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Hi TH,
DogFoodie gave you some really good options. I have, and many family members, ordered online and we’ve had really good luck if you use reputable sites like chewy or petflow. I also agree about rotating between at least a couple of protein sources for the reasons mentioned. Good luck with it!
Hi Darrel M,
I posted earlier on this thread, please read my comments. I admit that 20 years ago I gave these to my dog, poor baby. These are just terrible treats. There are so many options of fresh food you could give your dog as opposed to this bag of junk. You could give them: bananas, apples, carrots, cantaloupe, watermelon, peanut butter, a piece of cooked chicken, anything fresh. They would look, feel and be healthier if you do.
Hi Cindy T,
What I’m about to say is completely my opinion, but I’m not a big fan of Royal Canin as I find it to be overpriced with subpar ingredients that has a vitamin pack added to it to make it nutritionally balanced. It may have some science to back it’s formulas, but in truth, everyone and every living thing on this planet really was meant to eat real food as opposed to a nutritionally complete processed food. Whatever your dog is, I really don’t feel that there is enough difference between and Maltese and a Shi Tzu to need to feed a specific breed formula. I foster dogs from Kill Shelters that are of unknown origin (aka Heinz 57) as well as have several dogs small and large, some mixed and some purebred. I feed them all pretty much the same food and they all end up looking great and are very healthy. There are differences in feeding large breed puppies as opposed to small breed puppies, but overall, if you feed a quality food with some fresh food mixed in to an adult dog, there isn’t a great deal of difference. Small Breed formulas tend to be higher in protein and fat as opposed to Large Breed formulas in general. Many dog food formulas have all life stages.
I’m not opposed to grains, if they work for the dog, but I have a dog that reacts to grains so it’s easier for me to feed all the animals grain freee. I always add fresh food to all of my dogs meals. No living thing should be eating dry processed food for their entire life. I add canned food when feeding a kibble meal and make a fresh cooked or raw meal with a balanced premix for the other meal. My “senior” dogs are lively and playful and walk a mile or so daily. They have minimal health problems, and only due to torn ccls (that’s a whole other discussion).
I’m not personally a fan of skept vet either, but ultimately, the choice is yours.
Hi Rebecca M,
Has the dog been to the vet for a dental check and cleaning? This, along with brushing is the best way to help with any dental problems and potential future problems such as liver or kidney disease.
Freshpet is a very soft food to feed. I don’t know if you want to go this route, but the dehydrated foods that you rehydrate, The Honest Kitchen, Grandma Lucy’s and Sojos all have meat inclusive and premixes that you can add raw or fresh cooked meat. If you use a ground turkey, chicken or beef, it would be very soft to eat.
Red, I’m not going to continue this, since you don’t seem to get the point and this is not helping the OP.
I feed a lot of different canned foods. I think wellness has a good dry food but I don’t use their canned often because they use meals in their canned food. While I understand it being used in dry food, I don’t want it in canned food.
I used to have that zoo and more, hamsters, mice, bunnies, fish, you name it I had it, but kids got in the way! 🙂
LOL Coonhound Mama!
Years ago (way more than I want to share), I walked into my natural pet food store and saw Thanksgiving Day Dinner from Merrick. That hooked me on giving my dogs canned food instead of just kibble. My dogs do get a Thanksgiving dinner which does include some fresh turkey along with their fresh food for the day. I do include the appropriate human food in their dinner and my dogs have been trained to not beg or counter surf when our food is prepared or served. I think it’s absolutely wonderful that so many people do include their animals in the celebration! I also buy Christmas gifts for all the doggies in the family besides my own (and there are many), both comfortable and edible!
Bobby dog, your animals are very lucky to have you! I always brought my horses a special gift for all holidays. Unfortunately, I haven’t had horses in way too many years. 🙁
I would love to have them again!Hi Karen,
I do feed THK in various formulas and my dogs do love it and I’ve had no problems with stools with the exception of some larger pieces of sweet potatoes in one of the formulas unless I grind it before rehydrating. So sorry your pup didn’t do well on it.
It could be simply too wet a mixture for her, but it sounds like she might have developed an intolerance to something in the food. I have a senior that ate a particular protein with no issues and then, a couple of years ago developed a reaction whenever she had it. Sometimes it takes a bit of time for the body to increase the reaction. As DogFoodie said, it doesn’t make it a bad food, it just doesn’t seem to be working for your dog.
Anyway, glad to hear that it worked out well for you! Keep that sweet senior happy and healthy! 🙂
Red, you said:
“BTW: All canned foods (dogs, people, whatever) tend to be higher in sodium, it’s just part of the canning process. I don’t have to read any labels or ingredient lists to know that.
Ask your vet, or a nutritionist if you don’t believe me.”This doesn’t sound like an opinion, it sounds like you’re stating fact, and it would be an incorrect fact. I’m aware of all of the various names of salt and/or sodium. However, they can not can foods that say salt free and add salt in any manner or rename it. Salt is not a part of the canning process.
Common sense would include reading the labels or ingredient list, particularly if you don’t want or cannot have a specific ingredient in your food.
http://www.mealtime.org/professionals-and-government/frequently-asked-questions.aspx#10000
Red, I’m not sure where you got the information that salt is part of the canning process. I don’t buy a lot of canned foods, but the ones I do buy are salt free. I have found sardines, tomato products, and vegetables that are salt free. The National Center for Home Food Preservation doesn’t agree with your statement:
Canned dog foods often can be higher in fat than traditional kibble, but not necessarily higher in sodium. Could you please link where you got that information from? Salt is considered an essential mineral by AAFCO Standards:
I don’t know why, but it won’t allow the links, but if you look up theNational Center for Home Food Preservation and go to FAQ’s and AAFCO Standards, you will find it.
Hi Ruth Anne G,
You could try a different protein source other than chicken, there are many. At this point, before the vet check, anything that he will eat and stop the diarrhea is fine. He might have a chicken intolerance, but until the parasite check comes out clean, you just won’t know. Make sure that the vet sends it out to a lab, vs an inhouse fecal float. That’s the best way (and it still has it’s flaws) to find possible parasite infection. I’ve been through those before and it’s not pretty.
Caesar’s puppy is really not a great deal, there are many others that are priced the same or better with far better ingredients. Susan is absolutely right about the ingredients. Here are the ingredients I found on Caesar’s website. It actually contains an unidentified meat by product, chicken, and unidentified animal liver before the lamb, so it might be more stress diarrhea than chicken issue:
Ingredients: MEAT BY-PRODUCT, SUFFICIENT WATER FOR PROCESSING, CHICKEN, ANIMAL LIVER, LAMB, RICE, CHICKEN BY-PRODUCTS, CALCIUM CARBONATE, SODIUM TRIPOLYPHOSHPHATE, FISH OIL, CARRAGEENAN, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, DRIED YAM, ADDED COLOR, XANTHAN GUM, MAGNESIUM PROTEINATE, NATURAL FLAVOR, SALT, ERYTHORBIC ACID, DL-METHIONINE, GUAR GUM, SUGAR, ZINC SULFATE, VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENT, BIOTIN, POTASSIUM IODIDE, COPPER SULFATE, YELLOW #6, SODIUM NITRITE (FOR COLOR RETENTION), D-CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, YELLOW #5, MANGANESE SULFATE, THIAMINE MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1), VITAMIN A SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT
Let us know how he does at the vet and we will be more than happy to help. I agree with Anonymously on possibly holding off on the vaccines until the diarrhea is contolled, but your vet can decide. I would personally give it a few days, but that’s IMO! 🙂
Red, kibble soaked in water is just kibble soaked in water. The only thing that’s similar with wet food is there is more water in it than dry kibble. It is still a highly processed product, even more processed than canned. The water is better than dry, but canned or fresh is still less processed and better than kibble.
Hi Ruth Anne G,
I foster a lot of rescue dogs from kill shelters. He might be suffering from “stress diarrhea”, which is common in puppies and even adult dogs when moving to a new situation. He could also have worms or some other intestinal parasites. The vet will be able to determine those when you see him/her. Has he had any of his shots at all? Many shelters do them on intake, but I have known of many that don’t do anything and it sounds like that may be the situation in your case.
How is he doing on the chicken and rice? If it’s controlling the diarrhea, I would keep him on that for a few days and see what the vet finds as far as parasites, etc. You can slowly introduce him to a new food. It sounds like he will be a large breed so you might want to check the forums on large breed puppy foods. There is also a link on the dog other side of this that discusses large breed puppy food. Good luck with your pup! Keep us posted! 🙂
Hi Shawna,
Yes, you did give me some food for thought and more research! 🙂
I did go back and read that portion of the article again. She did say that it didn’t work for her dog. I did find articles stating that famotidine can cause inappetance in some. In my case it seemed to help and I used it on an “as needed” basis. We are going back over 4+ years when I was doing the initial research. My vet recommended the famotidine (when we were in the later stage) and I found it on many sites as well the dogaware site. I was using almost every natural supplement recommended on the dogaware site as well as both mirtazapine and b complex vitamins, alternately, to help increase appetite in the later stage. They did seem to work. This is another one of the dogaware links that include the use of famotidine:
http://dogaware.com/health/kidneynattie.html
I understand your point that it might only be masking the sypmtoms, but in the case of CKD in an older dog, I think it might be helpful, particularly if there would be nothing done otherwise. I’m aware of the peppermint oil and ginger extracts and agree that this is quite helpful. I did find that apple cider vinegar can be used, but it seems to have mixed results, depending on the problem, on some sites such as livestrong. I found that sodium bicarbonate could be added to the Sub-Q fluids to combat the acidosis, but this was on a more traditional kidney site (the merck manual).
Since in the traditional sites they are mentioning the metabolic acidosis as part of the kidney problem, are they the holistic vets disagreeing with this? I understand your point that indigestion, not necessarily related to kidney disease, can be related to insufficient acid production.
On another note, what do you think of the OP’s recent question regarding giving liver and kidney a few times a week?
Hi dan g,
I don’t know what you googled, but here are a variety of links that are backed by research studies.
Here’s a link that’s fairly easy to read. This was a study that was in a Purina nutrition forum that found that even dogs with renal failure actually had a higher mortality rate on the low protein diet:
http://www.dogaware.com/files/bovee.pdf
A lot of people like Purina’s research:
https://www.purinaveterinarydiets.com/media/1132/senior-pet-food-protein-facts.pdf
Eating dehydrated food their whole life, leaving them in a constant state of slight dehydration and dental disease are more likely causes of kidney failure.
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/kibble-never-a-good-option/
http://www.avdc.org/periodontaldisease.html
http://veterinaryteam.dvm360.com/how-periodontal-disease-can-affect-pets-organs?rel=canonical
Hi Vicky T,
I’m sorry that you’re vet didn’t sound very helpful. Mine was adamant about using the Sub-Q’s and giving famotadine (Pepcid AC) to help with the metabolic acidosis that is a part of kidney disease. That’s the reason he doesn’t want to eat. Imagine trying to eat when you have terrible acid indigestion. It’s generally given 1/2 hour before feeding. You also need to bind the phosphorus with the meal. That’s the reason for the calcium, whether is a natural source (ground eggshell) or premade (i.e. epakitin).
http://www.dogaware.com/health/kidneymedical.html
Here’s the link, from the dogaware site I linked above, that contains the table of phosphorus content of various proteins. Since she is in moderate kidney failure, I would stay with muscle meat. Canned Salmon and Mackerel are very high in phosphorus compared to many other protein sources. The kidney and liver are as well. By comparison raw green tripe (you can find these in some dog stores as frozen). Do not use the bleached white tripe found in the grocery store for people.
Hi dan g,
You said “With the insurgence of grain free (more protein) foods also comes an increase of kidney failure at vets. So far, they still debate the cause as high protein or phospherus.” Could you please link where you got this information from.
As far as any studies I’ve read there is no link between high protein and kidney failure. Putting a healthy dog on a low protein diet to avoid kidney failure is very old,
outdated information.
Phosphorus, not protein needs to be bound and/or only when kidneys are failing, and not necessarily in the beginning stages. Grain free does not necessarily equate to high protein. BTW, Merrick canned classics are all grain free, they have been for a while now. I’ve fed them for years. I also have had a CRF dog, so I had to learn a lot about it.Hi Christine H,
Sorry that happened to you. I got that email on 9/1. So glad i didn’t go for it. Seems deceptive that they took money & closed shop. I hope you get the money credited back. 🙁
Hi Daniel K,
I haven’t ordered from chewy, but many have and seem to be happy with their orders. I order from petflow regularly with good luck. Their customer service is very good too.
Very interesting. I ordered from them in the past, but not in a couple of years and have been receiving a lot of emails from them very recently offering 25% off all orders. I see that they appear to be offline. It looks like they might be defunct. There have been several posters with less than good experiences, so it could be that they’re done.
Hi Liya O,
I think DogFoodie might have forgotten to link a copy of the body conditioning chart. Here’s a link to it:
https://www.purinaveterinarydiets.com/media/1209/body_condition_chart.pdf
I don’t know how long you’ve had him, but there generally is a transition time for the dog to adapt to the food, especially if he was eating a lower quality diet. I foster a lot of dogs and they need to be transitioned to better foods. It could also be that you are feeding him too much food. I have a small dog that’s about the size of yours and I feed her slightly less than recommended on the food bags, depending on the calorie count of the food. The other possibility is that there is an intolerance to the protein in the food you are feeding.
Just to add some other possibilites, since you don’t know his history, you might want to run a complete fecal check on him that’s sent out to a lab. He could possibly have some parasites conritubuting to the stool problem.
Hi Vicki K,
It could be due to a number of things, from food intolerance, gastrointestinal imbalances, to parasites like Giardia or Coccidia. Could you provide a little more information?
Hi Michael S,
it’s been a while since you posted, but these links might help. Generally organ meat, even in raw feeding, should be no more than 10 % of the total diet and liver only 5%. I find it’s a bit too rich to use alone, so I often mix with lung and fresh cooked muscle meat. I have large dogs, Labs, and tend to keep the treats slightly bigger than a pea. It’s easy to nibble, get back quickly to training, and keeps them interested in more since they don’t get full.
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/why-organ-meat-is-important-for-the-raw-fed-dog/
http://dogaware.com/diet/treats.html
George B,
I generally don’t treat for potty breaks, but you could apply the above information if you use treats. And treats, even good ones, shouldn’t be more than 10% of the total diet. I foster and find that crate training is very effective in potty training, especially in the beginning. Good luck with your pup!
Hi Courtney H,
I haven’t had to work with a nutritionist of any kind, but I would be wary of independent pet nutritionists. They can get “certification” from home study programs under $1000 for a very short period of study. I would personally only feel comfortable with one who had a veterinary degree with certification in nutrition as opposed to simply a “certified” nutritionist. Here’s an example:
http://www.anhs-school.com/pet-nutrition.html
Hi Aimee,
Shawna didn’t say she was a ACVN certified nutritionist. Meg Smart may not be on the ACVN board certified list, but she was the first to teach small animal nutrition in North America, so she must have some decent credentials. Since she is Canadian and got her DVM and PHD from Canadian Universities, it seems logical that she would not necessarily be credentialed in an American College of Nutrition. Another thought on this is that ACVN was founded in 1988 and she was already an established vet and teaching nutrition in Vet schools in 1994, so it may not have been necessary. Just my random thoughts. Link:
https://www.usask.ca/wcvm/wcvm_people/profiles/Smart_Marion%20Meg.php
Dawn A,
I feed raw, but I use a commercial, complete and balanced diet. If you are making your own, please research how to make a balanced homemade recipe. This is particularly critical since your dog is a puppy and nutritional deficiencies and/or imbalances can cause some really big problems as they grow, particularly in large breeds.
Dr. Becker, Whole Dog Journal, dogaware.com are a few places to start.
Hi Vicky T,
I have been through this with one of my older dogs a few years ago. I strongly recommend you ask your vet about the BalanceIt website. They can create a homemade recipe for you based on your dog’s kidney (bun/creatinine) levels. There are also a couple of very good sites which I found very helpful in dealing with CRF. One is dogaware which has a ton of information regarding diet and supplements. Here’s the link:
http://www.dogaware.com/health/kidneydiet.html
Another helpful site is a bit older but still loaded with information. It’s on Facebook and is called CRF Dogs. It’s exact name on FB is: CRF Dogs (Chronic Renal / Kidney Failure). for some reason, disqus never links the FB pages. Both sites are loaded with homemade diets that worked well for my dog. He was in CRF for almost a year and was not the ulitmate reason we had to put him down.
Wet food is the best thing you can do and the key is not necessarily to restrict protein, but to bind the phosphorus. You would do this with calcium and do this in various ways. Epakitin is a nutritional supplement that helps to bind the phosphorus. You can check with your vet on dosage. My vet gave me some to try. There are also many foods listed on those sites that are moderate in phosphorus levels. Green Tripe (without added minerals and vitamins) and cooked egg white are 2 proteins that are kidney friendly.
The subQ’s are essential to keep the kidney flushed from toxins. You may also need to use famotidine (generic Pepcid AC) to help with the acid that occurs and causes nausea as the disease progresses. Again, your vet should be able to help you with all of this information. Shawna is a frequent poster that has a lot more experience in dealing with Kidney Failure in a young dog, but has a wealth of information.
Good Luck!
Hi karen m,
It sounds like “itchy butt syndrome” as my vet calls it. It could be habit or it could be from a food allergy. Do you rotate foods and protein sources at all?
Hi Michelle C,
Awe, poop pup! It sounds like you might have gotten her from a less than stellar breeder. Most breeders start puppies on puppy food, not adult and if it was Dog Chow, that’s very close to the bottom of the barrel. I’m not sure if she’s reacting to the food or not, but I would rule out a few other possibilites first.
Dogs generally get tapeworm by ingesting a flea, which carries the larvae, so she and her mother probably had fleas too. Once the flea is ingested, the tapeworm begins it’s lifecycle inside your dog. (This is ust a quick FYI on tapes, since I’ve dealt with them before).
She also may have gotten Demodex mange from her mother. It’s on all dogs, but puppies often get them from their mother and her symptoms sound like this could be the case. Your vet can do a skin scrape to determine if it is mange. I strongly suggest having this done. Here’s some info on mange:
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/mange
I’m curious as to why you’re looking for a weight control food for a puppy? You mentioned flea control, but has she been wormed and a stool sample taken to check for other worms? Several types of worms need multiple dosaages. If she has a bloated belly, it’s likely she may still have some worm issues.
Hi Debbie H,
Here’s a link to an older thread on this forum listing several budget friendly foods. They might be a bit more than $1/lb, but you feed less of the better food and will have a generally healthier dog.
since it’s an older list, I’m not sure if Pure Balance, Victor or Pro Pac Ultimates is on it. These are budget friendly too.
Here’s the link:
https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/forums/topic/good-food-and-budgets/
Hi Korina,
I’m assuming that your vet did a skin scrape to rule out demodex mange. I foster dogs and if she is a rescue, this could be a real possibility. Fortunately, my vet works with a lot of rescues and does this before we go on to other possibilities. Demodex mange is very common in puppies and young dogs, particularly if she was a rescue. The stress of shelters can bring on demodex mange. I don’t quite understand your post, but if she got worse on the steroids, demodex is a very real possibility. I’ve been through that scenario.
If she is was clear on this count, I would choose a grain free food with another protein source. It doesn’t really matter if a food is rated 4.5 stars. If it doesn’t work for your dog, it doesn’t work. Please keep us posted!
Crystal C,
You really do need to take the dog to a vet ASAP!!! Gulping and crazy eyes sounds like he might be choking or gulping for air!!! It sounds like he might have a damaged trachea. This could result in some serious problems including difficulty breathing and swallowing. This is definitely a situation that needs a vet diagnosis rather than supplements, especially since it started after an incident involving injury. Please rule out any medical problems!
Hi Alana,
I feed both of these in my regular rotation. I really like the price of Northwest Naturals since I have multiple dogs and large ones. They both have worked well for my dogs.
C4C,
How do I get some of those awesome coupons???? 🙂
Hi Hav Mom,
I do a variety of chews from dental chews (including Merrick, Whimzees and Natural Balance) to body parts (ears, noses, etc). I find the dental chews to last for almost too short a time to really be effective. I do brush also, but with multiple dogs and being a bit lazy, I rely on the chews fairly often (several times a week).
Hi Kevin R,
I give my dogs both coconut oil and fish oil. Fish oil is the common source of Omega 3, Poultry and eggs are a common source of Omega 6 and Coconut oil is a common source of medium chain fatty acids. They all have a useful purpose in the diet. I use fish oil to supplement my arthritic dog (but the others get some too) as it’s an anti-inflammatory, along with all of the other great properties.
Here are some links to help explain all of the various Omegas:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/85285-coconut-oil-omega3/
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_9/features/Fish-Oil-Supplements-For-Dogs_20600-1.html
http://www.dogaware.com/articles/suppsoils.html
Red is correct regarding kibble. The long storage and oxydation after opening the bag are likely to destroy the EPA & DHA in the fish oil in dry dog food.
Hi Carrie R,
Have you tried her on a grain free salmon? The food you are currently feeding has grains. I have a dog that can’t tolerate any grains and as she got older developed an allergy to 1 specific protein.
Zignature has 2 fish formulas that are limited ingredients that might work. It could be the protein (fish) causing the allergy, but I would try eliminating the grains first. If that doesn’t work, I would switch to a new protein she hasn’t had. It could be environmental as well, but I would try a limited ingredient diet first. If you do this, you need to make sure ALL the treats are the same protein and grain free otherwise you won’t know if it’s working.
Hi Ptcbass,
So sorry for the loss of your other pup. In regard to your remaining one, the others have given you some good information. I do use some of the Grandma Lucy’s Purformance formulas in my rotation, but mostly the premixes to which I add fresh cooked meat. I also make a batch that will last 2-3 meals. If your pup gets UTI’s and crystals, you might consider giving all fresh or rehydrated food as the increased water will help flush the crystals out. Do you know which type of crystals form? There are sturvite and oxylate and different diet requirements for each type. If you know which ones they are, it would help you to adjust her diet for that particular crystal.
Here’s a link to Whole Dog Journal regarding bladder and kidney stones. It might be of some help:
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/13_6/features/Kidney-Stones-Bladder-Stones_16231-1.html
Good Luck! 🙂
Hi Patti S,
Sorry, but you did say ham. Here’s your post from farther up:
“You won’t find a large difference between the calories in pork tenderloin, ham, bone-in pork chops, and skinless chicken breasts, legs and thighs. Pork tenderloin has the fewest, with 93 calories in a 3-ounce serving, while ham contains 116 calories, which is the highest of the six samples. All six provide about the same amount of protein: 16 to 19 grams in 3 ounces.”
That’s why I cautioned about ham. I generally feed commercially processed raw and home cooked when using meat for human consumption. I do agree that you never really know what’s in the meat you are buying. 😉
Would you mind posting a link regarding undercooked beef and lamb? Do you mean less than Rare on a meat thermometer? I couldn’t find that, other than hamburger or ground meat, which needs to be cooked longer.
Trichinosis can be killed, if pork is properly cut to the right portion prior to freezing. Here’s the CDC:
http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/trichinellosis/gen_info/faqs.html
Hi Bethany C,
Wonderful luck for your pup to find a caring owner like you!
The others have given you some very good information. I do foster very underweight dogs and dogs with various parasites as they come from very rural areas. The giardia or coccidia that Bobby dog could be a very real possibility. I’ve had foster dogs that tested negative the first time and it was found on a more thorough or subsequent testing.
The best way to see if the dog has an issue of parasites is to put it on a very simple boiled chicken or boiled hamburger (strain the grease) and plain white rice diet for a few days. This should get the tummy back on track as it is a very bland diet. You could add a spoon of pure pumpkin to the mix also. If you don’t see an improvement on the diarrhea within a few days on this diet, you should have the dog’s stool tested again for parasites, including hookworm, giardia and coccidia. I’ve found hese particular parasites seem to cause the most problems with weight loss and loose stools. Tapeworm is also a very real possibility that isn’t caught in a normal stool sample, almost a guarantee if the dog had fleas, but it doesn’t usually cause diarrhea. The tests are not very expensive. Unfortunately, if it’s a parasite issue, no amount of dog food, no matter what the quality, will help until the parasites are gone.
If the dog does well on the bland diet, you can slowly introduce a nutritious food. We all want our really thin dogs to gain some weight, but you have to do it slowly as their system isn’t used to being well fed. I find that by slowly increasing my foster’s portion, they will put the weight on, but it takes time. Too much food too fast just overwhelms their system and cause more diarrhea. Many rescues advise adding a bit of extra carbohydrates like rice, oatmeal and/or sweet potatoes, along with their regular dog food, to help increase weight. Canned food also can help, but again, it must be added slowly to prevent GI upset. Satin Balls are another rescue trick that might work, once you have the diarrhea under control.
Here’s a link to the recipe:
http://www.gpalouisville.org/Recipes.htm
Some other budget friendly dog foods are Pure Balance (Walmart, made by Ainsworth pet food company), Sportmix Wholesomes or ProPac Ultimates (Midwestern pet food company). These foods aren’t as cheap as Puppy Chow, but their are so much healthier. You feed less of these formulas, so they aren’t as expensive as they seem. C4C and BD are correct. Bad breath is a symptom of poor dental health or some other issue.
Good luck with your rescue and keep us posted!
Hi Patti S
Just a word of caution. I would never recommend ham since it’s a cured product and has a really high sodium content. Ham should never be part of a dog’s diet. Any other fresh pork with fat trimmed off, is absolutely fine!
Hi Colby C,
There are several sites that have balanced homemade recipes, including dogaware, as InkedMarie mentioned. Whole Dog Journal has recipes. I’m a subscriber but I think the articles can be accessed for free. Balanceit is another helpful website.
There are also several books with balanced diets including See Spot Live Longer and Dr. Becker too.
The most important thing is to make sure the diet is balanced. I tend to use premixes like Grandma Lucy’s, The Honest Kitchen, etc to add to the cooked meat at feeding time. I cook enough meat to last several days. Crock pots are great for this purpose. InkedMarie is right, commercial raw is very easy, but it is expensive when you have multiple large dogs. Good luck with it!
Um, I don’t post complaints about Trolls to the forum if my comments aren’t accepted or agreed with and I post links that include both traditional and alternative methods that have a bearing on the issue and only when I have experience concerning the topic. 😉
Red,
Are you familiar with liver disease in dogs, including high ALT? Are you familiar with Denamarin? It is a PRESCRIPTION medication given by vets to support liver function. Do you know what the ingredients are in Denamarin? They are Sam-e and MILK THISTLE. I have actually reduced high ALT from well over 300 to the completely normal (actually on the low side of normal) on a dog diagnosed with chronic hepatitis using a combination of Sam-e and MILK THISTLE (the vet verified that this could be used in place of the prescription). I use vets and Lab tests, so this is not guessing, Voodoo or witchcraft. I also know many people who have done the same that are knowledgable people in the dog world who also used vets to diagnose, etc. that have successfully used this therapy.
Here are some links to studies or research done:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1939-1676.2011.0743.x/full
This is for humans, and it includes many diseases unrelated to the liver, but it does suggest that there is efficacy in milk thistle use:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/milk-thistle/evidence/hrb-20059806
You might want to consider reading other sources besides skeptvet.
Dogs Naturally & Whole Dog Journal have some information on usage. I generally only give it after vaccines in my normal liver value dogs. Mine are large. If you use the liquid, don’t use the alcohol based one. I got a vegetable glycerin based one from the vitamin shoppe.
Hi Jennifer D,
Sorry if I misunderstood your post about the vomiting. I thought he threw up after he ate. If you reread it and see the punctuation, you might see why I misread it.
Anyway, I absolutely understand the purpose of milk thistle and have used it successfully for dogs with serious liver issues. I’m aware of its liver cleansing properties as well. The peroxide generally doesn’t make it into the system since it’s vomited out and the dosage, if done correctly is minimal. There should be no need for milk thistle as a liver cleanse.
I’ve had to make fosters that have eaten strange things vomit using peroxide per vets instructions. You should have fasted him. He probably vomited because his stomach was still upset. Check with your vet to make sure all is well. You wouldn’t use milk thistle for this. Good luck!
