[Anonymous]

We have two shelter dogs: Bennie, some kind of border/bernese mix, 3 years old, adopted 1.5 years ago; and Fidget, a female doberman(?), 1 year old, adopted 6 months ago.

I have a husband who, if the dog doesn’t finish his bowl of kibble, dresses up the kibble with whatever he can find in the refrigerator — teaching the dog, of course that, if he holds out, he’ll get goodies on his food. When the husband is away on business, I put down a bowl of kibble with nothing else, and the dog finishes his plate.

Bennie kind of liked Purina One Beyond, but I know it’s not a great food and, if I remember right, we were at the point where it always had to be ‘dressed up.’

When we adopted Fidget, she had soft stool issues, and I read that Dobies have sensitive stomachs and should switch foods slowly. In addition, she has spay incontinence, so I am now trying to get her on a grain-free diet.

We’d like both dogs to eat the same food. We need the food to be at least 4 stars, if possible, and AFFORDABLE (10-12 cents an ounce, preferably). We prefer to feed just kibble, if possible. No raw. We’re lazy people, but want healthy dogs (and are trying to make that NOT a contradiction).

We’ve tried Victor and Dave’s grain free kibbles, so far, but Bennie won’t eat ’em. (Fidget, fortunately, will eat ANYTHING … and EVERYTHING.)

Any suggestions for a PARTICULARLY TASTY, grain-free, healthy, affordable kibble, that I could try with Bennie? We want something he’ll LOVE the taste of.

I have tried (when the husband was away, and Bennie seems to eat with fewer incentives) samples of Nutrisource and Hi-Tek but, if anyone has any suggestions for anything CHEAPER than that but still healthy, please let me know.

Thanks

[DieselJunki]

So I am going to be switching to completely raw here shortly as I just bought a chest freezer (best investment ever). I was wondering if you all could help me out in figuring out what kind of muscle meat/organ meat/bone I would need to get for a whole month if I were to order it from a site such as MPC.

My dog Moose is around 7 months old and I usually feed him about 1.5 cups of honest kitchen 2 times a day. Right at the moment he is being boarded for a couple weeks and when I get him back I’ll double check his weight but I’d say he weighs 50lbs or so right now.

Now if I were to feed 3% of his body weight I would be feeding him 1.5lbs of food a day. If I were to say I needed a months worth of food (30 days) I would need 45lbs of food . That doesn’t really split it up between what I would need for organ meats, muscle meats, and bone. I am not so good with math and was hoping you guys could walk me through the process of figuring this all out! I would very much appreciate it so later on I can do the calculations myself.

From reading around it seems if your not feeding a whole prey model diet you should go with food consisting of 80% muscle meat, 10% bone, and 10% organ meat, 5% of which must be liver over the course of 1 week. But from my understanding you don’t have to feed it balanced everyday. You could feed straight muscle meat one day and then maybe a few turkey necks or something (I understand they are mostly bone) another and then give them some liver or other organ meats. So long as by the end of the week you met the 80/10/10 percentages.

[Honeybeesmom1]

I saw chicken feet at my grocery store this morning! I was grossed out and excited at the same time. LOL I know I’ve read here they are rich in glucosamine & chondroition, high in fat and perfect for smaller dogs.
Mine are 5-13 lbs. Do I give a whole one or half? How often should I give and can I freeze them?
The package had about 15 in it. Thanks.

[BarneyBo]

Hi, PLEASE, NEED ASSISTANCE FROM OTHER PET PARENTS! About 10 days ago we got a Yahoo News alert stating the FDA was re-releasing a pet food recall list with 180 companies’ pet foods on them, (including Iams, Eukanuba, Purina, Alpo, Science Diet, ETC.)
Reason given was the food (wet, dry and some treats) have toxins in them, chemicals called melamime and cyulaic acid, when combined together they can cause kidney disease in dogs and they could die from it.
Our 9-year-old Labrador/Rhodesian Ridgeback mix, Barney, had passed away suddently just about a week before, on April 3, 2013, and the symptoms described for this kidn of poisoning sound a lot like what he had.
Please pass on any info you have on this. The FDA list was released in 1997, but apparently made the news again recently because of these pet foods causing new outbreaks of salmonella. How do we know that any of these pet food companies cleaned up their act since this recall in 2007? How do we know any pet food is safe?
Our Bishon Frise, Bo, who is 6, is lost without Barney. When he joined our family as a 5-month-old puppy (who is learning disabled due to being dropped on his head by his former owner), Barney was already here, and as “big brother,” he taught Bo everything he knows. Now he howls, hangs his head, looks for Barney everywhere, and will not eat. He has been showing signs of kidney disease as well, drinking a lot of water for one thing. He will be getting checked out at the vet asap.
When I called the vet about Barney, and later mentioned about the recall, he advised me to throw out the dog food and fix Bo chicken with rice, Tums, and to bring him in for a checkup.
We are scared of the long-term exposure Bo has had from the same food Barney ate, mostly small-sized crunchy type Kibbles and Bits types of dry food, and Alpo wet food.
Can anyone help us and give us some direction on this? Why would a list that was released in 2007 be re-released in 2013? Evidently at that time (2007) the govt. said this batch came from China, but who knows if any of it is safe? It appears the FDA is not too stringent on these companies or our own government’s standards. Experiencing outrage, grief and extreme concern for our surviving pet and many, many other dogs, cats, horses and their owners who have suffered needlessly. The ASCPA web site has a lot of great info on this. Thank you and God bless. -Barney and Bo’s Mom and Dad

[Scout0421]

We recently adopted a 6 month old lab mix, after our 15 year old lab mix passed away from old age. We went through a rather frustrating time in more recent years with all the dog food recalls, so I was careful to do my homework before bringing the new pup home – ultimately settling on Fromm Four Star Nutritionals Grain Free kibble. While I was out of town on business, my husband took our pup for his first check-up at the vet. I was very surprised to hear after the fact that our vet was NOT pleased with our selection of dog food. She told my husband that Fromm does a very good job of marketing itself, but she feels there are better foods out there. Specifically, Eukanuba, Purina One, Royal Canin or Hill’s Science Diet. I’m slightly suspicious of these recommendations as the vet’s off sells two of the three brands she recommended. I’m actually stunned that she prefers Purina One over Fromm’s.

I thought we had really done our due diligence selecting a quality food, make with quality ingredients, that had never been recalled. Now I don’t know what to think. Either what I’ve read is way off base, or our vet is a terrible source of advice on canine nutrition. Thoughts?

[dogsatplay]

pattyvaughn, thank you for the information regarding the updates. I’d like to point out that no where have I demanded that Dr. Sagman do an immediate update. I’m just asking. And to InkedMarie, thanks for the apology. You are, however, wrong to assume that I haven’t already read the reviews on this Web site, and the articles, especially those on choosing a good dog food, or that I won’t do it again if I decide to change foods. I’ve researched beyond “DFA” as well. May I suggest http://www.dogfoodproject.com, and http://www.thepetfoodlist.com for interesting information on who makes the foods? You can also get deeper information about the companies themselves simply by searching Wikipedia.

[NectarMom]

Patty is right Weimlove and we were using Darwin’s and my baby is now in intensive care and staying at the Vet for who knows how long. My bill is already $1300 but if they can make her well and then money is no object. I plan to probably put her back on Brothers Allergy since they changed the ingredients back to where they were the first go round. She did fine on it until they added that fish oil so we will give it a shot. Sometimes things do not work out and you have to do what is best for your furry babies health. As far as my research Darwin’s was lower in fat than most pre-made Raw and Darwin’s came highly recommended. Yes I am aware that licking in the air is Nausea but this was not that type of lick, she was trying to get in the others bowls to eat and licking. She will also lick in the air with acid reflux.

Thanks for the well wishes everyone. Weimlove Best of luck to you with your baby.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Honeybeesmom –

I would read to deeply into the posts from “texasmom” or “smitty.” Neither have every posted on the forum before. The above poster has attacked numerous other products on DFA and whenever he does several posters that have never posted on DFA before come out of the blue and agree with him. Coincidence? Possibly, but I doubt it. It’s quite humorous to me actually.

If you still no longer want to try Spot’s Dinner Mix there are lots of other options. I’ve never tried U-Stew. I tried Dr. Harvey’s Veg-to-Bowl once and all the vegetables came out the same way they went in. Dr. Harvey’s has since come out with a new Veg-to-Bowl Fine Ground in which the vegetables are granulated instead of in chunks – I’ve ordered a small bag to try, I’m assuming it will digest better but I haven’t had a chance to try it yet. I like THK’s Preference. My all time favorite pre-mix though is Urban Wolf. It’s whole-food based and powdered. It’s not too attractive looking but I find that the powdered formula digests better than other pre-mixes (such as THK, Sojo’s and Dr. Harvey’s). You have to add liver, eggs and oil to Urban Wolf. The only suggestion I would have if you do decide to try it is don’t add as much oil as the recipe calls for – just add the fish oil and omit the sunflower/canola oil it calls for. If you’re feeding predominantly poultry, add 2 tsp. flax oil to each recipe and if you’re using predominantly red meat add 2 tsp. hempseed or walnut oil to each recipe (you don’t need to add these if you rotate between poultry and red meats).

[dogsatplay]

Reading here I learned that Merrick bought Castor and Pollux in 2012, and that the ingredients list includes poultry meal, instead of chicken meal. They also now list poultry fat, instead of chicken fat. I called Merrick today, and a customer service rep said C&P made that change before the sale, and that they use the term poultry meal because the front of the bag claims to have organic chicken, which it does, but the meal, is not organic. Regulations (I think she said AAFCO’s) say it cannot be called chicken meal (!). She declared that it is chicken meal and that the FAQ on their web page explains this. Checking the FAQ, I found it says Ultramix contains chicken meal, but it to me it appears to say Organix contains chicken and turkey meal, under the term, poultry meal. I’d like the label to be clearer. Also, one of the FAQ’s is, ‘what’s in the poultry meal?’ The answer is ambiguous at best: chicken and turkey with the fat melted down and removed. Nothing about muscle meat, organ meat, whole chicken, chicken parts, etc. I think it’s time for an update of the review of Organix, especially in light of the fact that it is now made by Merrick. I’m already studying other brands with the possibility that I might switch again.

[REASMITH]

Have a 10 yr old Boxer who has a sensitive stomach and also “chews” his paws. He has been eating Iams ProActive Health mini chunks, but recently has started vomiting “little piles”. I need advice on which is the best canned food to feed him. He doesn’t chew the dry food, so therefore, canned food will be the best option. Several years ago he was diagnosed with pancreatitis and recovered and no problems until now. I have read information on several canned foods that will help with sensitive tummy and allergies, such as chewing paws. Any advice will be appreciated and I value advice from dog lovers and hands on experience.

• This topic was modified 4 years ago by Mike Sagman. Reason: Fix Duplicate Topic Title

[spoonyspork]

Oh, my female (the one with the problems with any other food than she currently gets) is much younger than my old boy I’m talking about in this thread. She has her food issues too (mostly that even though we only give her about half of what the bag says to give, she is still FAT) but it’s the old boy I’m trying to get to eat. He won’t touch the kibble now, even mixed with lots of wet food.

I went shopping last night armed with the 4-star-or-better list, and after starring in horror at prices (not to mention noting he’d have to eat at least three cans a day and he has trouble finishing *one* can), I ended up going with something that only has 3.5 stars but I thought he’d eat: Sojos ‘raw’ food. I realize it’s not the *best* (and I’d love to be able to make my own but that’s not really an option), but figure it’s better than him just not eating. I also know it wasn’t good to just go cold-turkey like that but since he won’t touch his kibble and has only been eating the wet food from the vet the last week, it was again better than nothing.

Anyway, as soon as I unsealed the bag he perked up and walked over to me, doing his ‘I’m not actually begging but OMG what is that?!’ thing. I mixed it up and set it on the counter and walked away, and he sat in front of the counter starring for the whole hour until feeding time. He gobbled up half right away, wandered off for a while, then came and ate the other half and licked the mess (which there was quite a lot of — it soaked for way longer than the bag said to and I think it should have gone even longer) off the floor. This whole time the other dog – who is separated off from him during food time as she steals food – was barking like crazy wanting to try it too (usually she just stands and watches) XD

Reading the review on this site, it looks like it might actually be a good option for *both* dogs with a bit of supplementation added? It’s only a little more expensive per serving than TOTW, and might help with the girl’s weight problem and more fat could be added for the old boy.

[Hound Dog Mom]

I agree with Patty – you need some source of fiber. Whether it’s fur, feathers, bone, vegetables or a fiber supplement (like psyllium). And if you’re only feeding boneless make sure you’re supplementing with calcium (800 – 1,000 mg. per lb. of meat). If you’re already feeding fish oil there’s no reason you can’t give the olive oil in addition to that if it’s helping. Olive oil won’t supply the EFA’s a dog needs (why they need fish or fish oil) but it won’t hurt anything and if it’s helping her poop I’d keep doing it. I do agree with Tracy that it may just be normal for Gemma to only poop every other day. I can say that I’ve never had a dog that only pooped every other day and I don’t know of any other dogs like that – but if her stools look normal and she doesn’t seem constipated I wouldn’t worry too much about it.

[spoonyspork]

Okie, I’m sorry this is so long, but want to give as much background as possible for the best choice in foods.

I have an older dog — 14 years old, lab/plott hound mix, currently approximately 60 lbs and looks a little on the lean side to my liking.

We’ve been feeding him Taste of the Wild (can never remember the exact one as I just grab it based on color — it has ducks on the bag?) dry since adopting him 5 years ago, and he has thrived pretty good on that. When we first got him from the shelter he had bald patches all over (almost completely bald on the bottom half) caused by a severe allergy to fleas, and was also rather overweight. Within a few weeks he was lean and shiny with a much higher energy level, etc.

Well over the last year he has begun to show his age. He’s been developing benign tumors all over (each is kept checked by the vet), and his hair has again been falling out. He also constantly has a flea problem despite lots of flea treatments and keeping both inside and outside as flea free as possible (we have no carpet in the house and his bed is switched and washed weekly). In spite of this, he still has a very high energy level and good weight though he’d been starting to look a little TOO lean despite upping the amount of food.

But last week I thought sure I was about to lose him. Long story short, he was diagnosed with vestibular disease and sent home, told it usually improves on its own and the cause is usually never figured out unless it’s tumors on the nerves or an obvious ear infection, but if he improves it’s likely not tumors. He did improve, but the next day his appetite was gone and later started squirting diarrhea that was more blood than stool (hours prior it was normal stool)… so straight back to the vet where he was additionally found to have a GI infection, and put on antibiotics and a wet canned food (Hills I/D). Additionally, the vet suggested I put him on a combo flea/worm pill since topical stuff doesn’t seem to be helping him anymore. His stool sample didn’t show worms or larvae/eggs. I said no to the pill as I wanted to research it first (which I’m pretty sure will be a ‘no’ after reading the side effects! Even just the common side effects were terrible)

It’s been a week now, and he’s slooooowly gained back an appetite as well as near normal mobility (slight head-tilt as I was told would probably happen as well as random missteps or falling over if he tries to take off at a run too quickly)… and now will not *touch* his dry food beyond a couple bites. He doesn’t seem to be being picky about it (and really isn’t a picky dog at all as a rule) — he seems to have trouble actually eating it — after a few bites his head starts to tilt worse and he seems to lose focus and get dizzy, then lose interest. I do have to put his bowl somewhere off the floor as keeping his head down for the amount of time it takes to eat seems to make him dizzy again. His stools are almost normal again though he still seems very raw and sore while trying to ‘go’. I was considering getting more of the I/D from the vet as I thought surely they gave it to us based on it being something easy on his stomach… but reading the ingredients here I’m kind of surprised he didn’t get *worse* on it.

So now my actual point! He is out of the ‘food’ from the vet so this afternoon’s meal will have to be something different (don’t worry; he’ll eat *something* if I don’t get an answer for a while!). I have the looong list of ‘best wet foods’ and was thinking of just switching to taste of the wild wet formula, but I wanted to make sure that is the ‘best’ choice as far as cost-effectiveness as well as with an older dog with the background he has (fleas, skin condition, benign tumors, etc).

I will say I have tried some freeze-dried ‘raw’ diets in the past and my dogs just never seemed to do well with it, and the extra cost, mess, amount needed to feed our large dogs etc just didn’t seem worth it. I will also say I am now somewhat leery of taste of the wild in general, as I may be taking the other dog to the vet as she’s been having very loose stools the last few days too (no blood or pure liquid like his were, but we’re keeping an eye on her) and she just started being fed from the same freshly-opened bag he’d been eating from last week (she had been eating from the older bag while he’d been eating from the freshly opened bag. Trust me it makes sense — they get different amounts that are separated by meal so sometime one ends up eating from a different bag than the other for a couple days)

Okay, I think I’ve given as much info as possible, lol. Thanks for any help!

[InkedMarie]

hi HDM,
Thanks for answering. She was eating mostly boneLESS and still sometimes not pooping unless I gave her olive oil so it appears the amount of boneless doesnt seem to matter much with her. As far as her stools, she hasn’t been a great pooper since we got her, it would take her a few minutes to get it out. Then, 2 or 3 weeks, I think, after we got her is when she ended up stopped up and had to have an enema at the vets. So, I honestly dont know how she has pooped. She was on kibble before we got her.
Before I posted here, I emailed Tracy at Hare Today. I thought she was home from vacation but wasn’t sure which is why I posted here too. This is her response:

“You are feeding 7 ounces a day right now. Is the dog maintaining weight at this? I had said to start at 6.72 ounces so you are a bit over the amount per day I would start with. Do you have a scale and weighing out portions?

Get sardine/anchovy oil or salmon oil which is fish based and use that as a daily supplement not olive oil. Olive oil is not species appropriate for a carnivore.

Try to do 4 meals of all boneless and by all means start feeding the tripe as a stand alone meal, as tripe has a lot of amino acids in it. Do every 5th or 6th meal with the meat/bone/organ grind and once a week add a tablespoon or so of the organ blend and see what happens. As I said you may need to keep tweaking this for her and see what works best. Again some dogs don’t poop every day which can be normal. I personally would not worry about it as long as she is having a BM every other day or every 3rd day.
Another thing you can do is feed a meal of a raw egg. Raw egg will also help loosen stools. Too much can cause diarrhea though so start slowly.”

My response to her is that yes, I apparently have been overfeeding a bit. I do have a scale, she already gets salmon oil. She gets a whole egg once or twice a week, the diarrhea hasn’t happened on those days but I’ll do half an egg. I told her if she poops every other day, I will have to live with that but NOT if it’s diarrhea. I have tripe and ground organs thawing now. I am going to put a tablespoon of tripe into the dogs ice cube trays and freeze them. I do that with the herring.
Comments on what Tracy said? Will check out the GI Detox

[pugmomsandy]

Yikes! You can also get there by going straight to dogforums(dot)com and searching for “raw feeding pictures thread”.

[Cyndi]

Thank you BRR3, very much! & Thanks pugmomsandy, I will check that out….. My biggest fear, and the reason I haven’t started my dog on all raw yet, is because I’m so afraid I won’t be able to give her or find the right variety she needs. The more I read up on what people feed their dogs the more confusing it is. I’m the type of person who likes easy. Yes, call me lazy, I admit I am, but it sure doesn’t sound easy to find all the things raw feeders feed their dogs. I have grocery stores by me, only one local butcher though. I haven’t checked with these places yet to find out costs and what’s available. I know it would get easier over time, once I get the hang of it, but I guess I’m just scared, because it’s up to me to make sure I’m giving her the right variety. I blame myself for the death of my other dog, because I had to put him down because I didn’t want to put him thru a bunch of tests and stuff at his age. The vet didn’t know what it was that went wrong with him and I believe it was a combination of feeding crappy commercial dog food, topical flea stuff and/or vaccinations.

I’ve looked up sample menus of raw feeders, hoping I guess to find that “one” that makes me say, ‘Yeah, THAT I can do’ but there is just so many things that people feed and to me it’s just overwhelming. I’m just afraid that I would give my Bailey the wrong things or not enough of the right things or whatever.

Thank you all for all your help. I guess it’s just up to me when I feel comfortable enough to make the switch. I really do appreciate all the help. I’ll just keep reading and researching and eventually, hopefully, I’ll just do it…

[Anonymous]

Hi Cyndi,

Prey Model Raw is by far the easiest and cheapest way to feed raw, in my opinion. You can spend as much or as little as you want. Since you only have one dog, it isn’t necessary to have to stock up and freeze meat if you don’t have the room or money. Your 50 lb. dog will probably need only need 1 to 1 1/2 lbs. of food per day. Buy a pack or bag of chicken leg quarters, and work around that, filling in the rest of the diet with different proteins/organs that are on sale/clearance. This does not have to be complicated, and it’s all about “balance over time”.

Of course you will want/need to feed variety, but I find that this is very affordable when you make chicken the staple. If you can get some chicken backs at the meat market, start with those for at least a couple days. They are soft/bony and recommended to start with. If you can’t find them, you can use leg quarters. You are fine feeding just chicken for a couple weeks. You will however need to start alternating in some boneless meals (every other meal if you feed 2x per day or every other day) or your dog may get too constipated from the bone. All 3 of my dogs are different, and one dog can handle more bone. You learn these things as you go along, and you adjust the diet accordingly.

Once your dog adjusts to chicken, you move onto something like turkey for a couple weeks. You can alternative it w/meals of chicken. Then you will move on to pork, beef, etc.

Heart is very rich yet very nutritious, and it’s considered muscle meat, not organ meat. It can be a staple as well for most of your boneless meals. You are fine feeding a meal of canned sardines/mackerel instead of raw once a week or so.

You don’t even need to worry about organ meat for at least 2 months. When you DO introduce it, go very slow or your dog will most likely end up with diarrhea. I’d even personally start out feeding small amounts of it along with a bony meal. Only 5 to 10% of the diet needs to be organ meat. You need to feed liver, and it’s best you feed another organ as well. If you feed chicken backs at first, your dogs will get some of the little organs that are attached early on–I never removed any of them and all was fine.

Here are foods I feed/have fed: Chicken – Frames, Backs, Leg Quarters, Legs, Breasts, Necks (to my smallest dog), Thighs, Hearts/Gizzards, Feet, Liver. Turkey: Necks, ground. Pork: Butt, Chops, Roast, Heart, Kidney, Liver, Pigs Feet. Beef: Heart, Ground, Steaks, Roast, Liver. Duck: Heads, Feet, Wings. Fish: Various frozen (thawed) and canned sardines/mackerel.

I recommend you read WORK WONDERS by Tom Lonsdale. It’s a wonderful book and easy to read/understand. Even he says that many peoples’ dogs do fine on primarily all chicken. I know my dogs get a lot of it.

Also, check out: http://www.preymodelraw.com. This site helped me learn how to feed properly.

If you’re not comfortable, you could always do a partial raw diet. I have actually been doing that for almost a couple months because I am having a graduation party soon and desperately need my freezer space for that food. So, I have been feeding part PMR and part kibble to 2 of my dogs, and PMR/canned to my other dog. Once the kibble is gone and the party is over, I would like to go back to mostly PMR, but would like to incorporate some days of canned food. Maybe you could do that OR feed raw along w/the FreshPet.

Hope this helps. Again, these are my opinions and what has worked for my dogs.

[BlueDog]

Yay Cyndi! I have also recently (as in yesterday) started researching a raw food diet for my 50lb ACD. I found a page (and forgot to bookmark) that helped me decide that with his weight range, I should give him about 1000 Cal/day, or about 1.25lb each day of food, including boneless meat and raw meaty bones. HDM’s suggestions are great, and I went today all around town to local butchers, grocery stores, and even a vet that has knowledge and that supports raw food diets. I made a list of what each place had to offer based on who had better prices on things, especially harder to find things like beef hearts and turkey necks. Ended up buying 3 fryer chickens that were on sale for $0.77 a lb, and some other stuff on sale. My plan is to establish my budget that I can devote to this, price everything up, and start saving. And also to buy meat when I see it for a great price. We are lucky in my area to have access to a local butcher, several grocery stores (HEB has had the best selection of doggy type meats for decent prices) and also a natural/organic food store that has a ton of the great supplements that I have seen mentioned. Check the “Transitioning to raw” thread on this section of the forum, it has a lot of great info and I think a sample recipe from HDM. There’s also a thread “Suggested raw dog food menus” that has several recipes that HDM and others have posted.

[pugmomsandy]

Invest in a commercial grinder. I can grind almost 100 lbs in 15 minutes. I usually buy body parts instead of whole birds also and just drop them down the grinder chute. It will pay for itself in time saved and you can also buy bone-in meats. Then I just pack it in containers or baggies. Depending on your size dog, a gallon ziplock will hold 6-7 lbs instead of packing individual servings. Pack what you can use in 3 days. I already had 16 oz Solo containers that I was using. You can get a roll of 25 or 50 at a restaurant supply store and of course they have different sizes. They are re-usable and are ok in the dishwasher top rack. I get mine at AceMart Restaurant Supply.

I grind into a large gray tub like restaurants use for bussing tables. Can be found at SamsClub or other stores or restaurant supply stores. That way I have room to mix the grind up with my hands then I use a big ice cream scoop for portioning. There are various sizes at a restaurant supply store. I only have to clean the grinder parts, the big tub and utensils.

[tonwol]

I am considering switching my 15 year old lab/shepherd mix’s dog food. I am currently feeding Royal Canin Hypoallergenic Selected Protein Large Breed Adult PW prescription diet. It is a potato (white potato) and white fish (herring) limited ingredient diet. The reason that I am looking to switch is due to cost. The price has been increasing on and off for the last 3 years and the last time I picked up a bag from my vet it was nearly $106.00 for a 26.4 lb bag, one month ago it was $98.00. She has been on a prescription diet since she was only 5 years old and has had many health problems so I have reservations about switching. She has inflammatory bowel disease and heart disease. Specifically she has an enlarged heart, leaking mitral valve and leaking tricuspid valve. She also had pancreatitis three times in her earlier years. She is on an ACE inhibitor and diuretic for her heart (Enalapril and Furosemide). The prescription diet is for her IBD and not her heart.

What I am looking for is a food with a fish based protein source. I would like to keep her on herring but I am not finding many OTC foods that have herring and after reading about the California Natural recall that one no longer a choice for us.

I have some questions about the fish and potato sources.
How big of a difference would it be to switch her from herring to a different fish like salmon? Would it make a big difference if the potato source is sweet potato vs. white potato?
Would it make a big difference if she has been eating a food with only one fish source and I switch her to a food that contains many different fish sources like Orijen’s 6 Fish formula?
Lastly, her current food does not have any Omega 3 or 6 added and my vet has advised against giving her Omega 3 supplements due to her IBD and pancreatitis in the past, therefor would it pose problems if I switch her to a food that has added Omega’s in addition to the fish source?

The brands I am currently researching are Evo, Orijen, Wellness, Canine Caviar, Innova Prime, Fromm, Diamond Naturals or Earthborn Holistic. Do any of these brands stand out in a nutritional aspect more than others? Are there any other brands with a fish formula that I am missing that may be an option for her?

I am sorry this is so long. Any help at all would be so very much appreciated!

Thank You,
Tonya

[DieselJunki]

I use a Vittles Vault rated for a 40lb bag of food. It has worked well for me. I have been having a hard time with ants however I have a bag of opened ferret food in the same pantry so it is quite possibly that.

As far as opening and closing the bin twice a day (or however many times you feed) I would imagine would have some effect on the food. Although I’m no expert and can’t really say for sure. I think I remember reading somewhere where someone said their dog seemed less enthusiastic about the food the closer it got to the end of the bag.

I have never heard of your pet silo system but it sounds nifty. I’ll have to look into it.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Lola –

I wouldn’t say that holistic foods are any less safe than non-holistic foods and I wouldn’t shy away from higher quality foods just because some have issues or have had issues in the past. For every holistic food with quality issues there’s a non-holistic food out there with quality issues as well. It’s important to research the manufacturer prior to feeding the food. Call the company and ask questions – ask if they’ve had recalls, if yes – ask what the recalls were for, ask if they outsource production, if yes – ask where, ask where they source their ingredients, the grade of the ingredients, etc. etc. Check online forums such as this before feeding a food to read the opinions of people who have actually fed it. It’s important to do your homework. There are many very reputable companies that make natural foods. Also, keep in mind no company is immune to experiencing a recall. A recall can happen to any company at any time and shouldn’t necessarily be grounds for dismissing a company – some very reputable companies experience recalls the important thing is how they handle the recall and what measures they take to ensure the same mistake won’t happen again the future.

[NectarMom]

I was feeding Wellness 95% turkey mixed in enough to coat the evening dinner but after reading up on it and seeing it has caraggeenan in it and it does not sound like a good ingredient to feed so I am ordering some Weruva kurbuta hero because it has organic turkey but also has some ham. I don’t feel completely safe feeding wellness. What does anyone think of Weruva. I still have enough kibble I want to use up and not waste so they need a can food to help them eat the Brothers allergy food or other wise it would sit there untouched. We are doing Darwin ‘s Raw in the morning and kibble with a topper in the evening until we run out of kibble and then it is all Raw.

[soho]

If I could suggest just one resource for anyone interested in learning the ABC’s and XYZ’s of Diabetes it would be this book by Dr Richard K Bernstein:

“Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution: The Complete Guide to Achieving Normal Blood Sugars.”
It is available on Amazon in hardcover and Kindle e-book editions.

The title is a little misleading as there is no cure for Diabetes. But don’t worry you will learn more about Diabetes then you ever imagined by reading this book. Dr Bernstein was an Engineer who was dissatisfied with the state of Diabetes management when he became diabetic about 65 years ago. He developed what was at the time the revolutionary concept of LOW CARBOHYDRATE CONSUMPTION. Dr B then became a doctor so he could better share his methods for managing diabetes with the rest of the world. Dr B has the blood sugar of a non-diabetic and you cannot tell he is a diabetic through blood tests!

This book applies to human diabetics but the major issues are the same for humans and canines. In both species diabetes is characterized by a breakdown (autoimmune or otherwise) of the body’s ability to produce insulin. And in both humans and canines insulin is the hormone responsible for assimilating sugars into the cells.

[pvelandia86]

Thank you Germansheppups for your reply!

Yes, they have done all kind of tests, blood, ultra sound, they also gave him a liquid to see if something was blocking his system, and nothing, no cancer, no illnesses, he is very healthy but very skinny because he vomits all the time.

We gave him all kind of medication and only one worked which was brought from a South American country, but we cant give him that all his life. He was on it for like a month and at the end of the month he was vomiting maybe once a week which was amazing. But, i don’t think is healthy for him to be in that med all his life.
I will check with the vet about the whipworms and also for the Cerenia and see if they have tried that already, if not then get the prescription for it. He pukes a lot of water that we don’t even know where it comes from, even thought we give him several times in small dosages otherwise he would puke all day long water. Sometimes we give him PeptoBismol and that helps for the day, but if we do not give it to him, then its just the same….

I will check on that food and see if that helps, thank you so much for your reply, i will let you know if we can finally find a cure form him…

[pugmomsandy]

The Honest Kitchen has a couple of grain free foods and the ingredient lists are quite short compared to alot of foods and both your pugs can eat it. My pugs eat the Zeal formula on occasion. The pugs at my house also eat Brothers Complete, Nutrisca and Nutrisource Grain Free for kibbles. You might want to give (if you’re not currently doing so) daily probiotics/digestive enzymes to both your pugs to help with gut health and immune system. For canned food, Merrick 96% grain free is very simplistic as well and has vits/minerals so can be fed daily as a meal not just as a topper. Also you might want to give tripe a try – raw green tripe. You can find this in the frozen section at the pet store. It is very easily digested and has natural probiotics in it already. I’ll attach an article about it when I get home if someone else doesn’t do it first! Go to greentripe.com and use their store locator. Some better pet boutiques and feedstores will have it. If you join a yahoo group such as a BARF group, the members can probably help you locate a local source for tripe. There’s also canned tripe although not as good as raw tripe. Merrick and Solid Gold and Tripett have canned tripe. The pugs absolutely love tripe. They even get tripe spring chews instead of bully sticks. For raw tripe my boys eat 6 oz a day. For canned food they will eat one can a day.

How much BB were you feeding and which formula? When I used BB Wilderness the pugs only ate 2/3 cup a day total. One of my fosters lost 10 lbs on a diet consisting of canned food and raw food only. He started at 38 lbs.

[kdaniels16]

We currently use blue B for our 8 yr old pugs but I can tell they don’t like it and I am ready to change brands due to the concerns I’ve read about BB here on these forums. One pug is overweight and the other has a lot of digestion issues due to a very invasive intestinal surgery she had. Any suggestions? We generally buy our food from one of the big name pet stores but I am willing to buy from Amazon as well. I don’t want to have to buy from my vet as we’ve moved recently (to Wichita Ks) and have not cared for the two vets we’ve tried thus far.

[texasniteowl]

Hey all…I’m completely new here but have looked at a ton of the reports on the 4 & 5* rated foods. I have a 6yr old mixed breed (some lab) that we adopted at the end of December.
(Also, thru these descriptions, pls keep in mind that it’s been 20 years since I had a dog. We had some dogs when I was a child, but I haven’t had one as an adult.)

Anyway, Wilson came to us on Purina One Smartblend Lamb & Rice. I already knew that wasn’t a great quality food, so after a couple weeks I moved him to Fromm’s Duck & Sweet Potato.

That transition went pretty well but we’ve been fighting allergy issues since we got him. Now, it may turn out that he is just allergic to our grass (bermuda) and there is nothing to be done really, but I’m willing to experiment. (Also, he came to us with an ear infection, so we had lots going on there initially.)

About 3 weeks ago I bought a bag of Earthborn Holistic Great Plains Feast grain free (bison meal and also some lamb meal) from my local pet store (and they carry a great selection of grain free lines…Orijen, Acana, Wellness, Canidae, Cal. Natural, Taste of the Wild, Earthborn, Fromm’s and more…the only main one I wondered about was Merrick which they do not carry). We started off with a 1/4 new to 3/4 old. Wilson had some soft stool (but not diarrhea) for several days…it was almost a week before I moved the ratio up to half and half. We stayed on half and half for two weeks. Initially he also had soft stool again…but it also seemed like it alternated more…very firm (seemed like he was straining) one time and the next time, soft. Sometimes hard and soft at the same trip outside.

Also, he’s developed dandruff and is shedding a lot. Now, we are in Texas and we are having weather in the 70’s to even low 80’s one day already, so part of that is just the season. However, thru Jan. & Feb. he hardly shed at all. But the dandruff? And he also seems to me to be doing more butt dragging than previously. And he’s been doing a lot of paw licking and chewing the whole time we’ve had him.

Just yesterday, I finally upped his kibble to 3/4 new and 1/4 old. His morning poo was hard and seemed straining. His late afternoon poo was soft. (Not soft serve ice cream soft, but soft.)

I know it may be hard to separate the food reaction from the season or other issues (dryness in the house?/low humidity?) but all these things together have me leaning towards ditching the Earthborn and going back to his Fromm’s Duck & Sweet Potato for a bag and then trying a different grain free.

Any feedback or suggestions? I was thinking that I should maybe look for grain free that is duck or fish based since he did well on Fromm’s Duck & Sweet Potato? Also I noticed that the Earthborn is potato free (has peas and tapioca)…maybe I should try a grain free with potato or at least sweet potatoes?

I guess any feedback or suggestions you have as far as what to try or what to look for in behavior/reactions when changing food would be welcome.

Thanks.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi rdpalmer –

I can’t say for sure that the food is the issue, but I can say that Purina Healthy Morsels is an extremely low quality product. Have you read the review? The food contains several “red flag” ingredients and has only received a 1 star rating. There’s nothing “healthy” about those morsels. I would highly recommend you switch to a better quality food. There are several 3 and 4 star foods that won’t break the bank – Pure Balance, NutriSource, Fromm Classics, 4Health, Diamond Naturals, Chicken Soup, Whole Earth Farms, Healthwise, Eagle Pack, Pro Pac, Professional, Premium Edge, etc. Most of these foods are under $45 for the largest bag (~30 – 40 lbs.). The glucosamine is good for the dog with joint issues – you may also want to add chondroitin and MSM in addition to a natural anti-inflammatory like Boswellia or Turmeric. I would not recommend giving your dogs vitamins, balanced commercial foods contain all the vitamins and minerals your dogs need – more is not necessary better as many vitamins and minerals can be toxic when consumed in excess. Changing to a better quality food may help the issues, if not you’ll need to discuss the options with your veterinarian.

[sisu]

I have been ordering from chewy.com for 2-3 years. There is not much packing inside the boxes. All shipments have arrived intact with no undue kibble dust in each bag. Best by dates have always been recent. I have had several friends go to chewy from wag.com due to lower prices. We are not interested in coupons or special deals. We want the best price as soon as we are ready to order. The chewy site notes locations in PA and FL. All of our shipments are coming from PA which takes a day longer than if shipped from FL.

I have ordered from wag.com. Shipping is fast. Their prices are a few dollars higher than chewy.com. To me, there is a bit of wasteful use of packing inside each box. Wag.com charges sales tax directly for several states.

petflow.com has a larger selection than the 2 mentioned above. Their prices are also consistently a few dollars higher.

Check amazon.com before ordering. If they are seling the food directly at the time it can be very cost effective. If box and bag appearance are important amazon may not be the best option as their packing is similar to chewy’s. I have received more damaged boxes from amazon than any other online retailer. The contents have never been damaged.

[brooklynp221]

I use to coat Brooklyn’s pills in peanut butter before I gave them to her. The kids also use to give her a spoonful of it for 20 minutes of entertainment, but I just read an article about how bad it can be for your dog and can cause allergies. There are also a lot of treats out there that are peanut butter so I would be careful of those too. I haven’t heard this before and just thought some of you might be as interested as me. Here is a link to the article:

http://www.askariel.com/Articles.asp?ID=267

[Hound Dog Mom]

Marie –

I’m not convinced a dog can get all the nutrients it needs on a meat/organ/bone only diet unless it were to be eating a variety of wild caught whole prey animals (which isn’t realistic). There are a lot of items that are necessary to add in order to provide vital trace nutrients. I’m actually working on posting my dogs’ latest menu plan to the recommended menus thread. I ran a full nutrient analysis on this menu plan to ensure that it conforms to the AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages. I’ve always been a believer that meat, organs and bone alone aren’t adequate, but after doing this analysis (and suffering the headaches that came with it lol) I’m sure of it.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi BakersMom –

Unfortunately, if he has hip dysplasia there’s no reversing it. At 11 months old he’s already been through his critical growth phase and reducing calcium levels won’t help. Not feeding a puppy formula wouldn’t have caused this – but all of Taste of the Wild’s formulas are technically “puppy” formulas anyways (they’ve all met the AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages). A variety of factors are involved in the development of hip dysplasia – genetics (probably the biggest factor), over feeding, calcium intake during the critical growth phase (about the first 6 months), activity level (high impact activity during growth can cause hip dysplasia) and probably numerous other factors we aren’t yet aware of. If you do find out your pup has hip dysplasia it’s not the end of the world, there are several actions you can take to help him live a long and comfortable life. If the dysplasia is severe, your vet may recommend surgery – most orthopedic surgeries have a high success rate. Surgery is expensive, but if the dysplasia is severe it will be cheaper to get surgery rather than pay for expensive supplements and medications for the rest of his life. If the dysplasia is more mild, often the deterioration of the joint can be slowed by supplementing with GAGs and pain and inflammation can be controlled with natural supplements such as boswellia, turmeric, omega 3’s, white willow, yucca, tart cherry, etc. It will also be important to keep him active so the muscles around his hip stay strong, making the hip less likely to luxate. Low impact activities like walking and swimming are great for dogs with joint problems. Human supplements are generally cheaper than pet-specific supplements – I would recommend going for something with glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM and also supplementing with an anti-inflammatory such as turmeric or boswellia. Adjust the human dose depending on his weight – for example give a 25 lb. dog 1/4 the recommended human dose, a 50 lb. dog 1/2 the recommended human dose, etc. Give twice the recommended dose for the first two weeks and if you see improvement reduce the dose to half and discontinue the supplement for two consecutive days each week to help keep him from building a tolerance to the ingredients.

[Dogsmart]

Hi Everyone,
My doggie friend, a five and half year old Belgian Malinois, was hit by a car several years ago. He suffered two broken legs, but has returned to his 35 MPH running speed. He also sustained permanent nerve damage in his esophagus such that if he eats by himself he panics and regurgitates a large bolus of food immediately and therefore would receive no nutrition. He and I have solved the problem. I feed him two to three nuggets and a slow pace and he is able to chew and swallow while his neck is in a neutral position. This is working just fine. I have been feeding Flint River Ranch Nuggets, but I read the review on this site and that brand while acceptable is not the finest. I am looking for another suggested food that I could use, preferably a food made in the form of larger nuggets-that are somewhat smooth to aid swallowing rather than rugged kibble which can get caught in his throat.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[gebo]

C’mon guys and gals. Doggiedoc22 doesn’t need to supply his/her credentials. Please read her posts. She is simply saying to do some research on our own and quit listening to everyone’s opinions. It’s better to make decisions based on facts, right?. I don’t see why we need to remain ignorant if there is scientific research out there that can help us and our dogs. I actually spent time researching “corn” and found out what I had been told and believed was not exactly true. I’m just pushing for informed dog owners. You can feed whatever you like and I’ll probably not change the world but there may actually be one person who’ll read this and go and study the research and be able to make a decision based on facts, not merely “he said-she said.” I empathize with some of you as it took me 15 or so years to actually look at the facts concerning dog foods. I’m still today studying and reading to decrease my ignorance. I’ve still got a ways to go as long as I’m feeding Bil-Jac 😉

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Shawna –

There aren’t any Mercola products that I don’t support – I think they all look great actually. Concerning the joint supplement I feel that while it’s a good supplement, a human product can be purchased with the same or similar ingredients that would be cheaper per dose . Also, the poster that was inquiring about it has a puppy, I feel that the Mercola joint product contains a lot of ingredients which would be FANTASTIC for an older dog or a dog that already has arthritis, but a bit of an overkill for a young dog with no joint issues. I think for a young healthy dog frequent RMB’s or a basic glucosamine/chondroitin supplement is plenty and a joint product like Mercola’s would be an unnecessary expense.

Concerning Mercola’s overall supplement line – no issues other than price. Coming from someone with large dogs, quality supplements can get VERY expensive. I’m always looking for ways to cut costs and always evaluate supplements on a cost per dose basis. Concerning all “pet” supplements in general (not just Mercola’s), I find that they’re overpriced and the equivalent product can be purchased in “human” form for much cheaper. I’d love to support Dr. Becker’s products but, for example, it would be $105 a month for me to give my three her probiotics and enzymes and it would cost me $10 a month to give my three Swanson’s supplement which has 15 strains of probiotics and 5 digestive enzymes (going off the recommended dosages on both products’ labels). I just don’t have that kind of money for supplements and I’m sure many others don’t either.

[janet5130]

Hound Dog Mom – I’ve read your post many times to take it all in but i have a few questions for you. First off, aside from dry dog food being cheaper than wet, is there any other reason to feed a dog dry food? As far as adding a supplement from the health section of the grocery store, do you mean in pill form? And, if so, do you mean opening it up and putting the powder in the dog’s food? And my last question is, you give your dog raw bones? You don’t even boil them? Why do I think this is bad? Am I wrong to think they could harbor bacteria or something? Also, I thought that certain bones can splinter and cause issues? Maybe that’s from cooking them? Please educate me further 🙂

Thanks,
Janet

[InkedMarie]

I replied on the other thread to go to http://www.dogaware.com, I’m pretty sure he has cancer diet ino there.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi donnaf –

I’m not sure if a change of food will help “wet dog” smell, but Iams is a pretty low quality food so changing would definitely be a good idea. As far as specific recommendations, I’m not sure where you shop, how much you’re willing to spend or what type(s) of food(s) you’re willing to feed (kibble, canned, dehydrated, raw, etc.) – so recommending a particular food would be difficult. The recommended 4 and 5 star rated foods would be a good place to start – you’ll find all different types of foods with all different price ranges so I’m sure you can find something to suit your needs. I’ve personally noticed that on less processed foods my dogs tend to smell better. Since I’ve switched to raw they have almost no odor on their fur or breath.

Now, just for clarification – I know you’re describing the smell as “wet dog,” but does it smell at all like moldy bread, cheese popcorn or fritos? Because that’s a whole new issue. Some dogs (like goldens) who have long hair can tend to be naturally stinky, but a dog with a moldy bread/frito smell may have a yeast infection which would require more specific dietary changes.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi NectarMom –

I understand where feeding dogs with allergies can be difficult. What I would do is incorporate fresh versions of the foods that are already in their kibble – this way they can get some variety without running the risk of introducing a new food that throws their digestion off. So, if the kibble you’re feeding is turkey based you could buy some lean ground turkey and lightly fry it to mix in with the kibble or buy an all meat turkey canned food to mix in (stick with the all meat so you know you aren’t adding other potentially offending ingredients – Wellness, Newman’s Own and Wysong all sell 95% meat turkey-based canned foods). Once your dog’s condition has stabilized for awhile I’d work on incorporating new protein sources – one by one. Do it using fresh meat or all meat canned toppers and monitor the reaction. Then gradually work on introducing new foods once your dog’s digestive system has strengthened. I’m not sure how long you’ve been with the food you’re feeding now, but keep in mind that if a food is not working it’s just not working and it may be time to move on and try new protein sources and new types of food (often dogs do better on less processed foods – such as dehydrated, freeze-dried, raw or even a high quality canned food). Good luck!

[Mom2Cavs]

While Natural Balance does use Diamond for one of their manufacturers (and I won’t feed a Diamond food), they might have a food that fits your bill in their LID food, Potato and Duck. They have it in dry and canned form and even biscuit treats. And since you’re already using Blue, have you considered trying their Turkey and Potato grain free Basics food? I also want to mention that I’m using Acana Duck currently and it seems to be working with my sensitive stomach dogs. It does contain potato and while it has your normal vitamins included it doesn’t have many ingredients and is considered hypoallergenic. Pinnacle is another brand that has a Turkey and Potato food that might be worth checking out. Wellness also has Simple Solutions, which is their hypoallergenic food and I believe it may have a Duck formula. I hope this helps some.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi hwballew –

If you go to the review section of DFA and read the reviews for Purina and Iams you’ll see that they are all very low quality foods. Dry food is definitely more convenient, but a balanced home prepared food is the healthiest. By type – from worst to best: kibble < canned < dehydrated < commercially prepared fresh food < balanced home cooked < commercial raw < balanced homemade raw (granted the foods are rated the same). If you want to stick with kibble for convenience reasons, I'd recommend picking out 2 or 3 (or more) 4 or 5 star dry foods and rotating – top the dry food with a quality canned food, raw food or healthy "people" food (eggs, tinned sardines, leftover lean cuts of meat, etc.). Canned foods, dehydrated foods and commercially prepared cooked and raw foods would be a step up from kibble and wouldn't require the time and knowledge that a home-prepared diet requires. These options are more costly than dry, but if cost isn't an issue they'd be a big improvement over dry food. If you do want to home prepare her meals, research first. It's not difficult to prepare a balance diet but it does take some research. There are many great books available with recipes formulated by veterinarians and nutritionists. Dogaware.com is probably the best online resource for homemade diets. The homemade food and raw food forms here have some useful information – my dogs' menus are posted on the suggested menu thread in the raw food forum.

For digestion problems I would supplement with a high quality probiotic supplement, enzymes and a little bit of plain canned pumpkin. Remember, because she's eaten lower quality foods for so long she may experience some digestive upset when you switch foods. These supplements will help a bit – make sure to do a gradual transition.

Is she on a joint supplement? I just posted some supplement recommendations to another poster on the "Mercola Joint Supplement vs. Others" thread under the "Dog Supplements" forum.

Good luck!

[NectarMom]

I would not give her steroids unless you just have too. I can speak from expierence on this level because time after time my vet put one of my dogs on steroids and now from her being on it so long it is taking her longer to go through a detox period. I wish I would have found Dr Karen Beckers info a long time ago because then I wouldn’t have to be dealing with so many issues with my girl.

I feed her now Brothers Allergy Formula and I use Mercola brand probiotics and enzymes on her food. Dr Becker and Brothers recommend a no potato, grain and no sugar diet. Now I have been on Brothers Allergy since Sept 2012 and it has been a rough road and still is a bit bumpy at times but things have improved alot. My girl still would lick her feet constantly and so I read Dr Beckers solution for this and it has worked so far. She advises to mix 2 cups of white vinegar to one gallon of water and soak your dogs feet and do not rinse but towel dry. ( Keep mixture away from your dogs eyes) Also when giving your dog a normal bath only use a shampoo that is tea tree oil and Aloe. Using oatmeal baths only feeds the yeast. I don’t mind getting my food shipped in if my little dogs are going to be comfortable with the out come of their diet. Now I tried the white meat formula from Brothers and this made us go on a set back once again because of the sweet potato and fruits added in it so we are back on the Allergy and things are getting back to almost where they were. Good luck with your sweetness. Oh and if your dog has problems with yeasty ears then Dr Becker has recommended “Witch Hazel”

[amydunn19]

James,

I am not stalking you but here’s the deal: you have all the suggestions for people who have come here looking for help and answers they aren’t currently getting from their vets. Your suggestions might be great with a knowledgeable vet in a clinical setting where your suggestions could be very tightly controlled. The average person who looks at your suggestions can’t implement them on their own and shouldn’t because they are dangerous for a person who doesn’t possess a great deal of experience. I don’t think all of your ideas are crap – I know lots of lots of people with diabetic dogs who use Levemir or other types of insulin besides nph. You state that the meals when using other types of insulin don’t need to consistent in size and time frame are like nothing I have ever heard. Even my friends who use other insulin keep their dogs on very tight, consistent schedules. Your statements about nph being outdated are ridiculous. It is a widely accepted starting point for most newly diagnosed dogs because it has a track record of most closely resembling their natural insulin. It doesn’t mean every dog will do great on it, though because each dog has different issues and physical makeup.

By the way, I didn’t know that starting a thread here allowed you to say who can or can’t post to it. Do you own the rights to this thread? I have said it before and I will say it again- this isn’t a simple argument about which food is best. You are messing with people whose dogs have just been diagnosed and they are scared and don’t know what to do. You are giving advice to them that can’t be followed without a knowledgeable and willing vet and honestly your ideas have more to do with human diabetes and dogs are not the same. Not only that, you say you are not a vet, but you counsel people whose dogs have diabetes – do you work with a vet or in research? How do you meet these people you counsel? I have read so much research on diabetes and have never seen any protocols published like the ones you are suggesting. So, I guess I will not invade your thread again since you own it but I feel sorry for the people who come here looking for answers. There are some great canine diabetes forums out there administrated by people who know what they are talking about and who actually have diabetic dogs. No crazy advice there.

[jnconner]

@suztzu @Mom2Cavs
All, thanks so much for the information. I did find the statement from the PetSmart associate hard to believe and I’m glad I was able to get some feedback here. I purchased the ‘Blue Buffalo Freedom Grain-Free Chicken Recipe for Puppies’ yesterday afternoon and the kibbles are very small. However, having read your post last night, I’m wondering if I should take the Blue Buffalo back and get the ‘Wellness Core Grain Free Puppy Formula’ since the crude protein content is 36%. You also mentioned supplementing with can to up the protein. Is there a reason you do both dry and can dog food outside of providing the additional protein? I’m wondering if this is something I should consider as well.
Does anyone know if the Natures Variety Instinct brand is sold at PetSmart I would like to stick with a 5 Star that I can purchase locally if possible.

[DieselJunki]

Thank you for that Hound Dog Mom.

Cate I agree sometimes to much of a good thing can be harmful. I know I wanted to add more Omega 3’s at one point thinking it would help Moose’s dandruff and coat but was advised against it as I was already feeding a food high in Omega 3’s and balanced. Glad I checked before I decided to go ahead and do it and instead was suggested Coconut oil which I now use. I am always careful by nature and usually before feeding him any new supplement I always check in here and do research.

[DieselJunki]

I would supplement with a hip and joint supplement anyways. Especially since you said she was or is having issues.

Here are a few companies that I’ve looked into and I’ve heard of others using.
Welly Tails
Vet’s Best
K9 Joint Strong
Mercola

And also a link to a thread I had started that has good information from Hound Dog Mom on joint supplements.
/forums/topic/mercola-joint-supplement-vs-others/

As far as a food similar to Acana I’m not sure on that.

If it was me I would just find a good dog food high in protein, low in fat (since you said she was overweight) and add the hip and joint supplement instead of trying to find a food you think might have the appropriate levels to support healthy joints along with low fat and high protein. But I am certainly no expert so perhaps others will chime in.

[msbabbit]

Safarisam- You must remove the crap food- I do not care what anyone says about “Dogs evolving” to omnivores. Their bodies can not digest grain and its the dog food we have fed our babies that gave them this human disease. As small as your baby is you can feed a raw or cook a rare-ish diet pretty cheap. Remove all kibble and all commercial dog food period. I have almost killed my dog experimenting with dog food.. Bottom line is ALL dog food is crap if it has fillers of any kind and ash.. There should not be things like “crude analyses” in food of any kind.

Again I can not express enough that unless the dog food is pre-packaged raw, there is NO SAFE DOG FOOD on the market for diabetic dogs – its not safe for non- diabetic dogs but thats another thread.

Feel free to contact me if you want.. I have years experience with this issue and I understand what you are feeling right now. Its so confusing and scary..

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi caoimhe –

If you go to the “Diet and Health Issues” forum, the first topic (highlighted in yellow) is “Large and Giant Breed Puppy Nutrition.” There are links to several good articles and a list of 4 and 5 star grain-free foods appropriate for large and giant breed puppies. Large and giant breed puppies need foods with controlled calcium levels. Fromm’s grain-free foods made the list. Feconri stated giant breeds need reduced protein – this is NOT true. Read the articles written by veterinarians and nutritionists, there is no link between protein levels and growth issues. Excess calcium and excess calories can cause growth issues.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Shihtzumom20 –

I just checked out Big Country Raw’s website – I’m jealous that you can get this food, the price is great! $2.50/lb. for pre-mixed food is very reasonable. I’m not too far from some of the retailers (I’m on the Canadian border) unfortunately I think a law was passed recently making it illegal to transport pet food across the border.

I can’t find a statement of nutritional adequacy on the website and it does appear there are a few things missing that you will need to supplement to make the food balanced. First of all, yes you will want to add omega 3’s as there aren’t any added to the food. Follow the dosage chart I posted previously. Second, after reading the ingredients for each of their foods I can tell you that there are inadequate levels of vitamin e and vitamin d. Vitamin e is difficult to supply in adequate quantities through food alone and therefore should be supplemented. It will be especially critical that you supplement with vitamin e once you start adding omega 3’s as consumption of omega 3’s increases the the fat soluble antioxidant requirement. As a general rule supplement about 50 I.U. vitamin e per 20 lbs. If you get capsules with a high dosage (most come in 200 IU or 400 IU) you can just give one whole capsule 2-3 times per week. For the vitamin d, there is some vitamin d in beef liver (about 50 IU per 4 oz.), but not all of the formulas contain beef liver and even for the formulas that do, I doubt that there is enough to fulfill vitamin d requirements. Vitamin d can be added in supplement form or (more preferably) in whole food form. Some foods that are rich in vitamin d: cod liver oil (~400 IU per tsp.), cage free eggs (~30-50 IU per egg), Kefir (~100 IU per cup), oily fish (amount of vitamin d present varies on the type of fish but sardines, mackerel and salmon are generally considered good sources), some varieties of plain yogurt and cottage cheese are supplemented with vitamin d (check the label). Your dog should be getting about 200 IU vitamin D per pound of food consumed. Also, rotate between all their protein sources – don’t rely on one – this will provide him with the greatest balance. You may also want to consider adding another whole food supplement, I see kelp is is added to a few of the varieties. Kelp is great and supplies a lot of trace nutrients but the more variety the better, especially when a dog is deriving all of their nutrition from whole foods and not relying on synthetically added vitamins and minerals. My dogs get kelp and they also get things like spirulina, alfalfa, wheat grass, bee pollen, chlorella, etc. I switch up their supplements frequently. It says they offer a vitamin/mineral supplement but it doesn’t list the ingredients, you could check that out.

Yes, RMB’s are a wonderful source of glucosamine and chondroitin. Because he’s young and he’s a small breed not prone to joint issues, RMB’s should provide all the joint support he needs for now. I wouldn’t worry about a joint supplement until he’s a senior.