[Bobby dog]

Bobby will eat anything and does well on everything I have tried so far; I do kibble and canned or fresh meat also. Out of Purina’s Pro Plan recipes for dogs I would feed the Select beef or chic & brown rice canned formulas and the Select chic & brown rice dry. I would also feed the Beyond One formulas. Bobby is on a rotation diet and so far I can feed GF or grain inclusive with no issues.
On another subject, I was looking for coupons on the Purina site and saw they are adding new flavors to the Beyond One line for dogs. It looks like they are also changing the dry cat Beyond One formulas, adding more flavors, and adding canned food. The canned will be grain inclusive and GF. They will be out in the summer so they will probably have promos for it. I will be checking out the canned cat food when they debut it.

[Bobby dog]

Whoops! I meant there are Purina One canned cat food coupons from their website, not Pro Plan!! Sorry.

[Bobby dog]

Out of the Purina Pro Plan and One canned food lines, the flavors I listed are possibilities for my cats. I listed the ingredients that I don’t like to see in pet food but are however included in the selections below. Out of the One line the only one I would feed is the Classic. The Savory, Smart Blend Healthy Metabolism, and Pairings recipes all include wheat gluten, corn starch, meat by-products, soy protein, artificial color & flavor, K3.

No matter what I might say about Purina, the cats do like their canned cat food. So here are the lines and flavors that I would feed under the Pro Plan and One canned foods. I hope that it can contribute to your list. 

Purina Pro Plan:
Finesse – K3, artificial flavors, meat by-products: Chic & Liver

Savor – K3, artificial flavors, fish, meat by-products:
Beef & Carrots, Chic & Spinach, Salmon & Wild Rice, and Turkey & Veg

Focus – K3, added color, artificial flavor, fish, meat by-products:
Chic & Beef (lists salmon in recipe), the kitten Chic & Liver

Purina One:
Classic – all but Classic Turkey contain fish, all recipes include meat by-products, artificial flavor & color, corn oil, and K3:
Classic Turkey (no fish), Classic Beef, or Classic Chic

[Bobby dog]

You can print as many of those Pro Plan coupons as you want off the Purina website, but I can only do it one at a time. If I understand the “rules” printed on the coupon (you would be able to verify this for me coupon guru), it doesn’t state one coupon for purchase so I guess it would be up to the store how many cans/coupons you could use/buy at one time. I will dig up the list in a minute. I don’t believe the Healthy Metabolism fit my ingredient criteria.

[Bobby dog]

Hey Arkari:
Thanks so much for sharing the list:) I made a very quick list of the Pro Plan and One lines of canned cat food to determine if I could use any in a pinch. My list is only compiled looking at ingredients alone, for example food without artificial colors, flavors, wheat, corn, soy, fish etc. I will post that when I get a moment just in case your interested. I took the time to look into it because there are always coupons floating around for these two Purina canned cat food lines. Thanks again!

[Bobby dog]

Yes, $4 good til Dec though. Sorry, I misread what you wrote, thought you were asking where the sample offer was posted. Are you able to over-ride their print limit of two?

I think I’ll print one for the Zero Grain to use when I go to Wal-Mart in the next few weeks and get a bag regardless of the flavor for a back-up. Fingers crossed for the new flavor.

Someone just posted a picture of the new Pure Balance single serve wet dog food. I’ll see if they have any of those too.

[Bobby dog]

Go to her website and click news & offers, then on the right click switch to Nutrish. There are coupons there now. I always print all of them without any problem, but they only print two, no overriding the print limit, at least I haven’t found out how to.

It looks like the free sample of zero grain is not there anymore. But they are offering $4.00 off zero grain, $2.00 nutrish & catfood, buy 2 get one free dog & cat wet foods. The coupon on the samples were good until Dec, these coupons are good I think for about a month after you print!

The sample was a typical sample size which is a days worth of kibble for Bobby because I also do canned or fresh meat with each meal. Keep checking her website, I have found the free sample offer every couple months. I sign up for a sample each time I see it because of the coupon that is on the sample.

[Bobby dog]

I just got my second RR zero grain sample in the mail yesterday. I have two $4.00 off zero grain coupons now. When I pick up horse feed I will check out Wal-Mart (across the street) to see if that one is carrying the new flavor. If they don’t, I’ll hang on to them until they do; they’re both good until December.

My local pet store chain gives away free calendars for the new year and of course each month has two coupons good at their stores for various foods. This year though it seems the calendar was sponsored by Science Diet. But next month they have $5.00 off any Nutrisource product, any size. So that will probably be Bobby’s dinner for next month. A small bag normally lasts a month or close to it. Either way, I have a coupon for next month. Now I just need more cat coupons! If I find any, I’ll post on this thread.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Jakes mom:
I am not sure what your budget is or what companies you prefer or have tried, but I had luck with one of my finicky kitties on the Tiki Cat chicken flavors. There are only two that are completely chicken. Against the Grain has a couple of just chicken flavors that he liked also. Both of them are shredded chicken, not a pate’ or stew styles. However, he never really seems to be in love with any single food, just likes some a little more.

[Bobby dog]

Isn’t taking care of a litter box annoying? One of these days I am going to teach my cats to use the toilet, yeah right! lol

That’s perfect to squeeze in a Vet appointment for the other things he needs and at least the Vet will be able to give you a follow-up for the UTI.

I am getting ready to put some numbers into the carb calculator.

[Bobby dog]

Jakes Mom: Thanks for the info, very appreciated!

Akari,
Thanks for the link! Very interesting.

One thing I didn’t mention in my litter care reply. I know I wrote I go by odor when deciding when to dump the box, but if I were treating a UTI I would empty my litter each week for a month. Along with being extra diligent with scooping, for example if I was home I would check often to see if it needed scooping, I would also wash the box and scooper with a disinfectent to kill bacteria. I would do this to help with keeping the bacteria down and re-infecting him.

If you feel he is still having issues, if I were you, I would check in with my Vet and explain what I observe/suspect. He might have an additional treatment plan for you via a phone consultation. I just know from experience it’s important to stay ahead of UTI infections.

[Bobby dog]

Hey Akari:
You can’t have all the coupons and deals to yourself, it’s about time they put their foot down! lol. How did they break the news to you that you could not use all of your coupons? Were they polite about it?

I am looking through my coupons right now because I have to pick up horse feed soon at TSC and I can use some Wellness coupons there. Petco is having a no minimum purchase over the Internet this weekend. I am buying a small bag of Rotations to try, they have them listed at 1/2 price $9.99. I also am ordering a few cases of Soulistic. Perfect timing for the free shipping sale because I don’t need too many things from them right now.

I still feed my cats fish once or twice a week, if I didn’t they would revolt! I try my best to avoid canned food with fish in it, but it is almost impossible. The next thing I try to look for is a named fish rather than “fish or ocean fish” and it not being named as a top three ingredient. I look for sardine, mackeral, menhaden (spelling), trout, terms like wild caught, fresh water even better etc.

If you don’t mind, would you share the list of cat food you come up with? I like to hear about what other people use so I can try out different brands and varieties especially for the cats. I am checking out the Friskies you mentioned above. I did buy some poultry platter that C4c mentioned to use as a mixer for when they get bored with what I am serving. They all love their Friskies.

[Bobby dog]

I feel your pain. My five cats eat me out of house and home, but I just adore and love them. You are much more diligent than me when it comes to proportions, good job! Thinking about it I estimate what each cat is eating in canned food. On average 3 – 5 ounces/day with ¼ cup of dry food each. But if they are begging for more they get it because there are no weight problems and other than my one cat with thyroid issues, everyone is healthy.

I know I always mention Tractor Supply, but if you are near one or happen to be by one at some point, their 4Health cat food is priced the same as Friskies, maybe 3 cents higher, at 49 cents 5.5 ounces or $1.00 for 12+ ounces. They don’t have the 4Health canned cat food on their website. They have their Friskies version (Paws & Claws) pictured with the 4Health logo under it. Just like C4c buys Authority as one of her budget friendly foods, I buy 4Health to throw into my mix. I mix it with the good stuff here and there. They use named meats, no wheat, corn, or soy etc. The only thing I don’t like about it is their recipes include brewers rice or potatoes as ingredients, so it is probably higher in carbs which is why I don’t just feed that brand; it just helps keep costs down and the other ingredients are pretty good in it.

You probably already have done this, since you are the coupon guru, but sometimes on the Fancy Feast and Sheba websites they have coupons/special offers. I got a free sample from Sheba not too long ago. When they are on sale or I have a coupon I buy those brands also.

[Bobby dog]

What the what? What store did you rob? If it was convenient I would go back for more! Great buys and hey, you got a nice little rotation going even if it is only for a few days.

[Bobby dog]

Hi aquarianqt:
What size is your hydroponic garden? What do you plant? I agree, Red Rocks is awsome!!!

[Bobby dog]

Akari, I probably would have to say the rule of thumb is to dump your box weekly, however I don’t. I go by odor, I scoop pretty regularily and I spot clean using a bleach/H2O combo in a spray bottle (from you guessed it, catinfo.org). Hopefully someone else can tell you about what routine they follow, I don’t want to lead you astray.

Also, I never used it or looked into it, but on catinfo.org one of the clumping litters she recommends is Petco’s brand. She says they sell it loose from a bin? I don’t know because I haven’t walked into that store in ages. But, even if they don’t have something like this I believe they do have their own brand that may be worth looking into.

[Bobby dog]

Yes it does. And I plan to use lids on mine for the porch because it is gross to see a litter box on the porch, even though it’s a fairly large porch, when you are trying to relax and enjoy the day. Dogs are so gross, my JRT use to do the same thing. Luckily I only have to watch Bobby around horse manure!

[Bobby dog]

Hi C4c:
I love my tote litter box on wheels. It really makes cleaning around it easy. I think it is a 45 gallon, it might be a little bigger, maybe a little smaller. Anyway, it’s the tote at Wal-Mart that has two wheels on the bottom. Because of where I put it, I made my opening on the short end and I put an old rubber car mat outside of the opening for a mat. As recommended on the site, I do not place the lid on the tote. I also have another regular litter box in the basement but they hardly use it, they like the tote. I still have regular litter boxes on my porch too, keeps them from using the flower bed for a bathroom. I will be replacing them with totes as well. Love the tote!!!!

[Bobby dog]

Hi Akari:
I normally clean the litter box three times a day. If I am home I end up checking it often and clean it whenever I see a cat used it. I also made my litter box like the one on catinfo.org, out of a 45 gallon tote box. It has two wheels on it so it makes it easy to move to clean the floor around it. If I don’t get to clean it out as often as I like, since its big there’s alot of room for the cats to find their space inside.

My mom once had the bright idea of just scooping the very top of the litter box for some reason. When I saw her doing that I explained my opinion of it being more costly, but the main reason you must keep a tidy litter box is to keep bacteria levels down. A dirty litter box also encourages a cat to find other places to go to the bathroom. Who wants to use a dirty bathroom, cat or human?

I refuse to use scented litter too. It is not healthy for them and I absolutely hate perfume and fecal smell mixed together, mmmmm smells so good, not. I use TSC scoopable, 40 lbs for $9.99. They have two varieties, one is for multiple cats which is scented, and the other one just states its scoopable and does not list a scent on its ingredients.

[Bobby dog]

Akari, which city is the old person capital of the world?

[Bobby dog]

Hi sue66b:
I am really jealous of your talk of a dog beach; especially because winter is just ending and I have only seen a few signs of spring coming our way!!! When I used to work with racehorses, the circuit would sometimes take me to Florida in the winter. One of my favorite things to do after work, and one of my fondest life memories, was riding my bike to the beach with my JRT in the front basket. We would have the best time swimming and running along the beach.

Australia is on my travel list I am just not sure about the air travel time so I will probably have to plan a trip with a few stops. The farthest I have traveled is to the United Arab Emirites and it wiped me out.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Shasta:
Too funny, I don’t know if you will ever acquire a taste for it! Bobby is used to it now and does not seem to notice it in his food. When I do use ACV I only need about a ¼ teaspoon myself so I don’t bother mixing it with anything.

I am not sure if you want to use ACV regularly for yourself, but if you do I just found out, thanks to Sandy, that they make ACV capsules and Bragg’s makes ACV drinks. As TheBCNut wrote in a DFA comment section, the capsules probably wouldn’t be of benefit for acid reflux because you need the ACV delivered to the top of your stomach, but the capsules would be good for all the other ACV benefits. Here’s a link for the capsule info:
http://www.swansonvitamins.com/q?kw=apple+cider+vinegar

[Bobby dog]

Hi Shasta:
I love your artwork, my brother was a wonderful artist; he drew with charcoal. I always admire people who can draw because I wish I had that talent! I agree with melissaandcrew, I think you should take your talent on the road and draw some pet portraits for people too. I would love to see a pic of your cow tacked up when you get to that point in your training!

I like to read, I have two horses and a barn I tend to, and of course caring for my family, cats and dog. I garden in the summer. Each season I grow sunflowers, cat nip, pumpkins, corn, green beans, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and various vegetables and herbs. Right now I am growing pumpkins, tomatoes, pansies, johnny jump ups, and marigolds under growing lights in my basement for spring planting.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Shasta:
I have plenty of cats, five, who decided to live with me. Like C4c I have a budget to keep in mind for my zoo. I pretty much feed the same brands as C4c. I highly recommend you check out catinfo.org for cat food info and other tips; it’s my go to site for my cats like this site is for my dog. I have guidelines I try my best to follow and feed mostly poultry based canned foods without fish, wheat, corn, soy, and little to no starches if possible. However, my cats are older and like what they like, they need their fish and dry food fixes so they do get fish a couple times a week and a little GF kibble daily.

I rotate brands and flavors frequently, but I would suppose it would be up to your cat to decide if she likes rotation or not. I even mix different brands and flavors together if they seem to be tiring of what I am feeding. I look for GF kibble without fish meal. I feed Wellness GF Turkey & Duck meal (my favorite kibble for them) and Merrick GF chicken kibbles. I have recently fed Innova Prime GF chicken kibble and will probably add that to my rotation.

I like and have fed the brands you listed. I regularly feed EVO, Merrick, Wellness, 4Health, Soulistic (chic flavors only), and Tiki cat canned foods. I will buy any quality brand on sale that meet all or most of the standards I follow for pet food purchases. Cats are funny creatures, they pretty much will tell us what they will eat and when they will eat it, but you got to love that about them!

As far as oral health, I haven’t had too many issues with my cats through the years and I have never tried any oral health products for pets. When I see tarter on their teeth I have always been able to remove it gently myself (with my fingernails) and my Vet says all their teeth look good.

PS: your kitty is beautiful!!

[Bobby dog]

Hi weezerweeks:
I feed the canned 12.5 ounce Pure Balance stews and 95% meat varieties to my dog. I do not think their is a DFA rating for the 95% meat Pure Balance, but I believe it is the same quality as the stew and would rate as well.

I have been feeding the Pure Balance canned for a while my dog loves them, does well on them, and I of course love the price.

I haven’t seen the tubs that you mention yet. Next time I am at Wal-Mart I am going to see if they have them at my store. I know they just added a bison flavor to the Pure Balance GF kibble line.

Wal-Mart and TSC drive me crazy because it takes them so long to update their websites with new products and not every Wal-Mart carries the same products.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Shasta:
I have to write, I had to build my dog, who pretty much eats anything, up to the 1/4 teaspoon in his food. I threw it in the first time and he tasted it, looked at me, tasted it, looked back up, it took him a couple minutes to finish his food but he did. So the next feeding I started with just a splash and built it up from there. I don’t think he’d go for it in his water bowl either. I love the taste of it so when I have reflux taking a small spoonful is nothing to me.

[Bobby dog]

Hey Aleksandra:
Time to put those coupons to good use and get some toppers to hide the ACV in Brunos food lol. I put 1/4 t of ACV with 2 Tablespoons of H2O in my dogs food morning and night to help with the indigestion issues he had. TheBCnut suggests 1/2 teaspoon of ACV mixed with at least double the amount of H2O (so you don’t damage the enamel on your dog’s teeth) per cup of kibble.

I also use ACV when I have reflux. Thanks to TheBCnut I learned I was brushing my teeth too soon after using it and was possibly damaging the enamel of my teeth, thank you BCnut!

[Bobby dog]

Oh I forgot, I copied that budget friendly dog food thread! I copied it for me and for anyone else I can talk into improving their dog’s diet!

[Bobby dog]

I used my BOGO’s because I hadn’t printed my $1 coupons yet. I always do that, I need to get in the habit of printing them right away. Instead I am lazy, put it off, and forget about it until I am driving by the pet store. As Homer says “Doh!”

And Aleksandra I will have to refer you to Akari because my pet stores always follow the instructions on the coupon so I can never combine it seems, poor me!

[Bobby dog]

Akari:
You are now my coupon Guru! So be prepared, when I have coupon questions be warned I will be tracking you down on DFA! And by the way, very nice stash of Wellness cat food. I just cracked open a Wellness signature select purchased with my coupons for one of my kitties this morning, he enjoyed it, but he will pretty much eat anything.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Sheltie Pom:
Glad you found what you needed for your pup! I have three Wal-Marts in my area and it never fails that the one I happen to be shopping at is always out of one of the Pure Balance varieties I am looking for. And to make it more frustrating for me they don’t offer the site to store ordering option for the Pure Balance canned food. My dog really likes it though, does well on it, and I don’t think he really cares which flavor/variety I am giving him, he just wants his food.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Akari:
How cute is that cat???? Too cute, love the pic! Does your pet store let you use multiple coupons at once or do you have to make separate purchases? Just wondering, mine is a stickler for rules and I have to make separate purchases but I don’t mind if they don’t.

[Bobby dog]

First, as Akari wrote above if you go to Wellness’ site and find the “check your bag” icon, it’s usually at the top of their homepage, if it isn’t, search their website til it pops up. That is their $5.00 coupon promo that you can only access monthly and to quote Akari again “print out a crap-top of them,” or as many as you need for the month! The $1.00 off cans or $3.00 off bag coupons for dogs or cats are e-mailed monthly and you receive them by joining their “Wellness community.”

So unless they stop these promos, you should be getting $1 & $3 coupons monthly if you sign up for their “Wellness community” and still be able to access and print more check your bag $5.00 coupons in July as well as the coming months!

Check out my other post above for signing up for the Wellness community to get monthy coupons for cats or dogs and for the promos from their sister company Holistic Select.

I never use the $3 Wellness coupons because I use the $5 check your bag coupons but I still use the $1 Wellness coupons for cans and both ($1 off cans & $3 off bags) of the Holistic Select coupons they e-mail monthly.

Happy couponing!!!!!

[Bobby dog]

to quote Akari 32 “whoop, whoop!”

[Bobby dog]

Hi All:
Just an FYI, you may already know this, however if you don’t you can sign up for Wellness’ “join our community,” which you can find on the right side of any product page on their site, and they will send you $1.00 off cans and $3.00 off of bag coupons (for dog or cat products) each month. The same thing with their sister company Holistic Select. When you join their club, it looks like you will get a $5.00 coupon for something this month, but I also receive $1.00 off cans and $3.00 off bag coupons each month. Their offer is on their homepage.

I think I have signed up for just about every pet food company birthday, news & events, our community, and whatever else they call promotions that my pet store carries. Most have some kind of offer/coupon at some time throughout the year of value to me. Happy savings!!!!

[Bobby dog]

Hi Corbin S:
I had that issue with my male dog also, but it was only when he was excited. He outgrew it, as many people said he might, when he was over one year old. Although it actually happened again a few months ago when he saw one of his favorite people, he’s about four now.

I am not sure if you are looking for kibble or canned food suggestions; all kibble requires a starch to hold it together.

I have no suggestions as far as food goes either, but if you are looking for kibble maybe this link will give you a starting point. The list was compiled by one of DFA’s regular contributors’ and has been updated recently. It is a list of grain and potato free kibble. Some or many on the list may include other starches you listed, but at least it will give you brand names without potato in the recipes:
/forums/topic/grain-and-potato-free-dog-foods/

[Bobby dog]

I love Millie’s markings, she is gorgeous. They are each gorgeous and have unique coat and eye colors!

[Bobby dog]

Hey Akari:
Glad everything is well! Don’t ask me for name ideas because I just realized after reading what you just posted all my pets except one have human names, it was not intentional.

Your Vet gave you great instructions for his H2O care, using stainless steel bowls, changing it out etc. Try giving the running faucet thing a whirl if your comfortable with it; maybe you won’t need a pet fountain!

Keeping his litter, the box, and the scooper clean will help also.

I think your feeding plan sounds fine! You know what to look for in a pet food, feeding canned will help him stay healthy, he has a good home to live in (with toys), Vet care, what more could he ask for?

[Bobby dog]

Oh my goodness! Puppies always manage to get their selves in trouble don’t they? Wal-Mart is stocking alot more healthy foods for pets now so you have a pretty good list to look into that are 3.5 – 5 star foods at affordable prices. PB is $1.00 for stews and $1.25 for 95% meat and I believe all others mentioned are between $1.30 – $1.80 each. I am not sure on their price for Freshpet, but that is a 5 star rated food and Wal-Mart’s price was comparible to the price I pay for it at BJ’s. Goodluck!!!!

[Bobby dog]

Hi Sheltie Pom:
I recommend you check out DFA’s canned food list for 3.5 – 5 star canned foods to start with and for the DFA ratings of the brands I have listed below to help with your decision. If you are looking to purchase food from Wal-Mart I suggest you look at Pure Balance stews & 95% canned selections, Rachael Ray Nutrish tubs, Freshpet, Newman’s, Variety, Natural Life, and Evolve. Not all Wal-Marts carry all of these brands.

If you are looking for budget friendly canned foods also look into Kirkland Cuts and Gravy from Costco (you have to buy a case, they are about 75 cents/can) or 4Health from Tractor Supply $1.00/can.

Since you are feeding a puppy, look for puppy or all life stages to be listed on any brand you decide to feed; not adult only food. I am not sure which brands meet the puppy/all life stages criteria out of the brands I have listed.

I also recommend you look into rotational feeding for your pup. Here’s a link to a DFA article about rotational feeding:
/frequently-asked-questions/diet-rotation-for-dogs/

I feed Pure Balance along with some of the brands I listed above to my dog; he loves the taste, and does well on both Pure Balance varieties and all flavors.

[Bobby dog]

Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! What great news for your furry guy and you!!! I missed it, but what is his name? At least you caught the infection before it escalated to the point of what my poor cat endured.

I would like to suggest (I know, I know, you didn’t ask for any suggestions and I am sure your Vet already covered this with you anyway) to help his body clear out the infection to closely monitor his H2O intake by adding it to his food or at least making sure he is drinking the proper amount for his size and finding the best low carb foods that fit your budget for after you finish the C/D. What a lucky kitty to have you taking care of him now!

[Bobby dog]

I love that picture, too cute!!! I used to take my JRT to work with me. When she got bigger I would take her galloping cross country when we weren’t exercising on the track. That was perfect for wearing her out but I still had to contend with those kitties when I got home!

[Bobby dog]

Those sound like great toys to wear out a playful kitty. At one time I had a short legged JRT and two kittens (a brother and sister) all 8 weeks old. I would never do that again in a million years. I had an early morning job excercising racehorses and worked in a restaurant at night. 8 hours of sleep was never in the cards for me. The only thing that worked for me was to keep those kitties up no matter what when I was home until I was ready to sleep. If I didn’t, those three kept me up all night long playing. My female kitten loved to attack stuffed animals so I always had a couple out for her to wrestle with. I also got an old carpet remnant from a carpet store and rubbed catnip all over it. The cats would use it for scratching and also run and jump on it to slide across the floor. Their other favorite toy, JRT included, was a plain old brown paper bag. They would jump on it and smash it up, then try to figure out how to get into it when it was all crumpled up. Kitties are crazy!

[Bobby dog]

I don’t have a guess on the carbs in EVO but they are there. I couldn’t tell you if he has a blockage or not, but I can say I believe you are ahead of the game with this possible UTI! My cat was not feeling well late one afternoon and I made an appointment to see our Vet the next morning. When I came home from work after midnight that night there was no mistaking the pain he was in. He could not move and he was crying out in pain; a really horrible cry. You are not at that point yet and taking him to the Vet first thing in the morning is the very best you can do for him. Make sure your vet knows you need to bring him in ASAP because of a suspected UTI issue. I am a little distracted by the Walking Dead, it looks extra creepy tonight. Anyway, I barely got him to the ER after finding him in that condition. He had a blockage and the Vet who operated on him said if I had gotten him their one second later, his kidneys would have exploded. Since his condition was so critical and required a hospital stay, it cost me close to $2,000 (if not more). So I am sure catching this condition early and adjusting your kitty’s diet is a step in the right direction.

[Bobby dog]

That sounds like a great plan! As theBCnut succinctly wrote (which I could never have done so well!) carbohydrates are the issue with kibble as well as the body having to work overtime to compensate for the lack of moisture in kibble. All kibble requires a starch to hold it together no matter the quality of the product. Good luck tomorrow!!!

[Bobby dog]

Hi Aleksandra:
I have to admit I think finding good food for my pets has past the hobby stage and has become an addiction! I just recently wiped out the 50% off shelf at one of the pet food stores I frequent. They actually had large cans each of Tiki Dog Succulent Chic for 70 cents, Precise Holistic for 77 cents, Spots Halo Stews for 80 cents and some other name brand varieties I can’t even remember (all with long expiration dates). I think I have enough canned dog food for the next year! They had decided not to carry those flavors anymore and luckily I got to the store the day they put them on the 50% off rack. I felt like I had bags of gold when I left the store; I need to get a hobby.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Akari 32:
I understand the question as I had the same when I first started researching the best diet for my cats. In my opinion, Dr. Pierson has the best explanation to your question, so I would have to refer you to her website; I would just butcher and confuse the subject of wet vs. dry food for cats! She does a great job of explaining what has to go on in order for a cat to digest dry food and the reason it is so taxing on their bodies.

Ultimately he is in your hands and you will have to decide what you feel is best for him. But I do feel strongly about getting him to the Vet ASAP so you can find out for certain if he has UTI issues.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Alexsandra:
I am glad your friends dog is doing well. I completely get being on a pet food budget. I shop with coupons and look for sales online and in pet stores/Wal-Mart/grocery stores. As I wrote, I bought that bag of kibble that was close to the expiration date (and would consider doing it again) but maybe I wouldn’t have even thought about buying it if I didn’t have a budget to worry about.

At least you know the business practices of the one boutique and can shop with caution or not give them your business at all. You gave your friend great advice as far as watching out for the health of her beloved friend!

You have an adorable fella! I have a soft spot for JRT’s full bred or part. And he has a very loving family to boot, lucky guy!

[Bobby dog]

Hi C4c:
I miss that cat so much who drank from the faucet! It was the funniest thing to watch especially if I had a bad day. I tried my darnedest to get my other cats to drink out of the faucet but they just don’t see the fun in it!

[Bobby dog]

Hi Aleksandra:
I have to cast my vote with C4c and Betsy. I agree it is very risky to feed food that is possibly two years old. I can say I have bought a small bag of kibble I had been wanting to try that was on sale because the expiration date was two months away and the store wanted to clear it out. But, I only bought it knowing I was going to use it right away and I would be feeding it before it had expired. Food for thought…

[Author]

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