[LexiDog]

Richard – with a large breed puppy you will need to make sure that the calcium : phosphorous ratios are appropriate.

Check out this link: /forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/

I understand where you are coming from with not wanting to feed poultry to a dog that guards chickens, but I don’t think that feeding him a chicken based food will make him want to go eat the live chickens he is guarding.

I think that Wellness CORE Puppy would be a good food – but that has chicken and turkey.

[LexiDog]

Hi Alex! Do you remember which food he seemed to do better on? All of the foods listed have potato listed except Zignature. Have you tried any red meat sources? Like bison, lamb or venison? Are there any ingredients that you know he can’t have? That would help a lot figuring out what food to try.

I don’t buy into the whole prescription diets thing. I don’t really see anything in them that you can’t find in non-prescription foods. You just need to know what is “special” about the food and find one that meets the special requirements.

[LexiDog]

After you get him checked by the vet to make sure there are no underlying issues, you can try adding a tablespoon of canned 100% pure pumpkin to his food to help with the switch. Just make sure it is NOT pumpkin pie filling they are usually right next to each other in the grocery store. I also agree that Fromm is a good dog food. I started my girl on Fromm Gold when I first got her 🙂

[LexiDog]

If she still throws up…you might have to go back to the beginning. Give her regular food and the just start off giving her Darwins as a treat after she has had time to digest her regular food. Then cut back in her regular food and increase her “treats”. But I wouldn’t try feeding them together because you know that doesn’t work. 🙂 Hopefully you will reply that everything stayed where it should have with the 100% Darwins.

[LexiDog]

I would think so. You are feeding her a quality food right now. If it is dehydrated raw, the big difference is the moisture content.

[LexiDog]

See if she throws it up when it is just Darwins.

[LexiDog]

I have a 40 lb 3 yr old lab mix. She eats about 1 lb per day if I am only feeding Darwins. She should be getting about 3/4 of a pound but on days where I run her a lot I don’t mind giving her the extra calories. I use the recommend feeding amount around 2% of her body weight.

Right now I am only feeding half Darwins to keep the cost down. So she gets 1/2 lb in the am and then 1/2 c THK in the evening. The 1/2 cup is less than the recommend amount for THK for her weight. I feel like the recommend serving amount for Darwins is right on.

She is spayed and moderately active. We go to the dog park for about 1.5 – 2 hrs a day if we can, where she will run and run the whole time. If not I take her for a quick 2 mile bike ride.

I know when I used to feed my girl her whole serving at one time sometimes she would throw it back up. I believe it was because she was eating too fast. She tends to inhale her food. So now I split it up into 2 servings and she has been fine ever since.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 10 months ago by LexiDog.

[LexiDog]

Wonderful!!!! More meals in the better! Let me know how he likes the satin balls. I have never had a dog that had needed to gain weight. 🙂 Right now I have a lab mix who will pretty much eat anything. Lol. I use my moms super picky dog as a taste tester…if he eats it, it must taste ok.

[LexiDog]

Wow! Your pup is sooo lucky to have found you!! Some people on here have suggested Satin Balls. They are high calorie treats/supplement food to help dogs gain weight. You make them and I am sure you could modify the recipe so that they are grain free.

I’m so glad he ate last night!! That is progress! Are you going to try to thaw it out a little bit more each day so he will be eventually eating it thawed? That might work.

[LexiDog]

Try putting it in a warm water bath in a ziplock bag to take the chill out of it without actually cooking it. Or have you tried just giving it as a treat? Maybe until he is used to the taste and texture? Have you taken him to your vet to make sure there are no underlying issues as to why he is not gaining weight? Double the recommended amount of Orijen, you would think any dog would gain weight.

[LexiDog]

Thanks! I probably will rotate. I am just having a hard time picking one to start. Grrrrrr. Thanks again!

[LexiDog]

I’m currently using Darwins. I like it because they stamp on the package when it was made so I can tell how long it has been frozen. It is a little more watery than Stella & Chewys or Primal. My girl eats it up! I have priced it out, shipping and all, and it is still cheaper than Stella & Chewys 6 lb bag. Even of the less expensive proteins like their chicken. I also like that on average it has less fat in their formulas than other frozen raw. Sometimes the packages do leak. I think I only have had 1 half pound packages leak out of the last 42 lbs. order, so that isn’t too bad. The food is always frozen when it arrives.

i constantly get compliments on my dogs coat and how shiny and soft it is. Her poops are firm and small. She poops about once a day, which is nice. Although I am going to be going to half raw half dehydrated. Just to save a little bit on her food costs.

Have you tried their sample offer? It’s 10 lbs for $14.95. Great deal.

[LexiDog]

Thanks! I am just trying to get some opinions on which one people think is better.

I have been feeding my girl raw for a while now but the cost is just getting to be a little too much. So, I need to cut back somewhere. I was thinking about doing raw in the morning and kibble in the evening and then I remembered GLP and THK! Both of the foods are good and I just couldn’t see which one is better.

Do you know what the broken corn flake looking things are in GLP? Are those the chickpeas? Or the chicken?

[LexiDog]

Check out Dr. Beckers video on yeasty dogs…it talks about diet, supplements and disinfecting the yeasty parts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gl_X1I1GJ1Q

[LexiDog]

When you do get her switched over, try adding a digestive enzyme/probiotic/prebiotic supplement to help aide digestion.

I use Herbsmith Micro Flora Plus.

[LexiDog]

You can also try some lean ground turkey (rinse any grease off) and plain canned pumpkin. NOT pie filling, just plain canned pumpkin. Or boiled chicken breast and pumpkin. Pumpkin is easier to digest than rice. Once her stool has firmed up you can start to introduce her again to the food.

As always, if it doesn’t clear up you will need to take her to the vet again. Small dogs have a higher risk of dehydration from loose stools. It probably would be a good idea to check with the foster home to see what she was eating there or if they have any suggestions.

[LexiDog]

Fromm Four Star grain free is smaller than the average kibble. Also, I believe, Now! Is also small.

Check out the Wellness small/toy breed also. Their Core line has a small breed one too. But I don’t know if it is for ALS.

[LexiDog]

Just a thought – If everything is ok with him health wise – maybe he just got the Shiba Inu size and not the Akita size from the mix….

[LexiDog]

You better either live on a self sustaining farm in the US or not in the US at all. Based on your comments and convictions expressed in this forum nothing is safe in the US but Canada can do no wrong.

I am surprised that you feed a commercial kibble at all with the way you feel.

I am sorry to say that even Canada is prone to recalls.
http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/recall-alert-rappel-avis/index-eng.php?cat=1

I love my pets to the point I go on websites such as these and learn as much as I can so I can provide the best products for them.

Thank you for expressing your opinion on US foods.

[LexiDog]

Case, what do you think? Is it automatically going to be garbage because it will be made in the US?

[LexiDog]

I emailed them the same question and they came back with (quoted from the FAQ page):
“Champion’s Morinville kitchens will focus on supplying our growing Canadian, European Union and Asian markets. The new Kentucky kitchens with supply the USA.”

So, basically, the Canadian produced food will NOT be available in the US.

In reply to your “specifically deny the American people information about where the ingredients in their food are sourced, because such information is “bad for bid’ness.” If passed, these laws would allow corporations to respond to inquiries with something like, “Our food products are made to meet or exceed government standards and we are not required to release information regarding ingredient sourcing to the public.”

If the company does not want to disclose where they source from, don’t buy from them.

I don’t see this move as such a “disaster” as you do. I would prefer their food to continue to be made in Canada but the US made food does not mean that it is going to be bad. It all depends on how they handle the production, quality control and sourcing once the new kitchen is open.

Saying that the US kitchen is going to be crap, is wrong. You have no facts to back it up yet. Until they are producing in that kitchen with a final product on the shelves, you can’t judge. There are plenty of US made foods that are great.

I do share most of the same quality concerns that you have but I am not about to say that the US food will be a disaster. Whether we like it or not they are going to be making Orijen in KY and that will be the food that is available to the US customers.

I personally will not be making a decision on whether to purchase the US made food or not until the product is actually available.

[LexiDog]

Since the email contained, “The unauthorised use, disclosure, copying or alteration of this message is strictly forbidden.”, I can’t post the email.

It didn’t say anything more that what can be found on their website.
http://championpetfoods.com/kentucky/ThinkKentuckyThinkFAQ.pdf

[LexiDog]

Absolutely

[LexiDog]

I don’t know but I am interested in finding out myself. I sent them an email.

[LexiDog]

I personally like the Regional Red. My girl is not too picky but my moms super picky shih tzu ate it. So it has to be good. 🙂

[LexiDog]

Orijen is a wonderful food. You can also try topping it with some canned food.

[LexiDog]

For the largest bag of Annamaet Manitok it is around $2.70/lb. The Eaethborn varieties are all around $1.71/lb.

The other food that comes in around $1.50/lb are the Taste of the Wild High Prairie and Wetlands. But these are made in a Diamond factory.

[LexiDog]

Peachy is a lucky pup!!!

[LexiDog]

Orijen then Acana

[LexiDog]

I can’t say anything about the seizures either.

My personal favorite kibbles are Acana Regionals and Orijen. These are expensive but I feel we’ll worth it. I have an active 38 # dog and she was getting 1 1/4 cups of food a day on these kibbles. These can be found at Pet Supplies Plus stores and local specialty boutiques. I was actually surprised to see how many specialty shops were around when I started looking for them.

Other favorites include Wellness Core (found at Petsmart and Petco) and Fromm Four Star (Pet Supplies Plus and boutiques). A lot of people like Dr. Tim’s and Victor grain free but I can not find these in the local stores, so I haven’t tried them. I would have to order them online. I have had great experiences ordering food and other stuff from Chewy.com.

If I had to pick a kibble on a budget, I would probably try Whole Earth Farms Grain Free. This can be found at Petco and Pet Supplies Plus. I’m not sure if Petsmart carries it or not because I haven’t been there in a while.

Just remember that not all foods are made for all dogs. Just because my dog does great on certain foods doesn’t mean that yours will. You have to find one that works for you and your dog.

You may want to look at feeding a 4 star kibble before jumping right to a 5. Moose will be going from a plant based diet to a meat based diet and that can cause some upsets. Just remember to transition him very slowly. You can also add some pumpkin while switching. If you buy it from the grocery store just make sure that it is pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. Fruitables makes a digestive supplement with pumpkin to help with switching.

As for species appropriate food. Kibble is not one of them because kibble does not contain the amount of moisture needed for a species appropriate diet. The ideal moisture would be a food that containes around 70% moisture. For example canned is better than kibble and frozen raw is better than canned. Google Dr. Karen Becker best to worst foods. There is a video and a list that is super helpful.

Right now I am feeding my girl Primal frozen raw and The Honest Kitchen dehydrated. There are a ton of great foods out there, just need to know where to look. You should keep an open mind about ordering online. I’ve never had a bad experience with Chewy.com.

This is probably way more info than you want but this is only a little bit. Trust me. There is so much info out there it will make your head spin for a while. You can also get into feeding a homemade diet too. Others will have to help with that.

[LexiDog]

Hi Jenna! What are you currently feeding him? Does he have any dietary restrictions? Any favorite proteins?

[LexiDog]

Oh, no!! Grrrr…that was not the point.

[LexiDog]

My mom shih tzu is also very picky and he throws up the foamy stuff sometimes too. She softens his hard food in water for a couple hours, mashes it with a fork, then adds cut up chicken tenders and stirs. I have tried to get him to eat just the hard food but he won’t touch it. Maybe you can try softening it and adding the digestive supplement.

[LexiDog]

Have you had him to the vet to be checked? When my dog was itchy, I took her to the vet and he did a skin scraping on one of the itchy spots to check for mange. The skin scraping didn’t show any signs of mites. Even then she was still treated for Sarcoptic mange to rule that out because the mites can rarely be seen under the microscope. I treated her with Revoluiton and still saw no difference. So it was probably not Sarcoptic mange. Then you have to look at environmental allergies and food allergies.

The one thing that stands out is that he started getting itchy again when you added the Acana Lamb & Apple. If it is the old formula (I don’t think the new one is available for purchase yet) it is grain inclusive. So it could possibly be due to the grains. One way to find out if he is sensitive to one type of food, you could do an elimination diet. I personally have not done this, but others on here have. So they will be more helpful with that.

As you will find out that some types of foods are better than others. For example, canned is better than kibble. Homemade raw is better than canned and so on… You can check out Dr. Karen Becker’s rankings at http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/07/21/13-pet-foods-ranked-from-great-to-disastrous.aspx

[LexiDog]

It can be too rich for some dogs. It depends on the dog. My girl does fantastic on it. Firm small poops. Others don’t do so well. Or maybe your dog doesn’t tolerate one of the ingredients very well.

[LexiDog]

What have you heard about Champion that makes you think it is “going down hill”? About the fish? Just curious.

[LexiDog]

How do you feel about Champion opening a kitchen in KY? They said that their formulas are going to vary because they are going to use regional ingredients. I wonder if we (in the states) will be able to still get the Canadian line or not. I love Champion products but I’m a little nervous and I don’t know why. At least it will be closer to visit if they offer tours.

[LexiDog]

In addition to Wellness CORE Reduced Fat, you should also look at
Earthborn Weight Control:
Protein: 25% (Dry Matter 27.8%)
Fat: 7 (Dry Matter 7.8%)
Fiber: 9 (Dry Matter 10%)
DFA Rating: 4

[LexiDog]

Oh yes! I do like Fromm too!!

[LexiDog]

In no particular order:
Primal
Orijen
Acana
Grandma Lucy’s
Stella & Chewys

I also have been using the Honest Kitchen and my girl is loving it! He sits there and whines for it when it is rehydrating.

[LexiDog]

It is painful to watch. You know that so much good could be done with one little change.

I know that my aunts old dog ate Beneful. When they got a new puppy and I saw a big bag of Pedigree, I decided to take my cousins on a trip to the local Per Supplies Plus just to get some new things for the puppy. While we were there I pointed out what food I gave my dog and showed them the ingredients. Then gently eased into why it was good for her. Eventually we took a look at a bag of Beneful and they instantly agreed that it was no good.

Shasta, you know so much…it must be so frustrating to see this happening. Poor pups.

[LexiDog]

Just another thought…look at The Honest Kitchen Keen. It is a dehydrated food. Recently I have been giving my dog their Embark formula and she literally sits there and whines while it is rehydrating because she likes it so much.

[LexiDog]

Sorry for your loss.

Let us know if you find anything out. My friend feeds his dog the Happy Hips chicken treats.

[LexiDog]

I love Acana. Orijen and Acana are my favorite kibbles out there. That is a great food. You should also look into Fromm Four Star kibble. The pieces of kibble are smaller and the protein is not too high.

[LexiDog]

I truly don’t understand it either. Some people just shouldn’t have dogs. It breaks my heart to see this going on.

[LexiDog]

Rescue is my favorite breed 🙂 I like Labs and Treeing Walker Coonhounds but a rescued mutt is top of the list.

[LexiDog]

Return it. Is there another store you can buy it from? I have also been feeding my dog Orijen for a while and have never had that problem. The only thing I can think of is that it was not stored at the store properly. Maybe they left it outside or something. Call Champion pet foods too and let them know what happened.

[LexiDog]

That is the hard question. I checked out the animal control website today and I could basically file a nuisance report for the barking. When they took her in they did ask about training classes and I mentioned a few places around. So maybe when I see them outside again I can give them a card for the trainer I use. Hopefully it would at least get them thinking.

[LexiDog]

I’m just afraid that if I call animal control they will know it was me.

I couldn’t take it anymore and went over there and asked them to check on their dog because she sounded hoarse. They did take her in and I can’t hear her barking anymore inside. Usually I can hear her bark from the basement.

It just makes me so sad to see this. 🙁

I am going to call animal control tomorrow and see what the laws are.

Thanks.

[LexiDog]

Zignature too.

[Author]

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