[Johanna A]

I know that this is an older thread, but I’m just wondering if everyone is still continuing to have success with NutriSource. We have a 3-year-old black Labrador that has been battling chronic yeast skin issues for a while now. Our previous vet had been misdiagnosing him for over a year as just having allergies and kept putting him on prednisone, which only masked the symptoms and didn’t actually treat the problem. We just saw a new vet today who said it’s definitely yeast and recommended we try NutriSource. I ordered the seafood formula off Amazon and we are going to start adding low-fat plain yogurt to his diet.

[lovemypuppy]

Let me start by just saying, I’m a total dog novice. I grew up with cats and now in my mid 30’s have adopted my first puppy.

I have a 10 week old boston terrier. Her weight is OK, but she is on the small side with not a weight to spare. She’s pretty finicky. I really wanted her to like Amicus puppy small breed but she continues to turn her nose up to it, even when adding to it (pumpkin, yogurt, wet food, etc.)

I would like to try her on Acana puppy small breed (despite it not being grain free) but can’t seem to get it in the US due to regulations of some sort re: milk thistle ingredient. Anyone know a way around this? Or maybe when they open up production in the US it will be available w/out milk thistle?

(side note, is the US production site thought to be no good because the pet food regulations in that state are too lax? I remember reading a downside, but can’t remember where or what the details were).

My pup is currently eating Acana Lamb and Apple whole prey diet and really enjoys it. The kibble is big but she gobbles it down. Is All life stages OK? Seems like it is for puppies, but may be too many calories for a mature dog?

Is rotating kibble OK for a puppy? I know their digestive system is immature and more sensitive, but so far, we’ve made sudden switches and she has handled it just fine. I would prefer to not get her stuck on one food … just not sure if that’s something that should wait until she is past her puppyhood.

I would like to stay grain free if possible as her coat is already dry and dull. That said, she also has (smelly) gas, so I’m a little leery of lentils … but it seems like avoiding potatoes might help with yeast? she does have tear stains … waiting on probitiocs to arrive.

How much truth is there with ying/yang, cool vs heating foods? She is definitely a hot dog (not the kind you eat) so I’m thinking I will try her on Acana Duck and Pear whole prey and see if I notice a difference.

I’m hoping for some recommendations of kibble for a finicky puppy, preferably grain free with a moderate protein %? I don’t like natural flavors (there can be some pretty nasty stuff hidden there) or canola oil.

I realize there is no perfect kibble and even then it really depends on the specific dog. Just feeling a little overwhelmed and hoping some of you who have been doing this longer or have a similar dog, might have some input.

TIA!

[JetJacqui]

In my case, the best way to get rid of fleas is the combination of raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar and nutritional yeast. the daily dosage of apple cider vinegar is 1 tablespoon for 60 lbs body weight in drinking water. too much apple cider vinegar (2 tblspoon / 60 lbs) will cause diarrhea; Springtime fresh factor contains nutritional yeast. The dosage is 2 tablet for 60 lbs.

I’ve tried springtime bug off garlic tablet and powder on my yorkie, chihuahua and collie. the garlic tablet is better than the powder because it contains nutritional yeast. i don’t use bug off garlic anymore because their gums and inner ears turned pale after few months. After 1 month without bug off garlic, their gums and inner ear turned back to healthy pink/reddish color.

I’ve tried wondercide repel with citronella and geranium. it didn’t help at all. I bathe my dogs once a month and they’re free from ticks and fleas.

[ROSE P]

OUR ENGLISH BULLDOG HAS YEAST ISSUES …. WHAT IS BEST FOOD FOR ENGLISH BULLDOGS

[Jennifer L]

Thank you for all the great ideas! I have decided to keep him on a fish based, grain free, and potato fee diet. It seems when the grain are pulled out the filler becomes starches which the yeast love. I have switched to Orijen…time will tell and I will keep you posted!

[Kristin S]

My great dane-shepherd mix has the SAME problem with having occasional yeast in his ears and having red itchy ears. I’ve taken him to the vet a couple times and they just dismiss the issue as not being serious. However, I hate the thought that my buddy might be uncomfortable and have itchy ears. I was recently told at a small boutique dog store to try no potatoes in addition to grain free. So, I am trying Earthborn GF Great Plains. He hasn’t been on it long enough to see results but I am really hoping for the best. The one thing I’m worried about, is that the Earthborn foods are vegetable based foods and not meat based. I’m thinking I should have him on a meat based food. Any ideas or recommedations?
Thanks!

• This reply was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by Kristin S.

[Akari_32]

Yeah, I’ve definitely been keeping an eye on the quality of Zukes. It’s one of the only two cheaper brand of treats that I’m ok with giving Bentley on a regular basis because of his yeasty problems. The other is Pet Botanics.

I don’t see an exclusion of the canned PVD on the form, but it may go more in depth on the website.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/273E46E1-292A-4AF5-9471-5A803E19B985_zpsgkmlcr1u.jpg

Do you buy them by the case, or in single cans? I wonder if it’s on the cardboard part of the case.

And it’s too bad you don’t live closer! I could order your cat food through Purina 4 Professionals and get it for you at 50% off the suggested shelf price.

[InkedMarie]

A starting place would be my stickie in the Dog Food Ingredients forum here for grain & potato free foods. It id not up to date but a place to start. My yeast prone dog has had no problems since being on raw.

[DogFoodie]

My Golden reacts to fish, among other things, and his ears immediately get yeasty when he eats any fish. My Golden doesn’t have any true allergies, but plenty of food intolerance / hyper-sensitivities. I’d look for a new limited ingredient food that is a different animal protein and binder and is as different as possible from what you’re feeding currently.

[theBCnut]

It’s true that true food allergies are uncommon, but yeasty ears aren’t associated with true food allergies as much as they are with food hypersensitivities, which are an Ig response, just not the same Ig as true allergies, and also aren’t as rare as true food allergies.

[Jane E]

Have you taken your Golden to the vet and had the vet determine if it’s yeast or bacteria? His ears need to be treated effectively . True food allergies are not very common. It’s much more likely that the sweet potato (starch and sugar) is aggravating and feeding the yeasty ears IF that is what he is dealing with… I would look for a food without sweet potatoes and even one without potatoes altogether. Pure Vita has some nice foods,Fromm,Zignature. I would look for a single source protein (you may have success with a novel protein) and of course grain free.

[Peggy]

I was at the pet store this afternoon to get Tebow a few toys and came across these treats.

#1 – Nature’s Recipe Pure Essentials Limited Ingredient Treats.
Salmon and Potato recipe
Ingredients: Whole wheat, salmon, salmon meal, canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), molasses, potato flour, sweet potato, natural flavor, sugar, citric acid (used as a preservative), rosemary extract

Note: I’m not real happy that Salmon is not the first ingredient.

#2 – Americal Kennel Club (AKC) Natural Dog Treats, Made with real chicken
Ingredients: Chicken, Pea Flour, Water sufficient for processing, Glycerin, Barley Flour, Barley, Rice, Oat Flour, Gelatin, Pea Fiber, Chicken Cartilage, Salmon Oil, Brewers Yeast, Phosphoric Acid, Salt, Natural Smoke Flavor, Lecithin, Minerals (Zinc Propionate, Calcium Propionate), Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Acai Berry, Pomegranate Extract, Preserved with mixed Tocopherols, Natural Flavor.

#3 – Newman’s Own Cheese Flavor Natural and Organic Dog Treats
Ingredients: Cheese: Organic Barley Flour, Ground Chicken, Organic Carrots, Organic Apples, Rolled Oats, Chicken Fat (Preserved Naturally with Mixed Tocopherols and Lecithin), Natural Cheddar Cheese Powder, Rosemary Extract.

Opinions please?

[Karra L]

I have an 11 year old Lhasa that I believe is suffering from food allergies. She was on Eukenuba Adult dry food until a year ago when she had pancreatitis. She spent the weekend at the vet, and came home with Science Diet Low Fat GI Restore. We use the dry formula. She has terrible allergies, and seems to always have a yeasty ear infection. We have taken her the vet more times than I can count, and he said she has environmental allergies ( we live in Florida), and pretty much told me to try Benedryl. We took her to a specialist and had a consult, the treatment and testing was going to be over 6,000.
Lately, her mouth area has become swollen and red and has the smell of yeast as well. She has crusty material in her beard that is coming from her swollen mouth area. She is always scratching and licking her paws.
My gut is telling me that she has a food allergy. I want to switch her food, but am scared since she has had pancreatitis a year ago, and we almost lost her.
If anyone has any suggestions, I would appreciate it! Thank you in advance!!

[Cheryl Pepper Millie Sophie]

DogFoodie,
Only put the Zymox in her ears twice- then noticed the dark color AFTER the Zymox was applied. It almost seemed like the Zymox brought it all out & changed its color to dark??
Used an Earthbath ear wipe to clean it all out, now they are clean.
But now i will be on alert if I see this dark color again she will most certainly go to the vet for an ear culture-she is grain free so why yeast I don’t know.URGHH

[Jennifer L]

I have a six year old golden retriever that constantly has brown smelly wax oozing in his ears and scratches all the time. I hate that he is so uncomfortable…currently I am feeding him a salmon & sweet potato dry food by Eathborn called Coastal Catch. Looking to change his diet as I am afraid he has now developed a fish allergy and the starch in the sweet potatoes is feeding the yeast. Please help my baby!!

[DogFoodie]

Did you use it continuously until the ears were clean?

My Golden as a pup didn’t have problems with ear wax, but he did with yeasty ears. His ears were never particularly malodorous, but it was definitely yeast and was typically isolated to his right ear. The material in his ears would be a dark reddish brown.

[theBCnut]

I don’t really like brewer’s yeast, don’t hate it, just don’t like it. And I really don’t like shark cartilage, not because it’s bad for the dog, but because it’s bad for the sharks, they are being overfished to a ridiculous degree. But all in all, it still looks pretty good to me.

[Ivchister]

Cheryl,

Q: What do you mean gastro sensitive?
A: She vommits immediately when she eats something she can’t digest, for eg. raw meat, any kind of fruit or when my mother gave her some inappropriate food. She ate grain free food with salmon but was stressed out when we were moving and had very bad gastritis that culminated by blood in vommit. We gave her Hills i/d after which she had a bad case of skin allergy so we tried with z/d and it worked for a while..
Q: Does she eat a grain free diet?
A: Not now..
Q: Is she sensitive to certain proteins& or grains that you are aware of?
A: I’m not sure because she first reacted badly while eating grain free food (with fish).
Q: Did your vet culture the ear discharge to see what it was exactly(yeast, fungal, some other infection)?
A: The vet said that there is no inflammation or otitis just a lot of dark brown ear discharge. But A LOT, like there is mud in her ears. I clean it with Otifree fluid.
Q: Do you think the ear discharge is diet related?
A: Yes, it might be related..
Q: Have you changed foods recently and this happened?
A: It is happening for a while now.. It started before the horrible gastritis period and I can’t connect it with anything else but food. We moved, the aparment is clean and new.
Q: Have you been feeding the same food(s)? I know lots of questions
A: No, because of the gastritis episode and the allergie reaction..
Q: Does the food have to be dry? If so, have you ever tried soaking the kibble in warm water before feeding? softer foods might be easier on the stomach.
A: Yes I have and there is no difference because she just doesn’ drink water if I soak it. She normally chews the dry food and drinks some water, she’s not only swallowing..

• This reply was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by Ivchister.

[Akari_32]

Aimee, since you’re here, what’s your take on Fresh + Oasis?

http://www.completenaturalnutrition.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=73

It’s one of the more affordable mixes I’ve been eyeing up. I’m unsure about using something that’s almost completely synthetic, almost as much as I am about keeping Bentley on just SSLL, and I’m also unsure about the use of yeast in the mix because Bentley already has his own yeasty problems, and he doesn’t need any help from his diet lol Dang dog and his allergies lol

[Cheryl Pepper Millie Sophie]

Weezerweeks,
I always put cotton in pepper’s ears before a bath, don’t know if that’s ok, but it helps-just remember to take it out & don’t push the cotton in too deep.
My puppy Millie shakes her head, I ordered some zymox w/enzymes to see if it helps.
i got the earth bath ear wipes & after their baths I use that, i would love to dig in,but wouldn’t dare.

IvanaR,
What do you mean gastro sensitive? Does she eat a grain free diet? Is she sensitive to certain proteins& or grains that you are aware of?
Did your vet culture the ear discharge to see what it was exactly(yeast, fungal, some other infection)?
Do you think the ear discharge is diet related? Have you changed foods recently and this happened? Have you been feeding the same food(s)? I know lots of questions
Does the food have to be dry? If so, have you ever tried soaking the kibble in warm water before feeding? softer foods might be easier on the stomach.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by Cheryl Pepper Millie Sophie.

[Dori]

Cheryl and Kristin. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I agree with every single thing you have both said. It is plain and simple common sense. Throughout my life I have incurred many people that because of their science background (or their spouses) and all the classes they have taken forget that everything is not about the science. We do not live in olden times where if a doctor said something it was manna from heaven. We are modern people living in modern times and know that doctors, as anyone, make mistakes or don’t keep on with modern thinking. It’s common sense. How on earth would anyone who does not only hours and weeks of research, but years and also on going believe that a diet full of corn, fillers, and, excuse me everyone, but crap be good for your animals. Sure, eat it for a little while and it’s not going to kill them. Will they survive, maybe yes maybe no. I do know that you will spend 1/3 of the year taking your dogs back and forth to the vet to the detriment of your animal and your wallet. Your dogs will be put on antibiotics and all sorts of other drugs attempting to combat all the ills that these awful inappropriate feeds have done to your dogs. They will not thrive. All in the name of science. I sadly came to realize years ago that the majority of people have not a lick of common sense. If science is telling you one thing about a dog feed but you can witness with your eyes what it is doing to your dog, what do you believe? The science or what is right in front of your eyes? If you are feeding a quality dog FOOD (not feed), and your dog is thriving, skin great, hair or fur nice and shinny, great breath, no gas, good stools, not yeasty ears, no bladder, kidney, liver issues, no more scratching, etc. etc. will you continue to believe what scientist are telling you or, once again, will you believe what you are witnessing with your very own eyes. Scientists, like a lot of doctors, believe that they are “all that”. They are not. They are no where near being “all that”! They do have enormous egos. Anyway, these are just my opinions and my experiences with, unfortunately, having had dogs on crappy foods (when I was young and didn’t know any better) and now.

[Dori]

Cheryl. Clear Ear does not build up. The purpose of these wax dissolvers/ear cleaners is to loosening the was and once the dogs start shaking their heads (because the liquid bothers them in their ears…just like when we get out of a shower) they shake it loose. Just continue to use and wipe their ears with cotton balls. DO NOT USE Q-TIPS in their ears. You don’t want to puncture their ear drums. Eventually it will work. It’s not a one or even two or three shot miracle but it does work. Just takes patience. It also depends on how much wax has built up. I would not use vinegar or peroxide or any home made remedies like that. A lot of times tend to scratch a lot when their ears are annoying them and some of those remedies will burn them or just sting them and then you’ll have more of an issue trying to treat their ears. I’m assuming will all this said that you have made sure that your dog does not have an ear infection. I’ve been assuming it’s either a food or environmental issue. Both of which can cause yeasty gunky ears. More so with food intolerances such as grain inclusive diets and diets containing gluten.

[Cait Y]

Ok so I have lurked here for a little over a year, and recently started making my own raw cat food via Lisa A. Pierson, DVM because one of my boys almost died after getting into the Dry food AGAIN and his whole GI system blocked up because he cannot handle the lack of fluids in dry food. He is such a picky eater that I had put off the raw diet dreading that he would turn his nose up at it like he did the other high quality raw/semi cooked food I tried buying him. He LOVED the home made food, he even batted off his BFF to eat his food too!
HoundDogMom, other raw feeders please bear with me I know that the whole shebang I know as of now it is 6 pages long. I am trying to paint the whole picture with the dogs, their special needs and what is causing me confusion with the Raw feeding books I have read. There is so much going on right now in my personal life that I am having a very hard time understanding this and if anyone could help point me in the right direction or even a book or website or from experience I would be so very very grateful.
The biggest reservation I have about feeding Raw to the dogs (who LOVED the scoop of homemade cat food I gave them as a test) are the bones and sadly the limited ingredients I can use for my Special Needs Hound.
I have a 14 yr old Walker hound (Forest) who has like no teeth left and was just diagnosed with cushing’s disease but has some pretty abnormal liver tests because of the damage that was done while he went undiagnosed. His liver is so enlarged it displaces his stomach sideways and upwards which makes EASILY digestible food a must. He cannot have food high in phosphorus, copper or ammonia which means little to no red meat and lots of poultry, eggs and pork. He also has problems with chronic Constipation so I would have to be VERY careful about the amount of bone I add to his diet but I also want enough in there to give him the nutrients he needs. Since he is older he also burns a LOT of calories, He is on Vital Fresh pet Turkey or Chicken and gets 1.5 lbs a day. I don’t know what is causing him to burn so many calories except for old age or maybe his body is trying to repair itself – all he does is lounge in the lawn and do his hound dance for food – people or animal whichever he can mac on at the moment lol
My 3 yr old yellow lab (Nova) is also a high calorie burner but she is super active, we do scent tracking, retrieving, and lots of walking/running on the grass. She will go until she drops which I have never seen before, so now I watch her very closely for signs she is over heated. She eats up to 2 lbs of the above dog food a day but is still losing weight on occasion when her activity jumps up again. She has always had double the amount of Eosinophils in her blood that she should at a “normal” rate. She has been checked for parasites so the best I can come up with is that she might have GI issues going on intermittently – she doesn’t transition food gracefully and really doesn’t tolerate even high quality kibble (after research it’s not such a mystery anymore) which is in part what turned me onto Freshpets Vital.
To top it all off I have a Four month old female lab puppy (Ellie) that is still growing. I have her on 2 lbs of Freshpets vital but I am worried that she is not getting something in her diet as well. She has three white lines running across her nails – each nail on every paw. In my experience when the horses have white lines or even indents it means either they were very very sick or have a mineral/vitamin deficiency of some sort. I know when Ellie came to us she had a severe infection of hook and round worms. Her infection was so severe at 8 weeks old that the vet said she would have died untreated – thank you OCD and taking her to the Vet the same day she was brought home lol. They were resistant to the normal worming meds and for 2 months we battled with getting them under control and gone. If Dogs are like horses that would cause the lines because of how sick she was during this (Great going Lemon law Florida) yet I also worry because I know parasites in small animals or even large can cause a huge system imbalance with nutrients which hinders growth.
OK Limited ingredients – because of Forest I have to stick to Chicken, Turkey, and Eggs as a main protein source due to his liver problems and because Rabbit in completely unviable to me unless I want to raise them myself. I have no local butcher – the closest one is three hours away so Chicken and Turkey liver will have to do for organ meat – sometimes I can get chicken hearts once in a blue moon. For Fats I have to choose VERY easily digestible fats from an animal protein because with Forests Liver problems his biliary system can be overloaded very easily and that would be disastrous. Maybe I can add some duck occasionally to his diet?

Copper Issues:
If ammonia restriction is required, feed less red meats and organs since they produce the most ammonia. You may not want to eliminate them entirely though, as they have important nutrients that help with liver function.
Instead, cut back. Feed more poultry, fish, eggs, and pork. If feeding red meat, even in small quantities, buy the absolute best quality you can afford. Preferably grass fed, antibiotic, and hormone free.

Meats generally low in copper are:
• Beef (muscle meat, not organs)
• Eggs
• Turkey (white meat)
• Chicken (white meat)
• Rabbit
• Fish
Meats generally high in copper are:
• Lamb
• Pork
• Pheasant or Quail
• Duck
• Goose
• Salmon
• Organ Meats
When feeding organs for copper issues, some animal livers contain more copper than others. Beef liver is higher in copper than chicken or pork livers. Regardless, the zinc and b vitamins in liver help to reduce the risk of copper toxicity. Though if your dog has an issue with copper, opt for chicken or pork liver. (http://primalpooch.com/raw-feeding-guidelines-dogs-liver-disease/)

I have read Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet and Dr. Pitcairn’s New Complete Guide to Health of Dogs and Cats. I have some major issues with either of the books, UtCaD is so absolute – if you feed this protein then you need this oil. First of all Canola Oil? Corn Oil? Soybean Oil? Walnut oil? Flax and hemp seed oil? I own horses and I would NEVER give them Corn oil with the GMO crap going around I don’t trust Corn or Canola at all. If I am not comfortable feeding to my strict Herbivores I am definitely not OK feeding it to the other animals. By the way the 2,000 lbs animals have had major GI upset from Canola, Corn, Soybean and Flax seed oil. I’ve given it to them in small amounts – 3 tablespoons a day and I have seen a massive systemic effect that made me take them off of it immediately. It was supposed to give them the right ratio of Omega’s 3 and 6 plus help my older guys move and keep weight on since it was winter. The recommended Ratio of 6 to 3 fats are 10:1 to 5:1 for dogs – I have read that small fish or Krill are the best to supplement dogs with because of the low contamination rate and it should not carry Salmon Sickness. Soybean oil is also something I would never give my dogs or humans or anything because of the way it can mimic hormones and interrupt the function of the Thyroid. Also Kelp is recommended a lot, but there are so many negatives that came out during the feeding kelp to horse’s fad that I will not touch the stuff. If it can affect the horses with the amount of iodine to the point horses became toxic I don’t trust the manufactures. It was not that kelp was being fed in large amounts there was absolutely no regulation on what type they harvested or what it contained. Missing link for dogs is a product I am familiar with and they do make it for dogs with trace minerals but it is flax based. Won’t this completely mess up the balancing? Does anyone here feed this instead of kelp?
The Missing Link Ultimate Skin & Coat:
Active Ingredients (per tbsp)
Flaxseed Dried Kelp
Glucosamine Hydrochloride (Vegetarian) Zinc Monomethionine
Freeze Dried Beef Liver Lecithin
Blackstrap Molasses Chromium Yeast
Rice Bran Selenium Yeast
Primary Dried Yeast Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6)
Sunflower Seed Niacin (Vitamin B3)
Dehydrated Alfalfa Garlic Powder
Dried Carrot Yucca Schidigera Extract
Shark Cartilage Powder* Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
Freeze Dried Fish Protein Powder Thiamine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1)
Freeze Dried Oyster Powder Folic Acid
Barley Grass Leaves Powder Cobalamin (Vitamin B12)
Guaranteed Analysis Amount
Crude Protein (not less than) 18%
Crude Fat (not less than) 28%
Crude Fiber (not more than) 15%
Moisture (not more than) 10%
Linoleic Acid (Omega 6) 450 mg
**Linolenic Acid (Omega 3) 1000 mg
**Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO Cat/Dog food nutrient profiles.

Also if everything is so precise that does not leave room for error such as what if the chickens were raised on Florida soil which is heavy in limestone and deficient in other areas – rather than let’s say somewhere in the bread bowl what about if they were fed a corn based feed and another batch was fed free range? If the meat analysis is different it throws everything off and we all know that meat from south Fl is very different than meat from MI or IN – same principle goes with growing vegetables even organic. How much of a God Factor is there for the abundance of some micronutrients and lack of others? UTCAD also has an abundance of some nutrients way over the NRC guidelines – are dogs different in the fact that they can rid themselves of excess things very easily? I know in humans and horses Vit E and Selenium can be deadly because it builds up in fat and the body doesn’t flush it out like the water-soluble vitamins?
Dr. Pitcairn’s New Complete Guide to Health has a lot of oat meal, rice, beans?! Half and Half milk, whole milk, whole wheat bread corn? That sounds not so great for dogs and especially not for cats like it says it can be. What about kidney beans? With feeding my dogs I have learned they do OK on rice occasionally when they have an upset GI but if they are on a diet with rice too long they get backed up. Also the beans – the dogs seem to have issues with digesting them like people sometimes do – why are there so many carbohydrates? Why cannot I do sprouted microgreens or carrots or even baked potatoes because I know the dogs tolerate those vegetables very well. Also Brewer’s Yeast? Isn’t yeast as a whole bad? It’s in everything and I know Nova already is prone to yeast infections in her ears and when she gets a UTI – Also can Brewer’s yeast cause or attribute to bloat? Milk – isn’t milk products bad if they are in large amounts such as 2 cups milk plus 2 cups rolled oats and 2 eggs and calcium powder? Everything to me seems so skewed.
Also RMB are out of the question – Forest cannot eat them and Nova and Ellie are gulpers – they came from a large litter and it would be just my luck to end up in emergency surgery with one of them. I have a grinder to which I can grind the bone up with the meat and I know the purpose of the bone was for dental health but if I make Meat Jerky and other goodies can I replicate that without worrying about emergency surgery or broken teeth?
Since I own a grinder already for cat food why cannot I grind bones to supplement their food with? So far in my research the basic recipe and consensus I have come across is as follows:
16% Organ meat
10% – 25% Bone
The rest of the food would be muscle meat and muscle meat
Meat is very high in phos and the bone is high in Cal which means the Cal to Phos ratio should be 1.2 to 1.5:1 although 1:1 to 2.5:1 is ok as well. I just need to make sure the dogs consume more Cal than Phos but the question is do I need to add bone meal or can I grind my own bones to supplement?
Here is what the Article analysis the bone content to be in prey animals:
Bone Content In Raw Foods
When sourcing bones for your dog’s diet, it’s a good idea to know the approximate amount of bone in commonly sourced foods. Here is a quick guide to help you keep your dog’s bone content in the right range; between 10% and 25%.
Chicken Whole chicken (not including the head and feet): 25% bone/Leg quarter: 30%/Split breast: 20%/Thigh: 15%/Drumstick: 30%/Wing: 45%/Neck: 36%/Back: 45%/Turkey/Whole turkey: 21%/Thigh: 21%/Drumstick: 20%/Wing: 37%/Neck: 42%/Back: 41%
Pork Feet: 30%/Tails: 30%/Ribs: 30%
Beef Ribs: 52%
Rabbit Whole rabbit (fur and all): 10% Whole (dressed): 25-30%

From this can I remove the proper amount of bones or add more bones in to balance or would you suggest a bone meal powder? Also I have yet to factor in the percentage of vegetable/fruit/microgreens in the recipe – I am just so lost so if HoundDogMom could help or someone else could chime in I would be so grateful. I am trying very hard to learn as much as I can but between the animals and two sick family members and special needs animals by the time I have a moment to sit down I am out like a light for the night or my brain is so frazzled everything looks like it was written in French. Am I over thinking this? I just don’t want to screw Ellie up – she has already had such a bad start with the worm infection – and Forest needs nutrients to rebuild his liver correctly and I wanted to see if this change in diet would help Nova’s Eosinophils come to a normal level. Also has anyone ever seen white lines on every toenail that grows parallel with the skin? Any help would be so appreciated there is just not a lot of room for error with Forest right now with his liver Alt levels 4 times what they are supposed to be. They cannot stay on the Freshpet much longer because to feed the dogs its 19 dollars a day and that’s not a very good long term solution.
Thanks so much everyone~!~ I Hope everyone had a great New Year and wonderful Holiday
`RedMare

[crazy4cats]

Hi-
Has anyone tried the Nature’s Logic Food Supplement? Here are the ingredients:

INGREDIENTS: Spray Dried Chicken Liver, Porcine Plasma, Whey, Flaxseed, Montmorillonite Clay, Brewer’s Yeast, Dried Egg Product, Egg Shell Meal, Cheese Powder, Kelp, Suncured Alfalfa Meal, Almonds, White Fish Meal, Tomato Powder, Chicory Root, Apples, Blueberry, Apricots, Carrots, Pumpkin, Cranberry, Spinach, Broccoli, Parsley, Artichoke, Rosemary, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium Bifidium Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus Coagulans Fermentation Product, Dried Pineapple Extract, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Extract, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Extract, Dried Trichoderma Longibrachtum Fermentation Extract, Mixed Tocopherols.
Direct Fed Microbials*:minimum 100,000,000 CFU per pound (in descending amounts, L. acidophilus, L. casei, B. bifidium, E. faecium, B. coagulans)

I bought some mostly because it has the montmorillonite clay in it that I think helps with my dogs’ digestive issues. But, it also appears to have some other good ingredients along with digestive enzymes and probiotics. It is also high in fiber which seems to help my dogs. But, I’m having second thoughts as I don’t want to over supplement my dogs if I am already feeding a balanced kibble with toppers. Any thoughts?

[Dori]

Hi Cheryl. I will definitely report back once I’ve received and tried the KBPF. How long have your dogs been on grain free and now on freeze dried raw foods. All three of my dogs suffered from wax, yucky ears. Never smelled or anything like that but they were yeasty brownish and gunky. Sometimes they would shake their heads but mostly they were always scratching their ears. None of them had ear infections because I had them all checked out. I had to clean all of their ears every day to try to keep up with it. Once I removed all grains, soy, corn, rice and all poultry (fowl) from their diets their ears cleared up within a matter of weeks on their own. Now that they are on raw foods none of those issues have ever returned. Another thing I did was switch shampoos. I had always been told that if you had a talk with allergies you should use an oat meal shampoo. Well, that is really very wrong. Oatmeal may be soothing to humans but if you are allergic to grains, oatmeal being one of them, you cannot bath your dogs with oatmeal shampoos. I didn’t know any better at the time. Poor Katie. I was constantly bathing her with oatmeal based shampoos because of all of her allergies. Along with her food intolerances and sensitivities she also has environmental allergies. I couldn’t figure out why nothing was working until a light bulb went on over my head and I thought….DUH????? So I switched and she’s all good. It’s been a while since I had to use any particular ear cleaner now I just make sure to put cotton balls in their ears for bathing and then dry them out after bathing. The one ear cleaner called Clean Ear by 21st Century for Pet Health cleans & dissolves was build up. That one worked pretty well actually. You just squirt a little in their ears, massage it in, then they’ll shake their heads and then I would dry out their ears. You have to do it on a regular basis until their new diets kick in and it stops happening. I haven’t had to use it in years but I’m sure it must still be around. There are other over the counter products like that also of course that would work the same way.

[DogFoodie]

I like Zymox without the hydrocortisone as well. It contains enzymes that breaks things down amazingly well.

You’re calling it wax. Is it wax or is it brown, yeasty stuff?

[T]

“Part of the problem i have… seems that every food has “something” we need to watch for. Peas, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Legumes, Yeast, Oats, Grains, etc.”

That’s because it’s hard to make kibble without some sort of starch. It’s like making meatballs with no breadcrumbs– they won’t stick together. That’s part of the reason that simply changing from kibble to the canned version of the same food can be a big help. Almost always, canned food has less starch in it since it doesn’t have to form kibbles. It tends to have fresher nutrients as well. Something to consider!

http://naturalalternativesvet.com/kibble-pet-food

Tabitha

[Walt R]

Thanks for your follow up. Yes, i have been adding probiotics to his food and will continue to do so. I will also watch the stools to see what happens and adjust per your recommendations.

We truly do not know if he must have fish based foods or not. All i have to go on are all the various foods we tried when we first got him. We tried a LOT of different foods due to the bad gas. I really can’t even recall all the different brands and types (beef vs. chicken, etc). I know we tried several… and once we go to the fish, problem solved. Gas was gone, dog was far more energetic and his fur was looking great. It took many months and just like that… life was good for everyone until about 3 months ago and now i can hardly stand to let the boy sleep next to me because the breath is too much. It smells like the Frito and it literally makes me ill from headaches to stomach. My wife and son are not as affected but they too smell it.

Anyhow, it is only because of our experiences when we first got him, that i start with the Trout/Salmon vs. Bison or Lamb (2 meats i think we did not try).

If you have recommendations for an actual food/type, I’m wide open to suggestions.

Part of the problem i have… seems that every food has “something” we need to watch for. Peas, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Legumes, Yeast, Oats, Grains, etc. So it’s hard trying to figure out where to start.

Unfortunately, money is a factor. Zignature is at the very high end of what i can afford if this turns out to be the new food of choice. I also know that due to lifestyle constraints, i need to stick with dry dog food. Again, convenience is a factor. Hope that doesn’t sound insensitive.

He’s been doing great for over 2 years and all of a sudden, something changed. I’m sure we’ll once again find the right food and fix whatever is going on. I just dread that this may take months.

So, thanks again for the advise. If you have any specific recommendations or 3 for brands/formulas… i will put them on my list in case the Zignature does not work out.

Thanks again.

Walt

[Walt R]

HI. I gave my bud another medicated bath today followed by a regular shampoo Fresh N Clean that we like. He was smelling good. I also cleaned the carpets and changed out the bed linen.

He laid down at the foot of the bed and a deep breath was let out as he was going to sleep. UGH… it smelled so bad. It’s the smell that I’m having a really hard time with.

That to me was indeed confirmation it’s internal, not external, and through licking he’s transferring to the external.

So, based on readings and feedback from others, i got a bag of the Zignature Trout and Salmon. I’m thinking now that, also based on readings here, that his yeast infection is internal which is possible.

I also put 1 teaspoon of baking soda per 1 liter of water into his 2 water bowls and will do this for a few days.

My question now changes.

He’s on the Purina Select Salmon food. I am switching him to the Zignature Trout and Salmon. How much of a wean off do i need to do? Meaning, do i do 50/50 of old food to new food for 3 or 4 days and then Zignature after? Can i move faster?

Are there any signs i should be looking for that would indicate we are moving too fast with the switching of the food, such as gas or loose stools, sleepiness, etc?

Once again, thanks everyone for your continued help.

[Liz S]

I switched my dogs to this brand and went with the Chicken/Brown Rice Dry. They love it ( about 2 months now? ) – 1 1/2 weeks ago Pet Smart had a bag of the Chicken & Turkey blend. Was a great price so we tried it. Both have gotten yeast infections again 🙁 Is it possible that it’s TOO much poultry for them?

[Walt R]

Thanks all for your suggestions. I have been doing the antifungal shampoo every 2 days for the past week and I have not notice much difference. I also got a spray for the paws but that too has not helped. I did supplement his food with probiotic powder but again, no change. In fact, I want to say it’s worse.

I am thoroughly convinced his issue is INSIDE… that it’s in his saliva, in his mouth. He licks himself and then it gets on the bed linens and then they smell too.

The most convincing reason why I think it’s his mouth/insides… when he takes a deep breath and breathes out…. the fritos smell is huge. almost as bad as bad gas.

I’m very sensitive to this which is why it’s a problem.

Anyhow… I agree, that I need to start with food.

Unfortunately it’s challenging to spend $50 on a bag of dog food. Time is limited too with how much I work.

I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but for now, I want to remain with dry food.

There are 100’s of makes/formula’s out there. Something has to work.

As mentioned previously, when we got him we tried many of the regular brand foods and everything made his coat smell and he had bad gas. We stumbled upon the Purina Pro Plan Select Salmon formula and life was good for nearly 2 years. We had small bouts of this frito breath smell, but it would go away. This time… it’s not.

Can anyone recommend other dry dog foods to try?

I have read… no potatoes, sweet potatoes, grains, peas, sugars, yeasts, etc… but it seems no matter what I look at, one of these ingredentis in in the food. Sometimes it’s 7 or 8 ingredients down the list…

Which prompts the next question… if the potatos or peas are 7 ingredients down… do I need to be concerned?

I do not have a distributor near me for Victors. I was recommend Blue Wilderness but it has the Peas and Potatoes. I was also recommended Zignature Trout/Salmon but it too has peas further down the list.

Any other thoughts?

I don’t mind buy a 6lb bag here and there and start trying to find the right ones again. But it’s challenging with there being so many to choose from.

Thanks again for all your help. I will continue on with the shampoos, probiotics, etc…

[Akari_32]

You guys know I’m always on the look out for a deal, and to better the dogs diets at the same time. I was surfing around and came across Hare Today. I know several of you guys use it, so I decided to check it out.

I’ve figured out that I need to keep it at $3.89 and less, to keep the price competitive to what I am doing now, which is See Spot Live Longer, and sale meats (lots of sale whole roaster/frier chickens @.@). Which should be easy, I think.

However, what is shipping like? Is there a “free shipping when you spend so much” deal they do? I need to stick with less than $30 a month. If it needs to be bought in bulk, thats fine with me. Shipping is a huge factor on this right now.

What makes me really like this idea, though is that the prices are cheaper than in store (which means nothing if shipping is too much lol), and I can get Bentley more than mass amounts of chicken, because the variety here sucks. Its either chicken, beef, chicken, pork, chicken, maybe some random organ someone ordered at Publix but never picked up, more chicken… Everything but the chicken and some pork is just so pricey, $5 a pound and up! I’m thinking he is still having problems with chicken though, because even though he’s been on raw for some time now, he still breaks out and gets red and itchy and yeasty at times. I know the grass and rain and other pollens has something to do with it, but I can’t help but wonder if completely cutting out chicken would help him even more, or maybe cutting out the pre-mix, if its something in the SSLL.

If I can cut out the SSLL, are the meat/organ/bone grinds on Hare Today balanced? Like this beef blend, for example?

“Ground Beef/Organs/Tripe/Bone, 5 lb $19.20

Hormone and antibiotic free beef. This is approximately 80% meat, 7% tripe, 7% organ [heart,liver, lung, and kidneys] and 6% bone.
Fine Ground

This food is low in Sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin B6, Phosphorus, Zinc and Selenium, and a very good source of Protein and Vitamin B12”

I would think yes, but I figured I’d make sure. According to the calculator, he’d only need about 3.84 oz. He currently gets a 5 oz chunk of whatever meat I give him and SSLL, and a little coconut oil because the princess won’t lap up the SSLL anymore without the coconut oil, or a good deal of blood from the meat. Rotten little dog lol

Also, since I’m considering cutting chicken from his diet, should I also cut out other birds, and stick with beef, pork and maybe fish? He didn’t really like fish based kibbles when he was a puppy, and he’s not a huge fan of fish oil, but maybe he’d like raw fish? The whole sardines or anchovies, or whatever they were, on Hare Today are right in my price range at $3.85 a pound, and I know whole fishes are balanced meals. I’d also like if you guys that know the site better than I do to recommend some goodies that are in my feeble price range. Mixes of meats to make balanced meals are also good, as well. Just keep the average price per pound in my price range 🙂

As far as bones and RMB, I can just get those in store, I think. Some prices are cheaper at Publix than Hare Today, so I’ll price shop for bones first before deciding where I’ll buy them.

I’d also like to know if there are any other sites like this that may be cheaper, or have other things. I’m also looking at complete freeze-dried and dehydrated meals, if anyone can recommend any that are going to be about $30 or less a month for an 8 pound dog.

Thanks a bunch guys!

[Dori]

Barbara P. Thought I’d jump in and say that one of my dogs has many many food sensitivities. In my opinion, (and it’s the path I took three years ago) dogs with multiple allergies do best on either a home made food, home made raw, or commercial raw dog food formulas. I feed commercial raw dog food formulas (complete and balanced). Unfortunately, it’s the most expensive way to go. I also feed some freeze dried and The Honest Kitchen dehydrated food. I’m not inclined to spend time making dog food at home. I barely cook for my husband and myself. I also don’t want to worry about whether I got everything complete and balanced. My three dogs are small so the cost of feeding them in this manner is not outrageous. Before I started feeding raw, Katie would scratch 24/7, horrible breath, gas to clear out a house, not just a room, yeasty smelly ears, shedding all the time (she’s a Maltipoo…they are not suppose to shed), really coarse hair, goopy gunky eyes, runny loose stools and diarrhea, I could go on and on and on. I am happy to say that all those issues are a thing of the past. She doesn’t have a single one of those issues anymore. She’s a real happy camper now as am I and her two little sisters as they all eat the same foods. I believe in rotating proteins within brands and also rotating brands. Let me also add that the only time she needs to go to the vet now is her yearly physical. Before the change to commercial raw dog foods she was always at the vet, allergist and dermatologists trying to figure out what was going on with her and they always had her on different prescription anti-histamines and wanted to put her on steroids (I didn’t allow that). Those costs were way more than it costs me to feed all three of my dogs commercial raw dog food. I am also happy to report that Katie does not need any anti-histamines anymore. None!

• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by Dori.

[karren w]

Hi thanks I ordered hills zd ulitra last night ambgoingbto give it a go I have also got her on coconut but oil as this should help yeast fingers crossed . thanks for getting back to me .

[theBCnut]

Getting yeast in the first place is related to the food intolerances, so dealing with that does help to get the yeast under control. You may find you have to take more steps, but you can probably wait to figure that out.

[karren w]

Dos hill zd work for dogs with food allergies from wheat potatoes sweet potatoes rice and chicken? Has this worked for you ? Or has it made more problem s with all the carbs in it ?as I would love to know so would see weather worth trying or not ?

[karren w]

Yes she carnt eat potato sweet potato rice chicken wheat .its a night mare as the dont sell any food over in the uk with out any of these in .she has been on orijen six cish for 5 weeks now and carnt stop itching and licking het paws till they are raw and her ears are going yeasty and bum thats why i took her to the vets yesterday .i am just at my wits end

[karren w]

Hi I have been told by the vet to put my dog on hills zd ? As she carnt have potatoes sweet potatoes rice chicken or any carbs as she gets itchy and licks her paws till they are raw and get yeast ears and bum .i have you tryed hills or no anyone with the same problems as us I have look at evo food but we are in the UK and they don’t sell it here she has been on orjien six fish for 4 weeks and the fur on her head is falling out .

[karren w]

Hi I am new to this just need some help .has anyone used this food when there dog carnt eat chicken potatos rice sweat potato or any carbs as it makes her whole body itch and carnt stop licking her paws and gets yeast in her ears and bum ? We went to the vets to day she said to give he hill zd I don’t know what to do for the best .

[Charlotte P]

What foods have you all switched to/had success with? My dogs have always been on grain-free, supplemented with pumpkin and goat yoghurt. Right now I have two, both are rescues… Phoebe is about six years old, she came to me four years ago, and her health is fine except for a reaction to yeast supplements which I tried as a flea treatment alternative (They are both on Comfortis now). Leo, also about six, came to me four months ago and has the anal abscess issues, was underweight, and ended up having TWELVE teeth removed – he was already missing five! Over the years, dry and canned foods I have tried include Natural Balance, Spring Naturals, I and Love and You, Wishbone Lake, and of course, home-cooked meals. Has anyone had success with any of these? How about Orijen, Acana, Blue Buffalo, or Taste of the Wild? Do I need to go raw? For the dry, I had the best outcome with Wishbone Lake.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Jane,

K9 Naturals is an interesting product.

I looked at it a couple of years ago for my Golden with food intolerance issues. My first concern was cost. For my Golden who weighs about 80 pounds, it was going to cost me about $15 per day, which is a whopping $450 per month. I typically feed him 2.5% of his body weight when I feed raw. That’s more than I’m comfortable spending. I could feed a commercial raw food for less. The calories for the products vary quite a bit, for example the venison has 196 kcals / per cup and the lamb 330 kcals / or cup. My calculations were basex on prices at Only Natural Pet (dot) Com.

It has a lot of fat, and in most cases more fat than protein. And, for my dog, the additional starch from the added vegetables would likely result in a yeast flare up in his ears over time.

[karren w]

Hi I live in the UK and am having a nightmare getting food for my dog she is an american bull dog she is 9 months old she carnt have chicken /wheat /potato’s/sweet potato’s /rice / or she get yeast ears .and her whole body is itchy. She is on orijen six fish at the moment as its got the lowest carbs in dry food you can bye in the UK .we are giving that for 2 meals and 1 meal of just meat .we are also giving her coconut oil and fish oil to try and help her . at the moment we are doing a bit better her ears are all good but she is dead itchy. Dos anyone no any other foods in the UK we can try .

[Susan]

Hi Walt, I don’t know if I mentioned “MALASEB” medicated shampoo, bath his paws in the Malaseb as this kills the yeast & bacteria that’s living in his paws & stops the smell…also wash his whole body & give a massage for about 5-10mins while his paws are covered in the Malaseb shampoo & soaking…..Malaseb is for yeasty skin & wont strip their good oils like other products do making the dogs skin dry. Iodine does make their feet real dry… I only used Iodine when Patches paws were red & sore which he hasn’t had since washing in them in Malaseb…I have to wash Patches stinky paws every 5 days, its hard if you fill a bath then you cant soak the paws & my boy is soooo scared of baths, I don’t know what happened in his past… I’ve had him 2 years now, I can not wash or put water around his head, he starts to panic, so I use a wash cloth around his head… when you get a kibble make sure the Carbs are LOW & make sure you start writing down the first 7 ingredients that way u’ll notice what carb works & what carb make his smell worst eg: potatoes, peas, (starchy carbs) as soon as you find the right food his paw problem will go away, I have to keep my boy on his vet diet due to IBD, like vet said, she’d rather stinky paws then diarrhoea.. Ur boy has landed on his feet, one very lucky boy….

[Walt R]

Thank you all for your suggestions. Four questions. First, if the issue is possibly a yeast infection on his paws, is it spread then via his licking and that is why the bed linens smell so bad (in addition to his feet) or is it possible that the issue is the saliva and as he licks his feet he’s also licking the blankets because he DOES lick the blankets, floors and everything else?

Secondly, there have been some recommendation for food/changing diet. Can anyone recommend a specific brand/formula (or 4) that is a touch on the less expensive side? Simply put, we are not in a position to spend $70 or $80 for a 30lb bag of food. We are more in the $30 – $40 range for 30 pound bags of premium foods and then stock up when it goes on sale.

Third, i see a lot about foot baths with recommendations for for specific product lines as well as home made remedies such as peroxide, vinegar, iodine and water (various combinations, I’d have to go back and look for the exact recipes.) Can anyone recommend one over the other or have a specific product in mind? My only concern about iodine is whether it will stain his white paws and/or the bath tub.

Lastly, i actually enjoy bathing the dog, blow drying, grooming him. When we got him he was deathly afraid of adult males. The first thing we as a family did was bath him and then i took over from there. It took a bit but now we are absolute buds. Unfortunately if you put him in a room with my wife on one side and me on the other and we both call him, she wins. She likely always will, but that does not mean i’ll ever stop trying! 🙂 So, i enjoy the time with him, caring for him, bathing him, etc… because i can tell over the past 2 years that it’s made huge inroads with trust, amongst many other things.

Thanks again for allow in my questions and thank you too so very much for the idea’s and suggestions.

Walt

[Melissaandcrew]

Frito feet!! Some of my dogs have it to from time to time, some more than others. Remember dogs also sweat from the pads so it’s not always from licking. Mine who have had Frito feet never had yeast infections so go figure. I have had dogs with yeast infections before and in their cases there was no frito odor but rather a putrid one.

[Akari_32]

We went to the vet today! He had me refill her amoxicillin for her mouth for the time being, and said he’d like to see me get blood work and a dental done on her soon (that’s AT LEAST $300, though). She’s also got a yeast infection in both ears (she’s been digging at them the last week or so), so he gave some drops to put in them, 6 drops, twice a day for a week, then call back to let him know how she’s doing, then 6 drops once a day for a week, then call and again and go from there. That’s more than the box instructions says, btw, that’s how bad they are. I also got her a prescription for Purina Veterinary Diet JM in hopes of getting her moving more smoothly.

I wonder if she has a problem with potatoes, since this ear thing just stated since she’s been on the Wellness Simple. I have lots of Wellness small breed Complete Health I could put her on, while we wait for the JM…

[Susan]

Hi Walt, your dog is suffering from yeasty, stinky paws…..they don’t have to be red & cracked, my boy gets them & when he eats sweet potatoes, potatoes, peas, rye, barley, oats, he gets stinky ears, skin, mouth & fur…yeast loves starchy foods, you need a sugar free diet to starve the yeast, here’s a link by Dr Karen Becker explaining yeast problems in dogs & how to fix, she also explains how the disinfect their paws, also have a look at K9 Natural freeze dried food this was invented for dogs with problems with yeast also put him on a good dog probiotic for his stomach… Dr Karen Becker sells a good probiotic…
http://youtube.com/watch?v=gl_X1I1GJ1Q

[Walt R]

Hi. We got a rescue dog about 3 years back. It took us nearly a year before we found food that he liked and we liked. His issue was that he was always stinky even though an indoor dog. He also had room clearing gas. It was truly awful. We tried many different varieties/blends of dog food and he was, at one point, being bathed weekly it was that bad. But, we finally found the Purina Pro Plan Select Sensitive with the Salmon. It took only a matter of days and the gas was gone. In addition, he no longer smelled bad all the time and his baths were now 8 – 10 weeks apart. The dog is a pointer mix and is now pushing 5 years old. He has always been a dog that likes to lick. You walk past him or he you and out comes that tongue. He’ll get ya. LOL. He also licks the sheets, and carpet and his feet, etc. It’s never been a problem for us.

Anyhow, over the past 6 months something has changed. His feet start to smell like Frito’s. But, so do the bed linens and other things, because of his licking. His breath is not bad. If he licks your hand, it’s not bad. But over time, it adds up and we’re having a hard time with it. In addition, because of this, what becomes, an over powering smell of Fritos… he’s back to being bathed every 2 weeks.

His overall coat smells fine. His head and neck are fine. His feet on the other hand… UGH. Same with the bed linens and where he likes to sleep throughout the day.

I can’t help but think it’s his food.

Again, his breath is fine. His coat (other than feet) are fine. Still no gas and he still likes the food.

I don’t know if there is a vitamin supplement we should give him, if there are breath drops that i see online that we can give him or if we should change food.

Unfortunately, i have 100lbs of his food in the basement as it recently went on sale at $10 off per bag. It was hard to pass up. Now… I may be regretting that decision.

So, i found this site. I read up on the Pro Plan Select and it didn’t get very good reviews. Out of the nearly 200 brands/formula’s posted as 4 stars and above, Purina wasn’t even on the list.

A friend has recommended Zsignature Trout/Salmon, but OMGoodness, that is seriously expensive food.

So i thought i would reach out here in this forum and ask if anyone else has experienced this kind of thing.

I do not think the dog has any yeast infections. He doesn’t have dry, red or cracked feet and there aren’t sores on his body. He had a vet check in October and everything is good. Even his teeth are good.

I did read though, that the Pro Plan Sensitive Salmon does contain yeast. So, could that be it? The yeast is in his saliva, he’s licking thinking things and then the Yeast is fermenting for lack of a better expression?

And if that is maybe the source of the issue, why now? Why after being on this food for over 2 years, would this happen now?

And again i ask, if it’s possible it’s the yeast from the food, which clearly isn’t harming him… would breath drops work, or a vitamin of some kind and if not… are there recommendations for FISH based foods that we can try? Fish based food so far is the only one, that resolves his coat and gas issues.

Sorry for being long winded and thank you for any help you can provide.

Walt

[Susan]

Hi A W, I just looked at the ingredients to Purina HA & the first ingredient is STARCH…it looks like the same ingredients that Hills use for their Z/D Ultra…..in the end I did an elimination diet with my boy & I found he can’t eat Potatoes, gave him a rash all over chest & diarrhoea, Sweet Potatoes made his ears itch & he wouldn’t stop shaking his head, just after 2 days on sweet potatoes, I stopped the boiled sweet potatoes & he stopped shaking his head & scratching his ears, within 2 days, peas gave him gas & sloppy poos, wheat, barley, rye & oats made him itch & rub his back up & down the walls, so now I what foods to avoid & I stopped any starchy foods…
An elimination diet is best, see how he does on the Purina HA but if he’s still has ear infection, try an elimination diet… here’s a link to Dr Karen Becker about yeasty skin & ears, about 5 mins into her video she talks about potatoes & sweet potatoes & how to stop your dogs ear infections with a sugar free diet….. starch=sugar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl_X1I1GJ1Q

[Susan]

Alot of vets dont know much about food nutrition, when they are studying to become vets, they only do about 6-8 hours on pet nutrition…My vet sends everyone to a dog nutritionist or a holistic vet & they can be very dear, any starchy foods can cause itchy, yeasty skin & ear problems……fast burning carbs turn into sugar & yeast loves sugar, it thrives, take away the starchy high carb foods & the yeast starves, a sugar free diet is needed…..here’s a link to Dr Karen Becker talking about yeast in dogs… 5mins into video Dr Karen talks about white potaoes & sweet potatoes & going on a sugar free diet..she also talks about disinfecting their ears…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl_X1I1GJ1Q