[Naturella]

My Bruno is probably more like your Haley and Dweezle. He is like a vacuum cleaner and would eat anything. He likes fishy food actually (has had canned as well as fish skins as chews), as well as red meat treats/chews (bully sticks), and his chicken-based kibble. This actually makes me happy so far that he has liked anything and has not been picky toward food/meat type.

[Naturella]

Akari,

Sigh, I wish there was one closer to you (not for anything but the great deals I saw on both Vets Choice and Earthborn)… And yes, yuck to selling puppies… =/

But anywho, I think I signed up in the store, I may have bought a tiny little something, and you know, at the register they usually ask you if you want to sign up for their “whatever-named” reward/point/something program, so you give them name, phone number, probably address, and voila! Let the free food flow! LoL!

But really, I would say, ask your close friends to go there and sign up too, even if (ESPECIALLY when) they don’t have dogs, so they can get the coupons and get you the food.

I only bought the small bag, which in all varieties but the Grain Free would have been absolutely free, but a larger bag will be more than $1.64 after coupon, but STILL way less than if ordered online or bought at other places.

Your local stores may have other comparable deals on good food, so don’t discount that opportunity! But I think Petland overall has a deal or something with Vets Choice so they promote their products a lot, good thing the food is 4/4.5-star rated! 🙂

But yeah, happy hunting, let me know if you have any questions, and if the coupons work out!

P.S. Teach ME how to coupon for dog food, please! I don’t even know where to start! =/

[Naturella]

Awh, he/she is cute! 🙂

[Naturella]

I second what Patty said to 99.9% (my pup has been on Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy for a couple months and he has done great on it, no diarrhea (VERY firm stools actually)), but being cautious wouldn’t hurt. My personal preference is for grain-free foods, which is what most of the 5-star dog food for either adult dogs or puppies are.

Another advice – take the time, read reviews AND comments, AND the forum – it may be overwhelming at first, but if you develop a structure/way to do it, or even better, a passion for researching what is good for your pet, it will become easier to handle. Lists are great, so do that and keep an eye on how your dog is doing on a particular food, and an ear out for food recalls. You can sign up for the free recall alerts on this website. Also, if you find at least one great food for your pup, you will probably find at least a few more good ones, and rotational diets seem to be highly-recommended for optimal dog health.

[Naturella]

Akari,

Today I received another coupon in the mail for Vets Choice Holistic Health Extension from Petland for $11.99 off amy bag of dog food of that brand. Naturally, I rushed to the store and snatched up a 4-lb bag of their grain free food for $1.64 of my own cash! Now, idk if it is just my local Petland or if all of their prices are comparable, but I would suggest that you sign up for their rewards points thing or whatever it is they use for coupons and discounts sending. I noticed Vets Choice are foods you would feed, and they have some super neat deals in store, the small bags run around $11.99-$13.99, and the big bags are pretty afforfable too! Same with their Earthborn Holistic! Great deals!

And I know you mentioned you live in FL, and that you’d rather shop in store vs. have something delivered, so here is a link to the Petland locations in FL. Hope at least one is close enough to you and that they have similar deals! Good luck!

http://stores.petland.com/FindPetlandStores/Florida.htm

[Naturella]

Weezerweeks, I don’t always watch the news so I guess I missed it. But my puppy seems to be doing well on Trifexis so far, so I will keep him on it.

I live in Cobb County.

[Naturella]

Weezerweeks, I also live in GA and my dog is also on Trifexis. I have not heard of deaths on it, and I like the all-in-one protection it provides, like Akari said.

[Naturella]

Oh, wow, I didn’t know that about Innova and EVO, thanks for the info! I may need to take them off my list too…

As for Nutrisca, PetFlow had a great deal on a 4-lb bag, for $5.00 a few weeks ago! So that will be my Dr. Tim’s Kinesis GF ALS 15-lb bag “mixer”. Also, I do recall you have 3 dogs of various sizes, and I only have one 11-pounder who eats about 3/4-1 cup food max per day, so 19 lbs or so would last him a good while (my guess is 3ish months). So I understamd the budgeting restrictions. But deal scoping on Petflow, Chewy, Wag, PetFoodDirect, and Amazon does help! I think the list you have compiled has great, affordable foods in there, so it would be a win-win for you and your pups! 🙂

[Naturella]

Akari,

I also have a similar food list myself, although a lot shorter (for now).
Of your foods, I would feed the grain-free versions of:
Dr. Tim’s, Acana, Wysong, Wellness, Earthborn Holistic and Canidae.

On my list I also have Back to Basics (not the GF versions), and the GF versions of Victor, Orijen, EVO, Innova Prime, amd Timberwolf. Some of those are quite pricy so I would use them as “mixers” to a bigger bag of more affordable food, for example mix a small bag (4-6 lbs) of Back to Basics in a big bag (12-18 lbs) of Wellness Core Wild Game, etc. I would also use Wysong Epigen as a mixer food, the prices I found were … mixer-food-like, lol.

My “maybe” list consists of GF versions of all Dogswell Live Free, Nutrisca, Taste of the Wild, and Blue Buffalo Wilderness (although Bruno is on it right now and seems to be doing great).

But your list looks great too, I may be snatching ideas from it myself! 🙂

[Naturella]

Mom2Cavs,

Yes, I will look into them certainly. And I also keep all of Bruno’s record in an envelope (not a folder, but close), so they are easily-accessible and convenient! 🙂

[Naturella]

Mom2Cavs,

Thanks for your feedback! I found a beautiful-looking integrative clinic about 50 min away, so I may look into switching to them/adding them on to Bruno’s current vet.

And yay for gingersnaps! I will get us some soon!

[Naturella]

Marie,

Thank you for the advice! Yeah, I like keeping record of Bruno’s medical history anyway, so that is covered. And I have found a few holistic vets around, and I also found out that Bruno’s current doctor is certified in acupuncture! 🙂

Also, I am definitely getting him some ginger snaps when we are traveling anywhere far!

[Naturella]

Betsy,

This is so helpful, thank you! 🙂 🙂

[Naturella]

Patty,

Thank you for the advice! I have also noticed something similar, I have to get the amount of food in him JUST RIGHT for him not to vomit all over my seat. He has thrown up just bile before, and his breakfast/dinner before (all of it). So I just need to get him to eat a bit and keep it down for at least a few minutes before riding in the car.

Bruno also loves the breeze! He sticks his face as close to the vent/AC as possible and I think this maybe helps him some. He also has a “booster seat” for small dogs that can be adjusted at a height from the carseat itself and has a clip to keep him from going all over the place. I haven’t figured out yet if he is better with or without the booster seat.

I knew of ginger, but never thought of it to give Bruno to help with his nausea! I may make some homemade ginger dog biscuits, or give him small amounts of ginger snaps. Let’s see if this helps!

Thanks a lot! 🙂

[Naturella]

Patty,

Thank you for sharing your experience. I really having things (stores, entertainment places, interstate, school, vet, hospital, etc.) close by so that would be a change for me…

The other thing is, Bruno gets car-sick 90% of the time, so traveling long distances (read over 15 min of driving) with him is… well, a bit of a pain for both of us… But I guess I play it by ear and adapt to the circumstances. 🙂

[Naturella]

Patty,

Oh, hm… Interesting. Yeah, I have never actually used their services, so I don’t know… I just saw it on their website…

I guess I’ll see what others say too and just look for better options nearby… The only downside is, we may be moving soon to an area with not too many things around, and the closest (under 60-min drive) pet hospitals are all Banfield ones… Which yields my next question, how important is it that your vet is close by, and how far away is too far for a trip with mild-moderate concerns?

[Naturella]

Oh, I just keep learning from everyone, this is so great! 🙂 Thank you all!

I am now looking into local clinics that offer holistic medicine and/or conventional. We have a conventional vet 5 min. from our apartment, but now I would like to explore the holistic side too.

I read that Banfield Pet Hospitals (usually affiliated with PetSmart stores) offer both types of veterinary medicine. Is anyone familiar with their services and to what extent their “holisticism” spreads?

[Naturella]

Patty,

Yup! And yes, Brian is super sweet! (I am not biased, I promise!) 🙂

And Micah is very cute! I usually try to distract Bruno with something chewable while taking pictures of him, lol, but he also is good at looking at whoever is behind the camera if they call his name. 🙂

[Naturella]

Oh, Patty, in my avatar are my boyfriend Brian, myself, and Bruno. I figured it was somewhat self-explanatory, but just to clarify – this is us. 🙂

[Naturella]

Cyndi,

He is doing well, thank you! He is eating, playing, and being all good. I still check his stool and in this afternoon’s BM I found some bone bits in it. So it is coming out! Hopefully it will all come out just fine! As for his little coughs/wheezes, they are also almost gone. Hope whatever was irritating his throat has cleared up.

I am also taking him to the vet on Friday for his monthly Trifexis (I think we need the dosage increased, because I am pretty sure he has outgrown the 5-10 lbs, I feel like he is at least 11 lbs now), and I will also tell them the story and how he’s doing so far, so hopefully it will indeed all go and be okay.

Thank you so much for checking on us! 🙂

[Naturella]

Thank you, Patty! Yours is really cute too! 🙂

[Naturella]

Molzy,

I see, yeah, I just hope my future second dog doesn’t have any “special special” (read “expensive”) needs, BUT, that is not to say I wouldn’t love it and take care for it.

But that is still in the future, I was just wondering if it has worked with some people, and how, and why it didn’t work out for others, so thanks for sharing! 🙂

[Naturella]

Molzy,

Thanks for the tip! I will be watching him and his BMs and stools for as long as I am certain the bones are gone (I feel them), or I would assume they are digested after 2 weeks.

[Naturella]

Patty,

Point well taken, thank you!

[Naturella]

Marie, Sandy, and Patty – thank you all for the info and your experiences!

I feel prepared for that future second dog one day. 🙂

[Naturella]

Marie, no problem. I am actually happy that you care so much about my (and others’) dog/s. 🙂

What you have seen that person ask for in the facebook group is horrible, they could have at least tried to gift the dog to kind people, who may agree to take it in and treat it, so I understand where you are coming from.

I have been checking Bruno’s stool, so far good stool and good BMs. I will continue to do so intil Friday – by then the bones, or any remnants of them SHOULD have passed if his stool is still as good and his BMs regular, I believe.

I think he may just have a hair in his throat because he keeps wheezing/coughing every now and again. Sometimes he pulls strings off his bed when he’s still awake in it, but hasn’t done it over the night, not that we know of, he is usually a sound sleeper unless he hears noise. So it may well be something in his throat that I can’t see that irritates him. But now he is happy, playful, running around playing with my roommate’s dog, and has finally eaten his kibble.

Patty, I will try the bread thing – I did give him some in the morning, but I will give him a little bit a couple more times today before we go to bed (small amounts), just in case, and keep checking for the bones. Thanks for the advice!

[Naturella]

Marie and Cyndi,

Thanks for the ideas. And, if you noticed, I did say in my post that if something is apparently wrong with him, we would be at the vet in no time, which I felt implied that I do have said emergency resources, which I am also aware that everyone needs when owning a pet. I put my current disposable income for the rest of the month up there because I would like to avoid resorting to such resources unless absolutely necessary.

I would probably have to pay less if i were to take him to get checked out now than if I waited, but he seems much better now, so I will keep monitoring him fo the next few days and see how he is.

[Naturella]

Cyndi,

He ate about 1/8 cup of the bones. We are still home, monitoring him. He looks like he’s feeling better. Just a bit of a wheeze, but playful again…

Yes, I pledge to never, ever feed cooked bones again!

[Naturella]

Additional info – I just took him out, he had a good bowel movement (BM) and his stool was good, no traces of blood. I think this stool is still from yesterday during the day though, so his “boney” stool probably won’t start appearing until tomorrow morning/mid-day… I will still monitor all his BMs though. He is still under the weather (inactive, laying around, sleepy-looking), and no appetite for breakfast kibble.

[Naturella]

Sandy,

Thanks for the links and the info! I will make sure to read through those and refresh myself on them right before we get the dog as well!

Marie,

Thank you as well! I am sure it sometimes happens that different dogs like different foods. Is that why all 3 eat 3 different diets?

[Naturella]

Sandy,

We may be wanting to adopt a larger dog, and I was planning on keeping him/her on large breed puppy food for 12-18 months, until she is full-grown. I would then introduce all-life-stage food that the large dog can share with the small one. Then I would just feed them adult food or continue with all-life-stage every now and again.

Do you think large and small dogs can share the same food once they are both adults?

[Naturella]

I also use Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy for my Miniature Rat-Jack-Chi (maybe, not exactly sure what he is, but he looks like a mix of these 3 breeds (Miniature Rat Terrier, short-legged Jack Russell, possibly Deer Chihuahua) somehow), currently mixed with Vet’s Choice Holistic Health Extension Original. I have already purchased his next food batch – Dr. Tim’s Kinesis Grain Free (15 lbs) and Nutrisca Chicken and Chickpea (also Grain Free) – 4 lbs.

Like everyone said, if you rotate the food brands, and also vary the proteins within a brand, your dog should be fine. Every few months is what I will be doing – basically when my batch is up, my dog gets a new mix of 2 different brands.

[Naturella]

Sandy,

Thanks so much for the response! I am excited because I don’t want to have to buy separate foods (one of my friends does). I would rather scout good deals on 5-star kibble and buy the best (usually biggest) amount for the money. I just hope my future second dog does not come with any specific dietary needs that contradict the current one’s – which may be somewhat unlikely as I try to feed grain-free exclusive, but still.

[Naturella]

Sandy,

Thanks for the info! Good to know that the dehydrated chews are still good and useful. I plan on alternating with RMBs (for the teeth cleaning) and try to give low-calorie chews such as Himalayan Dog Chews and antlers for chewing entertainment when feeding RMBs.

[Naturella]

Just like Cynical25, once I adopt a second dog, I would love to have him/her on the same diet as my current one (after the new one is over its puppy stage, of course). I also would like to know if it is a reasonable thing to keep 2 dogs on the same food (provided none have issues with it)?

[Naturella]

Akari,

I see, interesting @ the “exotic meats”, lol! And the international markets you mentioned sound neat! Check them out sometime! They are fun places (to me at least). 🙂

And also, I meant to ask you (and everyone) – what is the stance on natural chews, such as bully sticks, dehydrated meaty bits (gullet strips, tripe and tendon pieces, etc.), antlers, Himalayan Dog Chews, and so on, versus RMBs? Which is better? I know which is less messy, but still, I want to know which is better for a dog, and the one that is worse, how much worse it is? Or (ideally), are they sort of close/equal in the purposes they server (chewing entertainment and nutritional value)?

[Naturella]

Akari,

This is a good point – the 10% of diet of organ meats. But I think that half his breakfast kibble every other day or less will be just fine. I would give him whole organ meat to play with and eat, but I live in an apartment with mostly carpet, so I think I will stick to chopping it up and putting it in his bowl. I trust necks and feet a bit more with regard to making less of a mess – organ meat, and livers in particular, are quite bloody…

And yes, international markets are awesome, and cheap (at least in Georgia)! They may look a tad different than regular supermarkets, but don’t let that scare you – their produce and meat is usually super fresh!

By “butchers” I meant the people who work the meat sections in supermarkets, lol. I don’t know of any butcher places around me that just butcher and sell meat…

And thanks for the explanation on the Publix and Kroger stores! As I mentioned, I learn so much from everyone here, I am so excited!

Thanks again! 🙂

[Naturella]

OH! Here it is! Nevermind, thank you! 🙂

[Naturella]

Does it take some time for the picture to kick in? I just set mine up at Gravatar, but I don’t see it…

[Naturella]

Akari,

I see, thanks! And yes, I will only scout really good deals on those items myself, and only use them as treats/spare delights. If you have a blender or food processor, you can mix and grind up some organ meats and mix in their kibble (what I plan on doing). I want to give him organ meat at breakfast daily, or at least every other day or something, provided I find good deals on it. I have found international markets to have an exceptional variety of meats and organ meats at delightful prices, I just need to find the time to get to my “local” one 30 min away from where I live.

But, live in Georgia, and we have both Kroger and Publix all over the place, in fact, there is one of each on the same street parallel to my street, so they are 3-4 minutes away each. Is any of there stores region-specific? (Forgive my lack of knowledge, I am not a US native.)

And thanks regarding where to find instructions on the profile picture change. 🙂

[Naturella]

Ooooh, I am learning so much from this website, the forums, all the commenters, feedback-givers, everyone!

So, I have decided to also introduce some RMBs here and there in Bruno’s (my pup’s name) diet. I will scout what is fresh and on sale in my local Walmart/Kroger/Publix and international/farmers’ markets and make friends with the butchers for some special, maybe discounted, cuts. I plan on getting necks (chicken, turkey, pork, lamb, duck, whatever they have), chicken/pig feet, some small animal legs (chicken, rabbit, quail), and organ meats. I will feed Bruno one/day as a special treat and see how that goes. I also plan on introducing coconut oil and ground up organ meat with his breakfast kibble (kibble amount will be reduced a bit to make room for the organ meats).

I am so excited to constantly learn new things on here, thank you all! 🙂

P.S. Anyone know how I can put a picture as my “profile picture”?

[Naturella]

Akari, thanks for the info. Our little guy wasn’t as itchy before, and nothing has changed in his diet, so I am guessing either the FURminator may have irritated his skin, or the flea/tick protection of Trifexis is wearing off and he will need the larger-sized dog amount now that he is over 10 lbs.

[Naturella]

Betsy, I had no idea about the type of coconut oil! Thanks so much for the article, now I know what to look for! I have not gone to Costco yet, but when I do, I will look for raw/unrefined/extra virgin coconut oil.

[Naturella]

Patty, thanks for the advice! I decided to stop furminating him anyway, because I want him to have his undercoat nice and thick since winter is coming, and he is small and skinny. It does help a lot with shedding and it says it is not supposed to hurt his skin, but we’ll see, maybe he won’t be itchy now that we won’t furminate him. I will also grab some coconut oil from Costco and give him that and see if it helps with his skin. I will monitor him for allergies though, and get his Trifexis dose adjusted when I take him to the vet next.

[Naturella]

Akari_32 (and everyone),

I am in the same boat – I am operating on a SUPER limited college student with no student loans (due to being an international student, I can only legally work only on campus, and only 20 hours/week, and I have them filled with my Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA), which pays $730.00/month) budget, but I want to feed my Rat Terrier-Jack Russell-Chihuahua mix pup only 4-5 star dog food. So far so good – we scout deals on petflow.com, chewy.com, and amazon.com, as well as pet stores, and we have fed him Nutro Natural Choice Small Breed Puppy (1 small bag), Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy (1 small bag), Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy 11 lbs bag mixed with Vet’s Choice Holistic Health Extensions Original 4 lbs bag (got it for free at PetLand). When my boyfriend and I got him, he was about 4 months and 6 lbs, on Purina something (yuck), but we got him on Nutro Natural Choice Small Breed Puppy, which was recommended to us by the PetSmart associate in case of allergies in puppies, and then we put him on Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy. Toward the end of that first bag, we noticed that his coat had gotten shiny. We kept him on it, and then I discovered this amazing website, and learned about dog food rotation, so we have purchased his next food – Dr. Tim’s Kinesis Grain Free 11 lbs, and Nutrisca Chicken and Chickpea 4 lbs, which we will mix and feed to him. Now he is about 7.5, almost 8 months, and he is about 11 lbs. Other foods I have on my list are Acana Regionals Grain Free (so expensive!), Back to Basics (so expensive, to use mixed with more affordable food), Victor, Taste of the Wild, Orijen (so expensive!), Wellness Core, EVO (so expensive!), Innova Prime Grain Free, Earthborn Holistic Grain Free, Wysong Epigen 60 and Wysong Epigen 90 (so expensive, to use mixed with more affordable food), and Timberwolf (so expensive, to use mixed with more affordable food), as well as any of the Grain Free 4- and 5-star foods on this website. I also feed him all-natural chews and treats, such as bully sticks, ears, tracheas, gullet strips, fish skins, Himalayan Dog Chews, and homemade treats of berries, pumpkin, peanut butter, and yoghurt. These, I think, also contribute to his beautiful coat and good health. He also gets an average of 1 dental treat/week.

So, the bottom line is, I want to monitor this thread for more ideas on good places (online or offline) to buy affordable high-quality dog food 🙂 .

Also, since I got him, I have been putting in hours/week researching this website and others, and educating myself on dog food nutrition. I was wondering if anyone knows of any dog/pet nutrition classes in GA, USA. I would love to be certified in this area and maybe own my pet food store (that would sell good pet food) one day.

Also, another question – we have our pup on Trifexis, for 5-10 lbs dogs, and recently (this past week) he started itching and scratching a lot. His skin looks good, but I don’t know if he is developing an allergy to something, or it is because his Trifexis effect is wearing off faster now that he is about/over 11 lbs, and they only gave him the 5-10 lbs pill last time at the vet. I have also used the FURminator tool (borrowed from a friend, they are soo expensive) on him twice, once a week for about 10 min, and I bathe him (Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap – Almond, and oatmeal puppy conditioner) once every 2 weeks.

Thank you, all!

[Author]

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