[Naturella]

Scott G, thanks so much for the input! I have tried the Core (pate style) and he love it. I have wanted to try the stews too, and still would one day. I have used pumpkin on him before for loose stools. I have used flax seed meal, brown rice, bread, all sorts of things. With Bruno, I think you just have to wait it out and give him his plain kibble. The other stuff don’t hurt (I don’t think they do at least), but I haven’t noticed significant improvement from any one “additive” or a few combined. But they are healthy (pumpkin and flax at least), and I have given them when he had horribly hard stools, and he still gets a bit of them.

Hound Dog Mom, true… I found some Nutro tubs on sale and got them – 2 were pate style, two – stew-ish style. He is doing great on both types of wet from Nutro. And I also add water to each type when I mix it with his kibble anyway to make it soupy – for added hydration, and he loves it. I think that one time it may have been the extra gravy (the Nutro stew-ish style has super little sauce), or I don’t know what…

But yes, each dog is different, and it is definitely a bit of a trial and error sometimes.

[Naturella]

Ok, I can see it now, but why can’t I print or save it?

[Naturella]

Betsy, the link doesn’t open… Is it just me?

[Naturella]

I just checked too, and it says my Editor’s Choice Membership started Oct. 27th, 2013, when in fact it started today – I saw the video, saw the special offer of $14.99, and got it today… I guess Oct. 27th was when I joined this forum as a free member, but it clearly says “Editor’s Choice Subscription” next to the start date…

[Naturella]

Ah… that’s a significant bummer 🙁 :(… Oh well… good to know!

Thanks, Patty!

P.S. Dr. Mike, isn’t there any way to make it so we can edit older posts…?

[Naturella]

Gah, where are my eyes? Not only do I have glasses, and still I didn’t see it.

Thanks, Hound Dog Mom! 🙂

[Naturella]

Just want to throw it in there that this is probably one of the best $14.99 ever spent! I am so happy to have access to this beautiful resource! I love it! Thank you, Dr. Mike! 🙂

[Naturella]

Would Victor be a good budget-friendly food? In my area, the 4-star grain-inclusive varieties go for less than $1/pound.

[Naturella]

What about the Victor Grain Free? Would that be a high-quality all-around food?

[Naturella]

Well, I just don’t want to be THAT person who speaks of others and speaks untruthful stuff, so I really wanted to correct myself.

And I agree – almost all, if not all collars I see are at the base of the neck…

[Naturella]

Bruno (my Rat Terrier Mix) has been doing the same recently – my guess is that he’s getting bored with the current food and is ready for a change. Lucky for him, I am beginning the switch Thursday or so. He has been on this food for about/over 3 months or so. He wouldn’t eat all day, and then eat about the whole amount he was supposed to eat split into 3 feedings, almost all at once.

As Patty said, try a rotation, and keep the food away for a while, then reintroduce. I have been mixing a little bit of canned in Bruno’s along with other additives for other reasons besides general health, and he loves it when there is a little something extra special in his bowl in addition to the same old kibble and eats his portion just fine. This helps me keep him at 3 meals a day.

[Naturella]

Sorry to butt in again, but I just need to make another correction – my roommate uses a martingale collar, not a pinch, nor a choke collar… So sorry for the unintentional slander. Somehow his dog still chokes herself when pulling though, that’s why I thought it was a choke collar.

But those tag necklaces look really cool! I am thinking of getting some sort of a breakaway collar for Bruno soon.

[Naturella]

I have found that a lot of good foods have really small kibble even if not specifically for small/toy breeds. My 13-lb Rat Terrier mix does well with just about any size, the biggest he’s had so far being Dr. Tim’s Kinesis GF. We’re about to get on Earthborn Holistic GF (not for small breeds), and the kibble is bigger in diameter but really flat. My friend has an 8-lb Chorkie (Chihuahua-Yorkie) and he did just fine on Earthborn normal size. So yeah, just pick just about any 4-5-star food, think your new little family member should be ok! Some small kibbles I have fed/will feed are Holistic Health Extension (especially the “little bites”), Nutrisca, Blue Buffalo Wilderness, Back to Basics, Nature’s Variety Instinct, NutriSource, NOW Fresh, and many more.

Also, if you are trying to reach his ideal weight, Victor foods are pretty calorie-dense and small kibble, my guy LOVES it, and you can feed him that in such an amount so that he gets to his ideal weight.

But please, get him off the Science Diet ASAP!

[Naturella]

I am originally from Bulgaria, in Eastern Europe. Came to the US (Georgia) on my own at age 18 in 2007 to go to college, and I have been here since. My man’s parents are from Barbados, but he was born in NYC and raised (from age 5 on) in Washington State. He really misses the West Coast, so we have decided to see if we can find promising career opportunities there when we graduate one day.

Anyway, when I was young, I had a min pin for about 2 weeks before Dad officially couldn’t stand it and gave her away. I have had 2 hedgehogs for small amounts of time; a poor rabbit that I played too rough with (looking back on it); 2 hamsters, but eventually we gave one away and I had the other one for a few years till she died, she was my “real” pet. I have fed, vetted, walked, and taken care of a few stray cats and dogs, who were never allowed inside, so they weren’t really “mine”. Of them, 2 cats and one dog stand out – I was most attached to them.

Now, we own an approximately 1-year-old Rat Terrier mix, possibly a Jack Russell in him, or Chihuahua, although I am not so sure about the latter. His name is Bruno and we love him to bits. 🙂

[Naturella]

Well, today I had another success… My best friend, who also owns a lab-hound mix (like my roommate) began her journey in better dog nutrition.

I have not talked to her much about that because I thought that her dad was doing most of the doggie care, and the few times I have been over at her parents’ house (where the dog lives), the dog looked like she would rather eat me than her dinner… SO I had not raised the subject until today.

She moved back in with her family in a new house and we were hanging out and she had to go back to walk her dog. I went with her, but before that I had to take her to my fave pet boutique with the free samples. Needless to say, she got an informational pamphlet, a bag full of free samples, and the recommendation to get on this site. I love this store, in case I have not mentioned this before. ANYWAY, in the car (we rode together), I was explaining to her about how what she feeds now (Kibbles ‘n’ Bits) is bad, what is good, and how it will help her dog. She (the dog) is a bit overweight, has fat pockets formed in a few places, and may suffer bad joints in the future.

So the store hooked her up with samples of Victor for joints, nutri source, earthborn, canidae pure, merrick beef, nutrisca salmon, and some other ones.

When we got to her place, I was a bit scared to get out of the car, but I did… Her dog barked at me like crazy (as usual), but I let her sniff me this time and eventually she calmed down. We decided that if I were to give her some of the new food as treats, she may like me even more, so we did. We tried the Merrick, and she liked it. We were friends now! We walked her together, talked more about food and how it affects EVERYTHING – smell, gassiness, joints, mast formations or fat pockets, allergies, everything. So when we got back, we gave her dog some of the Nutrisca Salmon, and boy, she LOVED it! So we mixed it with her dinner serving of the crap… I mean, of Kibbles ‘n Bits, and she ate some, but not too much (she is stressed because this is her first day in my friend’s new house). But, I think my friend has potential. She had bought a bag of Back to Basics for her dog in Fall and I was proud of her! So yeah, making progress… I am so excited!

With this being said, I really am sorry, Carlyn, but I don’t think anything will help this guy’s dogs, unless, like Patty said, someone whose opinion he values (more) tells him the same stuff you have been… So yeah…

[Naturella]

Thank you! Yes, M’am, it is! 🙂 He was still fitting in his “mini” harness in this picture, and it is taken a couple days after his stitches were officially out from him being neutered. 🙂

[Naturella]

Oh no (to his response)… 🙁 Well… This may just be one battle that you just need to let go off… I know it’s hard, trust me!

And yes, I do have facebook! I will email you right now!

[Naturella]

Ah, girl…

You know we’re with you on that stuff, I am, at least! I really think that an open mind (not that of a know-it-all) is all it takes for anyone to consider a different point of view (sometimes, even the plain facts that corn and other crap in food are not good for our canine family can be considered subjective and even wrong by said know-it-alls or blind-believers-of-commercials-or-labels)…

Anyway, if I were the uneducated one on dog food (and realized it, as I do), I would be more than eager to have someone guide me through the myriad of dog foods to find the ones I would/should feed my dogs. But that’s me…

I do think your note sounds good though, and you can also throw in there that you can help them navigate this website if they need it, or go food shopping with them (I have found this to be very effective with my “mentees” on the topic of dog food).

Good luck! It is okay to reach out, but eventually, we gotta know when to stop pushing too. But for now, it looks like you may have a chance, so give it a try! 🙂 Keep us posted too!

[Naturella]

Haywood U, your recipe sounds really good too, I would totally try it! I would probably freeze the treats, or at least refrigerate if I expect that they would be gone within 2 weeks.

[Naturella]

You all are too funny! 🙂 I love it!

As for me, let’s see… Obviously, DFA is one of my major hobbies at the moment, as well as overall research on pet nutrition. I also like helping others feed better food without being intrusive, or obnoxious – I think I have a way to gage if a person would respond well to advice or not, and once given a small bit of advice, I don’t give more unless they ask follow-up questions, etc. I really think I need to get into obedience and training more. Bruno is great with quickly learning tricks, but still pulls on his leash, which I need to fix. And oh, did I mention that I love scouting deals on dog food and stocking up for less? Yeah… I love that too! But once my Petco coupons are exhausted, I need to put breaks on this hobby too… Bruno will be set for more than a year and a half, and I need to make sure the foods won’t expire on him.

Other big hobbies for me include cooking and eating (I love experimenting with food and recipes, but it’s so hard to tell people how I made something because I rarely, if ever, measure). I haven’t gotten into the art of food presentation, I go more for interesting combinations and good taste, lol.

I am also becoming interested in transitioning from store-bought cosmetics (read soap, shampoo, lotion, face or body scrubs, etc.) to making my own with natural ingredients and essential oils.

I also LOVE reading for pleasure, but school and the DFA have gotten over a lot of my reading time… I am currently reading 3 books though, all human psychology-related.

I also like being involved at my University, so I often attend events – speakers, events for fun, etc. When I was in Undergrad, even if they had a sneezing contest, I would be there. Nowadays being a full-time grad student, caring for a family (furry child only, but still), plus working for a professor have made me re-prioritize my involvement… Sigh… But I still love it!

I am a sucker for learning new things, I also want to get a PhD one day (in something that has nothing “direct” to do with my previous degrees), but it has been a dream for a while. I am super interested in human psychology, so I want a PhD in that. But we’ll see when…

Other than that, no special talents here… My man is a ceramist and an artist, so he compensates for my pure lack of any talents, lol.

[Naturella]

Ok, so the Merrick 96% Beef (closest to the “Kiss Me I’m Irish”, I think) has 1.40% fiber. The canned Wellness Core Fish has 0.5% fiber. He got the soft stool on the Merrick.

[Naturella]

You know, Marie, not sure… I can look up the generic Merrick Stew Style cans and compare those to the Wellness Core pate style cans… The Merrick I fed was a limited edition can…

[Naturella]

Don’t have kitties, but I will bump it up for others to see. 🙂

[Naturella]

Dori, well, he prides in how how obedient his dog is, but always carries her leash too.

But I agree, leash training is super duper important! I need to step mine up too, cause Bruno can pull like he’s way more than 13lbs.

[Naturella]

I will do that for sure, I will hide it in food. 🙂 Thanks!

[Naturella]

My vet has not really discussed food with me. Honestly, the only 3 times I have seen her were for Bruno’s microchipping; to get his annual shots; and for his neutering/cherry eye/canine teeth extraction. I have mentioned to her that I feed grain free to which she replied that even if it’s grain free, it doesn’t mean it has no carbs in it. I knew that. But that was pretty much it. Later on I researched her and saw that she is somewhat holistic – she has a certificate for animal acupuncture healing/Chinese medicine practices. So maybe she knew not to talk about food with me (although I was NOT as knowledgeable about dog nutrition at the time. I just knew that I wanted to feed Grain Free, I liked the Wilderness and Bruno was doing great on it, and then I found this website, so… here I am now, constantly learning!) 🙂

[Naturella]

Shasta,

His bowl is pretty small… I think one cup at most. So maybe 1tsp is too much? I always fill it up all the way. I can try putting it on his food and see if that works any better… I can use some canned as a topper to try to hide it maybe, lol

[Naturella]

Dori, I am thinking about getting the little guy a no-pull harness too. And just be consistent with lead training.

Shasta, I misspoke – my roommate’s dog’s collar is a choke collar, not a pinch collar. His dog chokes herself on it every time I walk her, cause she pulls so bad. That being said, he has trained her off-leash so that she only follows his voice and body language to stay close, and he almost never walks her on a leash anymore. He says she would listen to me too, but we live in an apartment complex and I don’t want to test that and have her 70-lb self dart to someone who may get scared. She is not mean, she just loves on people and jumps at them, and it may scare/scratch someone.

But yeah, her collar is a choke one and makes me sad when she chokes on it… I think he may have trained her on the leash before, but he hasn’t been using it for over 2 years now I think, so she may have forgotten how to not pull, or maybe she just obeys him more than me (which I am pretty sure she does).

[Naturella]

Dori,

Yes, I completely agree. I call my roommate a dog whisperer because he has called himself that once, not because I think he really is. He knows a lot about training dogs (his dog is almost impeccably-behaved, except she also pulls like crazy even with the pinch collar… I wish she would stop choking herself), but has little knowledge about nutrition and lifestyle of different types of dogs. I don’t think he’s ever had such a small dog either.

Yes, we have changed his harness once already from “mini” to “small” – little guy is still growing, but I doubt I’ll have to go to “medium” anytime soon, or ever. It doesn’t matter though – he is good with his grass green harness. Unless my husband and I get a house, I will just keep the tags on the harness, and if we do get a house, maybe I will consider getting him a collar for tag purposes only. But, if you read my post right above yours, you will see that the first thing we did for him when we got him was to microchip him, so he’s set. 🙂

[Naturella]

Yeah, I think brushing and RMBs/natural chews would be the way to go for Bruno. I have also tried the Blue Buffalo dental bones (once), and it gave him serious tummy troubles… So none of those anymore. I trust(ed?) Zuke’s more, I have used their training treats with no problems, so we’ll see.

I have used a water additive too, he had to have 2 canine teeth extracted because the puppy ones wouldn’t fall and the adult ones had come in, so he was a little shark with 4 sharp canines (the long ones). So after the extraction I used water additive in his water, more for antiseptic purposes.

I have read that apple cider vinegar is good to put in their water, so I got some with the mother in it, but Bruno really dislikes his water with it and barely drinks it… I put one teaspoon, maybe I should put less? I don’t know…

[Naturella]

Lol, it’s ok! Yeah, I think the spices are not too substantial, but I will embark on a quest to find healthy flours/binders to use in treats sometime soon… Right now I don’t have the budget for these experiments, but hopefully one day in the near future it will happen! 🙂

[Naturella]

Shasta,

Yeah, I really need to work on this leash training… He’s a puller, although some days, he just likes to walk next to me. But still, training in this area needs to be done.

Also, yes, the VERY first thing we did to him was microchip him, even before shots and stuff. And we live in an apartment complex, so the only place he is off-leash is the dog park. Hopefully too few chances of a breakaway there. 🙂

[Naturella]

Kvee, I don’t think we have Sprouts here in GA. But the Kroger coconut butter (brand is MaraNatha) was a good price. The coconut oil from TJ Maxx was from their food aisle and the brand is Sonoma Harvest.

I also like to think that Bruno’s great (soft and shiny) coat is in large due to his grain-free diet and coconut oil intake. So go you and go Susie too! 🙂 This stuff really helps! 🙂

[Naturella]

It is my goal to never leash Bruno on a collar. He has outgrown a “mini” harness and now he is proudly sporting his “small” one, which may even be too small soon! 🙂

My dog-whisperer of a roommate once suggested, when he found out that Bruno is about a year old now (and not a “puppy” anymore), that we should get him a collar now. Because he is not a puppy anymore, and the harness is too much of a hassle. And I wonder, what difference did it make to him, say, the day before he said that, when Bruno was the same age and same weight, but because now he knows that he’s not a “puppy”, he shouldn’t have a harness…

Anyway, Bruno is a small dog (a whopping 13 lbs!), so no collar for him. He is harnessed when outside, and “naked” at home – no collar or harness. His ID tags are on the front of the harness.

[Naturella]

Kvee,

I haven’t made treats recently, but note taken – no more nutmeg. Bruno didn’t seem to have any problem or reaction to it though – it was a fairly minute amount for the amount of treats rendered.

As for wheat flour, my goal is to eliminate it completely. I would try chickpea, quinoa, or coconut “flour” (meal), or tapioca starch next time and see what works how. Bruno also likes raw fruits veggies – carrots, celery, radishes, apples, pineapple, mango, banana – he’s a mess, but at least easy to satisfy.

We don’t have much space in the freezer, but frozen treats are something I have sort of tried, and would again.

[Naturella]

I never used Greenies per se, but I have used the Nylabone green puppy chew things. Bruno liked them, but we are not getting any more. Ever. I am happy he never had a problem, but I would much rather give RMBs, brush his teeth, and give antlers, hooves, and bully sticks/ears/tracheae/natural and digestible stuff for dental health.

My friend, however, used to use Greenies every day with no problems. She also used bully sticks, but she wanted a long-lasting chew, and eventually they failed, so she stopped getting them. She is now on DentaStiX for her 2 dogs, but thankfully she is stopping soon. Her next trial will be water additive for fresher breath and with a joint supplement. Hopefully that works better. She will be using Tropiclean. Any thoughts on that?

[Naturella]

At the moment we feed Bruno about 75-80% dry mixed kibble and about 20-25% additives: pumpkin, yoghurt, cottage cheese, flax seed meal, coconut oil/butter, canned sardines, and one raw egg/week and an RMB/week (right now I rotate between chicken backs and pork neck bones).

With the amount of dry food brands I want to rotate between, if I don’t mix it would probably take AT LEAST 1/2 of Bruno’s life to go through all of them ONCE, if not more time than that. There are many high-quality kibbles out there and he seems to adapt well in rotation. He does love his raw too though! 🙂

It is my husband and I’s dream to own land and a farm one day – doesn’t have to be huge, just enough to raise goats, some sheep, chickens, rabbits, and, if by a lake – ducks and maybe fish. We would like to grow our own fruits and veggies, at least some of them. (I only have 10 fruit/nut trees in mind, no more. LoL Not counting the bush fruit/nut-giving plants.) We would like to hunt our food – deer, ducks, geese, pheasants, rabbits, fish, whatever, and know where our food comes from. So THEN, I would like to be giving maybe 80% or more balanced raw with supplements. I really hope we get there some day. 🙂

[Naturella]

Akari – OMG, if it flies, I will be happy happy happy! 😀 I shall let you know!

[Naturella]

Oh, and I won’t be going overboard at all – only have one store coupon like that and probably won’t get too many more like it. So yeah.

[Naturella]

Sigh…. Well, at least I hope they let me use the store coupon with the manufacturer coupon together… I will try in July and see how it goes. And let you know! If it passes, I get $10-off a bag of dry! I think that’s still a steal for a small bag, lol! 🙂

[Naturella]

Akari,

You have been my couponing inspiration since that one thread about budget-friendly dog foods! 🙂

So thank you!

And can’t I just pay the dang store 16 freakin’ cents and get $8 off instead of 3 and 5 separately? And, what if I have a store coupon for $5 off? Can I use it together with a $5 off manufacturer’s coupon???

[Naturella]

Bobby dog, thanks for the info!

Now, Bobby dog and Akari, can I use the 3-off and the 5-off TOGETHER???

• This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by Naturella.

[Naturella]

I need to see if that expires before July… Hm… Or do you know if I can print it more than once???

[Naturella]

Score!!! So I can have $8 off any sized-bag of Wellness (I will go with the smallest Core)! Aleks is excited! 🙂

[Naturella]

My first ventures in both coconut oil and coconut butter were from TJ Maxx. My next coconut oil will be the big jar from Costco. Coconut butter I find at a decent price in Kroger. I also only use unrefined (most important criteria), extra-virgin, and cold-pressed. If possible, organic. If not, meh. I put it in my coffee and in Bruno’s food every other day.

But I want to follow this thread and see if there are other options. I may try the whole coconut thing too and let Bruno play with it and then break it and share with him! I LOVE coconut in any shape or form, y’all have no idea… Especially as a raw fruit. NOM! 🙂

[Naturella]

Akari and Bobby dog, I just printed me some coupons! Yay! Printed some for my friend too!

AND, I have a PetCo coupon for $5-off any bag of Wellness. Issue is, that coupon doesn’t become active until July 1st. BUT, the above coupons expire in April.

BUT, can I print them again in July, do you know??? I am referring to the $3-off dry food coupon.

[Naturella]

Thanks, Shasta!

Yeah, I think he should be fine. And I won’t panic even if he had a little bit – unless he was also scratching like crazy.

I will use the Kong Brush for the most part, and only furminate him if the shedding is really bad (like it was when I did it last week).

Anyway, thank you all again! 🙂

[Naturella]

Patty and Shasta,

I can’t believe how much I learn, every day…

So, I think Bruno is medium-haired. His coat is thick, and lays pretty flat. Could it be wiry if it lays flat? Or does it have to be kind of unruly-wavy-like?

I don’t know about the flea-bite allergy – when he had the fleas and sores, another couple was taking care of him at the time. But it is possible. Like I said, he sometimes scratches, but not too much.

And ok, so I just grabbed the dog (gently, lol), and stroke his fur the opposite way of growth. All over. I see NOTHING. His skin looks white, and in his black patches I see NO dander at ALL.

When my roommate said he has too much dander was right after Bru was raked with the Furminator, so I would assume that that scratched his skin and got the dead cells up and out. Well, today he is as clean, soft, and smooth as can be. So I will just continue my regimen of coconut oil and sardines, maybe just make it so that I give smaller doses more often. And use the Kong Brush once a week or so, just to keep the shedding down. But with that, I will pretty much not take to heart just about anything this dude (my roommate) tells me about my dog. (I was going to say “ignore” instead of “not take to heart”, but you never know, and in that one time out of a million, he may say something true/right… So I will keep an ear out and a polite nod in stock, but not much more unless I see reasons for it.)

Anyway, thank you all for the patience, tons of knowledge, and help! You all are awesome! 🙂

[Naturella]

Shasta, thank you as well! You know, I think his hair is less than 2 inches for sure, so I guess he is short-haired. Also, he wouldn’t usually scratch himself, I think I have seen him do it no more than 3 times/week… I don’t know if that’s a lot though. I do know that in the past, he has had a serious flea infestation, with falling-off-fur and skin sores. All of that is cleared up now, but could the pet dander be a remnant of that, along with the occasional scratching?

Also, sorry to be too technical, but what is too much pet dander? Right after brushing you could easily see it on his black spots, but after the bath, I REALLY have to look for it… I wasn’t really concerned, but my “dog whisperer” of a roommate said something about it, so I had to make sure I am still on top of doing what’s best for my baby.

Also, when you say anti-dandruff shampoo and conditioner, you mean dog ones, correct?

[Naturella]

Patty, I do have one of them rubber brushing Kong things, I usually use it before the Furminator. I can make it the only tool I use for brushing too.

Also, I think that he has short hair, but roommate says his hair is long, just lays really flat. What is considered short/long hair in dogs? Bruno should be, at our best guess, a Jack Russell-Rat Terrier-Chihuahua mix.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by Naturella.

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