[Akari_32]

He did really well with it, actually! I have a video uploading, and I’ll post is when it’s done 🙂 And he only dragged a couple small pieces on the floor, then ate off the plate. Good kitty :3

[Akari_32]

Wow, I totally replied to this but it didn’t post lol Anyways, eventually I’ll go all raw, but for now I’ll do it a few times a week. I want to get me cat food stash down some before I get too serious. Then I’ll keep it on hand for when I go out of town.

This morning it the first homemade raw meal for the kitty! I let him taste the organs and bones a couple nights ago while preparing it, and he actually loved all of it! I opted to feed on a plate, rather than his small stainless bowl, in hopes that he won’t drag it around. I’ll also lock the dogs up and feed him in the kitchen so if he does drag it around, at least it’s on the tile and not my carpet LOL

This meal is about 3 oz, with some beef kidney, a small bit of chicken breast that apparently escaped the dogs meals, and a nice big chunk of thigh. Dinner will be another 3oz, and have the end of a wing, and I think I saw some chicken liver in there, and more thigh/leg meat.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/50DD335D-F808-4E53-99D5-2E09C353FF0E_zpselkwpbdg.jpg

[Akari_32]

I really like Wellness. Petco will take the bag back no problems, even if it’s open. If you don’t have a receipt, they’ll just give you a gift card.

[Akari_32]

Thankfully, every furry creature in the house is pretty much “eat first, as questions later.” Makes life a good deal easier LOL

[Akari_32]

Yes, well we call Haley and Dweezle the furry garbage disposals. They could careless about what something tastes like, they’re going to eat it regardless (unless its Dweezle and bananas– those might as well be poison) lol

[Akari_32]

It was all mixed together, like some nasty green doggy stew, but appearances don’t mean anything to her lol

[Akari_32]

I’ll play this game again. Today was Haley’s 12th birthday! Gave her 1/2 cup of THK Beef, a can of Ideal Balance stew (think it was turkey?), and about 1/3 cup of EVO Red Meat. I added a little too much water to the THK, not realizing I stew style canned food in the front, so it was a little soupy, but she loved it none the less :p

[Akari_32]

That’s funny, Bobby Dog! I’m glad mine doesn’t really get sick of any one food. Then again, he gets something different every single meal. Nothing two meals in a row, and hardly every even the same brand two meals in a row.

Oh! Forgot to tell you guys! I’m going to be starting the cat on raw 🙂 Him and Bentley can be food buddies lol

[Akari_32]

I’m pretty sure they do it to you on purpose LOL

[Akari_32]

I just did a quick google search, and I guess it is made by Del Monte now. I must have seen the Diamond bit just before the buy out. Either way, not too pleased with it. I bought it with out reading the package very closely. Bad me! Bad! Lol

I think I will give a few bags of Nutrisca a shot. If they only have chicken, though, I don’t think I’ll buy it. They only had one flavor on the shelf, and I forget what it was. I agree Dogswell doesn’t have the best rep as far that jerky thing went. We’ll see how my shopping trip goes tomorrow.

[Akari_32]

I was thinking about 3-4 of the small bags (haven’t worked out my coupon deal just yet), for Haley and Dweezle. At about 4 or so cups between them a day, it wouldn’t last long at all (week or two, maybe). Beggers can’t be (too picky of) choosers, and I need to be oportunistic of deals when they happen! The only deals I pass up are Diamond brands. Although apparently Natural Balance is Diamond and I bought a couple of the 12 lb bags of the Small Breed Ultra one. So far so good, but never again. I’m not very pleased with how low calorie it is anyways. Lol

[Akari_32]

I’m the same way. I’d rather spend that $15 on three more bags of dog food lol

[Akari_32]

The reviews are based on just ingredients, not recalls or manufacturers. For that, you need to register for the Editors Choice, which goes more into detail on other food-rating-related topics.

[Akari_32]

Cats are so weird lol We have to keep shipping boxes for days when we order something because as soon as it’s unpacked, the cats in it and he doesn’t leave it!

[Akari_32]

Oh my god, this lawsuit between Blue and Purina keeps getting better and better LOL Anyone seen the new Purina Beyond commercials? I love the outright bashing they do to Blue Buffalo– “At Purina, what goes in the bag goes on the label,” and how they own their manufacturing plants. And their new slogan is “Where Honesty is our First Ingredient”. Kills me every time! XD

I haven’t checked Blue’s ingredients in a long time, and certainly not since the lawsuit. I wonder if they are at least admitting to using by-products, and are now going to put them on the label. I’ve not kept up with any recent news, but I’ve seen fun tidbits here and there on how they tried to completely slough off the responsibility of the “bad” ingredients on the suppliers and manufactures alone. Sure does make them look bad lol

[Akari_32]

Just to tell you how big he is, that’s a 10 gallon tank and he was still scrunched up in it LOL he’s a big boy, and is holding nicely at just over 13 pounds. Still getting 3 oz in the morning and 5.5 at night. Can’t believe I’ve landed myself with such a huge cat. Mom calls him a tiger, hahaha!

Photobucket on the website sucks. I don’t do it anymore. I got the app (I think it was either free or $1.99) and it’s much easier.

[Akari_32]

Lol well he gets one tomorrow! He already ate his ground pork tonight :p Usually it’s the cat I have to worry about when fixing up Bentleys meals. I tend to have to throw him scraps to keep him off the table LOL I about sat on him when I put the package of meat on the table and went to sit in the chair! I tend to get a lot of help in the kitchen and while eating… LOL

I want to get the cat on all raw here soon, as well. I gotta see how I handle it with Bentley. And I may not do completely raw, come to think of it, because I seems cats need a lot more per pound than dogs do. Might not be able to afford it. May just have to half and half balanced raw and canned or something like that.

[Akari_32]

I’m making up some meals for Bentley, and this happens…

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/C8D5B814-B15C-44CE-8AC3-FDBA92A28660_zps39va81eo.jpg

[Akari_32]

Look guys, a catfish LOL

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/E15C8482-8036-4406-A054-6A16E12F7F8B_zps7kv74iqf.jpg

Just got back from PetCo and picked up 5 free cans of Halo Vigor! Can’t wait to try it out on him. Also picked up a can of Natures Variety Pride. I still don’t think that stuff is very good because it’s all saucy, but it’s something different. PetSmart has it on clearance, so I pick up a can every now and then (they can’t seem to get rid of it lol). And the other day I got 10 cans of Fancy Feast Elegant Medleys, whatever three flavors don’t have fish in them. Only got those because I had b5g5 and $1 off 10 coupons, so I only paid a couple bucks for the lot. I definitely plan on going back for more Halo Vigor. It looks like a great food, and free makes it even better! Coupon lasts until 2/28 or something like that, so go check it out!

[Akari_32]

It’s just under $20 for a case on P4P (and shipping is $4). You should really try applying! You never know if it’ll work.

Did you see the Dietitic Management canned food? That actually looks better than most “premium” foods as far as protein and carbs goes. It’s really high protein and super low carbs. It’s not something I would mind using just to use, provide it didn’t have anything in it that would hurt a cat that didn’t have diabetes (haven’t looked that far into it lol).

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/AB8B8041-2B80-4D54-8E1C-EA319DFAC45E_zpssst3pzit.png

• This reply was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by Akari_32.

[Akari_32]

Yes, I live in Florida lol Just curious, how much do you pay a case for that urinary food? And I assume it’s 24 cans per case, right?

See if you can register with Purina 4 Professionals. You never know! I think you need a special code or sign in given to you by a rep to register though. It’s been a while since I’ve done it, so I don’t remember lol

[Akari_32]

Another update for you guys! Ginger continues to do well even with the whiplash wheather we’re having. Hot, cold, hot, cold, hot, cold. It’s driving me crazy!! Lol But she’s been moving around great and doing a lot more running 🙂

She also recovers much more quickly when she hurts herself. Let’s face it, this dog is not at all graceful. She tumbles down the dog steps a lot. A. Lot. She’s so used to doing it that she takes in stride now LOL You’d think she’d figure out to make sure she places her paws firmly on each step, and to not try to skip the last step and night stand and just go straight for the bed. Yeah, not really LOL Anyways, she sometimes limps around after such an event, and where it would usually take her several weeks to recover from it, it now takes her just a few days.

Over all, I really am happy with this food, and can’t deny the results I’m seeing with her. I will definitely continue with it for the remainder of her life (as much as it kills me not to do rotation), and will use with any future dogs that need it.

[Akari_32]

Closer look at the exclusions for the cat food.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/5F1AD81C-DAC6-46B4-B8D2-D2FA3F19C107_zpsb3gqk1ps.jpg

Maybe it doesn’t include canned food?? That sucks 🙁

[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.

[Akari_32]

What don’t you like about it (me having never really used it)? And do you find it too low in calories?

[Akari_32]

I only use very food specific products, mainly out of cost necessity. Friskies Special Diet Turkey and Giblets and Speical Diet Beef and Chicken (both super low carb. They make up about 1/2 of the cats diet), Tidy Cats litter, Gingers PVD JM (which is belping her soooo much!), and every so often I’ll buy Purina One canned food for both the cat (only like two flavors) and dogs, Pro Plan dry for the dogs and canned for both, and just a few flavors of Fancy Feast for the cat (can’t remember which ones). I used to have dry One Beyond on my sometimes list, but they’re too expensive now. I’m really not that fond of Purina as a whole, but when you don’t have much money and the animals out number the humans buy about 6 to 1 (including the fish and reptiles lol) you have to be oportunistic lol I do really like Tidy Cats though! :p

*edit* And I guess you could count the Zukes dog and cat treats, since they’re owned by Purina now, last I heard. Lol

• This reply was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by Akari_32.

[Akari_32]

Check this out, guys! I totally forgot about this! I’m a Purina Pro Club member, which means I get money back from (just about) every Purina brand purchase I make! The PVD gets me particularly good points 🙂 Here’s a list of qualifying products:

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/C94DC552-124B-458C-8497-7923E69B0380_zps9ftxicui.jpg

Here’s the part of the package you need for redemption (“weight circle”) :

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/453093F4-6074-4F02-830C-0F22646B53B1_zpsitqrkwjd.jpg

For every 7000 points, I get $70 back to spend on dog food! There is also a similar cat food program. For two months of Gingers food alone, I get 156 points! Considering it’s only about $12 a month after shippin to feed her, that’s pretty awesome! I also get the Purina One canned food for the other dogs sometimes. In fact, I’ve got about 8 cans in the cabinet right now. Now if only Friskies Special Diet and Tidy Cats was included in the cat food. I use so much of that… Lol

I really do recommend anyone that uses any amount of the Purina products listed to sign up for this program. You might as well make some money back, even if you don’t buy a lot. The points never expire and they do roll over if you don’t redeem them all at once. You get pet food checks, Purina “stuff,” various gift cards, dog show and event gifts. Stuff like that. (Or could just mail all your weight circles to me *cough* just kidding lol)

[Akari_32]

Oh! So that would be something worth looking into then! Is the thymus gland something that’s good to feed?

[Akari_32]

Wow, that’s amazing! Do you ever call any of them by a previous dogs name? :p Heck, I get my four mixed up all the time LOL can’t imagine having nearly 300 names going through my head!

Does whatever agency you work with help with medical and food expenses for your fosters? That’s the biggest thing with me. I would love to foster or raise service dogs later down the down the road, but I suppose it would depend mostly on finances if/when I was able to do it.

[Akari_32]

Got a list of all the organs they are able order. These are based on seasonal availability, I’m sure, but it’s a start! And it’s a much larger list than I thought it would be!

Beef
-heart
-kidney
-liver
-sweet bread
-veal liver

Pork
-maws

Chicken
-livers

Lamb
-kidney
-liver

Turkey
-liver

Now, what exactly is sweet bread? The lady working there wasn’t too sure as she doesn’t usually work in the meat department, but in seafood, but she thought it was some kind of intestines. And pork maws are testicles, are they not? The only thing not on this list are hearts, because, well, they don’t really count… Lol

I think I’ve good selection of liver going on, and kidneys aren’t too bad of a pick, either. I think I just may be able to do this and feel good about it! I will continue with SSLL in rotation, even still.

Anyone have any input on the portion sizes up there?

• This reply was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by Akari_32.

[Akari_32]

Interesting, thank you! Sojo’s was one mix that got booted off my list the minute I saw how much was needed for my 8 lb Jack Russell mix. The poor dog would need a whole pound of meat and mix a day! Not to mention all the carbs. I pick up the sample packets when I see them, for my other dogs, but it’s not ever something I would buy. Just doesn’t look like a very good product to be using all the time. Too carby, even for a dog that doesn’t have issues with carbs, like Bentley does.

[Akari_32]

Aww that’s great! How do you like fostering? Is it hard to see them go?

[Akari_32]

Wow, that’s house full! All those 7 are yours, or boarders?

[Akari_32]

Oh my lord, how many do you have?? LOL

[Akari_32]

My guess is that the kibbles are too hard for such a small puppy. Try canned, dampening the kibble with some warm water, or smaller a smaller kibble (or a combination of the three).

That said, this puppy is going to stay pretty small. Some dogs, with good reason, just do not like commercial dry diets. You could try a raw diet, either commercial or home made. I’m currently using See Spot Live Longer premix (which is off the market for a few months right now while they set up to be able to produce a larger quantity and other formulas) and various meats for my 8 lb Jack russell mix, at about $20 a month. There are other premixes as well, and they’re pretty easy to find, with a google search. If a raw diet isn’t something you want to try, there are also premixes for home cooked diets.

[Akari_32]

That’s right! I totally knew that lol Silly tripe and it’s grossness :p

I’ll go out maybe today (or after work tomorrow) and talk to the meat department guys and get a list of exactly what they can order, but I’m pretty sure they’ll all come from mostly beef and chicken, and only at the extent of what I’ve listed off. I wish I could get rabbit for something different every now and then, but they’re like $20 for a small, couple pound animal! Plus the shop they come from is far away lol I think I’ll be able to shop sales on lamb, at least. Variety sucks here lol

Ok, so he weighs 7.8lbs, or 124.8oz. He’s a very active dog (being a terrier) so I wonder if I should keep him at the 5oz he’s eating on SSLL, rather than doing the 2-3% body weight thing you’re supposed to start at (3% for him would be 3.74oz)? At 5oz right now, even on 30% fat pork, he keeps a good, lean, muscley weight.

I think, just to be sure I cover all my bases, I’ll rotate between all raw and the SSLL mix. A just in case sort of deal, you know? I’m still a bit unsure about this whole do-it-yourself business when it comes to balanced raw because if you screw it up, it can be very detrimental. That said, I may go for the multi vitamin deal for some extra insurance. I actually have some kids chewable multi vitamins. Could that be something that would work (They’re all natural and organic, made of fruits and veggies)? If not, what’s cheap that you would recommend?

[Akari_32]

They just got a huge box of stuff from PetFlow, they’ll be fine LOL

[Akari_32]

Most coupons, even the ones you get from the paper, will say one per person, or one per household, or something to that effect. It’s up up to the individual store on how they handle such limits.

Petco is having another Flash Sale. It’s also (sort of) combinable with their free shipping at $49. If you spend $59, and enter the coupon code FLASH, it’ll take off $10, and you still get the free shipping, as well. I tried it at $49 and it added the shipping back on, so make sure you spend at least $59 when combining these two deals. It’s not a bad gig at all! I personally bought a new 36 inch light strip for one of my fish tanks, something like 4 containers of fish food, and a bag of freeze dried veggie mix to try out on my Uromastyx. Spent about $55 after tax. Couldn’t have gotten a better deal in store as none of the items I bought ever have coupons (unless I have money maker coupons on something like cat food cans, which is impossible to do at Petco anyways, as they don’t take overage off at all). Still more than I like to sped at one time any one place as it is, though … Lol

[Akari_32]

My dogs all do great on Wellness. My guess is the same as Patty’s, did you not give the dog long enough to get used to the food? Some dogs need longer transition times than others.

[Akari_32]

Glad you figured it out, Dori!

While we’re on the topic of freeze-dried and dehydrated, anyone try TruDog?

Also, Bobby Dog just informed me that Purina just put new out coupons for Beyond!

https://www.purina.com/coupons

[Akari_32]

To post a picture through photobucket, you upload it there, and copy/paste the “direct link” option, and it’ll show up here as a picture.

Ask all the questions you want! I don’t care lol

[Akari_32]

I just clicked the coupon in the email and copy/pasted the web address of the page with the coupon here 🙂

[Akari_32]

On it!

http://www.instinctpetfood.com/nvcoupon/81

There you go 🙂

[Akari_32]

I can’t tell you how happy I am that she’s feel better and this food is working. I may buy the big bag next time and put Haley and Dweezle on it, as well…. Lol I’ve got to see how Haley handles the corn in the Iams Healthy Naturals first, though. She can drop weight on too much corn. They get around pretty well, though, so maybe I won’t… Lol

[Akari_32]

Ginger did great on her walk today! This food is really working. I honestly had my doubts, but she didn’t limp at all on the walk, and ran most of it. I’ve never seen her have such a good time on a walk before. She was running up into people’s yards to track scents, jumping over the gutters when we crossed the street, if she lagged behind, she’d run as fast as she could to catch up with us. She is feeling much better and it’s putting her in such great spirits. She’s been less grumpy when I pick her up, as well.

Tomorrow will be her first meal on 100% JM. Today she’s got little a tiny bit of Wellness mixed in, and the bag is empty and in the trash. I’m surprised to see results so quickly. I was expecting at least a month on the food before seeing any difference, but I’ve been seeing her limping less and less the last several day. I’m very happy with what I’m seeing, especially due to the fact that Ginger is so old. 14 is borderline ancient, no matter what size dog it is!

[Akari_32]

We just went for a nice long walk and Ginger had the greatest time (I made sure she was “empty” before we set out- no need to share her cooties lol). I set her and Bentleys food out on the counter to soak up water and thaw out, respectively, before we left. Once everyone cools down, and I make sure Bentleys food is thawed, I’ll feed them both and give Ginger her dewormer.

Anyways, she may have done well on the walk, but she was so excited to get inside to get her food and out of the heat that she leaped over the step up into the house, and landed on the tile in a way that hurt her leg some how and now she’s hobbling around the house. I checked her paw and knee and they both seem fine. Must have pulled a muscle a little bit or something. Guess this food can’t fix overexcitment LOL

[Akari_32]

I’ve got a dog that hates fish oil. He gets coconut oil instead and he loves it.

Random question, this isn’t the only dog you have, it is?? She doesn’t need any larger than maybe a 12-15 lb bag of food for herself…. Lol

That said, I’ve been testing out Purina Veterinary Diet Joint Mobility on my 14 year old Dachshund. She’s only been on it a couple weeks and I already see a difference. A 6lb bag runs something $25, a 15(?) lb bag is $40-ish, and the 30-whatever lb bag is around $60. I pay half price working in the veterinary field, so I don’t recall the exact numbers, but i do recall the large bag being comparably priced to most other foods. I was skeptical at first, but having tried many other things, and with fish oil causing her terrible stomach problems, I was ready to try just about anything. Your case may be a point in where you might want to try this food. Just a side note, I’ve looked at other vet diets (for joint health and otherwise) and this is the only one I would ever consider feeding, as it has a good amount of animal protein in it. If you have other dogs, a big bag wouldn’t hurt anything at all, provided there are no allergies to any of its ingredients.

[Akari_32]

Thanks again, Patty! I still haven’t seen her poop in the daytime (still no poop today?? Uuuuugh this dog!), so I still don’t know what kind she has. I haven’t seen any fleas in some time, just one a few weeks after we got her, so I’m thinking this was probably an existing condition when she came to live here? Anyways, I got the Sentry because I don’t know what she has and it covers a good deal of nasties, so better safe than sorry lol She’ll get that in the morning and we’ll have some…. Fun?…. Lol

[Akari_32]

Thanks Patty! I mentioned her poop-eating game because I don’t know what kind of worms they are, as I never saw them. I know that some other kinds can be visible in the dogs poop, though not very often. I mean, it probably is tapeworms, but I can’t say for sure.

Either way, I have two single dose pills, so I’ll have an extra after I give one to Ginger. Depending on the worms, the crazy dog may need them again…. Lol

[Akari_32]

SSLL can be used with raw or cooked, so I don’t really see why raw would be a problem, other than the whole anti-raw standpoint they may have. Once I’m on a computer I’ll mess around on the website and see it there’s a way to contact them or any FAQs or something.

If I find anything else I’m considering, I’ll post them here for review, if you don’t mind 🙂

[Author]

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