[Anonymous]

I am by no means a canine nutritionist, merely someone who has put a bit of thought into what I feed mine. My knowledge is not specific to the medical condition and sensitivity of your dog. The guidelines that I found with a superficial online search for cardiac diet were:
– Provide your pet a high-quality natural meat-based diet with at least 25-30% protein (DM basis)
– Make sure your pet LIKES the food so that (s)he consumes enough calories to maintain BMI
– Mild to moderate sodium restriction (severe restriction in advanced cases)
– Supplements: omega 3 fatty acids, taurine, carnitine, B vitamins and Magnesium.
http://www.1800petmeds.com/education/diet-tips-pet-heart-disease-32.htm

I am going to assume that you are looking for a dry kibble based on your previous food choice. I feel that the top of the line dry kibble RIGHT NOW is Orijen. However, it does retail for $80/35lb. As I feed about 400 lb of dog, the budgetary compromise at my house is Merrick Grain Free at roughly $50/35lb.

Prior to Merrick Grain Free, I was feeding Taste of the Wild, but have decided that I prefer Merrick for not entirely nutrition-based reasons. While the protein content is slightly higher and the starch from sweet potato (rather than white), they are reasonably equivalent foods (in nutrition and price). However, Merrick uses all US-sourced ingredients (nothing from China). This is a political issue and safety concern of mine. The larger scale pet recall in 2007 due to melamine contamination was traced to Chinese product, and the more recent Petco recall of stainless steel bowls manufactured with radioactive Cobalt-60 scrap was most likely (while never publicly disclosed) of Chinese origin. Merrick also happens to be manufactured in Texas, where I live. Those variables may not factor into your decision at all, but are important to me.

I could not find a cardiac specific diet offered by Hill’s in their Science Diet or Prescription Diet lines and based my quick comparison on the Adult Advanced Fitness formula. The Advanced Mobility contained more Omega 3’s and Magnesium, but was lower in protein and higher in sodium. Orijen appears to be the best choice, but may not be an option for you dependent on your personal budget. Merrick Grain Free is my compromise, but is based on a few tertiary considerations that may not matter to you. I will be interested to hear what other posters have to contribute. (The following information was retrieved from those companies’ official website product pages and is as vague or detailed as they provided.) The summary comparison is this:

Hill’s Merrick Orijen
Protein 24.2 38 38
Fat 16.4 17 17
Carbohydrate 51.5 ? 25
Sodium 0.32 ? 0.4
Omega-3 Fatty Acids 0.67 0.4 1.1
Omega-6 Fatty Acids 3.33 4.8 3.0
Taurine (yes) ? 0.35
Carnitine ? ? ?
B Vitamins
B1 – Thiamine (yes) (yes) 0.9 mg/kg or 50 mg/kg?
B2 – Riboflavin ? (yes) 45 mg/kg
B3 – Niacin (yes) (yes) 450 mg/kg
B5 – Pantothenic Acid ? (yes) 50 mg/kg
B6 – Pyridoxine ? (yes) 38 mg/kg
B7 – Biotin ? (yes) 1 mg/kg
B9 – Folic Acid (yes) (yes) 5.2 mg/kg
B12 – Cobalamins (yes) (yes) 50 mg/kg
Magnesium 0.099 ? 0.1

Since the foods that I mentioned are simply those that I am familiar with and not anything that I originally researched with cardiac issues in mind, I would recommend that you use this as a springboard for your own research. Maybe there is a better option in Innova EVO, Artemis, etc. Finish out a chart similar to that above on each of the brands that this website lists as top-tier choices. Feel free to call companies like Merrick or Hill’s to ask about specific quantities of items on their ingredients list, but not in their analysis (like B vitamins).

You might also want to consult with a veterinarian that specializes in cardiac issues regarding dietary recommendations and possible supplements. Maybe it is more cost-effective or bioavailable to top-dress your pets dinner with certain vitamins (L-carnitine perhaps). As wonderful as your veterinarian my be, my experience is that the time constraints of their day-to-day rigamarole does not allow time for general practitioners to be current and thorough on more specific issues. Reading journal articles falls to the wayside. Specialist consultation and personal research are important any time you have a specific veterinary/medical diagnosis of concern. Your vet has to have a working knowledge of EVERYTHING. You can concentrate on the single issue that is of prominent importance for your pet.

Good Luck

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Shihtzumim20 –

Krill oil is great because it’s low in contaminants and contains a very potent naturally occuring antioxidant called astaxanthin. If the food already has added omega 3’s (fish oil) use the krill oil sparingly because, yes, you can give your dog too much of a good thing. Here’s a dosage chart for fish/krill oil:

-250 mg. daily for toy breeds and cats (1 – 14 lbs.)
-500 mg. daily for small dogs (15 – 29 lbs.)
-1,000 mg. daily for medium dogs (30 – 49 lbs.)
-1,500 mg. daily for large dogs (50 – 79 lbs.)
-2,000 mg. daily for dogs 80+ lbs.

When your dog is on a raw diet that includes bones and cartilage there won’t be as much of a need for a joint supplement because bones/cartilage are full of naturally occurring glucosamine and chondroitin. If you have a senior dog or a dog with an orthopedic problem, however, a supplement may still be necessary. After heavy activity my senior gets a few capsules of Wysong’s Arthegic (my favorite joint supplement). It’s marketed as a human supplement but great for dogs too. Wysong even includes a dosage chart for dogs on their website. It contains boswellia, sea cucumber, turmeric, ginger, devil’s claw, yucca, red pepper and cetyl myristoleate.

I personally vaccinate my dogs as puppies (parvo/distemper at 8 weeks, 11 weeks, 14 weeks and a rabies at 16 weeks) and then I vaccinate 1 year after their last puppy booster. I don’t vaccinate again other than rabies every 3 years to comply with law. This is something you need to research yourself and decide what you are comfortable doing with your dog. Some people vaccinate every year, some every 3 years, some like I do, some only do puppy shots and others don’t vaccinate at all. Check out healthypets.mercola.com- Dr. Becker has some great information and videos on vaccinating.

[Shihtzumom20]

Hi Hound Dog Mom,
Thanks so much for your reply! After doing some more research I decided to still go with a premade raw, it is a small company and all the ingredients are human grade, and from southern Ontario. It is called Big Country Raw. I have been looking at supplements and have been thinking of adding Krill oil to his raw. Would this be recommended? They do have a fish dinner, but it has salmon and tuna in it, so I think I would like to avoid that. Should I start supplementing him with Krill Oil? I like the benefits, then I read on another forum here that too many Omega 3’s can be bad too. So I was wondering what you guys think of that? And also do you guys use a joint supplement for your dogs? I have been trying to research on the internet but having been having much luck in whether to supplement or not. He is only a year and a bit, so I don’t know if I should wait to start a joint supplement or if it is beneficial to start him on it young. Also if someone could direct me to the vaccinating thread that would be greatly appreciated(if there is one)! He is coming up to his 1 year shots and I am not sure whether to get them or not, any advice on supplementing and vaccinating are greatly appreciated, thanks so much guys!

[KC-Cajun]

I have an 11-year-old Lab who has battled ear problems all of her life. The vet said it’s a yeast problem. Now she has some raw spots on her skin, the skin on her belly and privates is very dark, and she’s covered in lumps. I had a Golden before that never had lumps and only an occasional ear problem. I also have a 7-year-old Beagle who’s had exactly one ear infection in her entire life.

I changed her over to Blue Buffalo Salmon about 5 months ago and it seems to have eased up, but it’s still there. And I’ve spent THOUSANDS of dollars over the years on vet bills for the same problem, over and over again. (Vet #1 always found it necessary to run the same expensive tests every time I brought her in–“We can’t be sure it’s the same issue..”, and after 10 years, I switched to Vet #2. Vet #1 also charged $18 to examine their teeth {approximately 15.5 seconds}, but I digress…)

What can I do to cure her of this? Am I doing something wrong? After reading a lot of your posts, I feel terrible that a change of diet could possibly have prevented those horrible lumps/tumors. Any advice would be most appreciated–I want her golden years to be as comfortable as possible as she has been a loyal and beautiful friend 🙂

[Shihtzumom20]

Hi again guys,
I know you are probably very sick of me by now, and I completely understand, but I am hoping you can help me out one last time. (my disqus was just shihtzumom, sorry for the confusion) I have been looking at all the commercial raw diets, mostly the ones I like are Carnivora and K9 Naturals(any thoughts?). I really do like these and am hoping my local pet store can order them in, as other stores that are further away carry them. I am definitely not impressed with NV and would like to stay away from their foods.
But I have been looking at pre-mixes. I am worried that Dawson is not getting quality ingredients with NV. Where do you get meat from? I mean I could just go to the grocery store and pick up some meat, but is that good meat? Like it won’t necessarily be antibiotic or hormone free and grass fed. Do you buy lean meats? Where do you find the organs needed for the urban wolf pre-mix?
And with home-made I was looking at the transitioning to raw thread and it had some great information! But I find it confusing when trying to translate the amounts for a 13 pound shih tzu! The menu Hound Dog Mom posted sounded fairly straight forward, but I still worry I would somehow mess up the balancing. I really do want the best for Dawson, but am just so confused. I don’t want any carcinogenics in his food or other questionable ingredients, basically I am wondering what you think about the two commercially made, and then where you find good quality meats. I am very worried over what I am feeding him and want him to live the longest, healthiest life possible. Thanks for all your information!

[Mom2Cavs]

Thanks, Melissa. The dogs’ stool is getting back to being more normal (fingers crossed!). I’ve been using Acana Lamb and Apple with a small amount of Stella & Chewy’s FD crumbled on top, all mixed with some water. They’ve also been getting Fresh Digest (double dose) mixed in. Too bad about the Merrick. I know that every food company can have problems at one time or another, but it seems like Merrick has been known for some quality control issues here and there (from reading about other’s experiences) and I don’t want to give them another chance right now, especially when there are so many other choices out there. We’ll keep on with the Acana and see how it goes. I’ve always liked it.

[Melissaandcrew]

HI there-

Some of my dogs are chipped, and some are not. Some have Home Again, some Avid-all depended on where the dog came from. Some of the older chips would migrate to different locations then where it was implanted(between the shoulder blades) I have a 13 yr old whom this occurred with, or at least I am assuming so as the chip is not directly in between the shoulders(she was chipped by the pet store she came from, we rescued her from the owner) I have not found this to occur in any of the chips implanted by either a vet, or myself in the past 15 yrs. Placement is important. You can feel her chip when you run your fingers lightly over the spot, so its probably not placed correctly.

Some chips operate at different frequencies and some brands require different scanners to read them-for example, my Universal chip reader will read most, but a few it will merely indicate the presence of a chip, w/out providing the ID number,. I then do a secondary scan with the Avid scanner. So far, one of the other has picked up the chips and read them. Whichever chip you decide on, and whichever registry is up to you.

The placement-done with a larger gauge needle and if you looked at it, you would be horrified by the gauge, lol. With that said, I would say 99 percent of the dogs do not react to it-same as most vaccines. More reactions, in my experience tend to be from the very tiny or the very thin(and FYI, i will not chip a skinny dog for this reason, as well as assuring proper placement-you should not be able to feel a properly inserted chip.

I am a firm believer, especially for those that travel w/their pet alot, or allow them to run free or have dogs that bolt and run away, the dog should be chipped. Collars can get lost and it may be the only way for the dog to be returned to the proper owner. W/out it, you are at the mercy of the 3-7 day stray hold and being able to locate the dog in a timely manner is extremelly important.

[Mom2Cavs]

Hi all. I’ve been feeding Merrick’s new grain free kibble (and one bag of their Small Breed) since right before Christmas. I’ve also been using their small breed canned food as a topper (of course, along with other brands). I’ve fed two bags of the Chicken, one bag of Buffalo, one bag of Pork. It was going great, even better than when they were on Fromm, until this second bag of Pork that was just added last week (the first bag of Pork was a different lot #). I’ve been buying the small bags, except right before this “episode” I did buy a large bag of the Duck which they haven’t had yet. Anyway, I dumped the new bag of Pork in with the other bag that was already in the bin. I didn’t check it closely because I was getting ready to go out of town. My daughter would be the one to feed them while I was gone. She helps me sometimes and knows what to do. The evening meal before I left I fed them. I didn’t feed the next morning meal but did notice that someone had some weird looking stool when they went out first thing in the morn. It had some formed and the rest was runny. It was also a weird color…..dark green or dark grayish to almost black. I didn’t see which one did it. My immediate thought was that Hazel was stressing because I was leaving, as she is my “stressy” dog. I told my daughter to go ahead and feed but no treats and to watch them and call me. I would be back in 3-4 days. Well…this went on for all the time I was gone! No one acted sick, though, and they had no accidents in the house (thank goodness!). When I got back I immediately checked everything out. I started inspecting the kibble and noticed something odd. This new bag of Pork had some pieces that were longer, thinner, way darker and looked very dense throughout the bag. It looked like maybe the extruder had an issue. I immediately took them off this food, of course, and started chicken and rice. Everything was fine. All dogs actually had this bad stool, not just one, and all dogs went back to somewhat fine (still getting there) afterward. I’m switching off Merrick now. I will say this is the first time I’ve had firsthand experience with a food having something “off” in it and I’m not happy. I called Merrick with the lot number and they, of course, weren’t much help. They said no one else has had a problem or contacted them with anything and that they would send me a coupon. I told them I had been very happy with Merrick until this and I didn’t want a coupon because I wasn’t going to take a chance on poor quality control with them again. I may go back to Fromm, but right now I’m going to give Acana’s Single line a chance. I’m phasing in their Lamb and Apple currently. The dogs love it (using it as treats now and putting a few kibble in their chicken/rice mix). I’m just so disappointed. I am going to take the Duck bag back. I had a little of the small Chicken bag left and looked in it to see if the dark pieces were there and they were not. I just don’t want to take a chance with Merrick again, even though they did fine until now. I’ll keep you guys posted. Sorry this is so long, but I needed to rant and wanted to alert others to this possibility. 🙁

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi KGM801 –

I’ve hear A LOT of people complaining about Blue Buffalo giving their dogs diarrhea. If you read through the Blue Buffalo thread on the review section there are tons of complaints, many have complained to Consumer Affairs as well and you can read those complains on the Consumer Affairs website. Last summer my friend got a new puppy and switched her from the food the breeder had her on (Science Diet) to Blue Buffalo and the dog got horrible diarrhea, she then tried another comparable food and the diarrhea cleared up overnight. So you’re not alone! I think the company has some serious quality control issues, I know I lost my trust in the company after I got a bag of cat food covered with mold and dog biscuits with bugs in the bag…

First off – have you had the pup checked for worms, coccidia and giarrdia? If you haven’t do that.

Second – “this is a big decision because whichever I decide on will most likely be what I feed her for her whole life!” PLEASE do not feed the same food for your dog’s entire life! Feeding the same food for extended periods of time is so unhealthy. Pick at least two or three brands and rotate, dogs need variety. No single food can provide a living thing with all the nutrients they need.

Any 4/5 star food would be worth a try. I know Blue Buffalo runs about $50-$55 for the largest bag. Some 4/5 star foods in that price range that I’d suggest checking out are: Earthborn, Merrick Grain-Free, Solid Gold Barking at the Moon, Nature’s Variety Instinct, Horizon Legacy, NutriSource Grain-Free and Horizon Pulsar.

If your pup is a large breed, however, there are other nutritional considerations and I would recommend picking a food off this list:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFQXNYZW01VzRVV00/edit?usp=sharing

Adding some plain canned pumpkin and a probiotic supplement will help with the diarrhea. Good luck! 🙂

[DoggieDoc22]

@Bryan at this point your level of ignorance is reaching a comical level. You have done nothing but spout opinions with no basis behind them at all. I at least have backed up my position with an article posted by a well respected veterinary school. I will take what they have to say over the opinion of some random label reader on the internet.

@Hounddogmom. If you want to argue raw vs. kibble that is a completely different argument. The original poster asked a question about dry foods, and that is what I responded to. Raw diets have their advantages for sure, and anyone that has the time and dedication to go the raw route gets my respect. Although feeding kibble may not be the best route, it is the most convenient for the majority of pet owners out there.

The point I have been trying to make is this, don’t fall for the typical bs that dog food manufacturers try to throw out there. All of this talk about grain free, and no byproducts etc. is nothing but marketing. What is important, as I said, is the nutrients found in the food. Royal Canin, although they may use controversial ingredients, spends more money than any manufacturer out there on research, quality control, and feeding trials. This isn’t opinion, this is fact. I much prefer a company that is going to invest their time and money actually trying to find a scientific basis for the amount of each individual nutrient they put into their food, rather than one of the “holistic companies” that bases the formulation of their diets on a preference to certain ingredients.

[Hound Dog Mom]

I’ve noticed over the past week or so that, both here on the forums and on the review threads on dfa, several posters have had concerns about feeding rmb’s – what types are safe, how much should the dog be chewing, what if their dog is gulper, how big of a piece can a dog safely swallow, etc. I’m going to post two short clips of one of my dogs eating an rmb. The first is her eating a turkey neck and the second is her eating a chicken back. Hopefully these clips can give those that are either new to feeding rmb’s or contemplating feeding rmb’s an idea of what to expect and what it should look like. I know I was also very nervous the first time I gave my dogs rmb’s – I kept thinking “What if the piece they swallowed was too big and they get a blockage?” “What if one of the edges they swallowed was too sharp and they get an intestinal perforation?” etc. Also, weimlove has put together a great topic for listing what types of rmb’s people safely feed their dogs here: /forums/topic/rmbs-and-recreational-bones/

[URL=http://i1281.photobucket.com/albums/a501/hagelult/MVI_1994_zps0b81e4c9.mp4][IMG]http://i1281.photobucket.com/albums/a501/hagelult/th_MVI_1994_zps0b81e4c9.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[URL=http://i1281.photobucket.com/albums/a501/hagelult/MVI_1997_zps67e39b25.mp4][IMG]http://i1281.photobucket.com/albums/a501/hagelult/th_MVI_1997_zps67e39b25.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi riverratdad –

This is EXTREMELY unbalanced – so unbalanced I don’t even know where to start giving suggestions. Get your dogs on a quaility commercial food IMMEDIATELY. It’s only been a month but if you continue this your dogs WILL start to suffer – they’ll develop nutritional deficiencies and their organs could fail. Research before starting a homemade diet. It’s not rocket science to make a balanced homemade diet – I do – but it does take some research. Check out the raw diet area of the forum, under the suggested menus thread I have several of my dogs’ menus posted. Invest in a good book suck as “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet” by Steve Brown or “Real Food For Healthy Dogs and Cats” by Dr. Becker – both books include AAFCO compliant recipes.

[crazy4cats]

Hi-

Just wondering if anyone has tried Trader Joe’s canned dog food. I was there the other day and they have a huge 22 oz can for about $1.19. Not sure if this is a great bargain or junk. It is not rated on this site. The first few ingredients are lamb broth, lamb, chicken, and textured soy protein product. I’m not so sure about the protein product? Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of this food? I already use the Kirkland cuts and gravy. Which so far has been great. Looking for another wet food to add to my pups kibble also. Thank you!

[pugmomsandy]

here is a link. I haven’t investigated it.

http://www.lowdosenaltrexone.org/index.htm#What_diseases_has_it_been_useful_for

quotes:

I encourage you to discuss off-label use of naltrexone with your MD or veterinarian; consider printing some overview info from a web site that you’ve looked at, and take the copy to them. Be prepared for blank looks and then anything from mild interest to concern to outright resistance. This use of LDN is NOT well known; there’s no significant money behind it. Using LDN is spreading based mostly on word-of-mouth suggestions like mine. There are NO large, long-term, double-blind published clinical trials proving anything about the efficacy of LDN, because there’s not enough future profit. The availability of the 50mg tablets at current low prices (under roughly 6 different brand names) makes it impossible to recover the huge cost of such trials at 1/10th that existing dosage. Thus, existing trials are small and slow to be funded. You’ll have to rely on things like the Yahoo groups and web sites you find, and be willing to trust people talking about their own personal experiences. I don’t need trials to affirm what I’ve seen with my own eyes and what others report about their direct personal experiences. Do your reading; get comfortable at your own level of research; THEN take that background with you to speak with your (or your pet’s) health professionals.

From the woman I quoted in November:
“We use it especially with our geriatric dogs like Buck at 17 and Blessed at 12. A dog that is Silken sized [note: Silken Windhounds range 25-50 lbs from smallish females to oversized males] uses 1/3 to 1/2 mg per day. It comes in 50 mg pills for about $9, so it runs less than $9 per month [one 50mg pill provides 100 doses at 1/2mg nightly]. You can find info on how to dissolve the pill here (only dissolve 1/2 of a pill at a time

Sebaceous Adenitis is an auto-immune problem. Here’s information from a woman I know, about the off-label use of a drug called naltrexone. In its off-label usage, it’s referred to as “low-dose naltrexone” or just by the initials LDN. This is based on the ability of this drug to boost the immune system when taken at doses lower than 10% of the official FDA-approved use. Here’s info from one of this woman’s recent posts, in which she recommends someone consider LDN for her dog’s severe allergy problems (since allergies are now understood to be an auto-immune problem).

***quote***
… It is possible to strengthen the immune system easily and cheaply with Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN).

Chuck was deathly allergic to poison ivy, to the point of nearly being
hospitalized at the thought of it. He started LDN on May 1, 2009 just to accompany me in taking it for my multiple sclerosis, but found that by the next summer, he could play in poison ivy with no reaction at all.

My Mom has been severely lactose intolerant all of her adult life. She takes the LDN for her Crohn’s, but finds now that if she goofs up and has some cheese or ice cream, there is no problem. As an aside, my MS and her Crohn’s are totally under control, too.
[Side Note: I met this woman during the time she followed all the rules for managing MS–she lost significant memory function, was completely debilitated by heat, and was losing physical control of her body. When forced to give up all the best drug therapies available (due to loss of insurance) she learned about LDN. With NO other therapy, just a single daily dose of LDN has restored her to the point that you can’t see any outward signs that she ever had MS to begin with! She’s not cured by any means, but her body is fighting the MS much more effectively. The result: instead of getting worse and worse every year like when she took the costly but officially approved drugs, this woman’s health has actually been *restored.* She got her body, her memory, her very life back!]

[Melissaandcrew]

HDM-

While I agree that Bordetella often does not work, its because it only protects for 6 or 8 strains out of a myriad of strains out there-which of course is unfortunate, but no different than the flu vaccine that people get. As for “being dangerous” I have never seen an ill reaction to it, except for one or two that have gotten a transient reaction(slight cough for a day or two) and honestly, those seem to be the ones that have gotten kennel cough when it goes around, despite being vaccinated. In our general location, some places are starting to require the Influenza vaccine as well in order to board or go to daycare.

It is unfortunate for many that groomers and kennels require the vaccine, but its about disease control and attempting to stop the spread of it in a daycare type setting-doesn’t always work, but the majority of vaccinated dogs will not come down with KC or will get a mild case. In the very young, and old KC can be rather serious and life threatening as it can rapidly progress into pneumonia. While most will not(especially those with owners who are aware and get them to the vet quickly) its not accurate to say its not life threatening-it certainly has the potential to be so.

[DieselJunki]

So when we decided to get a bully breed (American Bull Dog) we knew that it was going to be tough finding apartments to accept them. We just didn’t realize how awful it would truly be. I also didn’t realize that ferrets had become so hated since I’d had them when I was a child.

I move around a lot because I work for the pipeline (laboring or oiling), which means I stay in places 6-10 months at a time then move. I usually have a few months of lay off before another job begins. I am currently in VA and moving to TN. I was having trouble finding apartments that would accept both the 4 ferrets I have and the dog. If one was ok with one they weren’t with the other (go figure…). I finally contacted an apartment finder which puts you in contact with an agent in the area who helps you. She looked in 7 different areas, some 45 minutes away from where I was going to be working and found nothing!

A couple days went by and she had found 1 apartment that said it was fine. We start the application process which took 3 weeks. The lady goes to put everything threw then tells us “Oh your dog isn’t allowed. We’ve had issues with that breed in the past.” My jaw dropped… we had told this lady in the very BEGINNING that we had an AMERICAN bull dog, not english, AMERICAN, the one’s that get 120lbs. She said “Oh we don’t have a weight limit, you could have a Great Dane if you wanted, we just don’t allow your breed.” I told her he wasn’t a pit bull although they look similar and she told me because pit bulls and american bull dogs have such similar characteristics that they aren’t allowed. She asked me if I could give him away… I wanted to smack her. At this point my boyfriend is regretting the purchase of our puppy but I stayed positive, I knew there had to be SOMEWHERE we could stay that wasn’t a hotel (costs us $2500 to stay in a pet friendly hotel a month).

I got on the phone with the apartment finder lady again and she couldn’t believe it. She spoke to them as well and they told her the dog was fine! She went on the hunt again and I told her to up the rent to $1000 a month if she had to (we are trying to buy a camper trailer on this job so we were trying to keep rent around $700). I wasn’t about to give up my dog weeks after adopting him. That’s not the way I roll, I took responsibility for him and he’s not something that can just be “thrown away” when life gets tough.

A day went by and she called me back saying she found something that was ready tomorrow if we got everything in. She said the leaser agent for the apartment originally said no to both the ferrets and dog. The apartment finder lady told the leaser agent that I was very sweet and was extremely pet conscientious and that this was basically my last hope for getting an apartment around Nashville (where my job is). The leaser agent said she would make an exception! (Hooray for guilt trips!).

When I spoke to the leaser agent on the phone she seemed nervous about the dog but I assured her that I was going to be home all day for another 1 or 2 months and when I was at work the dog would either be with me or in day care. Told her about the puppy class I was enrolling in and the trainer I might have him trained by. It seemed to make her feel better. Which all of this is true, on rare occasions he might have to be crated but I’d have to get a dog walker as I work anywhere from 12-15 hours a day usually 7 days a week. He definitely can’t be home for that long alone.

So on Friday afternoon I will finally be in TN and in an apartment! Man I really hope we can get that travel trailer this job.

Just thought I’d share my experience in case anyone else who must live in apartments decides to get ANY bully breeds. It’s tough but you don’t know how tough. Glad it all worked out.

[Anonymous]

I have ordered Natures’s Logic from Chewys.com and it came today, one bag was open wtih food out into box, other bag looked like it had been played football with! Paper was all thin and just ready to tear! I called Chewys and they were very nice and sent out two new bags of food to replace. I told them I have set up the auto delivery for the food and if these two new bags don’t look better I will cancel and go elsewhere. I think it is very good customer service that they were immediately helpful, I like that. Anyone else have problems with the product delivered from Chewys? Their prices are great, no shipping costs for $49 and over. Please, tell me what you all like best for your on line ordering. Thanks! Beth

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi crazy4cats –

When feeding a line of food in which the formulas aren’t labeled “all life stages” (meaning there are separate foods for puppies, adults and seniors) I think any dog, regardless of age, should eat the puppy formula. My mom uses Whole Earth Farm Puppy in her food rotation for her adult dog. You’re paying the same price for a higher quality food (more fat, more protein = more meat). Pet food companies have created this idea in people’s heads that dogs suddenly need a different food when they go from a puppy to an adult or an adult to a senior. As long as the food is high quality and supplies adequate amounts of protein, fat and key nutrients, it’s good for life. If you notice most 5 star foods don’t have puppy, adult and senior formulas and the nutrition statement on the side doesn’t read “growth” or “maintenance” – it reads “all life stages.” “All life stages” foods meet the same requirements as “growth” (puppy) foods. The AAFCO recognizes two nutrient profiles – “maintenance” (more lax – the foods labeled for maintenance are generally lower in protein and fat) and “growth” (more stringent – the food must have more protein, fat and other nutrients). A company that has a food that meets the more stringent “growth” requirements can label that formula for growth or all life stages. Therefore a food labeled for “growth” is an all life stages food and a food labeled for “all life stages” is appropriate for growth. So my recommendation would be to put your dogs on the puppy formula and keep them on the puppy formula – there’s no reason they need to move to a lower protein and fat formula just because they’re adults. I have three dogs – a 7 year old senior, 2 year old adult and 7 month old puppy – they all eat the same food. Animals in the wild don’t suddenly start eating new foods just because they age.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Stewiesmom1 –

If you want to continue with commercial food I’d recommend mixing in some Tripett. Most dogs can’t resist green tripe. Just mash some up with warm water to make a “gravy” and make sure all the kibble is coated.

Homemade is great for picky eaters too and is – imo – the healthiest way to feed a dog. Pre-made raw/cooked foods are very cost prohibitive and making everything from scratch is much cheaper (and higher quality). It’s not rocket science to formulate a balanced diet, but it does take a little research. If you check out the recommended menus on the raw food topic area you can see what I feed my dogs. Dogaware.com is a great resource. Dr. Becker has a great book called “Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats” and Steve Brown’s book “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet” is a great read as well – both books include AAFCO compliant recipes. There are also pre-mixes (such as THK’s Preference, Sojo’s, Birkdale, Urban Wolf, etc.) that contain all the vegetables, fruits and vitamins your dog needs and all you have to add it fresh raw or cooked meat.

[DieselJunki]

I wouldn’t get the Bordetella if he didn’t need it to go to daycare trust me. I don’t believe in the whole “We have a vaccine for every illness out there, let’s give your dog 12 different shots at the same time!”.

I do plan on puppy classes but wanted to do the in conjunction with the doggy daycare stay and learn. However I do not think he is going to be old enough until March to go to a daycare. However I still want to get him into a puppy class ASAP but since most of them are 7 weeks or so and you have to pay in full I can’t justify spending the money and then have to move out to TN next week. Of course after puppy classes I want to continue his training with Obedience classes and if he’s not old enough for that yet I’ll probably take another puppy class. I have also been considering a board and learn program when work starts to get really busy for me. That’s IF I can find a trainer that uses the positive reinforcement training technique. I seem to really like that best out of the one’s I’ve read so far.

I know some people say that they would never let another person train their dog or ever leave a dog to be trained by someone without staying there. That you training the dog builds a bond. Which I am sure it does but just because I’ve had him trained by a professional doesn’t mean I can’t continue it myself and create that bond. At least that is what I think anyways. I’ve even had people tell me that they wouldn’t send an impressionable puppy to a daycare. So at the moment I am torn as to what to do.

[dogmom2]

Hi there.

I have been reading this forum and pet food reviews for quite some time, and feel like I know some of you quite well.

I am a dog mom, 48, married to a retired carpenter. We have two labs, Hank, yellow and is 10 1/2…and Dewey, black, who is just over 7 now.
Hank has always been itchy, required bathing etc fairly regularly. When he turned about 2 he started getting interdigital cysts on his front feet pretty regularly. ( two or three times a year). We did regular bouts of Cepha ( my vet would sell it to us in 500 pill bottles to use as needed. ) at the age of 9 he started having constant anal gland issues on top of the skin stuff. then about a year ago, out of frustration over an episode withnhis feet that just would not heal…I took him to the local
Holistic vet. We went over everything…diet, vaccines etc. she told me that innova ( the food I had always used) had been bought out and since we did not support P&G…we switched to wellness senior, and Merrill canned. We did laser treatments on his foot, and it finally healed.
Long story short, then the black dog Dewey started regurgitating his food, and bile. After a few months of this we decided to go back to innova, since Dewey tolerated it. Well!! After a few days Hank starts tearing himself up, licking his butt, and his ears flare up. We had not even noticed that he wasn’t doing that while on wellness. So we have two dogs and no food that they can share. So we decided to switch again…this time to Evo, red meat, despite being a P&G product…and they both did fine. Dewey not harfing it up, Hank not tearing himself apart. ( and no sign of foot blowouts).
Around this time I started experiment with raw frozen patties…NV lamb, duck etc. they seems to like it, but I did not like the smell. I started reading more, and bought some nice grass fed heart, tongue, etc at we would give them, along with their kibbles and Merrick. And I read…mostly here, and slowly over the last year we have moved further from kibble and more to primal raw frozen (duck, lamb, venison and rabbit), raw ground tripe, local pastured beef , pre and probiotic and hk preference. I still do Evo red meat once a day most week days, because DH prefers to let me do all the raw feeding.
No foot blow outs in over a year, which is a miracle….both dogs seem to be thriving and I am convinced this is the best for them and us.
We had one blip in the road last winter, when I decided I was going to go prey model and finally gave the boys their first chicken leg raw. Hank ended up sick the next day with a horrible case of gastritis that had him pretty sick for a few weeks. (holy giant vet bill!). I suspect the fat from the skin may have been the culprit…but I am gun shy now. Dewey was fine.
So…that is my introduction!!! Lol.
my question is this….we switched from primal to Darwin’s recently due to cost. Darwin’s product looks lovely, and they seem to like it. I fed the beef first, and then yesterday they had chicken. Today hank has gooey looking stool, not quite diarrhea but mucousy. Dewey’s is fine. We have not had this experience with any of the other foods, and yesterday his stools were fine.
Have any of you used Darwin’s had a similar experience??

[konamisan]

Hello Everyone 🙂
I thank God for this site & Forum! I have a female JRT, she will be 6 yrs this March 2013. I have transitioned my beautiful JRT to “RAW” 9 months ago. I changed her diet because she wok me up at 3am in the morning whinning, scratching and the strangest thing I ever saw and experienced in my life. Her skin under her coat was a inflamed red and couldn’t believe how much she resembled a pug due to the whelps, bumps and hives she had all over her body. I could not imagine what could have brought this on??? I rushed her to the aspca emergency costing me a not so pretty penny! She was given an injection & some allergy meds. I held her and rocked her as the whipppering subsided.
Now nearly a year, vet visits, excessive shedding, scratching, ear infections, paw sores, excessive licking, more vet visits, more money, more money, 3 months wearing an e-collar. Just miserable. So as a MOM, I decided to do some research for these allergies she was yet properly diagnosed for and I read that an ancestral diet would be the best thing for her, so I have tried several brands from Steve’s to Nature’s Instinct, Darwin’s, Bravo’s Stella & Chewy, the list goes on. I had to elimnate dry kibble that consisted of glutens, grains, white & sweet potatoe, rice, flax seed, which increased the yeast growth in her ears which was almost like a cauliflower shap from the scratching, bleeding and infections. So here I am looking for much needed help because her allergies started up again. She scratched so bad under her front leg that she developed an infection there as well! she wouldn’t even let me touch her. She is still eating raw, but I don’t see any positive results nor changes. I currently have her on Instinct’s “Rabbit & Lamb” Buying anything and ordering from any retailer is practically hard to order due to the location of where I live. I have been reading the forum thread here & see that Primal & Bravo is the hot topic. I have her on Dr. Karen Becker’s Krill oil, Ubiquinol & probiotics. She is still shedding excessively! I can make another dog with all the hair on the floor & furniture of my home. I vaccum 3 times a week. I even had to change the shampoo I was bathing her with. If anyone comes by to visit, I tell them don’t wear black! LOL. I also have a Yorkshire Terrier, thankfully no problems with him Amen! So to all you wonderful people here, I could sure use your advice on what I can and should do??? As far as putting her back on Primal or Bravo’s???
Thank You ALL Sincerely,
Konamisan

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi DieselJunki –

If you’re expecting your dog to get that large – early training and socialization is CRITICAL. I can’t emphasize that enough. Take it from someone who’s been there. When I got Gus as a puppy I had no idea what I was getting myself into and I soon ended up with what some would consider a 110 lb. monster. I didn’t jump on the training soon enough – I mean he was such a cute and wrinkly little boy, he didn’t need any rules. He was my first bloodhound and I knew they were large dogs, but I couldn’t actually grasp it until he was a 100+ lb. out of control puppy. I also didn’t do enough research beforehand and had no idea that bloodhounds are the most stubborn and difficult to train dogs known to man! Well you live, you lean. He’s calmed down a lot in his old age and is now a well behaved senior but with my most recent two pups (Gertie and Mabel) I laid down the law the second the stepped into the house at 8 weeks old. Wasn’t making that mistake again!

As far as the vaccines – they must be spaced at least 3 weeks apart or the vaccine won’t be effective. I would strongly advise against vaccinating for bordetella. It’s unfortunate that most kennels and groomers require this unnecessary and potentially dangerous vaccine. The vaccine is useless and not very effective, often don’t prevent dogs from getting kennel cough. And even if your dog does get kennel cough – it’s not deadly, so why risk the side-effects that all vaccines have for a sickness that wouldn’t even be life threatening if your dog were to get it? I generally have my pups vaccinated for distemper/parvo at 8, 12 and 14 weeks and rabies at 16 weeks. I then have distemper/parvo and rabies given 1 year after the last vaccine. I don’t vaccinate again other than rabies every three years to comply with law. And I never vaccinate for anything unnecessary such as lepto, lyme and bordatella. The decision is yours though, but do your research and make informed choices – do what you’re comfortable with.

Here’s some info:

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/10/08/cough-treatment-for-dogs.aspx

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/05/31/what-your-vet-didnt-tell-you-about-all-those-puppy-and-kitty-vaccines.aspx

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/13_8/features/Annual-Pet-Vaccinations_20036-1.html

A WONDERFUL book that every pet parent should read before vaccinating in order to make an informed decision on what type of vaccine schedule they want their pet on: “Shock to the System” by Catherine M. O’Driscoll.

[Hound Dog Mom]

DoggieDoc22 –

“One last thing, don’t buy into the marketing machine and get all hung up on ingredients. Your dog needs nutrients, not ingredients. Its protein, fat, and carbohydrate levels that are important, not corn, soy, potato, etc.”

Question, if a new meal replacement bar came onto the market for humans that contained all the essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids (synthetically added) a human needs plus adequate levels of protein, fat and carbohydrates and the main ingredients were refined grains, high fructose corn syrup and partially-hydrogenated oil would you quit eating real food and eat this for every meal? I mean it contains the necessary “nutrients”, right? Hopefully that analogy makes you understand how ridiculous your statement is.

Ingredients matter. As I told you on another thread – you can’t put ground chuck into recipe and get filet mignon in the end. Garbage is garbage. Yes, all living things need nutrients but these nutrients (or at least the majority of these nutrients) should be derived from fresh, whole, species-appropriate foods. I’ll give you some food (no pun intended) for thought.

1) Many health organizations (including the U.S. Cancer Institute and the United Kingdom Health Department) advise humans to get their nutrients from whole foods and not synthetic supplements (shouldn’t our pets do the same?). When dealing with synthetic nutrients, the chance for overdose is much higher – chance of overdose is minimal when consuming whole foods. Errors in compounding synthetic concoctions happen and pets die – for example the excess vitamin d recall. You don’t have to worry about there “accidentally” being too much vitamin d when the vitamin d source is real, whole foods.

2) You say that the inclusion of ingredients such as “corn, soy and potato” are inconsequential – what matters it the “guaranteed analysis” of the end result. So a mixture of corn, soy and potato is perfectly fine as long as the protein, fat and carbohydrate levels are where they need to be and the food is pumped up with artificial nutrients to account for the lack of nutrients in the ingredients themselves, right? Well let’s examine these ingredients that you say are fine to feed:

-Soy: contains anti-nutrients which hinder the ability of digestive enzymes needed for proper digestion; contains phytates which limit the body’s ability to absorb key nutrients such as zinc, magnesium and calcium; loaded with isoflavones that disrupt endocrine function and have been linked to infertility and breast cancer (in humans); contains goitrogens which block the synthesis of thyroid hormones; most soy is genetically modified (studies in animals have linked consumption of GMO ingredients to negative hepatic, pancreatic, renal and reproductive side effects that may alter the hematological, biochemical and immunologic parameters).
-Corn: contains lectins, has a high glycemic index, one of the most genetically modified crops (see above), highly susceptible to aflatoxin contamination.
-Potatoes: also commonly genetically modified (see above), high glycemic index, contain lectins, can contain the toxin solanine.

3) Most of the low-grade foods that contain corn, soy and the like also contain animal by-products. Are animal by-products inherently bad? No – my dogs love fresh organ meat, chicken feet, beef tracheas, etc. (from animals slaughtered for human consumption) and I love allowing them to eat fresh, quality by-products. However fresh quality by-products are not what is in pet food. Many grocery store quality brands of dog food have tested positive for pentobarbital – this means that the by-products contain euthanized animals (potentially even dogs and cats). Pento is recognized as a serious danger to wildlife. Wildlife that feed on disposed euthanized animals often die of pento poisoning – so is this a safe ingredient to be feeding to our beloved pets? I think not. Also – most by-product meals, while undoubtedly high in protein, contain very low quality protein derived from feathers, beaks and the like. This protein is poorly digested and puts a strain on the animals kidneys over time (unlike high quality, digestible protein derived from fresh meat).

Your view of pet food ingredients is simplistic, to say the least. It’s necessary to look at the bigger picture, food isn’t as simple as “fat, protein and carbohydrates.”

[DieselJunki]

So we will be moving to Nashville shortly, possibly in the next 2 weeks or less for the next job. I found what seems to be an excellent facility over the internet. Of course I haven’t been to check it out yet. However Moose MUST have ALL is vaccines: RABIES, DISTEMPER (Dhlpp), PARVO, and BORDETELLA. Moose doesn’t go for his rabies until the beginning of March and doesn’t go for his last Distemper ect. until the end of Feb. Is there a possibility that they will do those last 2 shots he needs sooner? Or do you really need to wait a full month before giving his last series in his puppy shots and then another month to give the rabies?

Now I called and they said as long as he has all his shots they don’t require them to be neutered. Which is good because poor Moose only has one testicle that has dropped. Moose ins’t due to be neutered until May but if his other testicle doesn’t show up from being MIA we are most likely looking at him being a year before they neuter.

I do plan on doing puppy classes but haven’t looked into that as much as I have the daycare so I am not sure if they require all the things that a doggy daycare would.

I really really really want to get him into some kind of doggy daycare asap. Even though I am home everyday for now taking care of him and such I really want him to get the benefits of socialization in a daycare program. They even have a stay and learn, so they train him while he is staying there. I am so afraid because people say that the best time to socialize is up to 12 or 14 weeks of age. Well Moose has been introduced to some other dogs but they were all much older and I really didn’t know anything about them and they seemed nervous with how excited he was so he was just allowed to sniff but not get near them.

My problem is I don’t have friends near me because I travel all the darn time, so I don’t have anyone with dogs, cats or kids that I can get Moose to interact with that I trust. I take him to the pet store every chance I get, even if I’m just going to pick up some ferret food. He loves seeing people. He seems to love seeing other dogs/puppies too but when I go to the petstore there aren’t other dogs there all the time that he can interact with.

I will admit, I am not quite sure how to train a puppy, I am just now finally having a break through with his constant nipping after doing a bit of reading online. When playing if he decides to bite I say “ouch!” very loudly and get up and go behind a door and close it, wait 15 seconds, then come out all excited and begin playing. This seems to be working. Thank goodness! Puppy teeth hurt! But this is why I want to get him into a daycare stay and learn program so badly. So I will have a foundation to work with him on. I am trying to teach him to sit and shush before I put his food bowl down, but right now I of course he doesn’t know sit. So I try to wait out his barking and wait until he sits and looks at me before setting it down. Which it seems like he’ll never stop barking so that has been unsuccessful so far.

I just don’t want to create a 120lb monster when he grows up. I want him to be well mannered and people make it seem like if I don’t get him into a class and get him socialized before 14 weeks then it’s over and I’ll have an pet aggressive, cabinet eating, floor peeing 120lb monster.

[DoggieDoc22]

The thing that you have to keep in mind is that you should only be using these reviews as a guide, not as gospel. Basically all of the reviews are based upon reading the information that can be found on the packaging, and writing review about that. All of that information can be drastically skewed by dog food manufacturers. For example, ingredients are listed on the ingredient deck in order of weight, including water. So an ingredient such as whole chicken (which contains a lot of water weight), is going to show up higher on an ingredient deck than chicken meal, even though there may be a larger volume of chicken meal in the diet. Also, some manufacturers will use several different types of carbohydrates in their diets, rather than using just one to alter the ingredient deck. This can be done intentionally to prevent any individual source of carbs from appearing high on the ingredient deck.

One other important aspect to keep in mind is whether a company manufactures their own foods, conducts feeding trials, or researches the diets they come out with. Blue Buffalo is a huge culprit of this. They have a 5 star rating on DFA because their diets are high in protein and grain free (traits which DFA seems to value highly). However, what you don’t see is that all of their diets are produced at copacking facilities which can lead to inconsistency in quality, the inability to control the quality of the ingredients that are actually used to manufacture the food, and exposure to contaminants (ie the Diamond recall early last year). Also, DFA doesn’t mention that Blue Buffalo does not conduct feeding trials, or do any type of research on their diets. These facts should lead to a lower rating for a food like Blue Buffalo, but are simply overlooked by dogfoodadvisor.

One last thing, don’t buy into the marketing machine and get all hung up on ingredients. Your dog needs nutrients, not ingredients. Its protein, fat, and carbohydrate levels that are important, not corn, soy, potato, etc.

[stampede334]

Hi-
I think you are dead on right with low protein diet can be harmful! From what I read from other readers that have dogs with kidney issues…..they all pretty said the same thing…it has nothing to do with protein…you just need to watch the phosphorus intake!
From what I am reading….I think I would get rid of Hills Prescription k/d dog food. It is NOT a good dog food. Feed your dog grain free/high protein good quality dog food.
Do some research on dog food first and go from there!
Hope this helps!!! If I find more information…I will let you know!!!

[DieselJunki]

I had this very same issue last week! Here is my thread on it that had some very good answers.
/forums/topic/crooked-leg-to-much-protein/

First off I found that I was feeding a food that was WAY to high in calcium for a large breed puppy (I have an American Bull Dog). A Great Dane, being a large breed puppy needs a food that has the appropriate calcium levels. I recommend reading Hound Dog Moms thread on Large and Large and Giant Breed Puppy Nutrition ( /forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/ )

Here is a link on calcium level appropriate foods for large breed dogs https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwApI_dhlbnFY183Q0NVRXlidWc . Hound Dog Mom also put this list together. It is in the form of a google document and you have to download it. Don’t be alarmed I promise there are no viruses in it as I have downloaded and looked at it myself. It has helped ALOT.

I did end up taking my puppy (who was 9 weeks at the time) to the vet and they thought he had shifted his growth plate when they looked at his x-rays. This was on a Friday. They put a splint on him to keep him from damaging it further and sent me to an orthopedic surgeon which I went to on Monday. When the orthopedic surgeon took the splint off to look his leg was normal, there was no sign of knuckling over at all. They took another x-ray and said he was absolutely fine. They said that perhaps the way the x-ray was angled at my vets office it made it look like it had shifted. But I gotta say in the short time he wore that splint I believe it fixed his knuckling over.

All in all I would suggest a trip to your vets office just to rule out anything being broken or out of place. After all, it’s better to catch these things now when they are fixable than to wait and have your puppies leg permanently damaged.

Hope I helped and I hope your puppies leg gets better! Keep us posted!

[DieselJunki]

Thanks for the advice Shelties Mom. I will definitely do some research on that.

He is an American Bull Dog (So part of the bully group) but as puppies they do look quite like Pit Bulls. He has papers and everything stating he is a pure bred American Bull Dog. I actually had a gentleman in Petco last week tell me that if I was me I wouldn’t be bringing that thing into stores and referred to Moose as a Pit Bull. I was sure to give him a piece of my mind and educate him on the fact that my dog wasn’t a Pit and even if he was he had a lot of nerve speaking to me like that. Some people…

I’ll see if any stores sell Kefir around here. Looking it up it sounds like it would be a great addition to his diet. If I can’t I’ll go ahead and get some Probiotics from Mercola and try a half dose? I think I remember reading somewhere that people use half the dose if feeding a good food.

It looks like Earth Bath shampoo sells quite a few things for puppies including wipes. I like the fact that they are parabens, phosphates, pthalates, DEA, synthetic dyes or perfume free.

[marvinwho]

I think everyone should go nuts posting this on Facebook. There are already a lot of complaints on the Beneful Facebook page. Dog owners and concerned people should be sharing this everywhere to see if we can all get to the bottom of it:

https://www.facebook.com/beneful

[sharyorkie]

Hi I have never posted before.But I am on here all the time reading the dry food reviews.I Am now totally confused? I currently feed Pro-Plan small bites chicken and rice I now know it is not the best.My Yorkies are VERY PICKY and I usually have to add canned food to get them to eat.ANY suggestions on a good dry food for small Yorkies that are very picky!! I have tried Nutro, Taste of the Wild and Acana and they will not eat any of these.If anyone has any suggestions I would greatly appreciate them
Thank You

[DieselJunki]

So I’m sure you have read my many posts now. Moose’s ankle is doing much better and over the weekend in the splint his leg seems to be completely better and the orthopedic surgeon said there was no sign of the growth plate being out of place. She said to keep him from jumping around on it as much as possible for 2 weeks just to be sure.

Anyways. I finally found the Nature’s Variety Rabbit! I am now mixing that with the Wysong I had bought so as not to waste (Anyone feed Wysong Epigen Original notice it has a chemically smell to it?). However following the directions on the back of the bag of the NV a puppy between 16-25lbs should have 1 5/8 – 2 5/8 cups. For the sake of measuring I just feed 2 cups ( I haven’t had him long enough to figure out if this is to little or to much yet, honestly I’m really not sure how I would tell if I am feeding to much ). He weighs 19lbs now. The ONLY time I can get him to eat everything in his bowl is when I put a soft food topper on it like the NV Rabbit Soft Food (I use half a can at a time when I do). I don’t want to do this every time I feed (I feed 3 times a day) because I want to be careful about his calcium intake and such but it is the ONLY time he will eat everything. Otherwise he barely eats a full cup.

What do I do?

[amydunn19]

The fact that you have worked with human diabetics and you are a diabetic and have counseled dog guardians(whatever that means) doesn’t really mean alot for this particular person who is facing Cushings and Diabetes with a vet who doesn’t even specialize in dogs. Do not tell me I am unwilling or unable to provide the care my diabetic dog needs – she was diagnosed over five years ago and she is doing great. What are the statistics of the dogs you have worked with? You are making vague statements of your accomplishments but no real hard data to back it up. How many of those dogs had Cushings, and pancreatitis? You recommended high protein and high fat food to these dogs and that worked? If you have this information, share it specifically. This is the danger in this kind of forum and not at all what I thought it was supposed to be. It is one thing to get on and talk food and ingredients but when you make suggestions for people whose dogs are in life-threatening situations and you suggest taking actions that go against everything that is out there from real experts in dog diabetes( not experts in reading labels and studying ingredients), I have to call BS.

Kristi – please find a canine cushings forum to help you with some of your questions. These people are living with your situation every day.

[Mike Sagman]

Hi Aimee,

Thanks for your suggestions. I like your “resume” approach (to screening) a lot. Great idea! A worthy and valuable requisite, for sure.

However, my only concern here is that requiring a company to perform expensive testing eliminates 95% (or more?) of the dog food companies out there. And many of those organizations could be producing some of the very best foods on the market.

Overall, I do agree. We do need to give a notable weighting to companies meeting most of your criteria.

However, I don’t believe we should overlook second-rate ingredients and questionable nutrient analysis just because a company employs 150 vets and 50 nutritionists (many of whom simply occupy figurehead positions on the Board — or who perform public relations duties.

Bloated corporations can be wasteful, inefficient and less responsive to their market compared to small to mid-sized organizations.

As in other technological industries, one or two well-informed, conscientious vets, nutritionists or formulators have the potential to create extraordinary products, too.

In any case, being an obsessive “label reader”, I’m looking forward to hearing what you suggest we look for on a label.

As always, thanks so much for your help.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi dave and AngieH –

The difficult thing with colitis is that it can have many different causes and it can be acute or chronic. Dietary changes often can help ease the symptoms of colitis. Most dogs with colitis respond well to increased levels of dietary fiber and/or a hypoallergenic diet. Many dogs with colitis also seem to better tolerate foods that are lower in fat. When trying a new food make sure that you don’t feed anything else to your dog during the trial period (no treats!) and give the diet three to six weeks to see if there is improvement (remember, the improvement won’t be immediate and in some cases your dog’s diarrhea can even worsen in the initial stages of the switch as the dog is becoming accustomed to the new food).

For increasing the fiber level, rather then looking specifically for a high-fiber food, I would recommend just adding some canned pumpkin or psyllium to a high quality food. Both are high in fiber and will increase the overall fiber content of the food being fed.

For choosing a hypoallergenic diet you want to pick a food that has a protein source and carbohydrate source (if applicable) that your dog has never been exposed to. Making a homemade food is a great option here.

Two supplements I would definitely start immediately
1. Probiotics – these will help replenish the good bacteria in the dog’s digestive tract and keep pathenogenic bacteria in check.
2. Digestive Enzymes – These will give the dog a boost in digesting their food so the dog’s already stressed digestive system doesn’t have to work as hard at producing its own enzymes.

Some other supplements you may want to try that have proved successful for some dogs suffering from colitis:
1. L-glutamine – An amino acid that helps to repair the mucosal lining of the digestive tract.
2. Slippery Elm – An herb that helps to sooth the digestive tract and relieve inflammation.

I think in the case of colitis, that a high quality home-prepared diet would be best and most easily customizable to the dog’s individual needs. However, here are some commercial foods that are hypo-allergenic and lower in fat that may be worth considering:
1. The Honest Kitchen’s Zeal – Dehydrated, fish-based food, 9% fat on a dry-matter basis.
2. Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance Rabbit – Freeze-dried food, 15% fat on a dry-matter basis.
3. Nature’s Variety Instinct – Limited Ingredient dry foods are all under 20% fat on a dry-matter basis and include a turkey, duck and lamb variety.
4. Addiction’s Dry Foods – salmon-based, venison-based and lamb-based options, all around 13% fat on a dry-matter basis.
5. Addiction Dehydrated Foods – brush-tail, kangaroo, venison, lamb offerings, all around 9% fat on a dry-matter basis.
6. Addiction Canned Foods – brushtail, venison and salmon are only 10% fat on a dry-matter basis.
7. Great Life – Dry foods Buffalo Rx and Duck Rx are both 13% fat on a dry-matter basis.
8. Tiki Dog – canned food with some low fat hypoallergenic options.
9. California Natural Grain-Free – kangaroo, salmon, lamb and venison options, all 13% fat or less on a dry-matter basis.

*Some of the foods I recommended are a little low in protein for my taste, unfortunately when feeding a commercial food most of the foods that are lower in fat and that contain a novel protein also contain less overall meat and thus less protein – this is why I think homemade is the best option. If you are feeding one of the lower protein dehydrated or kibbled foods I’d highly recommend adding one of the recommended canned foods to boost the overall protein content. Also, this is not an exhaustive list – check out the foods Dr. Mike has reviewed on DFA and you’ll likely be able to find more – these are just some brands that first came to mind.

Good luck!

[NectarMom]

I would go for more hypoallergenic foods since there are more people looking for foods that their canines are not allergic to. Nulo is one that comes to mind since they do carry a grain free and potato free kibble in one of their lines. I would also try to go with different Proteins, Read reviews on this board for certain kibbles and you will probably find most of your answers to certain foods. Good luck with your Store.

[cristycan]

My dog was struggling with this for the past year. I spent several hundred dollars taking her to the vet to have the glands expressed weekly, and then antibiotics prescribed by the vet, two rounds, over two months, and still not better. The vet wanted to do surgery to remove the glands, but at $1400 and a 12 year old large breed dog, I was reluctant. I let it go for awhile and the poor dog was licking daily…so I was just about to go ahead with surgery but in a last ditch effort I switched her from Chicken and Rice to lamb and RIce (kirkland) and ordered online a Homeopathic remedy,
http://www.naturalcanine.com/AAGKH.html Silicea, and Hepar Sulph Calc. I thought for a mere $25 what did I have to loose? Well people, I SWEAR THIS WORKED and I am so happy for the first time in a year my dog is not licking anymore. Now in all fairness even the vet told me that eventually that sac would rupture and drain, not too pleasant for the dog….but I really watched my dog carefully go through all this over the past year, and I really do believe this homeopathic solution WORKED . For $25 it is worth a try. There are several pills, it is great value and will treat your dog more than once IF needed…..its a long process over several weeks and i had to write it all down on my calendar to keep track of the dosages but it comes with detailed instructions. PLEASE DO YOUR DOG A FAVOUR AND GIVE IT A TRY! If this works for you, you are only out $25…it is definately worth the attempt. I tried the pumpkin too for months but that didnt really work for my dog. Since I saw this miracle unfold I have been reading online about homeopathic remedies, and this is also used for humans (the Silicea) to help drain boils, and the Sulph is to fight the infection I believe. So I guess this is a common homeopathic remedy to drain infection from the body and also to keep those glands open to continue to drain. It is a miracle and I am not a person who often ventures outside of conventional medicine,but I have a new respect and interest in this homeopathic alternative now. The proof is that my dog is not licking anymore for the first time in a year. $25 beats the $700 I spent at the vet, plus the potential $1400 I was about to spend. Please give it a try and write back to let me know if it worked for you too! Its really a good feeling to see my dog not suffer anymore and to know I can easily afford this!

[nicci10681]

I LOVE this company! I feed my 2 Dachshunds the Chicken Artisan, they love it and I feel good knowing that they are getting some of the best food out there. I’ve also tried several of the treats, the lil bear cookies in several flavors, and the dogs love them, I’ve even tried them myself and they are quite yummy!! lol. I really love that I can read and know every ingredient in them! Everything is human grade. I’ve worked in the pet industry for over 13 years (grooming and obedience training) and I’ve really taken to educating myself on dog nutrition, it’s a passion of mine, if for no other reason than because I want the very best for my babies, no matter the cost! I’ve been through so many foods, but have time and again been disappointed when they were bought out by a bigger company and lowered their quality standards. I can only pray that this doesn’t happen to Grandma Lucy’s and that they stay true to who they are and what they do! I would HIGHLY recommend their food!!

[matt1186]

Thanks. I’ve read all that and I agree with both of you. I just didn’t know if anyone on this site had any proof or reasons why a vegetarian diet would be better. I agree that the reason most people feed their dogs vegan is for their own personal reasons and not to help the canine. Obviously I can’t tell the customers that. I guess I’ll just keep trying to convince them to change there dogs diet.
Thanks a lot, I especially like your comment about the difference between surviving and thriving. I’m gonna use that one!

Thanks

[InkedMarie]

This is not scientific, just what I’ve read but dogs need meat. IF there is some medical issue that a dog can’t have meat or fish, then maybe. Unfortunately, every single dog I hear of who eats a vegetarian or vegan diet is because the owner is a veg or vegan.

[InkedMarie]

Hey Mike,
A suggestion….after reading about Jan losing her Stella, I thought that maybe we could have a Rainbow Bridge forum here, so when that happens, it can be posted there.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi momtopoms –

Fruits and vegetables really aren’t absolutely necessary if everything else in the diet is balanced and the Nature’s Logic supplement does have some freeze-dried fruits and vegetables in it, so this would probably be enough. However, some other options that you could try:

1) Wysong has a supplement called “Wild Things” – it’s a powder made of freeze-dried fruits, vegetables and super greens: http://www.wysong.net/products/wildthings-dog-cat-supplement.php

2) Essex Cottage Farms has a supplement called “Garden Vegetables”, also a freeze-dried powder: http://www.efarms.cc/Products%20Page.htm

3) Nature’s Farmacy has a whole food supplement called “Cornucopia” and 3 tbs. is the equivalent of a pound of fresh fruits and vegetables: http://www.naturesfarmacy.com/store/details.php?prodId=321&category=

Also, if your dog doesn’t mind pills you could also consider fruit and vegetable concentrate pills made for humans (just read the ingredients list carefully to make sure there is nothing toxic to dogs – such as onions or grapes). There are many different brands that make these, but some I can think of off the top of my head that would be safe for dogs would be Puritan’s Pride 10 Vegetable Multiplex, Wysong’s Salad and Schiff’s Fruit & Vegetable tablets.

[SuZee]

I am getting a Golden Doodle puppy in five weeks, haven’t had a puppy for many years. I really want to do everything right with this dog; I have read that some commercial treats are treated with arsenic, others cannot be digested and cause blockages, etc. There are so many stories and I can’t separate fact from fiction. While I appreciate the various beliefs set forth on this forum, I am not averse to using commercially prepared treats if they are ok for my pup. That being said, how can I know what treats I can give her? Chew sticks? Any help would be appreciated!

[InkedMarie]

I will give you some advice as it pertains to one of my dogs. I did not do allergy testing but an online friend gave me a list of ingredients to avoid: chicken, corn, wheat, soy, rice and flax. I have since found that Boone does fine with flax but cannot have yeast. He has done the best with a grain and potato free foods. Beef can be a common allergen, I have read. On this forum, go to the dog food ingredients board and the stickie at the top has the list of those foods.
Boone does best with fish and turkey foods. He eats a pre made raw in the morning and some of that is beef and he has no issue with it. His pre made is also turkey and duck. He eats Brothers Allergy, which has chicken liver & chicken at but is doing great on this food.
Something to keep in mind. You have to be mindful of every morsel your dog eats. That means treats as well. If you feed him a grain free food, feed him grainfree treats. Scour that ingredients list. Also, you wouldn’t think about it but supplements as well. Mixed tocopherols can be soy so the salmon oil I give him is just that, salmon oil (it’s a liquid). I once gave him a salmon oil capsule that had soy as a secondary ingredient. We use Bug Off Garlic for the insects and we cannot use the chewables because there is yeast in it.
I advise trying a few different foods, by different makers. I like doing that because you never know if a food will become unavailable or you see a sale on another one he can have. Hope I’ve been of help!

[mydogisme]

Hi, I was reading what you all were saying. Is there anything better then me buying boneless organic chicken from a organic processing plant and boiling the chicken,chopping it up,I can nibble on it my self or fix a chicken salad sandwich but I have fixed Dixie frozen cookies using the chicken,sweet potatos,carrots and making little round balls,flatten them out and place them on a metel cookies sheet in the freezer. Dixie loved them as a treet. After they froze, I would place them into a baggy and kept them in the freezer. she liked the crunch and she coulnt just swollow the treet, she had to chew it instead. We all love our babies and just like our own children, we all want what is the best for them. Please say a little prayer for my Dixie

[sisu]

I am having difficulty posting in the reviews section.

Chrome 23.0.1271.97 m. Cookies are set to allow local data to be set, and block 3rd party
cookies and site data. Exceptions are disqus.com and dogfoodadvisor.com

I can log in at the forum with no difficulty. Rather I have logged in from the forum or
not the warning box remains on all review pages. “Warning: A browser setting is preventing
you from logging in. Fix this setting to log in” Attempts to log in directly from any
review page results in an invalid password message. I am 99% certain the correct password
is being used. Thinking I could be wrong I did attempt to change the password from a review
page login. The email with instructions has not been received. It is as if the review
section does not see the password used in the forum. There is no difference if AdBlock and
Avast are disabled.

Changing the browser setting to accept 3rd party cookies removes the cookie warning message
from the review pages but the invalid password message remains. This indicates that part of
the problem is that the Disqus software does not see the cookie exceptions.

I have opened/closed/rebooted so many times that I am confused. I did manage to post one
reply on a review page. I think I had logged in at the forum. Then, went to reply at the
bottom of the post to which I was replying. At the post as selection I entered my email
address or username and password which allowed the post to go through. I am fairly certain
the browser setting warning message was on the screen when the post went through. Tried to
post another reply tonight. It appeared as if it had post but is not on the Nutro Natrual
Choice (dry) page.

It is as if the forum and reviews sections are using different software. The login,
password and perhaps the email address from the forums section is not seen by the reviews
software. The reviews software knows my username exists because I attempted to register
after having registered at the forum. The reviews software apparently is not reading the
cookie exceptions.

The only idea I have at this point is that the reviews software requires a more secure
password than used when registering at the forum. Thus, it reads nothing beyond the
username.

[sisu]

I am sorry to hijack this thread but I am unable to begin a new topic in the forum or reply in the review section. This is happening with Chrome and IE 8. Below are details in regard to what has been tried.

Chrome 23.0.1271.97 m. Cookies are set to allow local data to be set, and block 3rd party cookies and site data. Exceptions are disqus.com and dogfoodadvisor.com

IE 8. Set to the lowest privacy. No cookies blocked.

I can log in at the forum with no difficulty. Rather I have logged in from the forum or not the warning box remains on all review pages. “Warning: A browser setting is preventing you from logging in. Fix this setting to log in” Attempts to log in directly from any review page results in an invalid password message. I am 99% certain the correct password is being used. Thinking I could be wrong I did attempt to change the password from a review page login. The email with instructions has not been received. It is as if the review section does not see the password used in the forum. There is no difference if AdBlock and Avast are disabled.

Changing the browser setting to accept 3rd party cookies removes the cookie warning message from the review pages but the invalid password message remains. This indicates that part of the problem is that the Disqus software does not see the cookie exceptions.

I have opened/closed/rebooted so many times that I am confused. I did manage to post one reply on a review page. I think I had logged in at the forum. Then, went to reply at the bottom of the post to which I was replying. At the post as selection I entered my email address or username and password which allowed the post to go through. I am fairly certain the browser setting warning message was on the screen when the post went through. Tried to post another reply tonight. It appeared as if it had post but is not on the Nutro Natural Choice (dry) page.

It is as if the forum and reviews sections are using different software. The login, password and perhaps the email address from the forums section is not seen by the reviews software. The reviews software knows my username exists because I attempted to register after having registered at the forum. The reviews software apparently is not reading the cookie exceptions.

The only idea I have at this point is that the reviews software requires a more secure password than used when registering at the forum. Thus, it reads nothing beyond the username.

[pugmomsandy]

Here’s the link where some photos and conversations are posted in case someone else reads this thread:

/dog-feeding-tips/dog-food-calculator/#comment-752989876

Since I can post photos now, here are my overweight pugs that still have a good body condition score. They are 24 lbs. You can see a better photo if you click on the photo:

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/IMG_2852640x539_zps1c019b19.jpg

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/IMG_28481024x768_zps689af73c.jpg

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/IMG_2697640x479_zpsbe52d943.jpg

Here’s a poor body condition and a too skinny body condition for a pug:

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/IMG_28831024x768_zps49daa9d5.jpg

[buddymax1613]

I’m wondering if anyone else has had this problem, so I will tell my story. In 1984 we stared feeding our German Shepard mix(Scrappy) Eukanuba adult food. In 1997 we got a purebred German Shepard puppy ( Sarge) that we also fed Eukanuba . In 1999 at the age of 15 years our Shepard mix died (her stomach twisted). So in 2001 we got a 3yr old purebred Shepard (Talula) and stared her on Eukanuba and in 2003 adopted a 1yr old purebred Shepard (Max) and put him on Eukanuba. So we had 3 dogs on Eukanuba . In 2006 Talula died of a ruptured cancerous spleen. In 2009 Sarge died of lung cancer which the vets said she probably had cancer somewhere else in her body. Now,we just lost Max to spleen cancer that spread also to his liver. Now my son who had 2 dogs that were lab mixes also died of spleen cancer and also were fed Eukanuba. While talking to one of the vets trying to help max, we mentioned the food concern, and if it could be a coincidence that out of 6 dogs that were fed Eukanuba 5 of them died of probably the same cancer, she said that she also had 2 German shepards die of the same cancer as max, and that were also on Eukanuba. Now this kind of cancer the vet said is seen in German shepards but since my sons dogs were not shepards, I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced this. I think back in the day Eukanuba was a good dog food, but I think since they been sold to Iams, the quality isn’t there. Since we have lost 3 dogs in 6 years we now have switched our 4yr old Shepard to wellness core grain free original formula that I researched on this site. It could very well be a coincidence, but to me it seems awfully strange that these dogs where fed this food all of lives and died of basically the same cancer.

[shelties mom]

HDM,

I really like your whole food supplement recipe, what do you recommend if a dog is allergic to turmeric? I don’t know if mine will but I read somewhere that a dog was allergic. I have Dr. Karen Becker’s recipe book and will use the recipes as a guide, but really want to avoid any synthetic vitamins in her book. That’s what holding me up in doing all home-made. I’ve been feeding Darwin’s but want to it on my own. I don’t like the pre-mixes from THK or Sojos or any dehydrated food. I prefer all raw and fresh veggies. I can get grass-fed beef, lamb and raw wet bone meal from a local farmer, I’m going to visit some local butchers to see if I can get quality poultrys. Once I can get everything together, I’m ready to start doing it on my own.