[DogFoodie]

How ’bout it!? I was chatting here with people from Bosnia this morning and now Valpo this evening. It really is a small world, isn’t it. : )

[DogFoodie]

Holy smokes. Me too. : )

[DogFoodie]

Hi Yorkieville,

I’m in NWI also. : )

[DogFoodie]

I would definitely second Patty’s suggestion for NutriSource. When my Golden pup was a wee baby and having lots of issues with loose stool, I put him on the NutriSource Adult chicken & rice, and it worked like magic for him almost immediately.

[DogFoodie]

Has he eaten duck kibbles before? Mine both have some digestive problems with duck and I know Fromm uses a lot of duck ~ the one you’re using included.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Murphysmom,

I just sent you two emails. Check your SPAM folder also.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Murphysmom,

Check your email, including your SPAM folder. : )~

[DogFoodie]

Hi Murphysmom,

Try this…

Click on the “Forum: tab on the red bar above. Then click on “Diet & Health,” then scroll down a bit to “Large & Giant Breed Puppy Nutrition.” The documents that I posted links for are all one the first page of the thread.

[DogFoodie]

Hi guys,

I’m a fellow Golden owner and my pup, Sam, is almost 18 months old.

First of all, I have to say that Goldens are a large breed puppy and they have special dietary needs as a result.

I strongly suggest that you visit this thread in the DFA forum area as it has lots of great information about the special needs of a large breed puppy: /forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/

Here’s a great list of foods recommended for growing large breed pups, like both of yours:https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFQXNYZW01VzRVV00/edit?usp=sharing&pli=1

NutriSource makes a LBP formula with an appropriate Calcium level ,that is grain inclusive, that’s very well-tolerated by pups with sensitive stomachs. NutriSource is a good quality, budget friendly food that’s generally easy to find in the stores and online. You won’t see it in the list that I gave you because it’s grain inclusive though and the list consists entirely of grain free foods. You can, and should, offer fresh additional sources of protein, such as tinned sardines.

You must carefully choose a food with an appropriate Calcium level to avoid excess bone growth while yours is a fast growing puppy. Excessive bone growth contributes to skeletal disorders including hip dysplasia. In addition to controlling Calcium, keep your pup lean and avoid overfeeding and over-exercising.

Once your pup reaches at least 80% of his adult size, Calcium isn’t nearly the concern it is when he’s a puppy.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 7 months ago by DogFoodie.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Nancy,

Please come back and tell us how things went at the vet’s office.

I’ve been worrying about this poor puppy all afternoon!

[DogFoodie]

Ding! Ding! I regret that I appear to be the winner. My distemper / parvo titers cost $188.80 and they were sent to Colorado State University for processing. My vet recommends annual titers as well.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Nancy,

Poor puppy! By now you’ve probably already headed to the vet with the little guy and there are certainly people here far more knowledgeable about this kind of thing than I would be…,

Not that I’m in anyway an advocate of Royal Canin products, but what about the Royal Canin starter mousse? http://www.royalcanin.us/products/products/dog-products/size-health-nutrition/starter-mousse. I know I saw that just the other day at the pet food store and imagine it’s readily available at lots of places. What about a high quality canned food? I would feed him something soft and wet over kibble for sure.

I know that weaning is supposed to be a gradual process that takes place over the course of several weeks and it sounds like the weaning took place way too fast; and, he’s had a lot of chemicals pumped into his tiny body already in the way of shots and wormers so that’s likely part of the problem. He really shouldn’t have come home before eight weeks, but you already know that. He’s getting off to a rocky start, but it sounds like he’s in caring hands. Please let us know how he’s doing.

[DogFoodie]

Aleksandra,

Here’s a locator to help you find a holistic vet near you: http://www.ahvma.org/Widgets/FindVet.html

The list isn’t all-inclusive though and I’m sure there are others out there.

Here’s a locator to help you find a vet who practices TCVM near you:
http://www.tcvm.com/Resources/FindaTCVMPractitioner.aspx

This widget is through the Chi Institute and lists their alumni.

[DogFoodie]

How much does your pup currently weigh?

Here’s the feeding chart for the product you’re using:

Daily Feeding Guide
Weight Senior/Less Active Adult Puppy
LB (KG) cups (8oz) cups (8oz) cups (8oz)
2-5 lb (1-2.3kg) 1/8-1/4 cup 1/8-1/4 cup 1/8-1/4 cup
5-10 lb (2.3-4.5kg) 1/8-1/4 cup 1/4-1/3 cup 1/4-1/3 cup
10-20 lb (4.5-9kg) 1/4-1/2 cup 1/3-2/3 cup 1-3-3/4 cup
20-30 lb (9-13.6kg) 1/2-3/4 cup 2/3-1 cup 3/4-1 1/4 cups

Edit: Shoot, it looked fine when I wrote it, but when I post it everything gets bunched up.

[DogFoodie]

I’ve been wanting to add some supergreens as well. I have a couple of bottles of Mercola chlorella that I bought for myself and I didn’t even think about giving it to the pups. Any suggestions on the dose?

[DogFoodie]

Hi Aleksandra,

Make sure you don’t make the same mistake I did. I bought this big, beautiful jar of lovely organic coconut oil, only to find out that it’s refined and as a result, basically worthless.

You want extra virgin or unrefined coconut oil.

Here’s some good reading on coconut oil and some other “alternative” supplements from what will be in the November issue of Whole Dog Journal, starting at page three (3): http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/16_11/features/alternative-treatments-updated_20861-1.html?pg=3

[DogFoodie]

I like a lot of the Solid Gold products. I wish they’d sever ties with Diamond altogether though. I don’t use any of their products manufactured by Diamond. The Wolf Cub you mention is one of their Diamond products. I just opened a fresh bag of Barking at the Moon for my Cavalier this evening.

[DogFoodie]

They may very well carry PMI products there and if they do, they might also have Infinia. That’s an affordable five star food.

[DogFoodie]

As far as foods with corn go, Eagle Pack is probably one of the very best. You might still include it in your rotation and since it’s cheaper, it would bring down your overall food costs in the long run.

I know you’ve mentioned stores you have access to, but do you have any privately owned feed and garden stores near you or even a grain elevator? I have one feed and garden store near me that boasts an inventory that rivals most boutique pet food stores; and, they have great prices, sales and frequent buyer rewards.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 7 months ago by DogFoodie.

[DogFoodie]

Have you tried feeding either a chicken wing or leg whole? He may have been eating a bit more bone which is probably why he had the small formed chalky looking stool.

Your pup sounds like he might be a good candidate for grinds from either My Pet Carnivore or Hare Today. Have you checked out either of them by chance?

https://www.mypetcarnivore.com/

http://www.hare-today.com/

Here’s another great site with lots of info about feeding a raw diet and balancing it properly:

http://dogaware.com/

[DogFoodie]

I’ve been buying Canine Caviar bully sticks on petflow.com, they seem to have a good price on them. I believe someone once told me that a bully stick can have about 22 calories per inch. Mine usually finish them off pretty quickly, so I’ve never been particularly concerned with bacteria.

Mine have also been loving Himalayan Chews. They’re not soft and they really have to work at them to soften them up enough to scrape any off. I found that when they get to small, you can pop them in the microwave and they puff up like a marshmallow and then can be chewed more easily and don’t pose the same choking hazard as they do when they’re hard.

I was wondering…, I recently got a couple of split antlers and both Sam and Bella love them. Does anyone have a preferred source / brand for antlers? The whole ones don’t seem like they’d be as tasty as the splits. Opinions?

[DogFoodie]

I re-read this conversation earlier today Marie and thought the same thing.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Patty,

I was wondering about this earlier, if Katie was going to be increasing Bauer’s intake, would it be a good idea for her to divide his daily ration into three smaller meals instead of feeding it all in two meals. That would be a way to avoid some of the diarrhea that comes with overfeeding, right?

Also, Katie, when you’re calculating his daily ration, you’re feeding him based on what he should weigh, right? I would probably increase the amount fed gradually as he gains weight as opposed to feeding him that amount for his goal weight right off the bat.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Sor,

Are you a veterinarian?

[DogFoodie]

Me, work for Canine Caviar? Heaven’s no. I certainly wouldn’t be on here mentioning that I’m currently on a transition from CC to EVO if I did! LOL!

I’m not even sure why you would think that. : ) I’ll happily admit that I do like CC’s products very much (as do my dogs) as well as their holistic concepts.

Edit: Oh and yes, Diamond stinks. I don’t care what they say they’ve corrected, I won’t use their products.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 7 months ago by DogFoodie.

[DogFoodie]

I was at the pet food store recently when a management employee there and I were discussing EVO, which is what I’m giving a go for a rotation currently (knowing full well their recent recall, and their total lack of recalls prior to being acquired by Natura.) The employee said that they had decided after the recall not to carry EVO in their store any longer. We were discussing the recall and she said that Natura had “two separate recalls” and I mentioned that I believed it was actually one voluntary recall that was voluntarily expanded, giving the appearance of two recalls. She said that “the FDA had to get involved to force the second recall.” I just shook my head and smiled. You’d think she’d know.

You’re correct indeed, we need to do the research ourselves

I subscribe to WDJ, but have never heard of The Bark. It looks contemporary and interesting. Thanks for mentioning it!

[DogFoodie]

Hi Katie,

Something else I wanted to suggest was adding probiotics and digestive enzymes to his food. I like Mercola, but they’re pricey. I haven’t tried Swanson’s for my dogs but have for myself; I know others have with great success.

[DogFoodie]

Definitely, Sor. I also believe that any company could potentially have a recall ~ it’s their handling of same that I really take notice of.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Katie,

Bless you for taking on this big boy. He’s lucky to have you.

I would think it’s likely that the chewing and biting could be food intolerance / allergy issues as much as it could be compulsive behaviors. Would you be in a position to try to distract him every time you catch him chewing? A quick walk, a quick game of fetch, a doggie massage? Also, maybe give him something healthy to chew on that is tastier than his nails or fur. That’ll give him some extra calories also. Try bully sticks or raw, meaty bones like a turkey neck for snacks and chewing satisfaction. Samoan81’s suggestion for satin balls is a also a great idea.

I think I’d get him off of the grains though and would definitely increase his protein. His body needs more protein to repair and rebuild. I wouldn’t use anything less than 30% protein. He’s an adult now, so you don’t have to be as concerned with Calcium levels ~ which are what you limit with a large / giant breed puppy ~ not protein. While she mostly suggests foods with grains, the Great Dane Lady has a list of foods she recommends along with some great advice. Have you visited her site: http://www.greatdanelady.com/. Also, here’s a link that’ll take you right to the page of foods she recommends: http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/criteria_list_of_better_foods.htm.

Also, one food I’ll suggest you try adding to his diet is Abady granular. It’s usually very well tolerated and is very calorie dense, about 800 kcals per cup. Their website is very strange, but I would suggest calling them and telling them what’s going on and get their recommendations. They’re extremely helpful over the phone. Here’s their website: http://www.abadyfeeds.com/ and here’s their phone number: Tele: (845)473-1900 * Toll Free: (877)-99ABADY .

Have you tried giving him some pureed pumpkin for the loose stools? That usually helps a lot.

Peace & Blessings,
Betsy

[DogFoodie]

I know this thread is older, but HDM mentioned Himalayan Chews, which I’ve recently discovered myself. My dogs love ’em!

However, Sam, my Golden, got hold of my Cavalier’s chew and it was smaller than his. In nothing flat, I noticed it was gone. I freaked out. Thankfully, he didn’t choke on it, but I worried about an intestinal blockage. Everything turned out alright, so now I keep a much closer eye on them when they start to get smaller.

I read something interesting online that I wanted to share about Himalayan Chews. When they get too small to safely chew on, throw it in the microwave and it’ll puff up like a marshmallow and get soft enough to be safely eaten and digested.

[DogFoodie]

I’ve been having trouble lately also.

Funny thing was that earlier today I was trying to log in and assumed I was getting my password wrong so I hit the forgotten password button to be emailed a new password; however, in order to put in the new password, I had to type in my user name and password in this little authentication box that kept popping up. LOL! Then I noticed the little howdy box in the upper right hand corner had my user name in it and somehow I back-doored the sign in box, and it turns out that somehow I was actually logged in the whole time.

If all of that makes sense. : )

Oh, and I just tried refreshing like Sandy said and it worked. Weird…

[DogFoodie]

Hi Sully’s Mom,

That’s one of the hardest parts of an elimination diet. There are no treat, just extra love!

[DogFoodie]

Regardless of what they were fed, they were loved very much.

So sorry for your loss.

Blessings, Betsy

[DogFoodie]

I’m actually using Canine Caviar with great success right now. Both of my dogs are currently doing very well on the Lamb & Pearl Millet. To me, it smells fresh, and I definitely smell the alfalfa meal in it. I know that others have said that Canine Caviar is difficult to reach by phone, something I’ve not tried nor have had reason to try. Canine Caviar is made by Hi-Tek Rations located in Dublin, Georgia.

Interestingly, Halo pet foods has refused to disclose who the manufacturer of their products is claiming that the information is proprietary. [Source is Susan Thixton’s Petsumer Report]

[DogFoodie]

Some grain free kibbles I have used that are very small and what I feel are quality fish based products are as follows:

Nature’s Logic Sardine (protein 40.2%);
Canine Caviar Wild Ocean (protein 31%);
Pulsar Fish (protein 28%) is small, but not super tiny;
and EVO Herring & Salmon (protein 42.98%).

OK, the EVO I mention is one to use with caution. Yes, EVO did just have a recall (their first in 21 years I understand, but not surprisingly already their first since their acquisition by P&G in 2010) and I don’t know about ingredient sourcing, but I’m using it right now (for my grain and white potato free dog) and we’re having very good luck with it. A shame though, EVO was once a fantastic product with a reputation to match.

I’ve also used Horizon Legacy Adult with amazing success and love it, but I haven’t used their Fish formula (although I’m eager to try it). The Adult kibble isn’t small, but isn’t huge either, and I have no idea what the size of the fish kibble would be.

Orijen Six Fish is great, but probably one of the biggest kibbles.

I don’t know about the size of Earthborn’s Coastal Catch, but they’re a company I trust also.

[DogFoodie]

Hi guys,

For those of you dealing with extreme allergy issues, have you had allergy tests performed by your vet?

I seem to recall a conversation a long time ago about the reliability of those tests and can’t recall what some of the opinions were regarding that, but it seems like your vets would’ve at least suggested it by now.

[DogFoodie]

HDM’s list is really meant for large breed puppies, for whom you need to control the Calcium.

The great thing is, you’ve have lots more options now that your pups are older. : )

A couple of brands I’d suggest you also check into would be NutriSource and Earthborn Holistics. They both go just outside of your price range though. I use and like them both, a lot. A brand I’ve never used, but continue to hear great things about and it’s know to be a very budget friendly food is Victor. Oh, and actually, there’s also Rachael Ray Zero Grain Nutrish that you can pick up at Wal-Mart that’s also a good budget friendly choice along with Wal-Mart’s new Ol’ Roy Pure Balance products.

[DogFoodie]

It sounds like you’ve food one great food for your dog, that along makes it a “great” food!

Do you guys think that peas have the same “profile” as garbanzo beans and lentils?

Hopefully you can find at least a couple of others to rotate with. The mere mention of potato in a food would cause yeast issues for one of my dogs.

[DogFoodie]

I’m not a fan of Blue Buffalo.

Tell us more about your dog; ie: breed; age; medical / nutritional needs; food intolerances / allergies. What are you currently feeding your pup?

[DogFoodie]

Hi Marie,

Sorry Boone is still having problems. : (

I can hear my vet at my recent visit for Sam’s yeasty ears, telling me to feed him Darwin’s full time. Is that an option? It’s not for me.

You said Boone is eating potato right now, right? I think I’d eliminate that for sure and either try Zeal full-time to see if it resolves like you mentioned or maybe try something completely different. I tell you, I was shocked and what great luck I had feeding Sam Horizon Legacy. He seems to be doing really well on Earthborn’s Great Plains Feast right now, also. He still does the occasional flap of the ears, which always gets my attention, but when I peek inside, they seem to be clear. He doesn’t show that he’s bored (though he may well be), but getting him clear and stabilized is my priority.

I believe I exacerbated Sam’s ear this most recent time with the Zymox. I used the Zymox with Bio-Active Enzymes. I used it once at night and the next day when I went to use it again, his ear was very red inside. I didn’t use it again and the vet actually said that Sam’s ear infection was limited to the outer ear canal (she said it looked like the Zymox burned his ear). I did recently pick up a bottle of Halo ~ it seems like a lot of others have mentioned that they use it [for cleaning] with good results.

I’m also hoping that the Curcu-VET he’s been taking will help resolve some of his yeast issues as well. I know you were interested in it, but I don’t recall if it was for Boone or Ginger. Here’s a link to Thorne’s product page: http://veterinary.thorne.com/articles/introducing-curcuvet.jsp

Also, what about a visit to a vet who practices TCVM, unless you already are and one of these folks happens to be your vet: http://search.tcvm.com/vetFinding.asp?qtype=state

[DogFoodie]

Hi Black & Blue (AKA Julie :),

First of all, you have to register separately for the DFA side (Discus) and then the forums (another format that I forget now what it is). It’s weird.

Your allergy list is a tricky one, isn’t it. Are the allergens that you identified through your own trial and error, or did your vet do some form of allergy testing?

It seems like eggs in one form or another show up frequently. Ah ha, I think I found one for you! Take a look at Earthborn Holistics Meadow Feast. Unless I overlooked something, it looks like it fits the bill, and would be a good alternate protein source for you.

My dogs sensitivities (not allergies) are easy compared to a lot of folks ~ grain, white potato, lentils and chickpeas. Two that he does great on are Earthborn’s Great Plains Feast and Horizon Legacy.

It’s so awesome when you find something that really works well, isn’t it! : )

[DogFoodie]

Hi Marie,

My vet really thought very highly of the CurcuVET. I’d also love to ask my TCVM vet and see what he thinks. My regular vet described it as a highly bio-available therapeutic dose of curcumin, I was sold. I guess I never really made the connection before that curcumin would also help with digestion as well, which now makes sense to me (after further explanation from Patty).

I don’t know what Gemma’s taking that it might replace or if it would be OK in addition to… so I’ll leave that up to the pros for a little more feedback for you. : )

[DogFoodie]

Hi Whitney,

My 15 month old Golden pup has been diagnosed with pano and recently had another slight flare-up. I took him back to the vet (integrative medicine) and she recommended this supplement from Thorne: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005BSN030/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1. I had been giving Sam turmeric, but she said it would be nearly impossible for me to give him a truly therapeutic dose of turmeric, which is what Thorne’s CurcuVET is. He’s up to taking it twice a day right now and it hasn’t been quite one week and I’m working up to three capsules daily (he weighs about 76 pounds). I really believe this stuff will help his pano as I’m already a believer in the anti-inflammatory power of turmeric, but I’m also very helpful that it helps heal his delicate digestive system. Funny thing is, I always shoved capsules into his poor gullet and I have now realized that I can literally just throw it into his bowl and he eats it right up with his food.

Not knowing if it would be appropriate for your pup, you might want to ask your vet about it also.

[DogFoodie]

I’m ready for cool weather, too. It’s been hot and humid here and the weeds are growing like crazy. They look so pretty along the roadside, covered in white, blue and yellow flowers, but are wreaking havoc on me. I have seasonal allergies and a couple of nights ago, totally out of nowhere, they’re horrible.

So, my first guess for your pup would be seasonal allergies. Wonder if a more holistic remedy, such as local honey or bee pollen might help. Too bad you can’t use a Neti Pot on a pup. : ) Unfortunately, Benadryl help mine the most and I can only take it once a day, at bedtime, or I’m wired for days on end; and the only thing that really helps is moving through the seasons.

[DogFoodie]

Anyone ever use lamb trotter bones for recreational bones?

Opinions? : )

[DogFoodie]

What’s your human honey dose, honey? ; )

[DogFoodie]

I love local honey! My follow through is terrible, so I’ve never had any luck with my allergies using it, but that’s only because of my inconsistency. I readily admit my faults. : ) I have a friend in the area and he’s diligently used local honey with great success. I did recently buy some bee pollen myself at a local orchard and need to start giving it a try. My daughter’s allergies have kicked in and she can’t swallow pills (she’ll be 13 tomorrow!), so I had been thinking of using honey for her.

In my mind, I kind of think of honey and bee pollen like a flu shot though, in that honey is seasonal and what you’re buying is probably from the past season as opposed to the current season, and is it going to be effective for current allergens. Meaning, does it contain the stuff that is currently problematic ~ would you be better off buying honey from last Fall to use this Fall?

I’ve never used it for my dogs, haven’t needed to I suppose, but I imagine it would work for them as well as it does us ~ it might take a little work to mix it into their food, or maybe not as I think about it.

I’ll be curious to hear what others have to share about this!

[DogFoodie]

Thank you, Patty! I love it when you explain stuff to me like this and I actually understand.

And, yes, I would’ve be thrilled to help load up your car for the trip home. : )

[DogFoodie]

Hi guys!

@ Marie ~ Aww, thanks! That’s a great suggestion to look for a selling group. I’ll see what I can find. I’ve donated lots, but can’t bring myself to intentionally “throw away” all of that money.

@ Sandy ~ I think Sam might have thrown up some bone from a turkey neck also. The ones I have on hand are from My Pet Carnivore and they’re huge. I have to say that I also was concerned about the potential damage that the bone coming back up could do.

@ Patty ~ You said, “Inflammation of the intestines causes them to not properly absorb everything, which causes that malnutrition response where the gaps widen in the gut wall, then you get pieces of protein in the blood stream and more intolerances.” So, what causes inflammation in the intestines in the first place, things like lectins? And then the further damage is to prolonged exposure and the damage that it does over time, right? Also, Sam has lost almost four pounds since last month’s check up : ). I know my vet has talked about fat being inflammatory and how it takes on a life of it’s own. Is she saying that it can cause inflammation and which establishes a pathway for intolerance, sensitivity, disease, etc.?

[DogFoodie]

That’s funny, I had ordered some of the Halo in a recent Swanson’s order. I was so bummed because I was so eager for the order to get here and when I checked the status online, it went from being delivered to being supposedly refused by me and turned to them and I never got the order. It wasn’t a Swanson’s problem, it was a shipping issue.

Thanks for the suggestion, I think I’ll pick up some Halo. : )

[Author]

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