[Christopher L]

This article is quite a slog and takes some grit to tackle. That said, it seems well-supported, fact-based, and objective. Bottom line: with the possible exception of fish oil (for prophylactic treatment of allergies like skin and coat issues), there is precious little to support the Madison Avenue-concocted nonsense built into claims about pet foods and supplements. (Illustration: There’s little solid science to support the claims of arthritis and joint ailments’ relief from taking glucosamine in humans, and virtually none as relates to pets.) So, read labels, feed your four-legged babies well-balanced diets and treats, get them to exercise (except for cats … unless they can be trained to use a treadmill), and give them a good belly-rub at least twice-a-day.

The Top Ten Pet Supplements: Do They Work?

[joanne l]

I just wanted to chime in here, there are several things that can cause this, one of them is toxins, cushion disease and diabetes, mold on food. However, if anyone suspects diet to be the cause than change it. Since toxins and mold are two of the possible causes than maybe it could be the food. I am not a vet I just read and try to help to the best of my knowledge.

I just found this article: https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/what-that-liver-enzyme-test-is-telling-you/
There are 4 or 5 liver enzymes and what they do. So I guess it depends on what liver enzymes are high. Ask your vet which ones were high and maybe that can help narrow down the cause.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 7 months ago by joanne l.

[Susan]

Hi Denis,

Sound like your GSD had a Furunculosis on his bum, my boy has IBD, Seasonal Skin Allergies (Summer/Autumn) & he has food sensitivities, food allergies are rare & the dog normally will suffer with IBD when he/she suffers with food allergies..
Anal furunculosis is a chronic, progressive inflammatory disease of dogs that results in ulceration and inflammation in the area surrounding the anus.

Here’s link – “What is Idiopathic Furunculosis (German Shepherds)?”
https://wagwalking.com/condition/idiopathic-furunculosis-german-shepherds

If your dog is eating the Hills Z/d vet diet, after 1 month if he is doing firm poos, no farts, no skin problems & he is doing really well this is when you start a food elimination diet & try too work out what ingredients your dog is sensitive too?? that’s if it is food related?? its Spring in America it could be environment allergies or his immune system is crashing from Allergies or vaccinations?? it takes a while doing food elimination diets, 1 month to trial 1 new ingredient at a time to his Hypoallergenic vet diet, it can take 20mins up to 6 weeks for the dog to react, with itchy skin, ears, red around mouth, paws, gas/wind/farts, vomiting, itchy yeasty ears, skin, anal gland problems take a bit longer 4-7days when dog is reacting to an ingredient..
I found Patch reacted within 20mins of eating raw or cooked chicken, when he eats grains & carrots he took up to 5 days to react with sloppy yellow poo, farts & yeasty smelly skin & ears…
Results are 100% correct with food elimination trial. Blood, Fur& Salvia testing can give false positives results, they’re a waste of money also it’s best to do food elimination diet in the cooler months when allergen are lower, its hard in Spring & Summer as your dog might be itchy cause of a plant, tree, grass, flowers, pollens in yard or next door & you think its what he’s eating & its not, keep a diary you will start to see a pattern with Seasonal Environment Allergies, also baths weekly, baths are best to wash off any allergens on skin, paws head etc ….
I wipe Patch down with baby wipes days I don’t bath him, read the ingredients in the baby wipes & get the baby wipes that have Aloe leaf abstract in them, also Patch was getting furunculosis on bum & paws, when his immune system was down, when I first rescued him, so now after he poos I always wipe his bum with baby wipes & I wipe down his paws when he walks on wet grass or freshly cut grass he gets red paws..

Get some “Sudocrem” its an anti-fungal, anti bacterial healing cream, for Dermatitis, Eczema, Nappy Rash, Pressure Sores, if you live US look on Amazon & I’ve read Walmart has started to sell Sudocrem, its an excellent cream… it heals sores, cuts, red paws, thinning of fur on head, excellent for itchy bum, when they scoot (bum surf)
Make sure his immune system is healthy & its best to see a Dermatologist as they specialize in skin..

Look at “Adored Breast” Healthy Gut & Love Bugs (Pre & Pro Biotics) made by Julie Anne Lee

Please watch these videos below when you have the time, Julie explains what might be happening with your dog.

Here’s Julie Anne Lee – Allergies, Skin Disease, or Autoimmune – PT 1

Here’s Julie Anne Lee – Allergies, Skin Disease, or Autoimmune – PT 2

[anonymous]

You are reading Facebook blogs. I am going by what veterinarians that have examined my dogs and know their history advise.

BUMP

skeptvet says:
April 21, 2019 at 1:23 pm
There is no perfect food, and a food that works well for one dog may not work for another, so the best you can do is choose a maintenance diet from an established company (one with veterinary nutritionists on staff to oversee formulation and quality control) and then monitor important signs, such as weight, stool quality, coat quality, etc. There are many good choices and only a few I would recommend against (raw diets, and BEG diets).
Above is an excerpt from :

FDA Webinar Discussing Dietary Risk Factors for Dilated Cardiomyopathy

http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/nutrition/
Hope this helps!

[Frances A]

Hello, I need some advice. I have a labrador. Bobby is a part of our family for several days. We just fall in love with this beautiful puppy, of course, we want to see it healthy and happy. But my father began to vape and this device produces a lot of smoke. I noticed that Bob avoids these places where can be some fume from the vape. But I don’t know if it can make some effect on Bob’s health. I read a lot of articles and found some relevant resources, some sites give interesting guides(like VapingDaily). But for me important to know the mind of a pet owner and lover. So maybe anybody here has the same experience and can give a piece of advice. I will be thankful.

[anonymous]

Please be advised that we not veterinarians. For this reason, this website was never meant to be used as a substitute for sound professional advice.
Because the health of your dog can be directly affected by what you read here, you should always consult with a licensed veterinary professional before taking any specific action.

Above is an excerpt from /disclaimer-and-disclosure/

[anonymous]

Stop the raw immediately and take the dog to the vet, TODAY. This has been going on for more than a week. She needs treatment by a veterinarian, not the internet. BE HONEST ABOUT THE RAW WITH THE VET.

Give us an update so others will learn from your unfortunate experience.

Whatever you are feeding her does not agree with her and is causing her harm. She may have an obstruction especially if you have been feeding bones and such.
Or not, but something is wrong.
Even cooked chicken has a lot of small sharp bones in it, especially if you haven’t carefully chopped it up.

http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2018/02/actually-raw-chicken-likely-does-lead-to-paralysis-in-dogs/ excerpt below

“Dr. Brady can call me a dupe or lackey of Big Pet Food if he wants (and I suspect he will). The truth is, I am open to the idea that fresh food, even raw food, might have health benefits. However, the evidence is clear that raw has risks, and it is up to the proponents of raw diets to prove there are benefits that make these risks worth taking. Not with anecdotes, faulty logic about what is “natural,” rhetorical assaults on the pet food industry, or mere passion. They should prove it with data, with reliable evidence derived from appropriate scientific research. Until they do so, there is no reason for pet owners to take the risks they deny exist for ourselves, our pets, or our families.”

Yet Another Study Shows the Real Dangers of Raw Diets for Dogs

Read article and comments, use the search engine there to look up topics for more articles.
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/nutrition/

Nothing is being sold at that site, no dog food, no supplements, no books, no membership fees.

[Jessica C]

Have you ever thrown a party for your dog? Believe it or not, 11% of Americans have and almost 30% give a present to their dog on their special day.

Throwing a party for your pup doesn’t have to be stressful, it can be all out or simple DIY. After all, it’s unlikely you’ll disappoint your dog.

If you’ve been thinking about throwing a birthday party for your dog but weren’t sure where to start, or would just like to gather some inspiration on how to celebrate your puppy’s first birthday, we’ve dug up some ideas on how you can throw a dog birthday party. Take it step by step, or cherry-pick what works for you.

1. Occasion?
2. Budget?
3. Who’s Coming?
4. Location
5. Theme
6. Music
7. Decorations
8. Invitations
9. Food & Drink
10. Dog Birthday Cake
11. Activities
12. Planning
13. Gifts
Read More here: Dog Party Ideas

[malinda r]

Our dog is a 5 year old mix who had frequent loose stools that in the past led to more severe diarrhea and then late stage vomiting.

When I first adopted him 4 years ago this happened twice in six months, where he had to go to the vet for an injection to stop the vomiting, and then antibiotics. Over time I realized the kibbles seemed to be hardest on him, and also after some reading felt like he might have colitis.

In the past three years he has not had to visit the vet for illness, or take antibiotics. He does still get occasional diarrhea, but I treat it very quickly/early and it seems to halt the course of being more severely sick.

His diet:

In the am I do a little kibble and a lot of topper, kibbles I purchase are Stella and Chewy raw baked, Fromm pork and applesauce. I use the Stella and Chewy topper. I have tried some others, such as Nature’s Instinct, but it didn’t agree with him.

In the evening I give him canned with a little kibble on top. Currently we are using Health Extension lamb, but he has done well with their turkey also. So overall, not too much kibble.

I add in a probiotic from Mercola at times, herbal digestive supplement from the honest kitchen sometimes, a couple squirts of ultra oil for pets. I have purchased all this from chewy online. I try to not give these things every day, and let his body have a chance to do its own work, but when he seems a little off I add supplements to his food.

When his stool is looser, more frequent I start feeding cooked ground turkey or boiled chicken breasts. I may add in a sweet potato or some plain oatmeal. Usually if I do that for two days and then gradually add topper to the turkey and then topper and kibble to the turkey he is good by day 4 or 5.

When sick they need the antibiotics of course, but over time the antibiotics are so hard on their natural gut flora, so better to catch issues early and treat with the probiotics and other supplements before things get to a point where vet assistance is needed.

I have found when looking at food labels that foods with chicory and also beef flavors are hard on my dog. Also the monthly heartworm has caused some severe diarrhea as well!

It is really rough trying to monitor, theres me or my husband at 3am with a flashlight letting the dog out and then checking out his stool. haha. But monitoring and treating fast has been the best preventative for our dog, it seemed like once he got to a certain stage of sick no home treatment helped.

[Tamara B]

As a Dog Trainer . . . I recommend my clients ALWAYS closely check the ingredients and manufacturer information on ALL dog products because they are NOT regulated by the FDA like human products–this having been said . . . the ingredients listed on Diamond Natural Senior dog food and Kirkland Mature dog food are very similar but not exactly the same and listed in a different order, which everyone knows what the order of ingredients means on all products.
Therefore–I DID “check for myself” and need more information!
I cannot get a straight answer on the above comparison and a couple of other questions I have when comparing both dog foods. . . .
Most pet owners that go to the trouble of participating in these type forums read labels but are asking for more detailed information . . .
People should ALWAYS read ingredients and manufacturing information on ALL dog products because they are not regulated by the FDA! . . . everyone should closely monitor ALL things they give their pets due to this fact!!

[Pamela P]

Hello Dog Lovers,
I have a cockapoo, 9 yrs old, and he has been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Disease with Secondary Lymphangeictasia. That means that he wasn’t able to absorb the fluids and they accumulated in his gut. The vet told us to switch him to Royal Canin Low Fat Diet. She also put him on Prednisone, which helped with the swelling, but the alarming thing was his low blood protein levels. She added Cyclosporine which has helped him get protein levels back to normal. So right now, he’s on a Low Fat Diet, 20 mg of prednisone and 100mg of Cyclosporine daily.

My question is to anyone who has tried natural remedies for IBD. I have been reading that there are 4 natural herbs that can help inflammation in the intestine that causes IBD. These herbs are: Marshmallow Root, Licorice Root, Slippery Elm, and Plantain Leaf. Has anyone used these with good results? How did you use them? Were your pets able to live without being on meds? Please help….it’s hard to find vets that will attest to the efficacy of non-conventional meds! I don’t want my dog to have to take meds for the rest of his life (and cyclosporine is SO expensive!)! Thank you so much!!

[Patricia A]

I have been feeding my two Chihuahuas freeze dried for about two years now. Actually I was giving Origen Freeze dried treats for years but didn’t even realize it was freeze dried. Just knew it was a different texture that they really loved. I now have put in rotation Stella Chewy’s chicken meal mixers, turkey patties and venison blend. When I started I was using Fromm kibble as a base. Then I switched to Stella’s raw coated kibble small breed. I’m concerned about the Dcm with the legumes so stopped all kibble now until sorted out. Many questions on Stella’s f/b page regarding their kibble but their statements also say their kibble is not implicated in any DCM cases. Anyway I started out slowly . One protein at a time in tiny amounts. Just add warm water. Amount to feed for weight is on bag. Adjust according to weight gain or lose. I also slowly put in rotation Primal freeze dried. I use Turkey/sardine, rabbit and their duck. No stomach issues if done slowly. Bixbi Rawbbles is a great freeze dried also. I use this as treats or just throw some in with the pucks or patties . My dogs are doing great on this and I feel much better feeding the freeze dried instead of kibble or canned. Much easier to feed also.
Primal food does Hpp process to kill bacteria but not with all flavors/proteins. It’s on their webpage which protein/flavors they use it with. I believe Stella’s uses hPP process on all their food as well as Bixbi.
HOW HPP WORKS

Essentially, this technology “puts the squeeze” on food pathogens without cooking out vital nutrients or changing the fresh characteristics of food. During High-Pressure Processing, pressure is uniformly applied around and throughout the food product. High-Pressure Processing can be conducted at refrigerated or even frozen temperatures, which means the temperature starts low and stays low — High-Pressure Processing does not cause the heat degradation that happens during cooking.
Freeze Dried The process requires food to be placed inside a vacuum chamber that lowers the temperature until it is below freezing and then moisture is drawn out by slowly raising the temperature. The water originally found in the food moves to a gaseous state from a solid to void the food of most moisture.

Moisture Content:

Dehydration removes approximately 90-95 percent of moisture, while freeze-drying removes about 98-99 percent.[3]

Rehydration:

Freeze-dried pet food will rehydrate within 2-3 minutes while dehydrated pet food can often take 5-10 minutes or need to be left soaking for a few hours depending on the size of the food chunks.

Texture, Flavor, and Aroma:

When food is freeze-dried, the process is gentle and the enzymes are locked in without disrupting the texture, taste, or smell of the ingredient. This particular process greatly reduces the weight of the product and makes it convenient for storing and travel.

The look and feel of a freeze-dried product to a dehydrated is noticeable to the naked eye. Dehydrated foods tend to be a little darker, denser, and can sometimes appear leathery. In order to create a faster rehydration time for dehydrated food, they are often powdered or made granular, whereas freeze-dried foods can be kept in chunkier states.

Another key difference is that dehydration can break down vital vitamins and minerals due to the processes being a little more invasive.[2] The freeze-drying process will keep all the valuable nutrients intact ready to be rehydrated when needed.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 8 months ago by Patricia A.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 8 months ago by Patricia A.

[Angel Y]

In fact,every dog needs enough nutrients to grow healthy.But i don’t think that probiotics will fit to every breed.As example,i’ve tried to feed my goldendoodle with this supplement for a month,but he became less active and started to sleep more,as usualy.Then,i ‘ve deserved to change his food on “Hill’s adult sensitive stomach & skin”.This food contains a natural supplements and meat protein. You can read more about nutrients here https://petstiger.com/best-dog-food-for-small-breed-puppies/

[Patricia A]

Lilli as long as it’s roasted chicken I cook. Just to make sure it’s not salted. She has enlarged heart from mitral valve disease. Xray showed no edema or congestive heart failure. She is a Chihuahua so they are very prone to the mitral valve problem. Symptoms usually start as they age . She also has a collapsing trachea causing her to cough within last six months. sShe was doing great until then .when coughing got worse and worse making her of course exhausted. This was very hard on there heart also with all the coughing. So vet cough suppressant med. . I only give her the 1/4 at night. This has really helped. Not coughing anymore at all and she’s active again.Weather was warmer today with no wind so she even walked around whole backyard .
Yup, she sound just like your Mojo. She always had boiled breasts but the last few months only eats dark meat. She’s even now getting picky with the dark meat. The steak/london broil she still eats enthusiastically as well as the fish. I pray this lasts.Going to try the flounder for her. Usually wait until we go fishing off party boat in fluke season and they always get some if we’re lucky to catch any.
The oatmeal is just quaker oats instant plain where you just add hot water and let cool. I make it more runny for her and then crunch up the mini wheat. It has sugar on it but low in salt. Maybe you can try that trick to make it tastier. Also read below:
What Type of Peanut Butter is Best for Dogs? Generally speaking, any peanut butter that doesn’t contain xylitol (or chocolate) should be fine for a dog. It can be a good source of protein and healthy fat for your dog — in moderation, of course.)
So maybe you can take the kibble and roll it in the peanut butter ? She went for this trick for a little while then would just start sniffing it and realized I was up to something. lol So now I just give her a little off a spoon. Well actually a big glob because I feel so good watching her enjoy this. Let me know if any of these tricks works.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 8 months ago by Patricia A.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 8 months ago by Patricia A.

[InkedMarie]

Hi Elizabeth,
I don’t think there is a list of top grain inclusive foods. I’m in a Facebook group for the DCM issues. The ingredients to steer clear from are grains (though I believe some cases of diet related DCM has happened on grain inclusive) , peas, legumes, potatoes.

I currently have my dogs on Natures Logic. Only grain is millet but none of the other ingredients. Some are using Farmina Ancestral Grains. The above FB group touts foods from makers following WSAVA guidelines: Purina, Science Diet, Eukanuba/Iams and Royal Canin. It seems the favored is Purina Pro Plan sensitive skin & stomach and Pro Plan Savor.

I never thought I’d feed Purina but I may try the PPP SSS next. It’s not going to kill my dogs to eat it while they figure out exactly what’s causing this but putting them back on grain free may.

I have many friends into dogs: breeders, show people and sport people. So many of them feed Pro Plan and they have dogs who live long lives and look great.

I’ve been on DFA for a very long time. Never ever would I have thought I’d contemplate a Purina food. Never. Most of the friends I’ve made here would laugh if they read this!

[Cody D]

Oh no worries there. Back to the vet tomorrow. I am tired of that place with all my being at this point. Hopefully they will have a good idea of whats going on. Grrrrrr…. I was looking at alopecia x and that seemed to be the best description I can find. Plus affects his breed. A unique sign is it seems to me symmetrical? It’s the same leg on both sides, in almost the exact same spot. The one lleg has an extra spot that popped up today, I fully expect it to happen to the other. On both sides of his tail, and a stripe down his back. From what I read that points to certain things over others so good I guess.

I really do like my vet, but I get tired of going in there and getting a different person everytime I go in. Wish the same doc would see us tomorrow. *sigh* Man I’m tired of this complaining.

[Cody D]

I know this is getting off topic here but I’m doubting atopic dermatitis in my other dog. Unless he somehow doesn’t have the traditional clinical signs and it is manifesting in other ways (heck I guess that’s what happened to my Husky boy according to the vet!). I just checked him over and his scabs are spreading for sure though. Two on one leg, one on another. Multiple on his lower back where they started, and they’ve moved to the base of his tail. hum…. When it rains it pours…. Hairloss all areas except a few, and I expect that to follow soon. When inspecting one on his lower leg (almost his foot) yesterday I realized tuffs of fur just come off with the scab. It’s not quite bald in the spot, but close too. He’s a malamute cross so the scabs can be hard to find through all that fur until we see the bald spots or him attacking it. Ugh.

[Lacey L]

I have a 7 year old golden retriever, Tucker, who is picky and has acid reflux. He’s always been very sensitive to foods ever since he was a puppy. I tried literally 20 different foods, all of which gave him very loose stools, until he finally did well on Kirklands signature and he has been on that ever since. I tried switching proteins within the brand because I read that is healthier for them but he didn’t like it.

I work at a Pet store and decided to try him on Activa because it is a customizable food I could had probiotics and glucosamine to as well as salmon oil for his coat. It was then I discovered he is Very allergic to salmon. So I put him back on Kirkland. Throughout the years his regurgitating food at night happened pretty frequently at times. Then he started the gulping, freaking out, drinking tons of water, pacing and wanting to eat grass. So I started giving him tums until it wasn’t enough and the vet suggested prilosec which helps 70% of the time but the other 30% it doesn’t help at all. He never gets table scraps and rarely gets treats but when I started him on the prilosec I would give him a tiny bit of peanut butter to put the pill in. My fiancé said the peanut butter might do it so I’ve switched to cheese instead and I’ve switched him to Pepcid AC complete. It’s only his second day on that but it seems to be helping.

His latest bout of acid reflux was pretty severe so I put him on small meals of chicken and rice throughout the day which helped but as soon as I put him back on his kibble he got the acid reflux back so he’s back on the chicken and rice.

I work and can’t cook for him forever and he’s a 90 lb dog (not overweight.. He’s actually thin) so I can’t afford raw or canned so I want to find a dry kibble for him to try that would prevent acid reflux. I’ve researched alot and was excited to try the nature’s Select lamb but I gave him a few kibble but he didn’t like it!! So I’m thinking of trying taste of the wild lamb next and if he won’t eat that then try the chicken flavors. I also read soaking in bone broth is good?

Any other food suggestions in case he doesn’t like the totw? Also as I said I work, so would having him grave all day be a bad thing? He is not an over eater at all. When I feed him breakfast alot of times he’ll just snack on it here or there anyways.

[Christie B]

I’m pretty good with making sure that my dogs see the vet annually for general checks and to make sure their up to date with necessary vaccinations. I was due to go back towards the end of 2018, but it completely slipped my mind.

My 9.5 year old American Bulldog mix has 1 front bowed leg. He’s always had it and he walks and runs fine (he looks gimpy when walking, but it’s how he’s always been and it causes no discomfort). He’s also had issues with food and the environment around him, although we’ve never been able to pinpoint his exact sensitivities. I’m sure you can go back and see my many posts and responses related to his “excessive drooling” and allergies posts.

So I noticed the other day when he was laying on his side (with the bowed leg up) that there appeared to be a large lump behind the leg. I never noticed it or just attributed it to the structure of his frame with the odd leg. So I went back to some old pictures I had, and I didn’t see the lump.

Concerned, I contacted the vet’s office on Saturday to make an appointment to look at the leg, as well as have his annual exam. The receptionist asked what doctor I deal with there. I told her the name of the practice’s owner (Dr. B), who also was the one who I discussed his allergies with (which was something I wanted to ask him about while I was there since the drooling episodes persist at irregular intervals). The earliest appointment was Monday 5:30. I rushed out of work that afternoon, let my dogs out, put the one in the car (I left the other home alone for like the 2nd time ever in the 4 years that I’ve had her)

When I arrived at the vet, I could see other dogs in the lobby. My big guy is loud and disruptive when he sees other dogs that he wants to meet. So I called and told them I was outside to call me when the room was ready. Nearly 30 minutes pass (we walked laps around the building) before we’re ushered into the hottest room ever. The vet tech asks me why we’re here. I explain about the lump and that I want to have his annual exam, etc.

So then we wait even longer and my poor dog, recognizing where he is is now panting and barking and crying. So the door opens and this women walks in. Never met her before, but she certainly wasn’t the vet I booked the appointment with. One of her arms wasn’t through the armhole of her cardigan and instead stuck out of the bottom. So something was up with her. She introduced herself, asked what I was here for.

Now, I understand my dog can be intimidating at first glance. He’s 119 pounds and has a giant pit head. But I never interacted with a vet who wouldn’t approach my dog. Even after telling her he’s 1000% friendly (and mind you I was holding him next to me), she made sure to keep the metal exam table between her and us.

So a vet tech comes in to ‘hold the dog’. The doctor looks at the lump and tells me, without touching it, that it’s a lipoma. I say “are you sure”, then she hesitantly approaches and feels the lump for about 10 seconds and says yes. Then says it’s obviously hampering his movements. I tell her he’s always had the bowed leg and cued up a video on my phone from him running, jumping and playing with my other dog the day before. So she then says it’s not hampering him, but it should be removed. And unfortunately it’s so big that they probably shouldn’t do the surgery and should have a specialist come in to do it. Then she did said that he’s young enough to warrant doing it (like I was automatically going to say no because of the expense). I she knew me like the other vet did, then she would know the well being of my dog is my priority. I ask her to get me an estimate.

I then ask if we can do a needle aspiration to make sure it’s not cancer. Why would I put my dog through a surgery, only to find out it may be cancerous and then make him go through treatments? If it’s cancer, he might still have to have surgery, but maybe they could try other methods to shrink it or kill it first. She says we can “for peace of mind”. And then tells me 30 seconds later that needle aspirations on lumps are highly inaccurate. The sample they take might not have cancer, but it can still be there.

Peace of mind, indeed.

Then she tries to dissuade me from the procedure by saying it will be expensive (but specialized surgery isn’t?)

I tell her to go ahead and do it.

While they try to formulate the price, she sells me on their “wellness package” which includes standard blood labs, urine and stool labs and heartworm test. Other than her 10 seconds spent feeling the lump and listening to his heart with a stethoscope, she didn’t touch my dog. The vet tech felt my dog’s body for lumps. Found a hard one in his chest. Doctor edges closes and feels for 1 second…”not concerned”. I tell them he has a lot of little lumps on his belly along with a bunch of skin tags of various size and color. She wasn’t interested in seeing them.

I’ve had wellness exams every year. The vet normally checks my dog’s ears, mouth, teeth, runs his hands over the dog to looks for lumps or abnormalities, checks over his legs and makes sure his joints are ok, listens to his heart, listen to his lungs/respiration, asks me what he eats, asks about his energy level, talks about any sort of supplements he takes, sometimes takes his temperature and checks the anal glands.

But this lady had her tech do the most cursory exam feeling for lumps on his back and sides and that’s it.

So she leaves the room to get started with prepping for the needle aspiration. Time passes (so much time) and she pops her head in and says that Dr. B (the practice owner) has to be the one who does it because she just had shoulder surgery (thanks for finally telling me) and unfortunately he still has two other patients to see, so can I come back another time? I turn around and tell her that I work every day and I switched my schedule around to be there that day and not for nothing but my appointment was supposed to be with Dr. B in the first place. So she says that she hopes that I wasn’t disappointed in having her treat my dog (I should have said something, but I didn’t). But I made the point that had I had Dr. B like originally scheduled, I wouldn’t have had to wait for him to finish with other people in order to do this test because he would have done the exam and the test and finish with me before seeing anyone else.

I wound up waiting. My poor dog, already traumatized by the blood test puncture was panting and crying and barking. At first, I kept shushing him. But then I just let him bark it out, because maybe they’d be so sick of hearing him that they’d hurry up. Dr. B finally came in, did the needle aspiration and left. In and out in less than 5 minutes.

I had hoped that he was going to come in alone so I could give him a tell him how disappointed I was with the exam and the doctor. But she had come in with him and with the vet techs in the room holding the dog down, I didn’t want to speak in front of them.

It’s been 3 days and I’m still annoyed. I didn’t get to discuss the drooling episodes (she was not interested at all in discussing it since it happens so randomly and the Benedryl and Pepcid help manage it). Who knows if the other lumps are lipomas or something else? I wanted to discuss senior nutrition (but not with her at this point).

I didn’t want to say anything until all the lab tests were in. Everything was good (Cholesterol and Total Protein levels a bit high, but she wasn’t concerned) and the biopsy came back likely to be fatty deposit lipoma.

Anyone else have inadequate vet exams?

And yes, I could have made a separate appointment to do the wellness exam and focus this one on the lump. But my vet knows these visits aren’t cheap and always makes a point of asking if there’s anything else I want to address while I’m there so I don’t have to pay for another visit. This new vet couldn’t be bothered…how do you expect to go to work to thoroughly examine a pet when you only have the use of 1 arm?

[Ana C]

Hello to all!

Here I am reading up on lawsuits on Acana/Orijens. I’ve been feeding my boys this food for the past 6 years. I trusted this brand whole heartedly like most folk out there and now I’m at a loss. Like most people I don’t feel comfortable feeding them this food until something is know whether it is safe or not. So, now I’m not sure what to feed my boys(dogs, just to clarify). Should I get them Fromm’s, Stella & Chewie, other? Which one? Unfortunately I just purchased a bag of Acana and I’, hesitant to feed them but they have to eat!
Any recommendations? No food allergies that I know of at this time. Both are cocker spaniels in good health and both roughly around 8-9 years of age.

Thank you so much for your time and suggestions,

Ana

[anonymous]

Please read and discuss with your vet: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2014/08/routine-vaccinations-for-dogs-cats-trying-to-make-evidence-based-decisions/ (excerpt below)

In general, I recommend following these guidelines for the initial vaccine series and the one year booster. I often cease vaccination for strictly indoor cats after that, however this involves a thorough discussion of the possible risks. If a cat escapes every once in a while, for example, they should certainly be kept current on rabies vaccination. And, of course, if there are legal requirements for rabies vaccination, these should be followed. Cats that visit other cats or have visitors or new cats come into the household, cats who attend shows or are boarded, and cats with owners who interact with cats outside the household may benefit from vaccination even if they are strictly indoors.
The risks of vaccination are generally similar in cats as in dogs, and very small, with one significant exception. The evidence is stronger for the development of a very serious kind of cancer, called a sarcoma, associated with some vaccines in some cats. The risk of this is still very low (reported to occur following as few as 1/10,000 doses of vaccine to as high as 36/10,000 doses), but it is a very dangerous and often fatal disease. Changes have been made in the vaccine used in cats to try and reduce this risk, but it isn’t absolutely clear if these changes have lowered the risk. This disease needs to be considered when making vaccination decisions for individual cats, and certainly we need to make a serious effort to avoid unnecessary vaccination. However, irrational fear of this disease is not a good reason to subject cats to unnecessary risk from equally serious infectious diseases by avoiding appropriate vaccinations.

[Melanie O]

Hello,

I also have a dog that was just diagnosed with struvite crystals and the vet told me I had to put her on Royal Canin SO food indefinitely to dissolve the crystals and lower the PH of her urine.
I cannot afford this. I buy her the best dog food I can, I read the ingredients of each bag to make sure I am getting a food that doesn’t have a lot of garbage in it – ultimately ending up in my spending about 36.00 a bag. This is at the high end of my budget and the royal canin, for a smaller bag is going to cost me double that.

I am looking for alternatives to reducing the ph in her urine as well as dissolving the crystals. Nothing in her bladder, there was a tiny bit of bacteria but no blood. I was thinking of getting cranberry relief chews for her to help with infection but how do i dissolve the crystals in her urine and/or reduce the ph? I was going through a lot of the posts but there are so many I thought I would just go about it this way. You all are such a wealth of information I can’t wait to hear from you!

[Ayat S]

Well, I bought her from a breeder who seems to be knowing what she is doing. The dog has been checked by a vet and has a health card and everything. I could take her to the vet right now if it is really needed. But so far there does not seem to be anything specifically wrong with her.
And no, I am not listening to homeopathic vets or anything :D. Since this is my first time having a dog, I started reading up on stuff on the net, and since there were so many brands of dog food, I thought I do a overview of what is out there. I did not even know there were brands that were supposedly even harmful to the dog in the long run. Here are the brands I have easily access from two shops in my hometown:
Acana, Barking Heads, British Care, British Premium, Canagan, Carnilove, Edgard and cooper, Eukanaba, Golden Eagle, Hills , Lilys Kitchen, Nutrima, Nutro, Orijen, Piccolo, Planet Pet, Profine, Sams field, True instict, Wonderboo, Pronature holistic, Riverwood, Ziwipeak, 1st choice, Primadog, Welldog, Champion, Platinum, Proplan, Booster, probooster.

Again since I saw RC on a few brands to be avoided, I thought about changing the brand. I guess we can stay on it if that is what she wants…Also, since you said small breeds at 6 months are practically adults, should I buy normal adult food or stick to puppy until she is 1 years old?

[Ayat S]

Well, scouring the net, Royal Canine does not seem to have a good reputation in general, so I thought maybe another brand would be better.
As for the vet, no we have not been to the vet since we got the dog 5 days ago and it was already checked with the vet before being transfered to us. I guess we can go and talk to one soon about the food situation.

The thing is she is insanely picky about eating, maybe we feed her too much stuff besides her main meals…Even her main food she barely touches. My wife says she ate well the first day she was with us so I am thinking maybe the other stuff we feed her (fruits, yogurt and chicken here and there) is making her too full to eat her main meals.

[Meegan P]

I have two small purebred dogs, a 16lb 5 yr old Poodle and a 5lb 4 year old Yorkie. I have always fed them pretty good food Fromm’s kibble and Stella & Chewy’s meal mixer. I also only give them distilled or spring water to drink or mix with the food. The meal mixer is usually a treat or given with medicine because they eat it fast whereas when I give them kibble they just ration it throughout the day. Recently over the last 6 months or so we have had a few issues that required them to take meds so I have been giving them the mixer more often. The yorkie broke his dewclaw and had to have it clipped and the poodle had an ear infection then a few weeks ago the poodle caught a muscle spasm. They are both very active and of course the poodle jumps and walks on his back legs quite often so the muscle spasm worried me a lot especially after the anti-inflammatory/pain meds prescribed by the vet ran out and he was still laying around and would not lift off on his back legs. As a result, I purchased some CBD oil for pets and started giving them just rehydrated meal mixer in the morning to make sure they took the oil then leaving the kibble down per usual.

Within several days, definitely less than a week of giving them the CBD oil my poodle was back to normal so it seems the oil does what is claims. I began lookin for some other high quality rehydrated foods since I would need to purchase it more often in order to give them the oil everyday. That is when I found Dr. Marty Nature’s Blend. I give it to my dogs in the morning, 1/2 cup rehydrated with boiled water just enough to cover the food and let it sit for 3-5 minutes then mashing up with a fork. The consistency is not watery or mushy but rather moist and chunky. My dogs both love it as they eat it very quickly and lick the bowl clean. Another reason I give them the soft food is because they eat it fast and I can watch over them to keep the greedy Poodle from eating the Yorkie’s food too. The Yorkie is very picky and has a very high prey drive so he likes to play with the food before he eats it and never eats all of his food. I’m not sure if he is allowing the Poodle (Alpha) to come in and steal his food or if he’s just too busy off playing with his food and just gets caught slipping. Anyway, the Yorkie doesn’t play with the Nature’s Blend, he also eats it very quickly with much excitement so I think it’s fair to say that they really like Dr. Marty’s food, even better than the Stella & Chewee’s. I didn’t wean them onto the food I just gave it to them cold turkey because I felt like they have already been eating quality dog food and rehydrated dog food so they didn’t need to transition. They didn’t have any problems as expected and the quality and consistency of their poop is the same. It’s only been a few weeks but I like the food although I agree it is expensive. However, it is in line with the price of other rehydrated dog foods. The Stella & Chewee’s I get is $19.99 for an 8oz bag while Dr. Marty’s was $29.95 for a 16oz bag plus $4.95 shipping. Even with the shipping it is still on par with the Stella & Chewy’s.

[Linda A]

Hi all! Thanks so much for all your work and efforts to help us and our fur babies here! I JUST bought these yesterday and read up on here and was shocked at what I’m reading! I sure didn’t want Red Barn Bully Sticks (although they love them) So now back to the drawing board! Please, Aimee, can you suggest a good quality chew such as a bully stick, long lasting? Is there such a thing out there?
Thanks so much for all this information!

[Patricia A]

Please consider vaccinations as a possible cause for seizures. I hope you have a vet who is up to date on the dangers of many health problems associated with those yearly vaccinations . I wised up many years ago when my chi needed surgery for a luxatting patella common in small breeds. Vet insisted on full set of shots before surgery. Her blood work was perfect until tested again on day of surgery. She had extremely low white count. Instead of knee surgery she needed bone marrow testing . Test results were immune mediated low white from vaccination. Then there was the lepto vaccination in my then 16 year old Doxie. By night his face swelled huge and had to go to emergency vet. Again from vaccination. Fast forward when I had Loli spayed and vet said kennel cough nasal was necessary. Well needless to say this healthy little puppy was now hacking and sneezing from the live kennel cough virus he gave her. Had to cancel her appt until she was over cold.
I now will only get rabies . That was three years ago and titer still shows they have immunity.
Please read: https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/dangerous-over-vaccination-on-the-rise/
I do believe in NECESSARY vaccinations and the NECESSARY boosters given separately until they are one year. Immunity lasts far longer then was thought. Getting a titer is the best thing you can do for your pet if you want to avoid all the adverse effects of all these vaccinations.
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/8572826/ns/health-pet_health/t/still-vaccinating-your-pet-every-year/#.XGsHoC3MzJ8

• This reply was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by Patricia A.

[Patricia A]

Feeding trials are :
Pet food feeding trials are touted by Big Pet Food as ‘the’ standard every pet food consumer should be guided by. Many veterinarians make pet food recommendations based solely on feeding trials. Thanks to two pet food companies, the pet food feeding trial bar has been raised. Can Big Pet Food handle the new standard?

It is common within the pet food industry to tout pet food feeding trials; many (unknowing) veterinarians follow and believe in the propaganda. From the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) website: “Of all the education and resources that Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc. provides to veterinarians and their health care teams, the most potentially valuable for their patients are criteria for evidence-based clinical nutrition. Conducting high-powered clinical trials is not simply Hill’s approach to product development but another way the company gives back to the profession—by providing scientific evidence they believe veterinarians can depend on when arriving at informed clinical decisions.”

Although pet food feeding trials are touted as the ‘it’ means of proving the quality of a pet food, there are many drawbacks rarely discussed. Those that take issue with the validity of pet food feeding trials, most commonly cite concerns of length of the trial (only 6 months), simple blood work required to pass the food (four blood tests), and that it is common (standard until now) to use ‘purpose-bred’ dogs and cats tested in a laboratory setting.

The worst – purpose-bred dogs and cats. From the University of Cincinnati website: “Purpose-bred dogs are those that are specifically bred for biomedical research, most often by companies that specialize in producing such animals. Purpose-bred dogs can be either mixed breed or purebred. Purebred animals have the advantage of uniform size, body conformation, and genetic background. The beagle is a popular purebred because of its relatively small size. There are far fewer companies offering purpose-bred cats.”

Most dogs and cats used in typical pet food feeding trials are born, raised, and die in a laboratory kennel. They never have a home or a family to love them. They serve a purpose – to sell pet food – and that is all.

Most pet food companies that utilize pet food feeding trials perform them within their own facilities. Their own purpose bred dogs/cats participate in the trial, the trial is overseen and documented by pet food company employees. Other companies that have touted feeding trials hire private facilities to run the trial. Needless to say, pressure is on the private facility/lab to pass the diet if they wish to have a return customer.

Now to the good news. Two pet food companies have stepped forward and moved pet food feeding trials to a whole new level. To a humane and more accurate level.

JustFoodForDogs has recently completed a six month real-life AAFCO approved feeding trial. JustFoodForDogs hired University of Cal Poly Pomona’s Animal and Veterinary Science Department to develop a new humane and realistic feeding trial that met AAFCO requirements and to run the trial. “According to Dr. Broc Sandelin, PhD, Chair of the Animal and Veterinary Sciences Department, “The field method we developed takes significantly more effort than the standard ‘industry approach’,…the dogs are happy, and the data are scientifically valid.”

This feeding trial enlisted 28 pets – in family homes (real life pets, real life environment). Some of the pets were already eating a JustFoodForDogs diet, some were not. Of the 28 dogs that began the test, 26 completed. The two that dropped out (AAFCO regulations allow 25% of the animals to drop out), did so early because of personal/lifestyle (human) challenges, not related to the pet food. Dr. Oscar Chavez, house veterinarian at JustFoodForDogs, explained each pet completed “Comprehensive Blood Cell Count and Comprehensive Canine Chemistry Panel, looking at over 25 blood parameters” at the conclusion of the study; AAFCO regulations only requires four blood tests.

Dr. Chavez provided the following explanation of the reasoning behind JustFoodForDogs 25 blood parameters: “A typical AAFCO trial is required to measure parameters that look for anemia (low blood red blood cell count) and – indirectly – liver damage. Anemia is a potential end result of deficiencies that may occur if the food is severely deficient. In order to become anemic, the severe deficiencies must have been present for a significant amount of time, as anemia is usually a secondary sign of a more serious underlying disease. That is to say, the deficient food has to first make the dog sick (through malnutrition), then the dog has to become anemic in response to that illness, and all this must happen within the 26 weeks for the standard AAFCO protocol to catch it. The liver parameter AAFCO requires to us to look at ALP (Alkaline Phosphatase) is only one of many used by vets to evaluate the integrity of the liver, and could be normal even though there is insult to the liver. Vets agree that in many cases, using this protocol may actually 1) not catch problems even though the disease or deficiencies may be present, or 2) miss long term problems that did not become evident by this limited testing in the 26 week period. Lets put it this way – most veterinarians would never clear an older or fragile patient for anesthesia, for example, with only the results of the parameters required by AAFCO.”

“By measuring full blood panels, we were able to look for evidence of diseases directly and see – truly – if the food was making our dogs sick within the 26 week period.”

Current regulations guiding feeding trials require the ‘group’ of animal participants on a whole to pass the four blood tests; the 26 dogs participating in the JustFoodForDogs feeding trial each passed individually (and passed the 21 additional blood tests individually too). To read more about JustFoodForDogs feeding trial, click here.

Another raising of the feeding trial bar has been from Answers Pet Food. Though this feeding trial does not meet AAFCO requirements, it is none-the-less a huge step forward.

Dr. Amy Nesselrodt DVM was the volunteer owner of the dogs in this feeding trial (not an employee of the pet food company). The trial ran for one year on Dr. Amy’s four dogs (in real life conditions), unlike the AAFCO requirement of only six months.

Each dog was given a health exam prior to the transition to Answers raw pet food, at six months and at 12 months by an independent veterinarian. Detailed before and after health information is provided by Dr. Amy on her blog , below is a chart from her website.

All dogs passed the trial and experienced health improvement.

Real life feeding trials using pets in their homes are the ONLY way to do a feeding trial – the only way. Anything less is cruel and the results should prove to be inaccurate to meet the nutritional requirements of dogs and cats living in a family setting.

Thank you to Just Food for Dogs and Answers Pet Food for taking pet food feeding trials into a more humane and realistic era. Your turn Big Pet Food.

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author, Buyer Beware
Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
PetsumerReport.com

[. .]

I had been feeding my three dogs Hill’s Science Diet Canine “i/d” dry, and then mix of dry and canned (also i/d)…I have been feeding my animals (cats & dogs) only Hill’s Science Diet (i/d, m/d). No table scraps no snack…very strict and consistent diet.

I don’t believe in giving my animals food items that are not meant for good health. Yet, all have developed diabetes, and/or cancer, and/or kidney disease and/or urinary dysfunction at much earlier ages than what would be expected. So here’s what…I no longer trust Hill’s Science diet — particularly the dry food.

I first eliminated the dry for my cat, out of desperation after months of heavy, I mean HEAVY, urination — replacing the cat litter every 48 hours because of major urination, complete litter saturation. One evening I only served the wet food, and to my hope, prayers, and pleasant surprise…starting the VERY NEXT DAY, the heavy urination STOPPED!

That was about 2 months ago, and he’s been fine ever since. He still has diabetes, though (4 units insulin/day). For now. But I am working on changing his diet further — getting as far away from any Hill’s Science Diet as possible, or any conventional pet food. Wet or dry.

Same with my dogs, I now have them completely off Hill’s. I switched to Just Food for Dogs (formerly known as True Food for Dogs). It’s too late for one of my dogs whom I just had down about 3 weeks ago — cancer. But I have my two others and they are doing well. But…

One of my dogs, having sever symptoms of kidney disease, urinary dysfunction (constant thirst lots of urination), and an insatiable appetite…all seemed like signs of diabetes and/or kidney disease — but, his blood work indicated all was fine. So what could it be? Well, it turns out his calcium, sodium, phosphorus, and of course his electrolytes, and many other things in his blood work results reported dangerously low. “The lowest I’ve ever seen in my career,” stated our 17 year veteran of veterinary medicine stated.” (Oh, BTW my dog had lost a lot of weight over a short period of time, where I could see his ribs and hip bones very prominently.

Then vet concluded from the above indications that it must to be Diabetes Insipidus, “a condition that results from insufficient production of the antidiuretic hormone (ADH), a hormone that helps the kidneys and body conserve the correct amount of water. Normally, the antidiuretic hormone controls the kidneys’ output of urine.” But we needed further examination to confirm.

So we got on schedule to take my dog in to get an ultrasound procedure ($350-$500). It was a couple of weeks away before I could afford the additional cost for confirming or knowing the true problem. If the ultrasound did not reveal anything…a CT scan would be required to check for brain tumor. (I know. Very serious.)

Meanwhile, I went to Just Food for Dogs (JFFD) and had several long talks with them as I’m a very inquisitive and discerning consumer. Once I was satisfied with their answers about the product, how it works and why, I picked up my first batch of the fresh ready-made food as well as the supplement powder and the recipe so I that could start making the food myself at home — and save money.

Just under two weeks later, I asked the vet to take another blood panel — just like the previous one to compare if he was getting worse or improving. When she received the results, our vet called me and stated, “It’s like a miracle, all his levels are up to very healthy normal indicators…what did you do?” I told her we’d changed our dogs’ diet to the JFFD, and she said, “Keep doing what you’re doing. Don’t change a thing!” (BTW, he’s filling out, I look forward to weighing him again in a couple of weeks.)

Do you like to cook? I do. (I’m a bit of a foodie.) If you are a person who appreciates quality ingredients (Did I mention, this simple and particular recipe for my dogs’ age, calls for fresh ground lamb, cauliflower, carrots, blueberries, brown rice, yum! Of course, adding the powdered supplements to make my dogs’ meals whole and complete)…if you care about your animal’s comfort and well being, I highly recommend you consider making your dog’s food yourself with the proper, professional, guidance, and supplemental ingredients (powder).

I’m also going to look further into Nutra Thrive as a possible additional supplement. It looks very interesting. But I plan to be careful to not overdo. Will seek the proper guidance.

In summary, I am getting as far away from Hill’s as I can, and will be switching to the Feline version from JFFD very soon, hoping I can get my sweet little cat (actually, he’s a big tabby with the heart of a kitten) on the healthier food source, too.

One thought I’d also like to share: Just one thing I don’t agree with from the video and the veterinarian who created Nutra Thrive… I think his statement was in the effort to be encouraging, make it sound easy — to simply NOT change from whatever junky food (be it grocery store, pet store, or vet office source) dog owners are currently feeding their animals. I just DON’T agree with that at all. Why? It pretty common sense to me.

Just by what the vet in the video says regarding how pet foods are processed (super high temperatures, no nutrients left, for example), and just by my reading the ingredients, and how the vet in the video states conventional food makes dogs look, feel, act, or eliminate poorly are but a few key reasons for me to stay clear of anything I feed my pets that I don’t have control over — hence, cooking it myself, with proper ingredients and guidance.

[anonymous]

Quote: “There is nothing that says you can’t do both.”

That’s not always true. Supplements can interfere with the absorption and effectiveness of some prescription medications.

Best to check with the vet that is treating your dog first before acting on stuff that you read on the internet.

[Nancy W]

We used the diet as well as the rest of the supplements for almost a year during treatment. I truly believe it helped improve the quality of my girl’s life as well as slow the progression of MCT. I couldn’t have been any happier with the information and assistance I received from the book, staff and the closed FaceBook group.

To be clear, Dr. Dressler’s protocol doesn’t lead anyone down a homeopathic rabbit hole. The book is very clear about all the cancer treatment options there are out there, which includes diet and supplements and encourages readers to take a comprehensive approach to the treatment of cancer in dogs. The Dog Cancer Survival Guide thoroughly explains all the types of cancers out there as well as what treatment options there are from chemo to holistic. His partner in writing the book is a well know Oncologist. There is nothing that says you can’t do both.

[Susan]

Hi Susan,

Sounds like your poor girl has been in a washing machine & washed…Poor thing..

DO NOT take her back, poor dog sounds like she has had a bad time, I would demand a refund or you’ll be reporting this groomer, also go onto her F/B page & tell her customers what has happened, name & shame her so she starts respecting poor innocent animals.

Anyone can become a mobil groomer & be very ruff to the poor dog when the dog gets scared & freezes up & wont do as they are told..

There has to be a better groomer around that has a good name..
Google groomers in your area & read their reviews…
I bath my own dog twice a week, its a pain but my boy is terrified of water he must of also had a bad experience when someone bathed him when he was younger…
If your dog needs to be trimmed alot of vet nurses cut dogs fur at vet practice & the dogs are surrounded by people who are witness to any animal cruelty….
Look for a groomer who is busy & has a few groomers working close by, better then a single person..

[Vernon P]

There are various diseases which are spread by these nasty tiny creatures named pest. The best idea would be to do regular pest control so that a clean environment is created and no such disease or infection can be detected. Hiring experts such as Pest Control Loomis CA can eradicate tiny pest completely.

[Patti S]

Yes!
It’s mind boggling to find a good quality dog food without lentils, peas, or potatoes! This health scare is sure going to shake up the dog food industry!

For the here and now (after a ton of reading) and just to be on the safe side, I’m going to rotate from canned Merrick Limited ingredient Turkey (which is grain-free), to canned Merrick Grain Free 96% (either chicken or beef). No potato, lentils, seeds, or starches made from those questionable ingredients, and still AAFCO approved for all life stages, and a 5 star rating here at dogfood advisor.

[Karen G]

Gosh Hi Everyone! I didn’t get an alert from the last 3 posts so I had no idea that Cara and Laurence had joined and Susan had updated.
Firstly Abby is doing great. She was up to 17lbs at Christmas, so we have had to cut back on her daily food intake….what a glorious thing for me to write! She is now down to 16.4lbs and I think we will keep her at this weight over the Winter (it’s pretty cold outside now and she can use the extra fat). We will probably limit her food intake a little more in the Spring as her ideal weight is actually 15.2lbs.

Abby remains on our home made prescription diet. She gets 75mg metronidazole daily and 1ml B12 injection weekly. Our nutritionist Vet did a presentation about her at the OVC and asked me to write up how I prepared her meals, the cost and the time. If anyone is interested I can post that here. I have learned a lot about making a home made diet, I think it helps to be a little obsessive compulsive….keeping to the recipe exactly and weighing each item after cooking and draining is very important.

Because Abby lost 70% of her small bowel she can’t absorb fats. She only gets 1tsp of canola oil daily, and whatever fat is left over after meticulously draining the lean ground beef (I obsess about draining it very thoroughly because the prescription recipe called for extra lean ground beef but it’s expensive to buy 2kg of extra lean ground beef at a time and extra lean generally doesn’t come in large packaged amounts).

Another very important addition to Abby’s diet is a vitamin/mineral supplement. Abby was prescribed Balance IT by the OVC Vet. We have to order it on line from the U.S. which is a bit of an annoyance but The OCV trusts that the product is properly monitored in production and the ingredients are of good quality. I believe the standards for medications for animals are not as stringent as they are for humans so the OVC is careful about what they choose when prescribing an OTC product. (over the counter)

Laurence, the trick for us in decreasing poops and firming them up is the homemade diet. When Abby was on the Purina H/A her poop was still pretty watery. Thickest in the morning and then like water by evening. Looking back at my notes from a year ago Abby was pooping 4-10x a day. Currently she poops 2-3x day. Her first poop of the day looks like a normal dog poop and we are now back to carrying poop bags with us when we go for walks. in the evening her poop is the loosest and I’d say it is the consistency of pudding. (On the fecal score chart she is a 3 in the morning and a 5-6 in the evening) What a change in a year!

I think there are 3 main factors in Abby’s improvement: 1) time – time to heal 2) home made prescription diet & 3) a regular daily dose of metronidazole – I hate that we have to rely on an antibiotic to keep her gut flora under control but that is our reality. Currently she is on half the daily dose she was originally prescribed but if I try to wean her down to a lower dose she starts pooping more so I guess this is where we will stay for now.

Finally I want to say a couple of words about probiotics. Abby was started on Fortiflora almost immediately after her surgery. We didn’t know if it was helping but we hoped it was. Later our nutritionist Vet suggested we try Visbiome. Visbiome is a high quality probiotic for humans with ulcerative colitis and I.B.S. You order it on line and it is delivered in a styrofoam cooler with a cold pack inside (obviously great care is taken to keep the bacterium alive). It was kept in the fridge and we gave it to Abby everyday. However, when I was researching fecal transplants in humans (yes, Abby had a fecal transplant – it didn’t really help) I came across a journal article that stated in humans:
“SBS patients, with colon in continuity, harbor a specific fecal microbiota that we called “lactobiota” because it is enriched in the Lactobacillus/Leuconostoc group and depleted in anaerobic micro-organisms (especially Clostridium and Bacteroides )”
The ingredient list of Visbiome states that over half the bacillus species in the probiotic supplement were in the Lactobacillus group! So essentially we were giving Abby more of the same bacteria that she already had an overabundance of!
Fortiflora has a lot of filler ingredients but only the Enterococcus faecium is the active one. Which is a strain of gram + streptococcus (which is naturally occurring in the gut of animals and humans)
Needless to say, we stopped the probiotics and she hasn’t had any since. I’m not saying this is the case for every person and every dog, but I believe the probiotic was not helpful for Abby. As an addendum I would just say that dogs and people, being both mammals there isn’t a heck of a lot of difference between them when it comes to the GI system.

Okay, I’ve written a lot here so I better stop. If anyone wants my recipe notes or even the link to the journal article about lactobacillus let me know
Cheers for now….Karen

[Vikki A]

Life Gold – Trusted Care for Cat Cancer

I don’t have kitty’s anymore….. but was looking on on line and found this web site. Lots of good reviews. Maybe this product will help you. I also read, and maybe you already know, that touching an infected kitty without washing you hands before touching a kitty that is not infected may pass the infection. I had not idea. Good luck with your kitty. I hope there is someone else out there that might be able even further. I had a dog with CHF he passed last year and his brother has a heart murmur that can turn into CHF. There is nothing we wouldn’t do for our furrbabies!

[Pitbull C]

Skin problems can get in the way of a hearty meal. No matter how nutritious your choice of dog food is, your Pitty’s allergies should always be factored in. The best dog food for Pitbulls with skin allergies is the best pick here. Read more about the best dog food for pitbulls with skin allergies here: http://pitbullscare.com/best-dog-food-for-pitbulls-with-skin-allergies/

[Patti S]

I’ve been reading more on this topic.
Apparently, grain-free diets can leave a dog with a taurine deficiency which can lead to Dilated cardiomyopathy, or DCM.

Currently, I’m feeding my dog Merrick Limited Ingredient Turkey, which is grain-free.
I’m going to follow the recommendation of Tuft’s Veterinary Hospital, and reconsider my dog’s diet. They say: “If you’re feeding a boutique, grain-free, or exotic ingredient diets, I would reassess whether you could change to a diet with more typical ingredients made by a company with a long track record of producing good quality diets.”
I think I’m going to switch to FreshPet Select Tender Chicken With Vegetables and Brown Rice.

If you’d like to read it, here’s the article from Tufts:

A broken heart: Risk of heart disease in boutique or grain-free diets and exotic ingredients

[joanne l]

Also, I forgot to mention about exotic meats, be careful with them as well. These diets have not been around long enough to know how they will work. Do your research and choose wisely, don’t depend on marketing and hear say. There is a thread about canine heart disease that people have talked about. Look through diet and health and you will find the thread.

[Susan]

Hi Alice,
Yes humans can take CBD Oil, for Cancer, Arthritis, Seizures etc click on both links I’ve posted so you can do some research first so you know you’re buying the right CBD Oil…
I was also thinking of taking CBD Oil aswell but I dont know where to get it from in Australia??, we had CBD oil trials about 1-2 year ago, I’d prefer getting CBD Oil from a Dr, this way I know I’m getteing the right CBD Oil…

For your Arthritis pain are you seeing a Physiotherapy, they give you exercises to do daily to strengthen your muscles around the joints that are sore so your using your muscles & not using your bone/joints aren’t being over worked??
Also diet, eat foods high in Omega 3 Krill Oil Capsule & I’ve been taking Glucosamine & Chondroitin powder, it tastes AWFUL, I add 1 teaspoon in 1/2 a cup cold water & drink it, yuk yuk yuk, I bought it for Patch but then I couldnt work out the dose for a dog so Im stuck with it now, I wish I bought the Glucosamine, Chondroitin, Vitamin C & Manganese tablets instead but I was told the powder is absorbed better thru the body then taking the tablets..

You’re better off joining a f/b group, here’s one I found “CBD Users Australasia” it has lots of info…
https://www.facebook.com/CWCBDoil/

I’ve read it’s best to get the CBD oil that’s from the female plant & not the Male plant??? https://www.greenrelief.ca/blog/cbn-cbg-other-cannabinoids/?fbclid=IwAR1jg20o1OMapgQTP9FseTKPqKwTf0j_QtQnc-cQTjx-TIUwhGqL9mkKXoM

[Patricia A]

You say you shave your dog. Is it possible this is skin irritation from the shaving? Blade dull or too hot. If you take him to a groomer could he/she be using possibly a powder afterwards on him causing reaction?
post a reader comment
Can Dogs Get Skin Infections from Grooming?

Q: We have a Samoyed, about nine years old and in good health. Recently, he was shaved head to tail for an accumulation of burrs. Our previous groomer had not been brushing him well (it’s quite an event to brush him—he has a huge mane of white fur and a lot of undercoating), and the new groomer ended up having to shave him almost completely, even around the neck area. There were burrs embedded everywhere.

He soon developed a spot on his neck the size of a quarter that became redder and redder. And he has become very itchy, scratching and only making it worse. I’ve been putting warm salt compresses on the spot and that seems to relieve him for a while, but then he’s back at it. What’s going on?

Angela Miller
Llano, California

A: There’s something known as a post-clipping bacterial infection, technically named post-grooming bacterial folliculitis-furunculosis. “You see it occasionally after grooming or bathing,” says Tufts veterinary dermatologist Lluis Ferrer, DVM, PhD, DECVD. “It’s not a very frequent event, but it does happen.”

How can grooming lead to an infection? Sometimes the hair follicles, which become more exposed upon shaving, become contaminated with bacteria (in the vast majority of cases, Pseudomonas or Staphylococcus). This could occur because of trauma to the follicles when you cut or wash the hair or even because of bacteria in the water that can then colonize on a dog’s skin. There may even be inflammation of the hair follicles as a consequence of a bacterial infection. It can be localized, restricted to one skin site, or more generalized, affecting broad skin areas.

“You could also nick the skin with cutting or shaving and leave a cut, even a very small cut, that allows bacteria to enter,” Dr. Ferrer says. If you shave the hair all the way down to the skin, that’s certainly a possibility.

Sometimes it’s not the shaving or water but, rather, mild, transient contact dermatitis because of substances used to clean a dog that were never applied before.

You do mention that you have a new groomer, and he or she may use a shampoo with ingredients that don’t agree with your dog.

You should take your dog to the doctor. Sometimes a post-grooming bacterial infection clears on its own, but in most cases, antibiotics are needed. Also, post-grooming bacterial infections tend not to be very itchy, so your dog may have an infection or other problem that has nothing to do with the grooming and just happened to occur at the same time coincidentally.

Good luck solving this. The sooner you get your pet to your veterinarian or a veterinary dermatologist, the smaller the chance that whatever is wrong will not spiral into a problem that’s difficult to treat.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by Patricia A.

[Sanne]

Wow! Read through this whole thread and what a mess!! I remember a while back seeing these chews raved about on various forums and other sites and thinking “I need these!!”. I could not find them anywhere here in Europe though. I’m so glad that I couldn’t. They seem like a huge scam and the company responses are very dodgy, says a lot about them. I will be sure to point my American friends to this thread, I know a few of them use these on a regular basis.

Currently I only use frozen Kongs to keep my dogs busy too. A few times a week I give them a CET Veggiedent Fresh chew. They don’t last for entertainment but man do those new “Fresh” chews really help with breath, especially for my smaller dog.

Aimee, you are awesome for going through all this to unravel the BS!

[Kim P]

I’m continuing my hunt for the right food for my 11 yo border collie who recently had silica stones removed. It’s incredibly difficult. Some of the foods suggested here by members contain many of the ingredients that should be AVOIDED in the food that you choose to feed your pet. Here is a list:

From: https://franklintnvet.com/canine-silica-stones/

Feeding to Prevent Canine Silica Stones & Crystals
Eliminate foods containing whole grains. Or, if you feel you must include whole grains in your dog’s diet, check the silica content at the USDA food ingredient website.
Certain natural diets also contain silica. Diets containing substantial corn gluten feed (not corn gluten meal), or intact grains (with hulls) often contain silica. Always read your labels!
The following is a list of foods known to contain silica. Avoid all foods on the list!
Bell peppers
Soybeans
Oats
Brown rice
Barley
Burdock root
Apples
Oranges
Raisins
Grapes
Cucumber
Hemp leaves
Horsetail
Marjoram
Spinach
Radish
Romaine lettuce
Tomato
Nopal cactus
Peanuts
Almonds
Millet
Flaxseeds
And don’t let your dog eat grasses, woody plants, and dirt. Silica uroliths are common in range cattle and sheep that consume forage grasses, which have a high concentration of silica.
Avoid using antacids containing magnesium trisilicate.
Be cautious using dietary supplements, homeopathic remedies, and medicines containing silica. Always read the ingredient label!

[Sanne]

I would think the toxins could be a big part of it more than “exotic” meats. I live in the Netherlands and as Susan pointed out, this just isn’t an issue here in Europe either. Some very common meats for dogs in my country are venison, rabbit and goat. Very often fed raw too. I would think if meats like that were a cause for all of this we would be seeing quite a few cases here in NL!

Orijen and Acana are sold here in Europe but we only get the stuff from the Canadian plant. Also, even if a food is not made in the EU, if it is sold here it must pass the same regulations that food made here does. I still don’t touch Champion foods though and it is not that common in the Netherlands. Most of us stick to foods made in Europe because the rules on pet food are much more strict.

It is definitely an interesting theory! Interestingly, dog foods full of legumes are not very popular here either. We do have some with peas but foods like that just have not gotten very widespread here.

[joanne l]

Hi Susan, I am going to do a little research on taurine and toxins and see what I come up with. Well I just briefly read that toxins can cause heart problems. I guess that goes without saying of course. And from what I understand there are dogs with DCM and have normal taurine levels and there are dogs with DCM that have low taurine levels. So it could be a combination of two things: 1. legumes which prohibit nutrients if consumed on a daily basis.
2. toxins. Which of course can be harmful to the heart. Well anyway, this lawsuit on champion pet foods is big and still going on. I keep checking for updates on it. I don’t feed it but I like to know what is going on.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 11 months ago by joanne l.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 11 months ago by joanne l.

[Jennifer K]

Hoping to keep this thread alive and would like to do a quick check in on limited ingredient alternative recommendations to Acana singles.

Since my last post mid December- Bentley my Coton de Tulear, has been on bland homemade food to combat weekly bouts of vomiting and diarrhea (with blood on several occasions). He has been doing a lot better tolerating this food and am ready to add in a new dry dog food, but still at a loss for which one. I heard Zignature was a quality brand (from their threads here) but it appears to be available at Walmart which tells me otherwise (maybe not a good basis, but still concerns me).

Has anyone has succes on transitioning from Acana to something else?

I

[joanne l]

Hi everyone I know this is old news, but I was reading the lawsuit about it today and the toxins that were found claim to be harmful to cardiovascular health, kidneys and brain function. I wonder if these toxins have something to do with DCM? I say this because a lot of dogs that were diagnosed with DCM ate Orjien and Acana. Of course there are other grain free dry foods that dogs were eating that also had DCM. But it makes me wonder that it could be the legumes PLUS toxins.

[Lori H]

Hi Helen,

You might want to look at the following website. My dog Buddy (long hair Chihuahua, Dachshund and Pomeranian) has been through a lot, much like your dog. He had so many medical issues including being diagnosed with Diabetes. He is now almost 12 and during his life he has had surgery on his spleen, surgery for the bladder stones, been diagnosed with Diabetes, my vet thought he had Cushing’s and I was also told by my vet that he was suffering from liver failure and was preparing me for the fact that Buddy was going to die. The liver failure diagnosis was over two years and today, he is healthy, happy, looks amazing and has so much energy. He is happy and the most healthy he has ever been in his life! It has been an amazing turnaround so I know how you feel. I basically had to get him healthy myself. My vet did not support my decision to do what I did, but he is healthy and that is all that matters! I am going to see a new vet on Friday of this week and I am hoping to actually get Buddy off of the Insulin.

Rick helped me and Buddy is now healthier than he has ever been. If anything, read what Rick has to say on his website. The change in Buddy’s food as well as the supplements, changed his life. Rick has had success getting dogs and cats healthy and insulin free!

http://www.doglivershunt.com

I now believe wholeheartedly that most vets know nothing about nutrition. They are told to carry a line of food in their offices by one of the large pharma/dog food companies because most of these companies go out and recruit at the vet universities across the United States when vets are in school and provide them with a kickback when the sell either Science Diet or Royal Canin in their clinics, up to 40%. My vet wanted me to have Buddy on Hills Science Diet for the rest of his life! I looked at the ingredients and thought to myself, there has to be something better out there. There was not one thing on there that was considered a whole food or ingredient that comes from the natural world!

I was at my wits end as well and thought that I was going to lose Buddy, but I was not willing to give up so I did a Google search and found an amazing person who brought Buddy back to the healthy dog he is.

If you choose to go with his program, it is not cheap, but I believe that over time, I will save money by not taking Buddy to the vet time and time again because I don’t know what is wrong and having a battery of tests run and racking up bills in the thousands, I have been there!

He was slowly weened off of his processed food Science Diet U/D and placed on a diet of fresh veggies and meat based on a very slow transition to follow with Rick’s help.

I suggest reaching out. I think Rick saved Buddy’s life. I took him to the vet in October to have blood work done and he is perfectly healthy!

Good luck on your search for information and I hope you find a solution. Buddy is almost 12, but has a new lease on life.

If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I am happy to talk to you. I have helped three others with their dogs and I truly believe Rick knows what he is talking about. I put my trust in him and I now have a healthy, happy dog. Lori

[Lori H]

Hi Kate,

You might want to look at the following website. My dog Buddy (long hair Chihuahua, Dachshund and Pomeranian) has been through a lot, much like your dog. He had so many medical issues including calcium oxalate bladder stones which he had surgery for to remove. He is now almost 12 and during his life he has had surgery on his spleen, surgery for the bladder stones, been diagnosed with Diabetes, my vet thought he had Cushing’s and I was also told by my vet that he was suffering from liver failure and was preparing me for the fact that Buddy was going to die. The liver failure diagnosis was over two years and today, he is healthy, happy, looks amazing and has so much energy. He is happy and the most healthy he has ever been in his life! It has been an amazing turnaround so I know how you feel. I basically had to get him healthy myself. My vet did not support my decision to do what I did, but he is healthy and that is all that matters!

Rick helped me and Buddy is now healthier than he has ever been. If anything, read what Rick has to say on his website. The change in Buddy’s food as well as the supplements, changed his life.

http://www.doglivershunt.com/bladder-stones.html

I now believe wholeheartedly that most vets know nothing about nutrition. They are told to carry a line of food in their offices by one of the large pharma/dog food companies because most of these companies go out and recruit at the vet universities across the United States when vets are in school and provide them with a kickback when the sell either Science Diet or Royal Canin in their clinics, up to 40%. My vet wanted me to have Buddy on Hills Science Diet for the rest of his life! I looked at the ingredients and thought to myself, there has to be something better out there. There was not one thing on there that was considered a whole food or ingredient that comes from the natural world! Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my vet, I just don’t believe he knows much of anything about nutrition. He has been great to me, my dog Buddy and my three cats. He is good at what he does, diagnose and perform much needed surgeries and procedures. He did Buddy’s bladder stone surgery which had the possibility for complications.

I was at my wits end as well and thought that I was going to lose Buddy, but I was not willing to give up so I did a Google search and found an amazing person who brought Buddy back to the healthy dog he is.

If you choose to go with his program, it is not cheap, but I believe that over time, I will save money by not taking Buddy to the vet time and time again because I don’t know what is wrong and having a battery of tests run and racking up bills in the thousands, I have been there!

He was slowly weened off of his processed food Science Diet U/D and placed on a diet of fresh veggies and meat based on a very slow transition to follow with Rick’s help.

I suggest reaching out. I think Rick saved Buddy’s life. I took him to the vet in October to have blood work done and he is perfectly healthy! The bladder stones HAVE NOT returned.

Good luck on your search for information and I hope you find a solution. Buddy is almost 12, but has a new lease on life.

If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I am happy to talk to you. I have helped three others with their dogs and I truly believe Rick knows what he is talking about. I put my trust in him and I now have a healthy, happy dog. Lori

[Sanne]

Completely agree with the others here. Please listen to your vet and keep her on the prescription food if that is what they are recommending. I wouldn’t mess around with a pup with a heart murmur that young.

I know the ingredients do not look the best but it’s not just about ingredients. It’s about how those ingredients come together and work in the end product, especially when your dog already has a health issue. Science Diet (along with Royal Canin) have a long history of proven success with their prescription foods.