[DogFoodie]

Hi Carolyn,

Congrats on the new pup! How cute is she?!

I actually was told recently when I thought it would be better to wait until 12 weeks, that if much time is spent with their siblings beyond 8 weeks, pups can start to develop a pack mentality. I brought home my Golden at 8 weeks and believe that’s the norm. It’s when I read about people bringing home a 5 or 6 week old puppy from a “breeder” that I get concerned. Your little girl is totally fine at 9 weeks, whether or not you have other pets, look for a puppy class ~ ask your vet if they have one.

As far as food is concerned… I’d give her a week or two to adjust and then begin the transition. Basically adjust the amount of the old food down and the new food up over a period of time. It shouldn’t take long. At each change in proportion, allow enough time for any stool issues to correct and then move forward. If she gets a little loose stool (most puppies seem to) add a spoonful of plain canned pumpkin to her food. It helps a lot with both loose stool and constipation. Orijen is great food, and the puppy formula is the only one I haven’t used ~ if it’s a little big for her soften it with some water or chicken stock or give it a whirl in the coffee grinder.

Have fun!

[DogFoodie]

I took Sam, the money pit dog, to the vet this evening. ; ) She believes his limping is probably a pano flareup as I suspected. What I didn’t know was that the flares can happen until about the age of three. I told her I gave him turmeric when it flared, but she suggested this product from Thorne: http://www.thorne.com/Products/VeterinaryProducts/prd~V932.jsp. She said it’s actually the therapeutic dose of curcumin. I didn’t realize how much curcumin would benefit Sam’s gastrointestinal health as well as his joint health. So, I immediately ordered some and will start him on it ASAP. I’m a terrible listener sometimes, maybe someone can tell me again how inflammation affects gastrointestinal health.

Sam’s ear issue isn’t in the canal and she said she wasn’t certain if it was environmental or food related and, as I suspected, she recommended that I get him off of kibble. I had given her some of my Darwin’s once and she was like, “Wait! You don’t you have him on Darwin’s? But, that’s a beautiful product!” I had some Darwin’s thawing, so that’s what my two had for dinner tonight and I got to thinking how incredible easy it is and how confident I feel about the product, so maybe I’ll just do that after all. She asked if I was OK doing a topical steroid for a few days and I said that would be fine, as I want to nip whatever is brewing in there in the bud! So, she gave me Panalog. I need to find something more gentle than Zymox to clean his ears with ~ I used it on him one evening and the next night, his ear was very red looking so I didn’t use it and the redness subsided, but the culture she took off his ear junk had pus in it (sorry totally gross). I think the Zymox might be what caused his ear to be so raw so it basically made the problem worse.

What breaks my heart is that I’ve become a kibble hoarder and have more than 300 pounds of it on hand. You know how much that costs and I’ve spent a fortune on it. I feel like I have to use it and am not about to just donate it. So I may do half kibble, half raw until I get rid of some of it. My Cavalier will be eating Darwin’s too, and it’s not like she can eat 300 pounds of kibble very quickly anyway.

Why is this so confusing!?

I’m totally hijacking this thread and I don’t mean to! Sorry!

[DogFoodie]

Hi HDM,

That’s so funny you mention Darwin’s. I know you tried it and aren’t a huge fan of Darwin’s, but it is complete and balanced and has some veggies and it sure would be so much easier (although I did the math and it’ll also be a bit more expensive, too ~ maybe about .50 per pound if I remember correctly). I think I’m going a little overboard because I don’t have any reason to believe that Sam has a problem with carrots and Darwin’s has carrots in it, which was another reason why I thought I’d try Hare instead. Again, it would be easier to use the Darwin’s for sure and I am looking for simplicity.

Edit: I believe the Darwin’s was going to cost something like $4.00 per pound (which included shipping) and Hare Today was about $3.45 per pound (which included shipping).

I’m going to pick up a bag of the JJ Fud’s this weekend and check it out, but I got the impression it was more like chunks of meat rather than ground meat. They don’t advertise, it’s made locally in a USDA FSIS facility so there’s no shipping and it ends up running somewhere in the neighborhood of $2.50 per pound (but, I do need to do more checking on the prices). I only saw bone listed in the duckling variety ~ which I would probably not use because my guys do not do well on duck. I think it must be complete and balanced, but tell me what you think.

Here are the ingredients for the beef variety: Beef Tender Chucks Beef, Beef organ meat (Heart, Liver, Kidney, Tripe) Fresh Whole Eggs, carrots, celery, Sweet potato, Flax seed, Calcium, Dicalcium Phosphate, CholineCloride, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Suppliment, Vitamin B-12 Suppliment, Niacin, Iron Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A, Acetate, Copper Sulfate, Pyridozine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Manganous Oxide, Calsiom Iodate, Biotin, Vitamin D-3 Supplement Sodium Selenite.

A funny edit: I just talked to my mom on the phone and she said that I should get a grinder, etc… I laughed because that’s totally not something I want to get into, but also because she used to be afraid that if Sam ate raw he would somehow become cannabalistic and want to eat Bella. Boy, she’s come a long way for someone who’s almost 80. : ) Then, she reminded me that we have a friend whose son-in-law is a butcher. Now, she tells me. @@

• This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by DogFoodie.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by DogFoodie.

[DogFoodie]

You know, you’re making me think I need to check into another local source I have before I jump into Hare Today grinds. There’s a local butcher that has been in my town for years and years and I noticed a while back when I was poking around in the freezers at the pet store that they make their own “chunk” dog food. They don’t have a website, but here are some links I found online about them:

http://www.fluffydog.net/product.sc?productId=138

http://www.joeyspetoutfitters.com/News/tabid/67/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/446/New-JJ-Fuds-raw-diets.aspx

• This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by DogFoodie.

[DogFoodie]

Just mentioning…, the reason why I thought I’d go with Hare Today (rather than Darwin’s which would be much easier to me) is because there are no added fruits and veggies. Another thing Tracy mentioned was that Sam probably shouldn’t have any root vegetables. I mentioned that he had done well on Horizon Legacy, but she pointed out that even the apples and carrots in that could be problematic. Probably the only potential problem ingredient in the Darwin’s would be carrots and I have no reason to believe that carrots are a problem for Sam.

[DogFoodie]

OK HDM, gotcha.

I already have plenty of krill oil and sardines on hand so I can start that ASAP. That order that I mentioned is just the initial to get me started. I’ll probably vary the proteins with each order sticking primarily with red meats. In order for me to follow through with this it has to be very simple and have some structure… otherwise, it’ll never stick.

Is there a particular multivitamin supplement you’d suggest?

[DogFoodie]

Thanks Patty!

That sounds like a good idea. I get a little wiggy about my raw foods sometimes. I’ll have it thawing and then suddenly look in the fridge and wonder to myself, “Now just exactly how long has this stuff be in here?” I do the same thing with human food.

[DogFoodie]

Hey Marie,

I was definitely thinking that Sam’s ear could be environmental and yes, it’s been very humid lately. I fell asleep last night while I was starting to post this whole thing and believe it’s there where I had mentioned that I almost felt that a total switch to raw might be jumping the gun. I like to do some raw, but really do not want to have to do it full time.

[DogFoodie]

Hi guys!

HDM, what I mean by “menu” is, what should I order. LOL! I’ve been studying the website and am worried about keeping things complete and balanced and my overwhelming need to keep the process as simple as possible. My head is spinning….

Tracy suggested, based on what I said I’d like to feed them, was that I feed two to four boneless meals per week to balance the bone as I was asking her about using all whole carcass grinds all the time. She suggested filling up a 50 pound box rather than trying to order enough for a specific period of time and she was definitely right.

So, here’s what I have in my shopping cart:

12 x 1 lb. Ground Chicken / Bone / Organs
12 x 1 lb. Ground Turkey / Bone / Organs
12 x 1 lb. Ground Beef / Organs/ Tripe and Bones
14 x 1 lb. Ground Green Tripe with Spleen (Beef) (our two to four boneless meals each week)

What do you think of this?

• This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by DogFoodie.

[DogFoodie]

Good Morning guys!

I have a Hare Today question for you all. : )

Although I wish I didn’t have to (because of the cost and inconvenience), I’m thinking that I should switch my Golden boy, Sam, to all raw. Sam has developed another ear infection while eating a kibble he’s always done great on before. In addition to the infection in his right ear, he has a weepy right eye and what appears to be a pano flare up in his right front leg. I thought it seemed very coincidental that everything was happening on the right side of his body – so I really can’t say these symptoms are all food related; but, these are his only symptoms. His coat is beautiful, no paw licking, no scratching, no smell, etc. I really wanted to do kibble and have amassed a giant stash of it that I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on, much of which is going to end up being donated or given away to friends. : ( I’m taking Sam to the holistic vet tomorrow to see if there’s something more going on and suspect she’ll also encourage me to do raw full time.

So, yesterday, I exchanged a few emails with Tracy at Hare Today who was very helpful. I’d like to try their products to eliminate carbohydrates as much as possible. I’m starting Sam back on Darwin’s today and want to get a Hare Today order ready so that I receive it before I run out of the Darwin’s.

I initially wanted to use the grinds all the time, but Tracy said that not every meal needed to include bone and organs. She also suggested a boneless meal for the second meal of the day when I give Sam a turkey neck as one of his two meals. I need to keep the process as utterly simple as possible. I don’t want to have more than one kind of product thawing at a time because I know I’ll end up with waste that I’ll throw out if I do that. I have more time in the evening, but mornings are very hectic in that I have to have everyone out of the house and be on my way to work by 7:15 AM.

So, what would you guys suggest as the absolutely easiest “menu” option for feeding Hare Today exclusively? Between Sam and my Cavalier, Bella, they’ll be eating just under two pounds total per day. They’ll continue to get chicken and turkey necks several times per week. The only protein they don’t do well on is duck.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[DogFoodie]

I first thought I’d order my own kefir grains and make my own… then I started reading about the process ~ that’s a little science project you’ve got going there, huh! : ) Good for you! Have fun!

[DogFoodie]

So glad Harry is doing well on the Nature’s Logic! That’s fantastic! You should share his story with Scott Freeman at Nature’s Logic: info@natureslogic.com. I know he’d be really happy to hear of your success. : )

[DogFoodie]

NutriSource is buy 12 get one free and Earthborn is buy 10 get one free ~ both same store, same size product.

[DogFoodie]

I once talked to my TCVM vet about cardiac supplements (hoping to prevent any cardiac issues in my beloved Cavalier) and he recommends Standard Process Canine Cardiac Support, but only if a dog has a heart condition that necessitates it ~ rather than for prevention. You have to buy it from an approved Standard Process veterinary supplier. Check for a supplier near you here: https://www.standardprocess.com/HCP-Search

Here’s a link for the product: https://www.standardprocess.com/Products/Veterinary-Formulas/Canine-Cardiac-Support

[DogFoodie]

Hi guys!

I feel like Sandy would recommend Nutri Source Small & Medium Breed Puppy at 513 kcals/cup. I haven’t personally used it, but I know she’s mentioned before that the kibble size is very tiny. Since I haven’t used it, I can’t speak for the kibble size personally, but I trust Sandy’s advice. It’s not grain free, but it’s well tolerated and I trust the brand and I know Sandy and Patty do as well. Nutri Source is also a very budget friendly food. They always offer coupons (text “source” to 55678 for a chance to win a free bag and a $2.00 coupon if you’re not a winner) and have a loyalty program (buy 12, get one free on dry and cans).

Nature’s Logic and Amicus are very small and when I last used Canine Caviar, that seemed small as well if memory serves. Orijen Puppy is the only Orijen formula I haven’t used, but all of the Orijens that I have used are some of the largest kibbles I’ve used. Abady granular would be easy for her to eat and is very nutrient dense (over 800 kcal/cup) ~ it’s grainy like brown sugar and the philosophy behind the food takes some getting used to. Abady isn’t rated here and gets a bad rap from lots of folks, but I tried it and had no issues with it whatsoever. My Cavalier is currently eating Castor & Pollux Ultramix right now and she loves it ~ they’re small kibbles and they’re really cute…, if that matters! They’re little hearts. : )

Solid Gold Just a Wee Bit is tiny, but is one of their products that’s made by Diamond, so I wouldn’t recommend it for that reason. I’ve used Wellness Small Breed, which is tiny, but my pup wasn’t thrilled with it, same with Artemis Fresh Mix.

What about giving her kibble a whirl in the blender, coffee grinder or hand held food chopper?

I still need to start the card file I keep saying I’m going to start and take pictures of all my kibbles when I open something different. : )~

[DogFoodie]

I fed Mulligan Stew to Sam and Bella and it contains cane molasses (which I think is somewhat similar to sorghum) and both of them did fine on it. I may have to do another trial of MS with Sam, because it contains grains (ground brown rice and oats) and he didn’t seem to have any issues with it at all. Now that you’ve got me thinking about it again, it doesn’t make sense that he was fine with the grain in it.

Just FYI, from ehow.com:

Origin
Molasses syrup is made from sugar cane and is essentially uncrystalized sugar. Sorghum is made of juice derived from the sweet sorghum cane stalk, a crop native to Africa.

Processing
To make molasses, sugar cane is crushed and the juice is extracted and boiled down into a syrup. This syrup is boiled again with the addition of milk and an alkaline solution. The mixture is left to sit for two days until it begins to granulate, at which point the syrup is drained out, packaged and sold as molasses. To make sorghum, the juice is squeezed or pressed out from the sweet sorghum cane stalk and boiled down into syrup form. It is not as heavily processed as molasses.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by DogFoodie.

[DogFoodie]

OK, I truly do not want to be an alarmist, but I saw that Sully’s Mom just mentioned something about adding water to prevent the possibility of bloat and I searched, without success, for the article Alexandra recently posted about not adding water to kibbles that contain citric acid (due to the increased risk of bloat) during a conversation with HDM. Does anyone else remember that?

My memory stinks.

Edit: Ah ha! Found it!

For a valuable discussion on adding water to food / bloat; go to this page: /dog-food-reviews/orijen-dog-food-adult/. The conversation begins six days ago with JohnandCristos post that begins: “PREVENTION OF BLOATAND TORSION IN DOGS
Bloat and torsion are maladies that strike seemingly without warning in dogs of any age, but most commonly in deep chested breeds. Victims usually have an increased or ravenous appetite several days before onset, and usually show decreased intestinal motility, i.e. constipation. Most animals also have one vomiting episode approximately twelve to twenty-four hours before the onset of bloat.”

[DogFoodie]

Two quick things…

1.) I had emailed My Pet Carnivore earlier (prior to posting my question here regarding trachea), but you guys responded first. In my limited experience with them, I will say this MPC has great customer service. I just thought I’d share their response regarding trachea:

“They are not considered any kind of bone, and we ourselves have fed
them as a treat (or a chew), but they would generally fall into the meat
category.”

2.) How do you give your pups a quick clean up after they’ve eaten a RMB? Bella’s ears and paws were a greasy mess after eating some pork neck bones this evening. I tried to clean her up with some puppy wipes I had on hand, but they didn’t seem to work very well. I’m headed back to work after a week’s vacation (staycation) and really don’t want to have to give her a bath tonight. But, for future reference, is there a quicker solution to greasy ears? : )

[DogFoodie]

Hi guys!

Is a beef trachea a chew, rectreational bone or RMB?

[DogFoodie]

Hey Flossie,

Something I just recalled…. I have a Cavalier that means the world to me and Cavaliers are predisposed to cardiac disease, so I was talking to my TCVM vet about different cardiac support supplements and in particular, I asked about Standard Process Canine Cardiac Support. He said its a great product, but he would only recommend it for a dog with a cardiac problem and that it wasn’t best for use in preventing cardiac disease. Do you see a TCVM or holistic vet, by chance?

[DogFoodie]

I agree with the others and hope you can come up with some additional choices.

I used Canidae Pure Elements once when I though that the manufacturing had been moved to Canidae’s new manufacturing facility, Ethos; only to find out that much of the manufacturing is still through Diamond so you couldn’t be sure that what you were buying was being made by Ethos or Diamond. Diamond is a deal breaker for me. My dogs weren’t thrilled with it anyway and I used it only briefly for the duration of one small bag.

I’d check out Dr. Tim’s and I’d contact Dr. Tim (drtim@drtims.com) and ask him which formula he might suggest for your dog. Dr. Tim’s is budget friendly and Dr. Tim is a vet who is very hands on with the production of his food… he’ll get back to you very quickly with a response. I just checked the site quickly and didn’t see anything regarding Sodium. You need a combination of excellent customer service, budget friendly and a quality product. I’d also try Earthborn, NutriSource and Fromm ~ all three of those fit your requirements ~ assuming the Sodium is OK.

[DogFoodie]

Hey Sully’s Mom,

I’ve been here for over a year and I refuse to commit to acknowleding my “last confusion” about anything! LOL!

[DogFoodie]

Hi Goldenlover,

Everything I learned about dog food, I learned here from HDM, Patty Vaughan, Shawna, Sandy and a handful of others. Stick around and ask questions! And, welcome!

[DogFoodie]

Hi Goldenlover,

Patty & HDM offered some great suggestions to make your current food more palatable, but it sounds like you’re also interested in finding a quality food that is still affordable and appeals to your dog.

Have you taken a look at this list of 5 Star Dry Foods: /dog-food-reviews/dry/5-star/?

Or this list of Best Foods (which includes 4 and 5 Star Foods): /best-dog-foods/best-dry-dog-foods/

Yes, Nature’s Domain from Kirkland is inexpensive and many of those on these lists aren’t, but there are still some that are affordable ~ probably many are still more than Kirkland’s ND. Also, ND is grain free and Rachael Ray Nutrish is grain inclusive and both of these lists include both grain free and inclusive formulations. One thing I’m not thrilled with the ND about is that it’s made by Diamond, which if you’re not already aware, has a horrible history of recalls and their handling of same. I don’t do any Diamond products and know there are others who feel the same.

If you like the Rachael Ray Nutrish product, you might also try the RR Zero Grain Nutrish, that’s a four star product, but it’s a bit more expensive than the RR Nutrish. Other more affordable foods you might want to check into are 4Health Grain Free (available at TSC), Victor, NutriSource, Earthborn Holistics, Dr. Tim’s, Fromm, Hi-Tek, Nutrisca, Pro Pac and Whole Earth Farms. Nature’s Logic is a bit more expensive, but a really great product.

Lots of foods have “loyalty” programs, like NutriSource for example, buy 12 and get one free. You can go to the NutriSource website and enter a contest to win a free bag of food and if you don’t win (I’m still trying) you’ll at least get a two dollar coupon emailed to you. Rachael Ray always has coupons available for the Zero Grain Nutrish on the website. Also, some online retails outlets will offer a discount for auto-ship orders, but you still have the ability to change shipping frequency and add or change items.

Five stars are great, so are four stars when your dog loves the food and does great on it!

[DogFoodie]

Thanks, HDM!

You know, had it not been for your help, and the help of other raw feeders here, I probably would’ve been scared to get into raw at all. Raw can be a little bit intimidating and stressful and you guys always make it look so easy and are always so reassuring!

Thanks for taking the time to share all of your knowledge and experience with us!

Blessings, Betsy

[DogFoodie]

I’ve been doing RMBs intermittently, but am not trusting my math and am worried that I’m not calculating the amount that I’m given them correctly. Using a figure of 2.5% for the percent of their body weight that I’m choosing to feed, is this correct:

I’m feeding Sam as if he were 75 lbs, so the math is 75 x .025 = 1.88 lbs total daily divided by two meals is .94 lbs per meal, right?

When we get to 70 pounds, the math is 70 x .025 = 1.75 daily divded by two meals is .88 lbs per meal.

Bella, is 15 x .025 = .38 daily divded by two meals is .19 lbs per meal.

I found this conversion chart to convert pounds to ounces which will make this a heck of a lot easier to figure out when I get my digital kitchen scale. http://www.metric-conversions.org/weight/pounds-to-ounces.htm

It’s just that for some reason, the math is throwing me off. You gotta hand it to kibble in the convenience department when it comes to calculating portions.

[DogFoodie]

Viola! I just found my way into a raw food buying group!

OK, here’s what I did this afternoon. I sent an email to a local breeder that I found online and asked her if she had any local sources for buying RMBs, etc. She emailed me back this evening and had already been in touch with their person that heads up their co-op and got the OK from that person to have me get in touch with her to add my name to their list. Odd thing is, the person in charge of the co-op is the same person I took Sam to for obedience training when he was a wee pup and she and I enjoyed our raw conversations last Summer.

So, if you’re looking to get into a co-op, try searching out breeders in your area that are raw feeders and get in touch with them.

[DogFoodie]

Wow, FreeHoldHound, those all sound like great options!

I know Sandy buys a lot of her fresh things like chicken feet and these great big sardines, etc., at an Asian market near her, too. Hopefully since your raw food guy is so close to you, he wouldn’t mind working with you on placing an order directly if he can fill it at the same time he services the co-ops.

[DogFoodie]

Berners are beautiful, what’s funny to me is how similar their markings are to Bella’s, my tiny tri-color Cavalier. : )

Funny thing, I just discovered My Pet Carnivore is practically local for me!

Their headquarters is only a couple hours away and I live right by one of their delivery drop off points!

[DogFoodie]

Once upon a time, I had a shopping cart going with My Pet Carnivore and I never finished what I was doing. ::probably for the best::

Interestingly, I was just doing a quick search for local butchers and meat wholesalers that might carry RMBs and recreational bones, when I came across a breeder of Bernese Mountain Dogs who lives a few blocks from me. On her website, she mentioned that she feeds RMBs, so I emailed her and asked her if she had a local source.

I wish I could figure out how to post a picture in the forum. The breeder I mentioned has a litter of pups right now and has a close up shot of an adult Berner paw touching a tiny puppy paw. It’s super cute!

[DogFoodie]

I wish I could find some RMB like turkey necks locally. My local butcher only carries large weight bearing marrow bones.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Please Pass the Calgon,

The 4Health Large Breed that your pup is eating now is a grain inclusive product and Nature’s Domain is grain free; but, personally, I wouldn’t recommend either, primarily for the reason that both are Diamond products. Until your pup makes the transition to his/her new home, I’d probably keep him/her on the 4Health for a least a few weeks to avoid any more digestive upset that comes with the transition to a new home.

One very important thing with a large breed puppy is making certain that there’s an appropriate Calcium level ~ did you take a look at the documents that Hound Dog Mom shared at the very beginning of this thread? She included a list of foods that have Calcium levels appropriate for large breeds as well as some critical information for raising a large breed through puppyhood ~ you’ll want to take a look at the information she shared.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Somebodysme,

Yes, Orijen replaced white potato with chickpeas and lentils when they reformulated earlier this year.

I wish the trend in dog food hadn’t taken the apparent direction of putting chickpeas and lentils in place of white potato. The trade off for poor Sam was yeast for some serious GI upset and has still resulted in an awful lot of foods he cannot eat.

Sweet potatoes in place of white potato would’ve been a much better trade for us.

[DogFoodie]

Wow! What a great find for you! I hope you have great success with the Nature’s Logic. : )

[DogFoodie]

You know what really bums me out…, go to this page: http://www.nutrisourcedogfood.com/nutrisource/products

The poor NutriSource dog is the same clipart dog as the Shep dog!

[DogFoodie]

Hi Dr. Mike,

I forwarded an email to you from Bruce Shealy of Hi-Tek, who is one of the manufacturers of Aldi’s Shep Dog Food. He sent me some ingredient information and has actually been very responsive to my request for some information about the product.

If you don’t see my email, you might want to check your spam folder as I use an AOL address and get bumped to spam frequently as a result. I also forwarded the same email to Sandy that I sent to you.

Thanks!

Peace, Betsy

[DogFoodie]

That’s the truth, KarenC! I’ve learned so much here, but unfortunately I’ve also turned into a dog food hoarder as a result! LOL!

I believe, Ron’s story about Eddie and the kinds of things he says about commitment and ours being a throwaway society say a lot about the kind of people he and his wife are. Abby is lucky to have them ~ she’s found a safe, loving home with them. : )

[DogFoodie]

Hey KarenC,

Ron shared the sweetest story about how his first dog, Eddie, came into his life on a thread that he started called “Best Dry Dog Foods.” : )

[DogFoodie]

Darn it! Remember when we could up-vote posts in the forums! I wish we still could! And, I love Harry!

[DogFoodie]

Aww, Ron, that’s a very bittersweet story about Eddie.

It sounds like he found the home he needed with you and your wife. Most people would’ve never had the kindness or the patience Eddie deserved.

That explains your avatar, too. : )

I hope that Abby fills that empty space that Eddie left in your heart a bit.

[DogFoodie]

I know what you mean… I still will never forget the day I had to put down my black lab, Hannah. It was 03/03/2003, and I swear every time I talk about it, it makes my heart ache. It always feels like it was just yesterday. Hannah was the best dog ever (well, one of them).

It wasn’t until 04/29/2011, that I could bring myself to get another dog. That’s when my sunshine, Bella my Cavalier, came into our lives.

[DogFoodie]

ROFL, Sandy! That story about Pluto, Rain Man, is hilarious!

My two furballs are Arabella, who my daughter likes to call Arabella Louise and Sam. Poor Sam. Sam is registered, well not yet though, because we have yet to file his paperwork. I can’t decide on a good name for him.

Arabella, my sweet Cavalier, came from a rescue when she was 8 months old. The rescue was a small family operation and they actually had both of Bella’s parents. Bella was born there and both of the adults and all the pups were adopted out. The owner of the rescue was keeping Bella as her own. However, she quickly realized that Bella needed a much smaller family where she would get a lot more attention ~ the woman who had the rescue had several dogs of her own and all were large breed dogs. The day were adopted Bella, we didn’t get to meet the owner of the rescue in person because she couldn’t bring herself to be there and see Bella go. I completely understand. Arabella was given her name at birth by the owner of the rescue and it means answered prayer in Italian. I wasn’t about to change her name when I learned what it meant. My daughter was previously scared to death of dogs and Bella completely brought her out of it. Which brings us to Sam…

“Mom, may I pleeezzz have a Golden Retriever puppy.”

So last year, on July 4th, we picked out Sam. When he was officially 8 weeks old, a scant two days later, he was ready to come home with us.

So, maybe you guys can help me finishing naming Sam! The name of the kennel is Five Shy, so that has to be the first part of his name and the rest is up for grabs. He’s been Five Shy Katie’s Firecracker Sam and he’s been Five Shy Samuel Angyus Adams.

I don’t mean to hijack the thread, but you opened the door! : )

[DogFoodie]

Aww, Ron, I’m sorry about Eddie. : (

A lot of us here aren’t crazy about the foods our vets recommend. Vets get very little education in nutrition and what they do get is usually sponsored by the very same brands they usually sell in their clinics and recommend to their patients. I see an integrative vet and love that both she and the vet I see for my pup’s chiropractic care, prefer raw ~ but, they’re both far from the norm in their philosophies. All the vets at the practice where I see my integrative vet are Purdue vets (which, being a Purdue alum myself, I love), but for the most part, it’s traditional veterinary medicine.

Keep asking your questions here and stick around, you’ll learn more than you ever thought imaginable about dog food!

[DogFoodie]

Hi Ron,

Congrats on the new pup! That’s awesome you’ve adopted a more “mature” pet! Labs are so great, aren’t they.

I will totally second Patty’s recommendation for NutriSource. It does seem that it’s very easily transitioned to and I know that they carry it at PSP, that’s where I buy mine. By the way, NutriSource also has a loyalty program ~ ask them about it at PSP. Also, you can get coupons all the time from NutriSource by texting the word “Source” to 55678 ~ at the store where I shop, there’s also a really sweet NutriSource rep there frequently and she readily hands out coupons ~ even leaves them sticking out between the various stacks of their product at the store when she leaves.

OK, so I don’t work for Nutri Source and there are definitely other foods I like as well. Do you need to try to stick to a particular budget?

[DogFoodie]

Yes, ITA with Patty about Nature’s Logic! I’ve been using both the canned and kibble and have had great results with both. The protein is right where you want it; you can check here on their site: http://www.natureslogic.com/products/dp.html. I think it’s surprisingly affordable for a product of its quality. Nature’s Logic has earned my respect ~ they’re a very ethical company.

I’ve heard a lot of people say they had good results with Victor. I had a question about the product and was exchanging emails with someone there. They didn’t answer my question and when I emailed back specifically asking them to identify a particular ingredient, I never heard from them again. I was asking about the specific type of yeast extract that they use ~ thinking it could be MSG. I was disappointed, but crossed it off my list. I probably still would’ve been OK with the ingredients if it was MSG (I feed quite a few different foods so one questionable ingredient for a bags worth of food wasn’t a big issue), but it was the fact that the guy totally blew me off after I asked that got me wondering about them as a company.

Another product that’s budget friendly and that my crew loves is Dr. Tim’s Grain Free Kinesis. Dr. Tim Hunt makes himself very available to answer questions to as well.

I’m fine with Wellness. I’ve used it, but my dogs haven’t loved any of the varieties I’ve tried. I wouldn’t use TOTW, since it’s made by Diamond.

I love Orijen, but the new formula isn’t working for one of my dogs (both really). One gets a lot of gas and abundance of stool and the other gets a bit constipated. I think it’s the chickpeas and lentils that have cause some gastro issues. I was happy to get my hands on a couple bags of the “old” formula, but won’t be able to use the new formulas any longer. My two never cared for Acana and after several weeks developed loose stools (from both Grasslands and Ranchlands). So, I don’t use Acana in my rotation either.

Nutrisca is a great budget friendly food, that I actually have in my dog food stash, but after the Orijen chickpea fiasco, I’m afraid to use it.

Of course I think Nutri Source is great and the Super Performance would meet your criteria although it’s not grain free. Earthborn is great too, Primitive Natural would be your best bet there.

And then there’s Shep…, naw, just kidding.

[DogFoodie]

Shoot, wanted to do a quick edit of the above post, but was too late. I found the perfect container in my basement! One of those crocks that you put lemonade in for a large group at a picnic. It has a big wide mouth with a lid that sits on top and a spigot at the bottom. It can sit right on the kitchen counter and it looks nice. Plus, the crock keeps the water cooler than room temperature. Thanks again, Patty!

[DogFoodie]

Ah ha, Patty! That is a great idea, it didn’t even occur to me to do that. Doh! I’m sure I can scare up an empty jug around here that I can get the rocks into ~ they’re too big to put through the mouth of a jug the size of a milk jug. Thanks! I might actually get to see if they work now! You, ah hem, rock, Patty!

[DogFoodie]

Or there’s this… Sam will not drink the water with the rocks in his bowl. Oh well…

[DogFoodie]

Thanks for your opinion, Patty! I’m not sure they’re going to work for us anyway since I just put them in their water not more than three minutes ago and Sam has already run off with one twice. : )
It would never work for us to have water in the dish for 10 hours ~ Sam drinks constantly and anything that’s in his mouth (dirt, grass, slobber, etc.) ends up in the dish ~ I rinse and refill the dish as soon as I see it.

The worst part of this thread is that I suspect the grass burns are from Bella, my Cavalier, and therefore, I’ve been worrying that her urine is too acidic ~ but, now I read burns are actually caused by urine than is more alkaline. So far beyond the cosmetic issue , is it an indication that there could potentially be health issues down the road?

[DogFoodie]

I bought some dog rocks also; got them at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dog-Rocks-Prevent-Grass-Supply/dp/B000NE2UH4/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1372436745&sr=1-1&keywords=dog+rocks.

I haven’t used them yet. I think I’m hesitating since Sam and Bella drink from the same water dish and Sam makes a huge mess out of the water bowl so I’m constantly rinsing and refilling. It’s recommended that you put the rocks in their bowl and top off every evening and rinse the bowl every few days. I think my frequent rinsing and refilling might decrease the effectiveness. Plus, the manufacturer of the rocks recommends feeding a “premium dry dog food and keep the red meat to a minimum.”

[Author]

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