[Naturella]

Gotcha, thanks, will do! 🙂

[Naturella]

Betsy,

I will look into that. Is the internet a good general source to learn about titering, or can you tell me more about it (like, everything. I have only seen the word, and don’t know what it entails).

[Naturella]

This is hilariously crazy! LoL! This reminds me of the link Akari32 posted on how Purina’s reseach shows that dogs are BUILT to eat grains. Insanity…

So odd, I don’t even recall our vet discussing nutrition with us except one time, when I mentioned I feed grain free and got the “there’s still carbs in it though” lecture, which I knew, but was within limits and ok. I think I only will be seeing the vet and techs once a year for his shots, since he plateaued weight so we shop for his heartworm and other worm-and-flea medicine online now.

[Naturella]

theBCnut, I figured so, cause it took a while for the other dog to decide to try a healthy kibble, but Bruno would go and steal SD, or whatever, no problem… Grrr, bad companies…

Carlyn, you’re lucky Shasta was “food smart”, lol! 🙂 And I do hope the little lab’s parents check this website out and do switch her to something better than Purina Pro Plan. 🙂 Maybe she will develop a taste for better kibble thanks to you! 🙂

[Naturella]

You’re welcome! Check out online retailers, such as
http://www.petflow.com
http://www.chewy.com
http://www.doggiefood.com
http://www.wag.com
if you can’t find it in a local store.

[Naturella]

Amy, this is quite helpful! As theBCnut said, maybe you can try 2 teaspoons/day of coconut oil, or continue with the 1 teaspoon/day when you switch to Primal Raw Turkey and Sardine (I’d give it a try because of the fish). Remember, you can always adjust the amount if her skin is still too dry and go on with the 2 teaspoons of coconut oil/day even with the fish Primal.

I am not familiar with brewers yeast so I can say nothing about it. Hope someone else chimes in on that.

Also, not all coconut oil is made equal… The best stuff with most benefits is cold-pressed, extra virgin, raw, UNREFINED, the latter being the most important part of the equation. Refining the coconut oil takes out a significant amount of its nutrients.

[Naturella]

Carlyn, I see. Yeah, I have given my roommate’s dog a few kibbles of Bruno’s food here and there as a training treat and it took her a minute to eat them, which is so odd, cause it is a much better food (I use Victor GF mixed kibbles and Nature’s Variety Instinct Rabbit – all from samples – as training treats for Bruno, as well as his actual kibble, which right now is Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch with Victor Yukon Salmon and Vets Choice Holistic Health Extension Original). So eventually she ate it, but yeah, I try to not give too much because I am not sure how she would be. She has eaten SD her whole life, switching between the chicken and lamb as protein (at least there has been SOME rotation), and he gives her some chewy fish-based treats (yay fish!), so she has been exposed to that too, so I think she is ok with having a tiny kibble here and there as a treat, especially because her particular SD formula is 3.5 stars, so not terribly bad (Earthborn Holistic CC is 4.5, Holistic Health Extension Original is 4, and the Victor GFs and the Nature’s Variety Instinct are 5, but are all mixed, so it evens out to like 4.5-ish). And I think the lab pup should be ok with a kibble here and there too.

But, I do agree animals sometimes tend to go for the lower-quality food – it took the roommate’s dog forever to try a kibble of Bru’s better food, and I have caught him eating her SD Lamb&Rice a few times, that idiot… So yeah, it probably is like “yummy fast food” to them, idk… lol

[Naturella]

Sarah, true, I was looking at the BB Wilderness Senior Red Meat formula, which has lower protein and lower phosphorus than the Senior Chicken formula. The Red Meat one has the same phosphorus as the Holistic Select Senior. And I see about the protein. I supplement with raw and canned every once in a while, so Bruno’s protein amounts vary a bit, but he seems to be okay with it.

Also, keep us posted on how Holistic Select goes for your dogs. I would get a smaller bag first, to see if they would even eat it, and if there are any digestive issues with it before I go for the bigger bag.

[Naturella]

Also, looking at the Blue Buffalo Wilderness profile, I would consider it moderate protein, as I always try to feed 30%+ protein diets, and the fat level and phosphorus level fit your needs. Like I said in the Blue Buffalo thread, it is more so the company that mishandled the recall, not that the food is horrible. My dog, and 2 other dogs that I know personally have done great on it, so I would feed it again. You can definitely try it and make sure you do a good slow transition, but if your dogs seem to have an issue with it, it may just not be their cup of tea. Added glucosamine and chondroitin, which is great for joint health. 410 kcal/cup.

As for the Holistic Select Senior, it also looks pretty good – decent grains, and I like the added glucosamine for joint health – a little more than in BB Wilderness, but no chondroitin. 368 kcal/cup. Fat and protein are both less than BB Wilderness Senior, phosphorus is the same. Looks like a good food to me.

So it is up to you, you can try both if you want. I would definitely suggest using the calculator tool posted above to know how much approximately to feed inactive dogs.

[Naturella]

Sarah, here is a list of quality low-fat foods that the DFA recommends: /best-dog-foods/suggested-low-fat-dog-food/

Why does it need to be low- to medium-protein again? If you are really set on it though, you may find this list helpful: /best-dog-foods/low-protein-dog-foods/

Also, you could well feed any dog food, even puppy food if it fits the phosphorus requirements, you just need to adjust the amount based on the dogs’ activity level and lifestyle. This calculator may be a good tool to consider: /dog-feeding-tips/dog-food-calculator/

So, you can try to match a food that is in both lists (the low-fat and the low-protein ones), and see if the phosphorus is right for your dogs. Then you can look up the kcal/cup of that food and see how much to feed less active dogs using the calculator.

Hope this helps!

[Naturella]

Several, actually! You could really help us out by letting us know her breed, age, weight, and maybe hair length.

Also, I know fish oil is another supplement widely used by forumers to help with skin and coat issues. So are canned (or raw) sardines. Coconut oil is a great supplement, I use it myself, but you may need to adjust the amount depending on her weight. Fish-based foods are also known to help skin/coat issues.

As for my Rat Terrier mix (13lbs), I give him a teaspoon of coconut oil every other day, a canned sardine once a week, a bath every 2 weeks, and I “condition” him while he is still somewhat damp with a mix of coconut, olive, and sunflower oils, in which there are vitamins A, D, and E dissolved. So I rub that on his coat, trying to reach the skin until he doesn’t feel greasy and it makes him super soft and shiny. Also, he is currently on a fish-based food, so that will probably be good, but he has no particular issues to begin with. I did think he was excessively dandruffy when I brushed him, but that was supposed to be normal as I elevated all his dead skin by brushing him. Otherwise I don’t see any flakes.

Excess dandruff may be due to an allergy or something too, or just be how your dog is – sometimes, even all measurements do not quite help resolve the dandruff issue.

Hope others chime in with more advice or corrections of anything I may have misspoken about! 🙂

[Naturella]

… or Kibbles ‘N’ Bits… yuck!

The hubs and I had left our Bruno with the people who gave him to us for a day once, with some of his food (4-4.5-star at the time, I think it was Nutro Natural Choice Small Breed Puppy), and when we went to collect him, we got a puppy, who had feasted on whatever they feed their dogs, Purina One I think, and that is what he used to eat while with them. I doubt they even opened the sandwich bag of Nutro we sent with him. Which would’ve been fine if they had fed a better food than we did, lol! And nothing happened to Bruno, I mean, he had been eating that for a month or so of his life anyway, it was just so funny because he had GORGED on it – he looked and felt noticeably “fat” – his belly was so full, lol!

But yeah, I don’t know if you should mess with what they are feeding their pup… EVEN if it were Beneful or some other crap (it would make me shiver every time I give the poor baby a serving though)… I guess, if you want to suggest a better food for them, you can maybe tell them this: “Your pup got in my other dogs’ food a few times, he seemed to like it a lot, and I have done a lot of research on dog food and it seems that it would be more nutritionally-appropriate for the puppy than Purina Pro Plan because a, b, c. …” This way, you COULD get away with feeding it a little better food if that is what you want… And if she will take it.

[Naturella]

You’re welcome, Cesar.

I did actually come across some coconut and almond flour and Xantan Gum (a binding agent for nontraditional flours in baking). Does anyone know if it is safe for dogs? I would like to try it in grain-free treat recipes with no grain flour.

[Naturella]

I just noticed your Mastiff is a year and a half – he should be about full-grown, but I have heard that large and giant breed dogs take longer to mature than small-medium breeds, so I would certainly advise you to make sure the food is at least an All Life Stages food (which all of the ones I recommended (except NutriSource – not sure about that one) are). At least for a little while longer – just to make sure he is getting appropriate nutrients if he is still growing and altogether too.

Also, as far as kibble size is concerned (in case your Chiwinnie(s) need small kibble), all of the foods I mentioned are with a manageable kibble, especially Victor – theirs is pretty small – and then Earthborn and NutriSource (I have fed a couple samples of it) were about the same size, a bit bigger than Victor, and Dr. Tim’s was the “biggest”, but my then-about 10-lb terrier mix had no problems with it. So the Chiwinnie(s) should be ok with either one of these foods if you choose to feed one of them. Plus, rotation is always good, so you can well go through them all – allergies permitting, of course! 🙂

[Naturella]

Once you determine the allergy source, you can look into affordable foods – some of the more popular ones around here are Earthborn Holistic Grain Free; Victor Grain Free (make sure to check out their sales right now if you can’t find it locally – but the Ultra Professional is mid-400s in kcal/cup); and NutriSource (NOT affordable where I am, but others report it is pretty affordable for them. Dr. Tim’s is another high-cal, affordable food, but they mostly use chicken if I am not mistaken, which is what your dogs MAY (or may not) be allergic to. I think Victor use chicken meal in some formulas, but they have a few beef&pork ones and a salmon one. Earthborn are really cool, because they give you what the label says – seafood (for the Coastal Catch), buffalo and lamb (for the Great Plains Feast), lamb (for Meadows something), and chicken (for Primitive Natural). They do use a lot of peas though. So yeah, I definitely think you should do an elimination diet to find the allergy source(s), and then look for foods that do not contain those ingredients among the ones listed and others.

[Naturella]

I would agree with theBCnut. I have used Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy for about 3-4 months and it worked great for my Bruno. But, all products do have chicken which was a disappointment to me – they also have the unique proteins, such as buffalo, rabbit, trout, etc., but next up is always chicken meal. I would still use BB Wilderness in my rotation as Bruno did well on it, as well as some other dogs that I know have done well and continue to do fine, but a lot of people report that their pets have experienced stomach/stool problems on the food. So, it is sort of up to the individual dog. As for the price, watch if it goes on sale or something, because you do pay a lot to their marketing team and for the pretty bags (with Wilderness at least).

[Naturella]

I don’t know that Victor is GMO-free, but I love it nonetheless. I got some samples from them and Bruno has been loving all of them except the Yukon Salmon one, which he still eats mixed in with his Earthborn Coastal Catch and Vets Choice Holistic Health Extension Original. We use the other Victor Grain-free samples as treats and he all about them. Can’t wait to feed the Ultra Pro mixed with Back to Basics next year! 🙂

[Naturella]

Tabitha, good points – I don’t think it’s the nutrition because I try to supplement Bruno’s kibble diet with RMBs and raw eggs, sardines, coconut oil, yoghurt/kefir, pumpkin, flax seeds, and the occasional dog-friendly fruit/veggie bits, as well as canned food.

Now, the boredom might be it. Both the hubs and I go to school full time and work part-time, so poor guy sometimes only gets 30min-1hr walks instead of a good playtime in the dog park or good training session. We have 2 brain-stimulating doggie board games that we need to whip out more often… so that could definitely be part of it. Even with my busy schedule I try to take him to the dog park at least 2-3 times/week, weather and time permitting, but when I injured my back last Sunday I wasn’t able to take him out at all thi s week. BUT, I also try to play chase with him for 15-30min in the evenings, but I can definitely look into more options… thanks for some suggestions, Carlyn! 🙂

[Naturella]

Thank you, Carlyn!

And, I am pretty sure you can guess who taught us to pop Bruno when he does something bad. 😉

Anyway, switching to positive reinforcement, because:
a. I don’t want my dog to fear me, I want him to respect me and see me as a leader who teaches through “kindness” (read “yumminess”).
b. I really want him to learn these things, like not eating any and everything off the ground, and also I really want him to learn to focus around distractions (super hard for him at the moment, especially because he has so much terrier energy).

Anyway, hope your foot is better! Sounds like it went through a lot! 🙁
As of yesterday, I am able to sit in my chair on the computer again, and today I will try sitting in the car. It is crazy what pain it was and how immobile it made me to pinch my sciatic nerve…

[Naturella]

Wow, Carlyn, thanks so much for the wonderful training guide! I am so excited and will definitely implement it with Bruno.

He does know “wait”, “drop it”, and “leave it”, but I guess only as a “trick”, as in only when we’re “playing”. So I will try the “watch me”, and also stop the popping, because, as Patty said, I really think he just tries to complete the mischief faster and when I’m not looking. So I will turn to positive reinforcement and treats (he loves treats, he has a couple kinds of “treats”, and then, his kibble, which he luckily likes just as much). So yeah, we will start working on that once I can bend/get closer to him, cause I hurt my back last Sunday and moving has been problematic (dang sciatic nerve… 🙁 )

Anyway, thank you all for the great advice, and we will be on it soon!

P.S. Turns out the little plastic part that was from a Christmas light never had a bulb on it, so he didn’t swallow glass, thank goodness!

[Naturella]

Also Dr. Tim’s grain free and grain inclusive.

[Naturella]

Affordable foods with few red items are Victor Grain Free, Victor Select, and all of the Earthborn Holistic kibbles (grain free and grain inclusive).

[Naturella]

Don’t mean to repeat what everyone has said so far, just want to comment so I can follow the thread. I have a Rat Terrier mix and he is a little over 1 year old, and has been on 11+ different kibbles so far. Variety is essential so you can look for good quality protein (from meat or meat meal), and good brands, and rotate flavors and brands. I think I’m not doing it quite perfectly, as I choose a brand, then rotate all flavors I am willing to feed within that brand, then I switch brands. I think you should alternate brands and flavors between bags and go back and forth between brands if need be. Mixing kibble with canned and raw is also a great idea. Definitely avoid the Science Diet and low protein. Good affordable kibbles that I have fed are Victor Grain Free, Earthborn Holistic Grain Free, Vets Choice Holistic Health Extension (protein is below 30% though), and Dr. Tim’s. All have manageable kibble size for small dogs (Dr. Tim’s is the biggest of those listed, and Victor is the smallest). Good luck!

Oh, and when transitioning from one kibble to the next, you can add some plain pumpkin puree or yoghurt/kefir, or canned to make the transition easier on their tummies. For canned I currently use Nutro Ultra and Nutro Max.

[Naturella]

I usially give Bruno one raw egg/week, scrambled up and mixed with his kibble. Would that be “rare” enough to not have to cook the white part? I could do it though, if need be.

[Naturella]

Also, Victor Yukon Salmon could work. Or the Wellness Core fish recipe.

[Naturella]

Maybe your neighbor can try some fish-based foods? Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch would probably work for his dog. Maybe the Merrick grain free pork recipe can be an option too.

[Naturella]

I use bully sticks from bestbullysticks.com with great success, but I did notice Bruno having much softer stools after that (I can even tell when the bully stick passes – it makes his poop a different color than the kibble poop). I never thought it would be the fat level, because I thought, since the bully stick is… pizzle, then it should be all spongy muscle, no?

[Naturella]

LoL! Well, either way, he’s a cutie! 🙂

[Naturella]

Thank you, Sandy! I did! 🙂

[Naturella]

I’d like to second the oils thing – Bruno gets coconut oil every other day, plus a canned sardine once a week, and on occasion, some raw fish. Plus, he’s on a fish-based food now. Since the coconut oil addition, though, he has been super duper soft! 🙂

[Naturella]

Yep! It is now my go-to site as well! 🙂

[Naturella]

Carlyn, I think this will be helpful: http://truthaboutpetfood.com/who-makes-what-in-pet-food

It is a little old, but still mostly relevant. 🙂

[Naturella]

Akari, I looked at both foods, and they do look fairly similar. One thing is that the vitamins and minerals in Pet Botanics may or may not be chelated, which helps with their absorption – so why don’t you go ahead and get the food, it is a good price after all – and maybe see how Bentley does. If he really is showing progress with Pure Balance, you could maybe mix the two foods?

[Naturella]

Hey, guys! So, I have a question – can I share the link from here, the “The Truth About Dog Food” one on another, non-EC forum here? It would be in response to Shasta220’s question on what all Diamond makes. But I know we can’t share CONTENT from EC, but is the link ok to share, since it’s an external source…?

[Naturella]

I think (and this is mostly an assumption), that the younger you start switching foods (protein types within a brand and brands too), the easier they take it. My Bruno is around a year old and he has been switched a bunch. It takes about a week to do a switch with no diarrhea or any other problems.

I think it also depends on the individual dog (maybe?) – some may have more issues than others with switching even if it is done very slowly.

But it is definitely good for them. Different proteins – different amino acids; different brands (read recipes) – different composition of vitamins and minerals. Variety is always good! I mean, chicken with steamed veggies is good for you, but is that ALL you’d ever want to eat your WHOLE life, breakfast/lunch/dinner? 🙂

[Naturella]

He’s definitely a handsome young lad! 🙂

[Naturella]

2sheltieswluv, http://www.bestbullysticks.com have very healthy natural chews and treats that are not from China. Check them out. That’s what we use in our house.

[Naturella]

Well, couldn’t have said it better, so instead of repeating Carlyn’s words, I will just go with “Ditto!”, “Thank you all as well!”, and “You’re welcome!”.

On a personal note, thank you for the immense amounts of knowledge you all pour on me via the forum! 🙂

[Naturella]

I hear catinfo.com is pretty good as well!

[Naturella]

Carlyn, I think you will be fine to say “Organic” in the name, especially since you plan to use “at least 60% of the ingredients” organic, and if you manage to make that 70%, then I wouldn’t worry about it at all. 🙂

These would be a small (for now), local business, so I think it should be just fine! 🙂

[Naturella]

I JUST transitioned my pup to Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch, and I have bags of the Primitive Natural and Great Plains Feast waiting to be eaten throughout this year, lol. So far so good – he loves the food, it is affordable and grain-free. 🙂

My friend only feeds Great Plains Feast and loves it, and so does his dog. Although I have been trying to get him to at least switch flavors (and proteins) within the brand, because it’s good for the dog.

[Naturella]

Thanks, Shasta! I am thrilled to get a Bruno portrait, I sent you some pics on FB.

As for the “Organic” statement, I think it should be fine as long as you specify in the treat description what is NOT organic, idk…

[Naturella]

Glad I can help! ^_^

[Naturella]

Steven A, I would definitely advise you to try all of the above suggestions. Rotational diet is good anyway. 🙂

Also, I have fed Blue Buffalo Wilderness for about 4 months or so just fine. Acana and Orijen I have not tried yet. A good one, and pretty affordable, is Dr. Tim’s, as well as Victor. I usually look for deals both in stores and online and was able to snatch a 4-lb bag of Nutrisca Chicken and Chickpea for $5 on Petflow, no kidding! 🙂

Other foods I’ve fed that are good are Holistic Health Extensions, Earthborn Holistic – currently on the fish one, Nature’s Variety Instinct + Raw Boost and Now Fresh (on samples), and I will be feeding some of Victor, Back to Basics, Wellness Core, AvoDerm, Merrick, Nature’s Variety, and more in the near future. ALL grain-free too.

Of those, I think Wellness Core and Blue Buffalo Wilderness are moderately affordable; Victor, Dr. Tim’s, and Earthborn Holistic seem to be very affordable; the rest I have coupons for/will scout deals for, lol.

[Naturella]

Shasta, congrats on still working on the treat business and taking it out to the markets soon!

Some names that would probably catch my attention at a farmers’ market would be:

~ Happy Healthy Yums/Happy Healthy Noms/Happy Healthy Yum Bits (or Happy Healthy Dog Treats/Happy Healthy Dogs/Happy Healthy Pooches)

~ Come! Sit! Treat!

~ Longevity Enhancers (or Longevity Enhancing Dog Treats)

~ Little Helpers, or Little Helpers for the Dog’s Health and Happiness (I know, too many words, but oh well)

~ Healthy Bits of Yumminess

~ It’s A Dog’s Life (or It’s Your Dog’s Life) – this may come out as too serious, IDK.

~ Delicious Organic Goodness (spells “DOG”, lol), or Delicious Organic Goodness BitS (for “DOGS”, with a little imagination).

I may come up with more later too, but that’s it for now. 🙂

[Naturella]

I use Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap – Almond on all of us – myself, the man, and the dog, lol. For Bruno, I dilute it 1:1 with water and wash him. It has many essential oils in it and is supposed to wash without stripping. It also gives a nice, lasting, natural-almond-ish smell to his coat. For conditioning, I brought an oil-based solution of vitamins A, D, and E, and I just mix that with some slightly warmed and melted coconut oil, smear it on my hands and then rub Bruno’s still slightly damp coat until my hands are dry and his coat doesn’t feel like it leaves a greasy film when petted. I usually give him a bully stick or something of the sort to chew on while doing this, otherwise he tries to run away and just roll on the couch/bed.

[Naturella]

Patty,

True, I don’t need NutriSource anytime soon; plus, it is on the lower end of what I’d feed – it is 4 stars for the GF versions.

Also, I did have best by dates on all of my free samples I’ve gotten so far, except for the Victor ones (from the store, not the ones I actually ordered). I may have been lucky, I guess! 🙂

[Naturella]

Everyone, thanks so much for the responses. Well, I live in GA, so it is pretty much certain that we get our Diamond-produced products from SC, there’s no way we’re not since it’s so close. But I know of people who have used TOTW last year with great success and no problems, so they may have cleaned up their act? I really kind of like Canidae Pure and TOTW, and I wanted to try them, but I am still on the fence because of the general opinion of Diamond-produced foods…

[Naturella]

Patty, wow, yeah, I haven’t seen NutriSource elsewhere yet (besides at that Petland), and it’s too expensive, so I try to snatch a free sample when I can, lol.

Betsy, I was having a hard time to find the best by date on my Victor free samples too, so I hope I have better luck with the actual bags of food.

Melissaandcrew, yeah, I don’t know what’s wrong with me, lol. I am pretty stocked up with Earthborn and Holistic Health Extension for a while now, so I won’t need Victor till next year probably, but I did order me some samples and I CAN’T WAIT for the little black baggies! I hope Bruno likes it, I really really hope so! After he’s out of the Earthborns and HHEs, he will get him some Victor Ultra Pro-Victor Joint Healt-Back to Basics Open Range mix.

And THEN, some others that I have coupons for – Avoderm (interested in), Wellness (also obsessed over), Canidae Pure (somewhat excited about), Blue Buffalo Wilderness (had it before with great success), Solid Gold (hmm, we shall see how this goes. They have interesting names, lol), Nature’s Variety Instinct + Raw Boost (I know, recalls, but COUPON – I will just watch the pup and make sure he is feeling well on it), and Merrick (interested in). And THEN, I have a $5-off coupon for ANY bag of ANY food for Petco. So I will get another one of a brand he has liked/did well on. With those, plus the ones he currently has, Bruno will be set for most of 2015. But I will get the coupon foods toward the end of the year so they are hopefully fresher longer into 2015. I watch my best by dates closely. 😀

[Naturella]

I am noticing more and more people liking/feeding/talking about Victor, this is great! For some reason, I am obsessed with the Black bag, the Ultra Pro. I like the ingredients and the protein level, but other than that, I really don’t know why I obsess about it so much!
It may be because up until a few days, I was SURE I couldn’t get it in less than 30lbs, unless I get the teeny free sample. Well, nowadays sportdogfood.com have these bags for $10.50 and you can fill them up with any kibble by the pound! The GF ones are a flat $1.89/lb, which is a little much, BUT I will get at least 5lbs of the Ultra Pro FINALLY!!! 😀 Can you tell I am ecstatic???

And now, back to reality and this post – I agree, this food – Total Canine – may not be a great replacement of Victor, but Earthborn Holistic surely should do, and as much as people don’t like Diamond, Taste of the Wild may be a good choice too, as well as Dr. Tim’s (not made by Diamond). As for NutriSource, it is SEVERELY pricy at my local Petland – $34.99 for the 14 or 15-lb bag when Earthborn GFs are $24.99-27.99. That’s about $10 more. Is it cheaper elsewhere??

[Author]

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