[DogFoodie]

Just had to throw in the “gobbledygook” comment. Not all natural remedies are “gobbledygook,” Red. I don’t understand why you feel it’s your responsibility to constantly badmouth natural remedies and homeopathics.

[DogFoodie]

I would’ve started with a lower dose also.

I’ve definitely heard of dogs getting too much probiotic, too soon, and developing loose stool as a result.

My favorite probiotics are the human grade ones I buy from Swanson.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Kathleen,

Take a look at Victor Yukon River, Acana Pacifica, and Orijen Six Fish if you’re looking for a fish-based alternative to the Merrick.

[DogFoodie]

I agree with Dori. That’s crazy that your vet can’t get you in until September 14th! Call first thing in the morning and tell them she needs to be seen ASAP. Sometimes when we call doctors / vets, etc., about things we think maybe aren’t serious, the person we speak to doesn’t think it’s serious either. I know I’ve done that in the past with my daughter and the condition was very serious. If they still can’t get you in, find a different vet or look for an emergency vet clinic affiliated with a College of Veterinary Medicine.

[DogFoodie]

I used to feed my Cavalier Ziwipeak when she was my only dog. She liked it, but it doesn’t rehydrate well at all. She ate it dry. It’s like little pieces of soft jerky.

[DogFoodie]

I recently organized a donation drive for my local shelter.

One of the items they needed most was HE laundry detergent. The other much needed item was/is cash for medical care.

Also, the shelter uses one specific brand of food that they buy from a local feed / garden type store. It’s some horrible disgusting brand of food that’s full of grain, but they keep the dogs on the same food the whole time they’re at the shelter. I don’t like it, but it’s what they use. So rather than donating bags of food to them, I collected cash donations and went to the feed store and bought a gift card. The shelter gets a discount on their purchases at the feed store and they’re tax-exempt. So, it just made more sense to be able to give them a gift card which when redeemed by them goes much further than my dollars would if I had made the purchase.

[DogFoodie]

It won’t help a bit of he’s intolerant of fish.

Have you conducted an elimination diet to determine if the problem is food related?

Fish oil can help with inflammation, but too much fish oil can be unhealthy.

[DogFoodie]

Do you mean plant based? A grain free food couldn’t be grain based.

[DogFoodie]

Puppy, Marie? You didn’t tell me anything about a puppy. 😉

[DogFoodie]

From the MPC website:

“We recommend a diet consisting of 80% meat, 10% bone & 10% organs which approximates a whole prey diet as we believe nature intended. Any My Pet Carnivore product that has “Whole Ground…” or “Whole Prey…” in the description is the complete animal (minus intestines, fur or feathers). If you are looking for an easy meal, that’s the way to go! ”

https://www.mypetcarnivore.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=143&Itemid=391&lang=en

When I order raw, I order from MPC because I’m on their home delivery route.

[DogFoodie]

I’ve used this for plaque control with success: http://www.plaqueoff.com/animal/Animal-Products.html

These still aren’t great, but they’re an improvement over Greenies: http://www.virbacvet.com/products/detail/c.e.t.-veggiedent-tartar-control-chews-for-dogs/chews

[DogFoodie]

Unfortunately, Cheryl, most synthetic vitamin pre-mixes are from China.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Tyler,

You could try adding some bulk to her diet in the form of canned pumpkin, some ground chia seed, psyllium husk or some unsweetened Metamucil. I like a product called Firm Up, which is stored pumpkin and apple pectin. It’s shelf stable so it lasts a lot longer than canned pumpkin. There’s a product called Glandex that I’ve never used, but others here have with success. I don’t know much about it, so hopefully someone who does will weigh in.

It could be a fiber issue, in that your dog might need higher fiber.

It could also be that she’s eating something to which she intolerant. I have a dog with a number of food sensitivities and when he’s exposed to something to which he’s intolerant, it’s not at all unusual for his anal glands to start smelling strongly.

I hope you find a solution quickly. Manual expression of small gland is not an ideal circumstance and should be avoided if at all possible.

[DogFoodie]

Like Pitlove said, Orijen is fairly big. My Cavalier is eating Regional Red right now. I hadn’t fed it in a while and it seems smaller than the last time I fed it. It might very well be fine for your pup. If you find its too big, give it a quick whirl in a coffee grinder or food processor.

[DogFoodie]

“I don’t believe blanket statements about anything are a good thing or helpful, there are always exceptions.”

Really? Nor do I. Which is why I believe there is a time and place for both traditional and Western medicine and a more holistic approach. I believe you can gain information from a variety of sources. My vet practices integrative medicine, so I have the best of both worlds. Believe it or not, sometimes something as simple as a change in diet, can resolve certain issues. There are no one or two foods that will fix every dog’s problems.

My neurologist utilized electromyography, a form of biofeedback, for an important nerve conduction study when I was diagnosed with a serious medical condition. He doesn’t seem to equate it with aromatherapy.

Honestly, thinking outside the box is pretty liberating, but I doubt Skepvet would endorse it.

[DogFoodie]

Even the Mayo Clinic uses biofeedback. I’m surprised you’re not familiar with it, Red.

And yes, it is up the individual. Unfortunately, anything not endorsed by the almighty Skeptvet and subsequently by you, is deemed worthless and a waste of money.

[DogFoodie]

The Glacier Peaks Sensitivity Assessment that Susan mentioned isn’t a traditional salvia test. It uses biofeedback energy from the DNA samples that you provide from both your dog’s saliva and hair.

I’ve done the test and was very surprised by my results. I believe my attempt at what I refer to as a modified elimination diet (only because it wasn’t a true and properly conducted elimination diet), weren’t reliable. Two friends who have conducted true elimination diets said their GP test results were spot on. And, as Susan mentioned, the test covers tons of foods and environmental triggers. I liked that it also have recommendations for supplementation.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Kristen,

You might also take a look at Victor. It’s a quality product, trustworthy manufacturer and is very budget friendly when you’re able to buy it locally.

I use lots of different foods in my rotation, and when my Cavalier ate the Yukon River formula, she did great on it! Probably better than anything else she eats.

Here’s a link to their site: http://victordogfood.com/

There’s a “Find a Store” tab in the middle of the upper part of the page.

[DogFoodie]

You can buy also plain simethicone without sorbitol. I always have it on hand, just in case.

[DogFoodie]

I found a Linked In profile for a guy who was a sales rep for Fresh Fetch. His profile says he left in April of 2015. I thought that seemed interesting.

[DogFoodie]

I called United Pacific Pet and got the same recording. Their business hours are 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM Pacific time.

I wondered if maybe you had acookie issue, so I put a bunch of stuff in my cart and went to check out and got that same “store closed for maintenance” notice. I notice the Whole Foods logo on the Fresh Pet website. So you have one of their stores near you that carries it?

Hmm, wondering what’s happening? I’d sure hate to see this quality product fail.

[DogFoodie]

You can use it with each meal if you’re making a cold turkey switch without a transition if your pups aren’t used to rotation. Or, you could choose to just use it in the event of a loose stool. A tablespoon for your smaller dogs with each meal should be fine.

[DogFoodie]

That one sounds good, too. Those “other ingredients” are probably part of the capsule. If necessary, you could ditch the capsule and mix the contents into her food.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Cheryl,

Congrats on the new babies!

What are you using for heartworms? I use Sentinel Spectrum and my vet suggested Nexgard could be added to it for serious infestations.

Also, have you tried using neem oil on your yard in conjunction with the diamectious earth?

[DogFoodie]

LOL, aquariangt! 😉

Hi Kevin,

I’d second the same recommendations you were given for the pumpkin.

Here’s the Quercetin I use: http://www.swansonvitamins.com/swanson-premium-quercetin-bromelain-250-78-mg-250-caps. I use a lot of products from Swanson. They have great prices on stuff and carry a huge variety. They even have hygiene and grocery items. Free shipping with a minimum purchase.

If I were choosing from the products you linked from Amazon, I’d probably choose the Now. I really like Solgar products, but the Solgar Quercetin with Bromelain includes things I’d rather not.

[DogFoodie]

Adding plain, canned pumpkin will help with the transition and add bulk to any loose stool that might occur.

[DogFoodie]

Ugh, just saw your picture. That’s some irritated looking skin. Yeah, you need to break the itch / scratch cycle. The Mercola article I linked above has some ideas for rinses that you can use to wipe her off after she’s been outside.

Do you bathe her often? What kind of shampoo do you use? My favorite shampoos are from Mercola: http://products.mercola.com/healthypets/dog-shampoo/. You might be able to find it at a boutique pet shop near you. I also like Halo: http://shop.halopets.com/Products/All-Grooming-Supplies?type=grooming; and Earthbath: http://earthbath.com/product-category/shampoo/ I would be careful not to use any grain-inclusive grooming products, just in case yeast on the skin is a concern.

You already have one breed susceptible to skin and food issues, but your new pup is notorious for the same issues.

[DogFoodie]

Yes, I would go for the Acana Duck and Pear. That product used to be grain inclusive and isn’t any longer. Just be careful and make sure that you’re buying the new formula with the ingredients you mentioned above.

[DogFoodie]

OK, then I’d probably try the NVI LID and would choose either duck or rabbit.

And, yes, like Pitlove mentioned, it could definitely also be seasonal allergies. My dog with food intolerances also has seasonal allergies, but my dog that can eat anything, has none. Also, because of the age of your puppy, you would likely just now be starting to see those seasonal allergy symptoms and you have nothing to connect them to except food. I would start keeping a journal now of all of her symptoms and once you’ve cycled a year, you might start to see some patterns. I would still change her food, just in case.

For my dog’s seasonal allergies this year, I started using Quercetin with Bromelain and Papain along with an Omega 3 supplement. I also started putting Collodial Silver drops in his ears. It’s helped quite a bit and our pollen levels have been at a 20 year high. I’ve noticed my guy starts scratching his ears more when the mold is high. Which it is today after yesterday’s storms.

Here’s an article that references the supplements I mentioned: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/06/22/pets-seasonal-allergies.aspx

[DogFoodie]

I doubt there’ll ever be a day when Blue Buffalo appears on the Editor’s Choice list. Those four and five star ratings on the review side are based solely on ingredients. Editor’s Choice takes much more into consideration and Blue Buffalo is lacking in both quality control and transparency, which are two important factors in determining brands that meet the EC criteria.

Edit: We were typing at the same time, Deirdre. I second your post in its entirety! 🙂

• This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by DogFoodie.

[DogFoodie]

Something else I was thinking was that it could be a reaction to the anesthesia or some or medication used during the procedures.

If there’s lamb in her current diet, I’d pass on the California Natural Lamb & Rice. What about turkey, duck or rabbit. Has she NOT eaten any of those? If not, another one to try would be Nature’s Variety Instinct LID. Here’s a link to their product page so you can take a look: http://www.instinctpetfood.com/instinct-limited-ingredient-food-dogs-and-cats

If she doesn’t have a problem with lentils, another to try would be California Natural GF Salmon & Peas: http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products/1731

• This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by DogFoodie.

[DogFoodie]

The most top of the line super premium food will be worthless if your dog is intolerant to one or more ingredients it contains.

You need to figure out what’s causing the problem and eliminate it. Keep in mind that dogs can be intolerant of much more than animal protein or grain and that true allergies are extremely rare. For example, my dog is intolerant of fish, flax, rice, barley, wheat, millet, chickpeas, lentils, tomato, garlic, etc…. the list goes on.

You need to start by choosing a very simple food with a protein and a starch that are both novel to your dog. If you’re up for it, you can conduct a true elimination diet, but they require strict discipline.

One food you might consider is California Natural Lamb & Rice, assuming she hasn’t had either lamb or rice previously.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Lisa,

Are you buying a 30 pound bag of dog food for your two small dogs?

How long does it take you to finish a bag and how are you storing it?

[DogFoodie]

Mine are painfully easy keepers. One of mine gets about 325 kcals per day and the other about 1,000 kcals per day.

Because I rotate a lot of different foods of different types, it’s important for me to keep track of the kcals I’m feeding rather than a volume measurement.

[DogFoodie]

Oh Cyndi! My vet gets on my case when I see her if I’m NOT feeding raw at the moment! 🙂

[DogFoodie]

Not 4 or 5 star, not even reviewed, but I’ve used it and know other regular posters here who also have with success… Abady granular has 796 calories per cup.

http://www.therobertabadydogfoodcoltd.com/Maint_Stress_Ingred.htm

[DogFoodie]

I think it’s possible that the insomnia could be the result of the blindness.

[DogFoodie]

Food sensitivities can be to almost anything. That said, the first thing I would try is eliminating any chicken or chicken eggs. I wouldn’t choose Blue Buffalo products for my dog, but I’d also try a different food for your dog as all Blue Buffalo products contain chicken.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Kate,

I know you just spent about $275 on the NutriScan, but I recently had a food sensitivity test by Glacier Peak Holistic. The test results are the result of biofeedback energy collected from DNA on hair and saliva samples you send them. My test results are extensive. It tests 34 animal proteins plus numerous other fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, oils, spices as well as environmental sensitivities. Plus, it makes recommendations for beneficial supplements. It also identifies possible concerns to address with your vet. The test was $85. My test result yielded some surprises. I talked to two friends who received their test results at the same time and they feel the results are highly accurate based on past elimination diet results.

Here’s a link: http://www.glacierpeakholistics.com/More-Than-an-Allergy-Test_p_80.html

One problem with lamb, is that it’s frequently high in fat. So I understand, are you looking for a food that is lamb based and pea free? One that comes to mind is California Natural Lamb and Rice if you’re not opposed to grain.

[DogFoodie]

If he came from a breeder, you chould call and ask what they were being fed.

Was this a reputable breeder? I’m wondering since they let the pup go a little too soon. My dog just turned three, but I could still reach out to his breeder.

[DogFoodie]

Pitlove is in the Deep South, Red. From personal experience, I know that fleas are very bad where she lives.

[DogFoodie]

I understand hating the chemicals. 🙁

I use the Sentinel Spectrum for heartworm protection for my dogs now. My integrative vet recommends it and uses it for her own dog. It has the added benefit of containing Lufenuron, which essentially makes adult fleas infertile, reducing the number of fleas in your environment. It offers no protection against ticks, which your Nexgard does. Nexgard kills adult fleas. My vet suggested that for a heavy infestation, both could be used together.

I recently learned about a new non-prescription product that is a spot-on for fleas and ticks called Activyl, but I know very little about it.

What are you currently using for heartworm protection?

[DogFoodie]

Many years ago I had a black lab who had flea bite dermatitis. She was miserable. lived in the South myself (FL, GA, MS) and know fleas are highly prevalent there and impossible to get rid of. After Iput her on Sentinel, she was a new dog. What sort of flea prevention are you using?

[DogFoodie]

My Cavalier can eat virtually anything. She loves raw and does very well on a high protein, moderate fat diet with a bit higher fiber. That’s my toy breed though – yours could very well be different. When she eats kibble, I try to choose those that are smaller pieces. Although she eats Orijen, which is one of the biggest, with no problem. You can always give dry food a whirl in a coffee grinder if you want to make it smaller. The great thing is, it’s a bit easier to feed them higher quality foods because they eat such small portions. Just be careful, because it’s very easy to overfeed a small dog. There’s much less room for error when you’re only eating 300-some calories per day.

[DogFoodie]

Aww, poor little girl!

First thing that I thought of was The Honest Kitchen, so I definitely like your dehydrated idea. Canned foods would be a good choice also. Pure Balance at Wal-Mart is very good quality that’s budget friendly. You could add a bit more water if necessary to thin it out a bit.

Something else to consider might be FreshPet foods. Mine like the pouch meals and the piece are soft. She should be able to chew those with just her jaw bones.

My friend had a little, tiny, old terrier with no teeth and a big tongue. The cute thing is that her tongue is always hanging out.

Good luck with your little girl! I’ll pray that they are adopted together.

[DogFoodie]

Grrr… auto-correct! It changes things just enough to be totally confusing!

[DogFoodie]

Wysong Epigen is good product, Pitlove. It’s worth a try, but it also quite possibly not food related.

That said, I have a Golden whose seasonal allergies became very apparent to me this spring. He was eating a particular food that he’s always done great on when seemingly out of nowhere, he had yeast infections in both ears. He does have food intolerance issues also, and in the past, when he’s reacted to foods, he’s had the same type of reaction which resulted in yeast infections in his ears – usually his right ear. But, this year, I was able to relate the timing of the onset of his symptoms to seasonal environmental changes. Looking back, it happened the same time last year. I was starting him on Springtime’s Bug Off Garlic and I attributed his ear infections to him reacting to that. I’m still not certain whether or not he’s intolerant of garlic.

One thing I did that seemed to help was to add Quercetin with Bromelain, Papain and an Omega 3 supplement to help the scratching. I could tell a difference. My dogs allergies have improved as the particular pollen season that seemed to affect him the most has decreased a bit. We’re still not in the clear, but I’m formulating my strategy for next spring.

Another thing you might consider doing is preparing a rinse of diluted white vinegar. Use it to clean his feet and wipe off his legs and belt with it every time he comes in from outside. Vacuum frequently. Keep indoor cleaning products simple and natural. The sensitivity could also be to products in your home; ie: cleaning products, new carpet, bedding, etc.

A raw diet would be great, but it’s OK if you’re able to do it currently. Since you’re interested, talk to your boyfriend and find out why he feels uneasy about it. Would he be feeding your pup at times? Maybe you could assume sole responsibility of feeding him if your boyfriend is uneasy about it. Also, half raw is better than none. Maybe you could try a commercial raw – that’s sometimes easier to stomach for queasy feeders. It’s also agreat way to be sure you’re getting balanced meals. A dehydrated food like The Honest Kitchen would also be less processed than kibble. I’d probably choose a grain free one like Zeal. Raw isn’t for everyone. My Golden isn’t a fan of raw, unless it’s tripe, which he eats eagerly. Another option would be canned food.

Allergy testing is notoriously inaccurate. I actually had a hair and saliva test recently that tests samples using biofeedback energy. The test was affordable for me, but I’m struggling to make sense of the results. My integrative vet and I were discussing another test, Dr. Jean Dodds, NutriScan test as likely being the most reliable, but still limited in scope and possibly accuracy. So, you’re better off with an elimination diet for food intolerance issues and developing a strategy for dealing with your pup’s environmental sensitivities.

There was someone here who was feeling with an issue with a food the same breed as yours and she ended up figuring out that it was a specific new detergent she was using. She stooped using the detergent and the symptoms disappeared. She had started using Gain lavender. She and her pup went through h*ll until she figured it out.

I know how frustrating it can be. There’s an awful lot of us here dealing with similar issues. You’re not alone! Good luck!

[DogFoodie]

Are you asking if you wasted money on the Blue Buffalo or on your Editor’s Choice membership? If it’s the former, yes; the latter, no. IMO.

[DogFoodie]

Sounds like it could definitely be environmental allergies. It wouldn’t hurt to start a diluted vinegar rinse and clean his feet each time he comes in from outside.

How old is your pup? What’s he eating and how long has he been eating it?

[DogFoodie]

I’ve used Horizon (Legacy, Pulsar and Amicus) and love their products.

I agree with Aquariangt, is definitely use all these brands in rotation!

Congrats on the puppy!! Corgis are so darn cute, especially the babies. 🙂

[Author]

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