merrick OR Earthborn, Merrick, Dr. Tim’s. Either way, here’s where I’m stuck:

Among these four brands/varieties, the Protein Percentages range from a low of 28 (Fromm) to a high of 38% (The Earthborn Primitive and all of the Merrick). The Kcals vary from a low of 408 (Fromm) to a high of 460 (three of the Merrick varieties). Am I supposed to try to keep the protein % AND Kcals consistent among the rotation?

I feel like I’m at the finish line but can’t cross, lol! Help?

[polyxen]

I’m about to get a 2nd Vizsla here, my first one was grown on a low quality food, full of grain, rice, meal etc etc… stools were really really really softs if not liquid… but that’s what my breeder uses so I let her on that.
I use Acana Pacifica right now for my Vizsla and wow … she’s athletic, hard dry stools once a day, eat 2cup a day .. I think it’s a really good dog food for that kind of dog.

I wanted to know if the Orijen puppy was suitable for this king of puppy, with all I’ve read on calcium, protein level etc… !

Need advice please !

Thanks !

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Please Pass the Calgon –

Unfortunately, many pet store employees aren’t very well versed in nutrition – especially those that work at the big box stores such as Petsmart and Petco. I know it’s all a lot to take in and and can be a little overwhelming. If you’re a new large breed puppy owner I think the articles I posted links to at the beginning of this thread would be a great place to start researching. As far as calcium – you want to control calcium levels until the puppy is at least 8 months old. High protein is preferable, I personally prefer foods to contain at least 30% protein. I would say that raw would be the best option, followed by canned or dehydrated and then kibble. Feel free to ask any questions if they come up – either here in the forums or on the review section of the site. There are many knowledgeable posters here just waiting to help.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 8 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Hound Dog Mom]

I agree with Patty that there’s no book that will tell you everything – I personally like to read many books and articles and take bits and pieces that I like from each and implement them into my feeding plan. However, if I had to pick an overall favorite book it would be “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet” by Steve Brown. It’s an especially great book for those new to homemade diets.

[NicoBoxer]

Hello – I am new here, although I’ve lurked on the DFA site at those threads. This could be long, so bear with me. We rescued a 3-year old boxer last year who had “allergies.” We have two vets, a conventional one, and a holistic one, to whom we travel three hours each way when he needs to see her. We started taking Nico to her when all we were getting from conventional vets was Pred, then antibiotics or antifungals for secondary infections. You know the drill. Since transitioning Nico to a raw diet with supplements (enzymes, probiotics, a Chinese herb formula, and other herbs) Nico has done much better. His coat has improved, he itches much less (almost not at all in the winter). He’s still been on 5 mg of pred every other day, however, and vets agree that this is OK.
That said, we’ve done a few blood work ups on him and each time, all seemed normal except his Lipase. It was through the roof; it has “come down” to something like 4,000 when the high end is something like 1,600. I could be slightly off on that last number. We ultimately decided to do a separate draw and send that blood to a lab at Texas A&M. My husband just heard back form our conventional vet and she said she “got an earful” from the folks in Texas. I am beside myself. They are calling it something like latent pancreatitus or something like that. Has anyone ever heard of this? He has no symptoms that we can see. Every so often he has a soft or mucousy stool but otherwise he is fine and that is only occasional. I’m wondering if anyone has heard anything about this and if so, what is recommended to feed him? He loves his OC Raw turkey and rabbit. We HATE the idea of giving him kibble. And we worry that all the work we’ve done to ease his itchiness will be for naught. Thanks for listening if you’re still with me. Any thoughts would be most appreciated!
Sharon

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Nosh –

I read the recent article about the study released on the UC Davis press release page and I have a lot of questions about this study and issues with the findings. For anyone who wants to read the original press release: news(dot)ucdavis(dot)edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=10666. Also, I’m going to apologize ahead of time because this is going to get kind of “ranty” (not toward you, but toward the study and subsequent articles).

1) I would like to see these “200 recipes” they analyzed. Where were they coming from? I know some were formulated by veterinarians, but what about the rest? I’ve come across many recipes on websites, in forums, even published in books by unqualified individuals that are horribly unbalanced. In fact, I recently came across a commercially prepared cooked food being sold as “complete and balanced” that only contained meat and no calcium!

2) They reported that even some of the recipes formulated by veterinarians had a least one deficiency. What does this tell us about the nutrition-related education that vets receive? That it’s inadequate! It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to feed a person and it shouldn’t take one to feed a dog either. It’s not that complicated.

3) This study is not taking into consideration the main philosophy of homemade diets: Balance over time. Is each meal that you eat 100% balanced with every vitamin, mineral and amino acid your body requires? Does each meal you eat have the ideal fat to protein to carbohydrate ratio? What about the ideal omega 3 to omega 6 ratio? I doubt it! People eat varied diets, for this reason we receive all the nutrients we need by eating a variety of healthy foods. People that eat a varied healthy don’t don’t require synthetic vitamin/mineral supplements and, in fact, it is advised not to take multivitamins unless absolutely necessary as synthetic vitamins are linked to a myriad of health issues. Why should a dog’s diet be any different? Most people that feed homemade diets don’t worry about making each meal 100% balanced – they feed a variety of fresh and species-appropriate foods and over the course of a few days or a week everything balances out (as with people) and the dog receives all the nutrients it needs. Yes, there does need to be some basic understanding of a dog’s nutrient requirements, however variety is the most important thing.

I can say this – I have fed my dogs a homemade diet for about two years now. I don’t use any synthetic vitamins and minerals. My dogs are healthier than ever. I had bloodwork done on two of my dogs after they had been on homemade for about 6 months to test for nutrient deficiencies and they had none. I have ran a full nutrient analysis on some of my recipes using the USDA’s nutrient database and found that my recipes exceed the AAFCO’s nutrient requirements for growth and reproduction (the more stringent of the two nutrient requirements). For those that don’t have the knowledge to create a balanced homemade diet from scratch, there are several pre-mixes on the market designed to make a homemade diet complete and balanced. My favorite is “See Spot Liver Longer Dinner Mix.”

This study and press release is nothing short of a scare tactic designed to steer pet owners toward commercial foods. They could very well have chosen numerous obviously unbalanced recipes from questionable sources for the study. The problem here is the vets, not homemade food. They need to become educated in how to instruct their clients to make balanced and healthy homemade meals for their animals. To have that level of education and not able to make a balanced meal for a dog is inexcusable and just plain sad. They recommend that only recipes formulated by veterinary nutritionists are used. Really? Do mothers need to spend 8 years in college and then do a nutritional residency before being able to feed their child? What a joke.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 8 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Jessica1]

Hi H.D.M,
Thank you so much for all the information, it has really helped me. It’s great to know that rotating grain & non grain is acceptable and won’t cause problems. Thank you also for the information on the teeth and kibble, what you are saying makes perfect sense. I just never thought much to question the vet.
I just took our “little” rescue, Takoda in for his 2nd DHLPP & Bord. and the vet thinks they were wrong about his age and may only be 8 – 9 weeks and is already 16lbs, he is not overweight but he is solid. This leads me to my next two questions. (which I see Londoncalling is asking too) When you use the can food as a topper I don’t want to overfeed him or underfeed, how do I determine the amount to use as the topper and the amount of dry? The package on the Organix for his age & weight reads 2 ¾ – 4 cups (which I think is a big difference) I’m not currently at this point yet as I am still transitioning him over from the Pedigree, he should be on full Organix in the next day or so. (yesterday his stool was soft, today I was at ¾ mix and he got the runs).
If you’re adding a can topper is there a good guideline to use on how much kibble and how much topper. I just don’t want to over or under do it.
Even with the guidelines on the bag, I am not quite sure what would be the correct amount for him, and his size.
He has never gulped his food and sometimes doesn’t seem very interested in it until “he” is ready to eat. When I first gave him the Organix he seemed to love it, and tried to pick out just those pieces, now I’m not sure. Now he seems to only eat it because he is hungry not because he is enjoying it. (But, he never gulped the pedigree either).
The 2nd part of my question; should I only use a grain inclusive topper when using grain inclusive foods? Rotating from grain to non grain I know you said would be okay but I wasn’t sure if actually mixing grain with non grain topper would cause a problem. My main reason for asking, Organix doesn’t have a puppy formula and I’ve heard good things about the Wellness puppy can food, but it’s a non grain, and I am not sure what would be a good “grain” large breed puppy can food.
Thanks again!

[mah4angel]

Yes! I do believe that we are always reunited with those we love; animal and human. Whether it be in Heaven or in another lifetime, whatever you happen to believe in ^_^

There’s a whole forum topic dedicated to raw dog food menus here: /forums/topic/menus/. I’m totally no raw dog food genie haha and you can see all of my ramblings and questions on there and my current future recipe is the last comment on the thread hehe. I don’t have everything I need to actually feed him his raw diet yet so that’s why I’m not feeding him 100% raw as of yet but I will be soon!

Here is a thread for help with starting a dog on raw dog food: /forums/topic/help-with-starting-my-dog-on-a-raw-diet/ BUT it will take a few months to transition her all the way up the ladder to raw food, so I wouldn’t be super worried about it quite yet 😀 I think the most important thing is to just get her off of Science Diet food. And if you have any of the Science Diet left, PLEASE donate it to a local shelter! I know that Science Diet is not at all optimal for our wonderful furry friends but shelters need all that they can get 🙂

I also wanted to add something that I forgot to my original comment, which is to start feeding raw meaty bones and organ meat (livers, hearts, etc.) when she is fully transitioned to DNA (or another freeze or air-dried raw). RMB’s as we call them are GREAT for dental health! And it’ll be a great introduction to real, raw meat. Pork necks, chicken necks, ox tails, chicken backs, chicken feet, pork feet, etc. are all RMB’s (as opposed to recreational bones like thigh bones, etc.) that are recommended. And the organ meats will supply extra nutrients. Just make sure to freeze them for two weeks just to be on the safe side 🙂

RMB’s and organs (and any table scraps, etc.) should make up no more than 20% of her daily diet (because it will throw off the balance supplied in the pre-made food), so you’ll want to give her maybe one pork neck one day and maybe one chicken heart the next day, and so on and so forth. BUT like I said, this is all a long way off so I wouldn’t focus too much on this portion of the feeding.

In reality, the longest transition time will more than likely be right now, switching from Science Diet to whatever 4-star GRAIN-FREE food (totally forgot to mention that the four-star food should be grain-free) you choose, whether it be Nature’s Domain or something else. This is because her tummy isn’t used to the lack of grains. It’s almost like a detox process. So, that transition will most likely take the longest to complete; probably a month or so.

This is why adding fiber (with things like pureed pumpkin, hemp, chia, and flax seed, etc.) and probiotics/digestive enzymes (with things like yogurt, etc.) is important because it helps to nourish the balance of good and bad bacteria in the gut as well as balancing out any other digestive problems.

I’m trying to pack in a lot of information into one comment so that you won’t have to do too too much fishing for information. It’s stressful, I know! The most important thing is to just pull the trigger and do it. I second-guessed myself and I waited until I felt I had found the perfect food, but no food is 100% perfect. There is no supplementing a wolf’s primitive diet with just one food, try as we might hehe ^_^

[dendad]

Update: My little Chihuahua continues to eat only Science Diet. It’s all she wants. I still believe that my late Dachshund’s problems may have been caused by Science Diet, but if my Chihuahua won’t eat anything else, what am I to do? I spent a bunch of money on various flavors of Merrick after reading about that brand on this forum. She hated it. Duck, Chicken, Pork, Beef, etc. She’d try. She’d put a bite in her mouth, walk across the room, then spit it out. Yes, I just gave her a little at a time along with the Science Diet, but to no avail. I also gave up on the making my own dog food. Too many risks there too. If anyone has any suggestions, I’d appreciate it. I really can’t afford to experiment much longer. I thought I’d try her on Bil-Jac? Thanks.

[londoncalling1996]

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply to my questions. It’s really so helpful, I find it all a bit overwhelming. I made the trip to Los Altos today to the pet store with LOTS of good dog food options. I got 7 small sample bags of different kinds of Fromm dry kibble for Lux to try. I also got a can of Trippett, Green beef tripe, duck and salmon. (I haven’t opened it yet though, got to psych myself up for that I think! :-)) And a can each of Ziwipeak venison&fish recipe and Nature’s logic rabbit dinner. After reading your advise, I thought, “well, cost isn’t really an isssue, man, what we paid for this dog!”, but then I got to the pet store and saw the prices! If my 16 year old is going to go to college, Lux might have to eat some kibble! These three cans I got cost 15 bucks and with a berner in the house, we might be eaten out of house and home! I am looking on line at some of the on line sites you suggested. Thanks! I do like to shop local and will, but since it’s about 20 miles to the nearest pet store with good food, I can justify not using the local shop for all of our dog food needs all the time. So, now you have me thinking about wet and raw food, do I also need to worry about the calcium content in those for the first 8 or 10 months of Lux’s life? Maybe you have a list of your favorite canned foods for Large and Giant Breed puppies that have the right amount of calcium? (Fingers crossed!) Where are you located? I’m on the San Francisco peninsula, about 20 miles south of SF. Thank you for everything! Cheers, Jules

[pugmomsandy]

tarynjodi,

When you see a tapeworm on your dog’s poop, you are just seeing a few segments of the whole worm that is already residing in the intestines. Tapeworms can grow up to several feet in length. Your pup probably already had them. Tapeworms don’t necessarily shed with poop all the time. It can be once a week that you might even see one. The tapeworm eggs are carried by fleas and when your dog eats one, it can become infected. Half of my fosters had tapeworms when I got them. But I didn’t see them in the stool always right away. Sometimes it will be a week before I see some. My personal dogs have been eating Trippett and other completely raw foods for a couple years and they don’t ever have worms. And I don’t even give them any flea prescriptions. But I’ve noticed that half my fosters during this time of year have tapeworms. They weren’t even treated at the vet for them before being released as they probably didn’t shed any in the stool while there or the tech just didn’t look at the poop up close!

[kcarter137]

I have been lurking around on a few of the “Raw Food” Forums and decided to do homemade-cooked food. I would do raw but my boyfriend has vetoed it (hopefully I can slowly incorporated some raw items without him knowing). I have Dr. Beckers book, I have read it a few times and understand that I am going to need to supplement her food due to lack of bones but still have some questions. We are going currently reintroducing foods after being on a elimination diet of pork and sweet potatoes for the last few months due to her allergies. So far we have discovered she is allergic to rice and chicken. She can have fish. I still have a few more weeks of reintroducing items. I know the rice irrelevant. The dermatologist she’s seeing said that if she is allergic to chicken then she cannot have any “feathered” protein.
Does anyone have any experience with this?
Will I need to supplement her feed with anything to make up for the lack of “feathered protein”?

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi juelz4you –

There have been some issues with obtaining the Canine Caviar information (there is actually a thread about this). When I created the list about a year ago the calcium level I used was listed as an actual (not min). I’ve been trying to contact the company for a week now (via email and phone) and have received no response so this food will be removed from the list. I’m currently in the process of updating the list and creating a grain-inclusive list.

[londoncalling1996]

I am hoping to do the best for our new, 11 week old Bernese Mountain Dog pup, Lux. We had a Berner, Bailey, who died way too young (3-1/2) and it took us a long time to get over the loss and risk another one (and their relatively short life expectancy) joining our family. We are hoping Lux will live a good long life, well past her predicted expectancy. So, here I am! I have been looking thru this wonderfully informative website, thank you, which is helping me, but also making my brain spin a bit! I have a couple questions, the first (I can’t seem to find anywhere here) is about the 4 and 5 star foods. What is the difference? Digestive aid, is this only if my dog develops a problem, like throwing up, or would it be beneficial for life? Also, toppers, like the green tripe, is that something I should give our pup? The breeder was feeding her Ekanuba Large Breed Puppy so I bought a big bag of it. Doesn’t sound like it’s a good choice from what I’v read here. I heard at a pet store, they used to be a better dog food before being bought out by a big agro corp. (If that’s true). I’ve printed your list of recommended Large and Giant Breed Puppy foods and I will take that with me to buy Lux some new food tomorrow. Anyhow, Hound Dog Mom, thanks for all your hard work and puppy love! Cheers, Jules

[Spencers Mom]

Hi everyone, I have a 2 1/2 year old, male Yorkie. We had the pleasure of becoming his pet parents a little over a year ago. We are having issues with food allergies. He gnaws/licks his feet, so much at times their raw, he’s constantly scratching. No sneezing. When we first got him he was eating Purina moist & meaty/beef & cheese. We wanted to switch him to a little healthier product and to a kibble thinking a kibble version was better for his teeth. Since then, he has had issues. Funny he wasn’t having allergy issues on the Purina. We’ve tried Nutro, Blue Buffalo, Natural Balance LID, Taste of The Wild High Prairie, even a prescription dog food from the Vet, (which made him vomit several times in just 2 weeks) and many more I can’t remember at the moment. Of those brands we’ve tried Chicken, Turkey, Duck, Salmon, Venison – which we have him on at the moment even Venison jerky treats. We’ve tried grain free, limited ingredient, etc. The Salmon made him vomit, may have been too rich for him. I’ve researched and researched, some posts I’ve read said California Natural was great for dogs with food allergies, but I’ve seen they have had several recalls lately. Little scared to try that one yet. We are at our wits end!! Hate to see our baby suffering. We are wondering now is it the meat protein (since we’ve tried so many different proteins) he’s having issues with or could it be the “dry” formula in it’s self. We left him with his Aunt for a week and she feed him Fresh Pet Select, CHICKEN. She said he didn’t scratch or gnaw any that week. So are we on to something, or just barking up the wrong tree (pun intended)??? Could there be some difference between the dry and wet formula that would cause food allergies??

[somebodysme]

You can google for the dog food by name and find the company’s website which almost always has a “where to buy” link at the top and enter your zip code. They also have all the ingredients listed by variety. Each “flavor” varies so read them all. They may say duck but have fish too.

[guidosmom]

I have two Jack Russell Terriers. One is 14+, the other is 8. Both have always had fairly sensitive digestive systems. They had been on evo red meat, then switched to Orijen red about 6 months ago. They did fairly well on this. In addition they always got some veggies, plain yogurt, and cooked organic chicken breast mixed in. About a month ago my older dog got sick with some kind of intestinal issue and has since been refusing his food. We have tried all kinds of wet food products, canned pumpkin, etc… some he likes for a day, then refuses the next day. We have been to the vet multiple times, and everything has come back normal. He consistently likes treats though, but I try not to allow him to have many. He also will sometimes eat wet food off a spoon or my finger, just not in a bowl. He started seeing an acupuncturist who gave us some samples of darwin’s natural selections beef and veggie. She recommended poaching it lightly first for him. I also read on the darwin website they recommend doing this for picky eaters or older dogs. He LOVED it, and has since eaten consistently for two days in a row without any vomiting or diarrhea episodes. This is huge for him. I tried mixing the darwin’s in with some of his kibble. He picks all the darwin’s out, and leaves the kibble, making it a little difficult to transition. Our other dog happily eats it all. My question, is poaching the food first recommended only during the transition phase? Or is this recommended for all older/picky dogs? Wouldn’t this take away all the benefits of a raw diet? I am only lightly poaching it, so like to think there is still some benefit. Also, because he is picking out and refusing the orijen (kibble), but eating the darwin’s, will this completely shock his system? I would appreciate any advice or tips anyone has about switching their sensitive, older, picky dog to a raw food diet. I love my older guy, and seeing him refuse food breaks my heart. Thanks in advance!

[Hound Dog Mom]

I’ve never used the spray, I just use the topical. I don’t remember reading castor oil on the topical. It should be safe, some people react to it but I mean you can drink it so I can’t imagine it’d damage the skin too much lol

Here’s an article on it from Mercola:

articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/04/28/castor-oil-to-treat-health-conditions.aspx

[Cyndi]

Hi Ceara. You are in the right place, for starters. I have been feeding my dog raw for a little over two months now. I did a TON of research online and eventually, thank god, found this site. This forum section and the wonderful people on here, have been a HUGE help. Here is a link to the thread I started before I began feeding raw, while I was still in the research/question stage:

/forums/topic/help-with-starting-my-dog-on-a-raw-diet/

It WAS overwhelming, I do know that. Read thru that thread and maybe that will help. I asked alot of questions, so maybe some of that will help you…

I can’t help on the canned food topic, I’m not that knowledgeable, but I guess if you just go to the review section and look under some of the 4 and 5 star wet foods, that would be a good place to start. Also Kudos to you for not listening to your boyfriend about Beneful! That wouldn’t have been any better than the Science Diet.

Good Luck! 🙂

[somebodysme]

Isn’t that sarcoptic mange? It didn’t spread to you? I kind to thought that if she had that, then I’d have it too? I suppose it could be. The patches that pop up are red and inflamed looking, go away in a couple days…she is then left with a gray skin patch but there isn’t irritation on the skin anymore. Is that the sort of rash it would cause? Also, her back doesn’t itch. That’s one reason I thought maybe it was demodex because supposedly demodex doesn’t itch but sarcoptic mange does itch.

I’m really beginning to think that it was something that she had eaten that caused that to come up and get inflamed. It is all fading away now and she is on nothing but her food (NV LID Turkey) and a probiotic. All treats are just her kibble and no other supposedly LID treats anymore. No other supplements. There was a treat I’d bought that sounded like she shouldn’t have any problems with it..sweet potatoes and turkey and very little else but I do believe that was what she was allergic to. I think she’s allergic to sweet potatoes and white potatoes. I won’t know until I can add one new thing at a time though.

Thanks for that suggestion though, if it doesn’t go away I’ll ask the vet about that for sure!

• This reply was modified 12 years, 9 months ago by somebodysme.

[somebodysme]

I’ve also read that putting the food in the freezer kills those mites. I can’t remember how many days the article says…I’m sure googling it will tell you but I’m sure if you put it in there for a few days, that will kill them. I do remember that it said to allow the food to come to room temperature before you give it to them.

[kateagray]

Hi!

I’ve been posting in different threads with questions on different dog foods/supplements and then just realized…HELLO…there are forums on this website as well, thanks to Inkedmarie who suggested I check out a sub forum with different dog foods that were grain free with no potatoes. Thanks! I’ve decided to send my question out forum wise instead of post wise so I can keep better track of the advice that I am receiving.

Here is my dilemma:

In 2006 I took Nikki, my 13 year old Miniature Schnzauzer in for allergy testing – she is allergic to pretty much everything environmental is what I found out. She was on a duck and potato formula then. She had a couple of bouts of pancreatitis due to some pain medication she was prescribed for something else and then because someone in my family was naughty an fed her some sausage. My vet put her on a prescription diet of Purina HA. I believe that my vet is being super cautious as schnauzers are prone to bladder stones, pancreatitis/hyperlipidemia, and hypothyroidism. Nikki seems to do ok on this dog food, which I get but every time I ask her for an alternative she says absolutely not this is the only dog food she can tolerate. I don’t like that answer. There has to be alternatives.

I called them back recently and got a different vet in her practice – my regular vet is out for a time due to sick family member, and he couldn’t figure out why Nikki was on this dog food. He thinks it’s because of the food allergies. I ask him what food allergies and he can’t answer me. I thought she was on this food due to a sensitive stomach. So, I’m confused. I was also told to give her rice cakes as treats and tofu to give her any medications so that is all she has been getting. She can’t eat anything other than that is what she tells me and she pushes low protein which I’ve been reading may not be the answer. She’s been on this prescription diet for a few years and everything I’m reading now says that it might not be good to have a dog on that diet for so long. She’s been on and off antibiotics, anti bacterial pills, temaril p for years to help with her allergies and yeast infections. Nothing really seems to help and I’m worried I’ve just completely ruined her system with years of this. Purina HA has a low protein (18%) and fat content (8%) with hydrolyzed protein of soy. I honestly feel I can do better by her with a different dog food.

About a year ago Nikki was diagnosed with Melanoma. A tumor on the pad of her paw that was removed (but not a clean removal). She has been taking the Melanoma Vaccine every 6 months. The cancer does not look to have come back so far. (knock on wood) She also has gallstones that don’t seem to bother her but do show up in x-rays. She has a heart murmur and Also, on her last urinalysis I was told there was protein in her urine. We did a protein/creatinene ratio and it came back ok, so I’m told I don’t need to worry about that right now.

I’ve been researching dog food and supplements now for about 2 weeks and am now more confused than before. I purchased a probiotic from Nusentia (waiting to get it in the mail) that supposedly should help with her yeast issues and possibly allergies.

Do I stay with her current food and just give supplements or do I completely switch foods over (slowly)?

She’s 13 years old with a lot of health issues – I don’t want to rock the boat, but I also want to do my due diligence in finding her something to make her healthy and happy for the remainder of her life.

Thanks in advance for any info you can provide. I may have left some things out and if so, I’d be happy to clarify.

Kate

[spaniel39]

Morning
I got the same internal service error but yet got an email from them that it was received.
In any case, I heard from someone this morning via email-dawn
HDM, perhaps you can call her. Here’s the email (and my reply)
Good morning dawn,
I did not receive any email(s) from you and not available today as traveling but
could call tomorrow.
I am also going to relay your number to a member of dogfoodadvisor.com
whom you can speak to
But basically, just want to be sure that the canine caviar large breed lamb puppy dinner is 1.3 calcium/1.0 phosphorous instead of the higher and dangerous levels
of 2.3 and 2.0 written on the bag

Thank you
Michael S Bosse
Chicago

In a message dated 7/10/2013 8:33:37 A.M. Central Daylight Time, DBarraco@caninecaviar.com writes:

Good day Sir,

I have not heard back from you so I wanted to write again in case the email did not go through.
Once again, I have spoke with our support group and read your email.

May we have a conversation as there are several clarifying questions that I have?
I am eager to address your concerns.
Feel free to contact me or provide a number where I can call you.

We do appreciate your suggestion and willingness to help.

Sincerely,

Dawn Barraco
714 223 1800 office
970 576 8775 cell
dbarraco@caninecaviar.com

also, HDM
my email is spaniel39
and I’m on AOL

[Hound Dog Mom]

I attempted to forward my concerns to Canine Caviar this morning via the online contact form on their website but every time I hit submit it read “Internal Service Error” (surprise). I’ll try to call them later and see if that gets me anywhere.

[Mike Sagman]

Hi Milasmom,

Since we get so many requests, we would love to review this product. However, since we can’t find this info on a company website, we would need the following help from one of our readers:

1. A readable photo image of the complete ingredients list

2. A readable photo image of the label’s “Guaranteed Analysis”. This panel contain the protein, fat, fiber and moisture content of the recipe

3. Question: Is there only one recipe for Sheps Dog Food (flavor) — or are there different versions of the brand?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Mike Sagman, Editor
The Dog Food Advisor

[BlackAndTan]

It is the very rare dog owner who reads ingredients, much less nutritional breakdown. It is the even more rare dog owner who knows what any of it means, or is concerned.

I’m not surprised they feel no rush to change their bags. If pugmomsandy is correct, they are also under no obligation to do so. If anything, their labelling error could lose them customers, so they are doing this at THEIR own risk.

Going to news outlet seems a highly overblown reaction, and will unlikely be taken seriously. I would support that course of action if the food was toxic or the misprint was WILDLY misleading, but that is not the case here.

[Anonymous]

I’d think dog stomachs to be more sensitive than a chickens. Heck, I’ve seen chickens eat broken glass. Even still, there are writeups based on the nutritional value for things like poultry @ http://www.alpa.org.ve/ojs/index.php/ojs_files/article/view/22 . The protein it adds is the yeast and I’ve seen more and more of this in many foods now a days as it’s dirt cheap and easy. I end up with with massive amounts of it a year with other hobbies so it’s never been an issue to me. Just remember, it has a strong laxative effect in quantity and that might not be something you want to give your dog. 😉

Another option might be some mold derivatives that break down the same substance without causing the alcohol byproduct (which is what the mother is added to eat) if you’re going to go this route. Perhaps Monascus purpureus (Red Rice Yeast) or Aspergillus Oryzae (White Koji) mold with a yeast kicker would be a better option to accomplish the above task as they would further break down the starches and minerals plus create more yeast byproduct. They could also be done with the protein present without hurting anything at least for short periods of time. Be careful of the Red Rice Yeast if you go that route though as large amounts can be hard/dangerous on the kidneys.

In any event, when brewing fermented beverages the PH and alcohol content helps to kill off the dangerous pathogens. Similar thing with things like Sauerkraut minus the alcohol. But open air fermenting for short periods of time will up the rate of mold growth too so you wouldn’t want to do very much and feed it IMMEDIATELY after a short “fermentation.” Also, depending on your locale, open fermentations can produce some nasty flavors. We keep some dried sourdough starter to activate for making bread every so often since the flavors of open air done sourdough here are just terrible.

[Shihtzumom20]

Hi Hound Dog Mom,
I see what you mean about the Greens supplement now, I will just use a regular human multi vitamin. So here is my “meal plan” so lets see how close to right I get it, Lol!
am- Ziwipeak Daily Dog air dried cuisine-Lamb

pm- (I would make up a batch of a pound then divide it into his appropriate meal size)
– 1Ib boneless lean ground meat (chicken, beef, or pork) could I also use chunks for his size?
– 1/4 Ib vegetables, cooked and pureed… perhaps I could use organic baby food? To see if he will even eat any “slop” veggies?
– daily 1/4 tab multi-vit without calcium
-800mg calcium
– krill oil or another fish oil or sardines whatever I feel like that day lol.
– Swansons Glandular supplement, 3x a week or daily?
-Swansons Fruit concentrate, daily? or 3x a week?
How is that looking? Then I may need to add in the fiber, he does already get 1 tablespoon or so plain natural yogurt with his evening meal as his BM’s were fairly mushy on the Grandma Lucy’s Artisan. Speaking of that I guess I will use my leftovers as a kong stuffer or a quick meal… maybe give it a couple times a week in the am instead of his ziwi till its gone. He likes it well enough and I feel ok about it, but I would like it more if it didnt show up in his poop so much looking the same way it went in! Oh and maybe add some garlic into his meal… Does anyone know where I can get the Bugs Off Garlic in Canada? I looked on the website but it wouldnt ship to Canada at least when I last checked.
I completely agree, you are so patient with is newbies Hound Dog Mom, all your advice and time is greatly appreciated!

[Cyndi]

Hey Everyone! I have a question about pork necks. I haven’t given these to Bailey yet and I’d like to start. Right now I alternate chicken backs and turkey necks for her dinners and I’d like to start adding pork necks into the rotation. Do I have to freeze these for a certain length of time before I feed them, and why? I think I’ve read before that I do have to, but I couldn’t find where I read it.

Also, another question that has me wondering….. Bailey gets gas, really stinky gas, but I haven’t been able to narrow it down on what it is. I believe it might either be from the turkey livers or the whole ground rabbit carcass. Any ideas which it might be and why? She never had a problem with gas up until I started feeding those two things, which I started right about the same time, so I can’t figure it out which one it might be…

[BlackAndTan]

Hi everyone

I recently posted asking for gluten-free suggestions for my 6 year old rottie with a mild seizure history over the last year. I got some good suggestions and checked a number of products out, eventually landing on Canine Caviar (CC) (dry dinner, venison).

My big concern was that my dog’s Orijen had been making him sluggish in recent months, and the longtime producer of AWFUL (!!!!!!!) gas.

I am extremely happy with the CC. The gas is pretty well eliminated, bowel movements barely smell, but here’s the real kicker: my dog was always regular, but would often need to walk for an hour to be ready to ‘produce,’ even if he’d been moaning to go out. I figured it was a behavioural thing. But, since starting the CC, he will have a bm within a block of leaving home (and perfect, healthy formation). With the massive heat wave we’ve been having, and the risk of him over-exerting and over-stressing, this has been a lifesaver.

Just sharing this experience in case someone has a dog with mild constipation who must be gluten free. This could be a good solution for you. Might be the lower protein?

[EHubbman]

Hey Sbrooker, My guy is on the rabbit too (3.5 moz pup), we rotate that and the LID Turkey (with some canned here and there to keep it interesting). To introduce probiotics into his diet, I started giving him a small amount of regular plain yogurt with meals(not vanilla, not light or low fat, and made sure that the label notes that live cultures are used.). The other people on this thread likely have much better suggestions, but this was just my experience. It’s helped my guy digest a lot better. Also, yogurt with a 3.5 month old pup.is pretty hilarious to watch. Haha!